PlayJazz

• The Power of Positivity From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (1 day old)

  Did you hear the one about the jazz musician who won the lottery? He kept gigging until it was gone. We jazz musicians can be a pretty gloomy old lot sometimes. Unappreciated, largely ignored… more

• Beware Of The Web! From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (4 days old)

  The internet is truly a double-edged sword. On one hand it allows us access to information on almost any topic imaginable. It has changed the way we interact with the world around us and has provide… more

• Power Tips - Record Yourself From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (8 days old)

  By far the quickest way I know of to improve is simply to listen to your own playing. Recording yourself will highlight a whole host of things, both good and bad, that you just won't be aware of when… more

• Quick Tips - Tritone Subsitution From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (12 days old)

  Quick Tips seem to be this blog's equivalent of buses - after waiting ages for one, three come along at once! In recent posts on jazz blues progressions and pedal tones I referred to a common jazz … more

• Quick Tips - Pedal Tones From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (15 days old)

  A pedal tone is a tone sustained in the bass while the harmony moves in the upper voices. Pedal tones are a great way to add a sense of movement to a tune and are particularly good for intros. Thi… more

• Quick Tips - Jazz Blues From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (19 days old)

  Whilst jazz may have been born from the blues, it went on to develop its own, separate identity whilst keeping much of the phrasing and deliberate dissonance that characterises the older musical form.… more

• Power Tips - Don't Practice in All Keys! From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (22 days old)

  Ok, to get the new Power Tips series underway with a bang, we'll start with something controversial! Power Tip Number one is: Don't practice everything in every key Nearly every instructional bo… more

• Getting Better Faster (Part Two) - Power Tips From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (22 days old)

  Every jazz student I've ever met (myself included) is in a hurry. We all want to get better – and fast. In the last two posts, I've talked about the way this can impede our development by causing us… more

• The Power Of Persistence From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (25 days old)

  Last time on the blog, I talked about the frustration caused by being afraid that you're practicing the wrong thing. In that post, I also claimed that any practice you do will help you get better as … more

• Getting Better Faster (Part One) From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (29 days old)

  Like many musicians, I am constantly trying new methods and approaches in my personal practice. If I hear a new sound on a record or come across a new way of approaching something, I'll often try it … more

• The Power of Perception From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (32 days old)

  Confidence is an important part of being a performing musician. I've recently been thinking about the things that can build or diminish our confidence as performers and the effect that can have on ou… more

• Find Your Voice From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (37 days old)

  Here’s some bad news: The process of learning jazz is a constant, life-long endeavour and you’ll almost certainly die before you are 100% satisfied with your playing. Here’s some good news: You do… more

• A Call To Arms From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (40 days old)

  There's been a lot written recently about a new study that claims that the jazz audience is dying and it looks clear that the music is going to face a challenge in finding new listeners in years to co… more

• Sort Your Head Out From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (43 days old)

  The last couple of posts on blog have looked at overplaying as one of the most common pitfalls that jazz musicians of all levels should be wary of. If you want to catch up with those posts before rea… more

• Why your ego sucks! From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (47 days old)

  In my last post, I talked about the widespread problem of overplaying in jazz and suggested some tips for things to do in practice to help us play less but say more. If you didn’t see that article, y… more

• Shut Up! From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (50 days old)

  Overplaying has got to be the most common mistake in jazz. In the overwhelming majority of jazz solos, there are very few moments when the soloist leaves a rest of more than a couple of beats. I thi… more

• Email PlayJazz From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (53 days old)

  I've set up a new email address specifically for the blog if anyone has questions, queries, remarks or other feedback that they don't want to leave in the comments section. You can now email me at: … more

• Jazz isn't dead... From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (53 days old)

  Over the summer, I’ve been going to quite a few local gigs and making a real effort to support the grassroots jazz scene after reading some research done by the Musician’s Union which shows a fall in… more

• Setting Practice Goals From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (58 days old)

  I went round to a bass player's house the other day for a bit of a jam. I'm always interested in how other musicians practice and the way they approach their music. As I sat at the piano, I noticed … more

• Quick Tip - Step Up! From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (61 days old)

  Here’s a quick tip for adding a touch of the unexpected to the ending of a tune and holding the audience’s attention until the very last bar. Quite simply, if a tune in a major key finishes on chor… more

• PlayJazz with a Playalong? From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (64 days old)

  Last time, I talked about backing tracks, playalongs and the increasingly common role they play in musicians’ development. Whilst I believe that playalongs are a fantastic tool, there are some things… more

• On Not Finding a Teacher (Part 2) From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (68 days old)

  Generally, I think that studying with a good teacher is the best way to learn jazz. However, good teachers can be hard to find. Fortunately, there are lots of resources on the market that can help t… more

• Product Links - A Disclaimer... From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (68 days old)

  Recently, I've been looking at some of the resources available to the jazz student who is trying to teach himself - and I'm about to post another article on this topic. As I was finishing that pa… more

• On not finding a teacher (Part 1) From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (72 days old)

  In the last post I talked about the best way to select a teacher. However, many people will live in areas where there isn’t much choice. Jazz musicians often move to cities seeking more opportunitie… more

• On Finding a Teacher From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (75 days old)

  I’ve always believed that you teach yourself music – particularly jazz. Learning to play is not simply about obtaining knowledge you don’t possess from someone who does: Music is an art, not a scienc… more

• Hidden Gems - Jim Mullen. Burns. From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (79 days old)

  For those of you not from the UK, you may not be overly familiar with the name of Jim Mullen – but trust me, you’re missing out. Jim is one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation – and pro… more

• Quick Tip - The #11 Ending From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (81 days old)

  Here’s a quick tip for a chord to end a piece on which will give it a cool and ambiguous unresolved feeling that you’ve probably heard on recordings before. Ok, here’s the rule. If the piece ends… more

• Here comes the post, man From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (85 days old)

  Just to let you know that from now on, PlayJazz will be updated on a Monday and a Thursday so make sure you check in then for some fabulous new content. Of course, you could always swing your p… more

• What to practice to get gigs (Part 2) From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (86 days old)

  In my last post, I talked about the difficulty in knowing what to work on as an emerging jazz player. Sometimes, the sheer amount of things you need to master can seem overwhelming and it’s hard to k… more

• What to practice to get gigs (Part 1) From Minim ^Pro in PlayJazz (88 days old)

  One of the most intimidating aspects of learning to play jazz is that there seems to be so much to learn. What’s worse, as you improve you continually uncover more things to work on. Sometimes i… more

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