jazz scales

Jazz Scales: The Diminished Scale

The Diminished Scale  Mathematically, there must be a finite number of scales, but scales seem pretty infinite to me. There […]

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drum set on blue background drawing

Principals of Basic Drum Beats for Rock, Part 1

In spite of the seemingly limitless variety one can find in rock drumming, there are also virtually ubiquitous commonalities. In […]

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warm light sheet music

Reading Music for Beginners: Rhythm and The Staff

Learning how to read music is probably pretty low on the priority list of many musicians. How can something as […]

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picture of saxophone in watercolor

Jazz Exercises for the Saxophone: Advanced Studies in 12 Keys

Introduction to the Final Part of the Series    This blog post is the fourth and final part of a […]

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electric guitar

Can’t Buy Me Love Chords: 3 Open-String Minor Chords in Action

In the last installment we used Hey Joe to work on 5 open string major chords. If only major chords […]

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how to write a pop song

How To Write a Pop Song

Despite what you’ve heard, Pop music isn’t just songs from boy bands and teen idols. Pop music, or popular music, […]

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jazz band with bassist

Intro to Jazz Bass Technique

There’s a famous story about the great jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown waking up and, while still in bed, going over […]

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cover of stick control

Why Drummers Use Stick Control

One of the most enduring and venerated method books for drummers is Stick Control for the Snare Drummer by George […]

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saxophonists 12 keys

Jazz Exercises for the Saxophone: Thinking in 12 Keys

A Couple of Hypothetical Situations   You’re at a family gathering, maybe a family reunion or a grandparent’s 80th birthday […]

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colorful microphone music notes

How Music Theory Can Improve Your Songwriting

For some musicians, music theory is one of those phrases that inspires anxiety, dread, and even panic, and it’s no […]

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