JAZZ IMPROVISATION

If you’re wondering what on earth anacrusis means, it’s simply the proper term in written music for what we otherwise would call a “pick up”. And in this lesson I am excited to demonstrate this seldom taught melodic and rhythmic device in the unique context that it is...

If you’re a jazz guitarist, at some point you’ve probably experienced what I like to call... pianist envy! This is the result of watching keyboard players use their left hand to comp with chords, while independently improvising intricate lines with their right hand....

This is the 3rd in a series of Coltrane Guitar Perspectives on using pentatonics. In the previous 2 installments, I showed you how the legendary John Coltrane pioneered the use of the common minor pentatonic and the kumoi pentatonic of Japanese origin by...

Are you familiar with the modes of the harmonic minor? If you're like the great majority of jazz guitarists, or musicians in general, the answer is probably “No”! When was the last time you used the Romanian scale or the Lydian #2 when improvising over a standard?...

This is the 2nd in a series of "Coltrane Guitar Perspectives" on using pentatonics. If you missed the first one be sure to check it out here. In it I show you how the legendary John Coltrane pioneered the use of the common minor pentatonic in jazz by super-imposing it...

If you’re a guitarist, I wouldn’t be surprised if the very first scale you ever learned is the minor pentatonic ! And most likely…you first learned it to solo either over the blues or your favorite rock tune. But if you’re like most guitarists who get into jazz, it’s...

If you’re an intermediate to advanced player, do you ever get tired of hearing yourself play the same old lines when improvising? Maybe you’re just in need of expanding your vocabulary or simply exploring some new melodic perspectives. If so, in my newly posted video...

An important resource that great jazz musicians use in order to tell a story when improvising, is the element of repetition. This is often done by stressing a note that is common to various consecutive chords in a progression. And it is effective because it creates a...

If you’re starting out with jazz improvisation and you’re overwhelmed with the amount of chords in a 32 measure standard,  I think this lesson will be of utmost help. In it I show you how to improvise over almost any standard by reducing it down to its bare-bone...

Do you employ double stops in your playing? In case you’re not familiar with the term, it was first devised by violinists to denote 2 notes played simultaneously. Nonetheless, it is applicable to any any polyphonic instrument! You’ve probably heard and identified the...

If you had to pick just 1 scale to learn in order to use over most standards, what would it be? Some say the major scale or one of it modes such as the dorian or lydian. Others swear by the so called bebop scale. But if you had to use any of those scales exclusively...

Every now and then, do you feel like you’re just incessantly playing the same licks, scales and arpeggios without saying anything? Furthermore, do you sometimes feel like they don't even sound jazzy? In this lesson I teach you a seldom taught line construction...

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated by the symmetrical diminished scale!  And I know that this is also the case with so many jazz musicians we all look up to. For example, the late Pat Martino used the symmetrical diminished as the source from...

On February 2nd 2022, I was saddened to hear that we lost a great jazz guitar pioneer...Joe Diorio. As a result I have decided to dedicate this lesson to his memory and share with you a sample of his unique contribution to the ongoing evolution of jazz guitar. When I...

Did you know that one of the primary ways in which great musicians incorporate new ideas such as licks into their vocabulary, is by first writing their own solos over a standard? As a matter of fact, the more they do this, when the time comes to improvise, the easier...

Whether or not you are a John McLaughlin fan, I’m sure you agree that he is an awesome musician! When I first heard him with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I remember thinking he was from another planet (lol). And that’s because as a teenage rock guitarist who had just...

Did you know that a few wrong notes played with great timing over a tight groove will often go by unnoticed by many, whereas the opposite, a great melodic line played with bad timing will be apparent even to most musically uneducated ears? In this lesson I demonstrate...