Once upon a time in a land far away, lived a very talented musician who longed for the opportunity to play his instrument and actually get paid to do so. Oh what visions of grandeur passed through his/her head as he/she dedicated his/her every waking hour to practicing his/her favorite instrument. Years past and slowly his/her ambition became a reality. “This is why I have dedicated me life to my instrument. This is finally the payback I have dreamed of”. Then, while performing with one of the Holiday On Ice show, he/she was asked if he/she ( don’t you get…

Now that we have covered a few of the elements used to build a cohesive and interesting improvised solo, I felt it necessary to establish a little of the history behind jass (original spelling). I found this yesterday and believe this is the only video I have found which actually features Paul Whitman speaking on camera. Most may find the Beer commercials a little boring but even those are a very good example as to how far we have improved in cooperate advertising.

Seldom do improvisers recognize the value in changing octaves when performing a solo. Many times your improvised solo can be repeated in a different octave and sound completely new. Changing a melodic line by inverting it to a different octave can give your solo a whole new meaning. To give you an example of how this can be done, please watch and listen to one of my favorite trumpet stylists Chet Baker. You may wonder why he is missing some of his upper, front teeth in this video. This could have been shortly after he was mugged on a street…

1950 Rock and Roll was the beginning of the volume invasion. Even Folk music was limited in decibels until the day Bob Dylan went electric. Once amplification was established in pop music, nothing would be the same. Every garage band was twanging away with 10 on their dials. As time past, more musicians were evaluated and eventually praised for the number of Marshal Amps they were able to get on stage. It seemed that the higher the decibels, the better the band. At least to the children who eventually lost their hearing. “Loud is good /soft is bad”. Many musicians…

One might ask “What do you mean “playing the rests”? Utilizing periods of rests or pausing during an improvised solo is something many players never think of. As I listen to great improvisers, I realize that the short periods of “nothing” can be an oasis in the desert. These mini points of contemplation give the rest of the solo meaning and contrast. Often we are bombarded during a conversation with an over excited and sometimes recreationally medicated person who seems to be able to talk without stopping for air. The more the person prattles on, the less we tend to…

Playing by ear is a term used to describe the musician’s ability to improvise a melody or a melody coordinated through a series of chords. To some it is a mystery and to others, it comes natural. What abilities do musicians have when performing music by ear? Can this ability be learned and is it important? First let’s discuss what playing by ear really means. 1. To perform by ear requires an ability to function on an instrument which is capable of reproducing the desired pitch. 2. This series of pitches need to be placed in a proper order so…

When deciding how to introduce this gifted young lady, I struggled even with the heading. Many adjectives came to mind such as “gifted”, “talented”, “motivated”, “mature”, etc., but the only word I could find which describes this person would be “exceptional”. Many times adults refer to the younger generation as irresponsible, self-indulging, self-centered and lazy. News broadcasts show less than adult behavior of students rioting and vandalizing property and blatantly disregarding the law and because of these actions, younger people are sometimes regarded as lawless individuals and many times we overlook the positive influences made by the majority of youth…

This morning while lying in bed and looking out our bedroom sliding doors at the sun coming up over Table Rock Lake, I began to wonder why the Christmas season is most often celebrated with brass instruments. Why do we hear more brass ensembles during this time of the year than woodwind quartets or string ensembles? Why are brass instruments more seasonal than all other instruments? Throughout the day I pondered this question and finally decided to sit down and discuss this question with myself. Brass instruments were not always used during the Christmas season just as they were not…