Are you looking for a great exercise to improve your jazz improvisation skills? Look no further! In this post, we're going to share a 7-step exercise that you can practice every day, no matter what your level is. This exercise is a progressive 7-step process that you can customize to fit your needs. Depending on... Continue Reading →
Playing Scales vs. Playing Out of Scales
I've been asked many times "Why do I need to learn and practice scales?" or "Why do I need to understand chords-scales and tonal harmony?" Some other people complain about the chord-scale theory, saying that they don't want to play scales, meaning they wish to play in the jazz vocabulary, licks, motives, playing rhythmically or... Continue Reading →
Lush Life – Full Harmonic Analysis
Here's a song by Billy Strayhorn that I've always loved and never fully analyzed until writing The Jazz Standards Progressions Book. I've been fascinated by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn compositions since the first time I heard an Ellington album, about thirty years ago. Since then I greatly enjoyed their rich harmonies, rhythmic vocabulary and... Continue Reading →
Can We Have a IVmaj7 Chord With an Ionian Chord-Scale?
Here's a musical concept nobody taught me at school. While analyzing 1000+ jazz tunes for The Jazz Standards Progressions Book, I noticed a great number of songs in major keys tonicize the IV degree at the beginning of the bridge. It's usually preceded by the V/IV, landing on the IV at the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
100 Essential Jazz Standards
Since the release of The Jazz Standards Progressions Book where I analyzed 1000+ songs I have been asked many times for a list of essential jazz standards. I do not want to promote uniformity in repertoire nor do I believe in programatic lists. Jazz is a personal intuitive journey. What I do believe in is finding... Continue Reading →
Tessitura Pro Tip of the Day #8: How to see the modes of a scale Tessitura Pro: The whole world of scales over the Circle of Fifths.
Tessitura Pro Tip of the Day #8: How to see the modes of a scaleTessitura Pro: The whole world of scales over the Circle of Fifths.#ScalesAndModes #MusicEducation #MusicScales #ChordScales #CircleOfFifthshttps://t.co/C6vnN9cv6C pic.twitter.com/jSgf6VqmWm— mDecks Music (@mDecksMusic) June 8, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Kotska’s Workbook Chapter 22 No. 1 in Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro, seen diatonically and functionally. MTHP visually reveals every function in tonal harmony.
Kotska's Workbook Chapter 22 No. 1 in Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro, seen diatonically and functionally. MTHP visually reveals every function in tonal harmony.#tonalharmony #ChordProgression #MusicEducation #TraditionalHarmony #Kostka https://t.co/6NtgaepthJ pic.twitter.com/HKFkoJ4LXE— mDecks Music (@mDecksMusic) May 23, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js