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You are here: Home / Archives for Jazz Improvisation

Jazz Improvisation

Mark Turner-Transcriptions and Essays by Jeff McGregor Review

February 10, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

For the last couple of weeks,  I have been checking out two amazing transcription books by Jeff McGregor entitled Chris Potter-Transcriptions and Essays and Mark Turner-Transcriptions and Essays. I already reviewed the Chris Potter Transcription book,  and today I will be reviewing Mark Turner-Transcriptions and Essays. Mark Turner-Transcriptions and Essays by Jeff McGregor If you […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: essays, Jeff McGregor, Mark Turner, solos, tenor saxophone, Transcriptions

Chris Potter-Transcriptions and Essays by Jeff McGregor Review

February 4, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

For the last couple of weeks,  I have been checking out two amazing transcription books by Jeff McGregor entitled Chris Potter-Transcriptions and Essays and Mark Turner-Transcriptions and Essays. Chris Potter-Transcriptions and Essays by Jeff McGregor If you were to gather ten saxophone players around a table and have a discussion about who the cutting edge […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: chris potter, essays, Jeff McGregor, solos, tenor saxophone, Transcriptions

The Deep Wisdom of Victor Wooten

January 31, 2020 by Steve 2 Comments

I discovered this gold nugget of a video this morning while drinking my morning coffee and perusing around Youtube to see what was new today. Victor Wooten is an amazing bass player and musician and in this video he teaches some core truths about music in an amazing way! Check it out! (I have started […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: bass, Jazz Improvisation, music, Victor Wooten, video lesson

A Key to Jazz Improvisation Success: Boredom and Repetition

August 24, 2019 by Steve Leave a Comment

Here’s a great article that a fan of my site emailed to me a few months ago.  Although the article is dealing with the martial arts, the principles written about in this essay can just as easily be applied to music and jazz improvisation. When the writer writes about “kata” imagine that he is referring […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: boredom, Jazz Improvisation, lesson, practicing, repetition, success

FREE 12 Major Scales Practice Sheet

May 24, 2019 by Steve 4 Comments

Here’s a free sheet I give to all my students to learn their 12 major scales and major triads. When I teach my students the major scales, I teach them to memorize all the scales on this sheet exactly as written.  They should be able to play each scale on the sheet immediately when asked […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: 12 keys, free, major scale, PDF, Practice, sheet

Free Demo Lesson on Altered Pentatonic Variations

April 23, 2019 by Steve 2 Comments

I decided to offer another free video lesson based off my book Mastering Altered Pentatonics for everyone.  This is a short demo lesson based off of my full length lesson “Creating Modern Lines with Altered Pentatonic Variations-Lesson 1“.  The full lesson includes a 38 minute video lesson and  the 36 page PDF of the altered […]

Filed Under: Free Lessons, Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation, Learning at Neffmusic

Free Chord Tone Cheat Sheet

January 12, 2019 by Steve 3 Comments

Here’s a great tool that I made for my students years ago that I totally forgot about.  It’s called the Chord Tone Cheat Sheet.  I had a Skype student the other day that said he was looking for something like this on the internet but couldn’t find anything.  As he was speaking, I had this […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: 12 keys, chord sheet, chord tones, free, PDF, upper extensions

FREE 12 Major Blues Scale Sheet

January 9, 2018 by Steve 1 Comment

Here’s a free sheet I give to all my students after they learn their major scales. It’s just a sheet with all the 12 Major Blues Scales on it.  If you take a look at the sheet you might notice that the scales are the same as the scales on my free 12 blues scales sheet […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: 12 keys, blues scales, free pdf, Jazz Improvisation, major

The Art of Jazz Improvisation-Communication

February 9, 2017 by Steve 3 Comments

I was browsing the internet this morning when I happened upon these two amazing videos below.  It struck me that as teachers and students, we are so often teaching jazz improvisation in a one dimensional realm.  We talk about scales, licks, chords and patterns. We go home and practice by ourselves with our play along tracks […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Videos Tagged With: Brad Mehldau, chris potter, communication, Jazz Improvisation, Joey Alexander, joshua redman

My “Secret” List of the Funkiest Minor Tunes to Practice to……..

February 6, 2017 by Steve 2 Comments

Today, I’m going to share my “secret” list of funk tunes that I have been practicing to for a few years now.  These are tunes that I bought on iTunes because I was sick of the generic Jamey Aebersold tracks that we all practice to.   I spent many hours one week going through iTunes […]

Filed Under: Jazz Education, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: funky tunes, iTunes, Jazz Improvisation, minor grooves, playalong, song list

Body and Soul: The Evolution of a Tenor Saxophone Standard Review

January 1, 2016 by Steve 7 Comments

For the last couple of weeks,  I have been diligently working through a great new book by Eric Allen entitled Body and Soul — The Evolution of a Tenor Saxophone Standard: Transcriptions and analysis of solos by: Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Stan Getz, Sonny … Brecker, Chris Potter, Spiral-Bound Book Body and Soul — The […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: Body and Soul, Eric Allen, jazz sax, tenor saxophone, Transcriptions

The #1 Thing You Need to Do To Become a Great Improviser

September 23, 2015 by Steve 9 Comments

I’m seeing a trend in adult  students that I have taught over the last 10 years and wanted to write about it.  The #1 thing that most students young and old want to improve is their ability to improvise well.   Many times, I ask the students what their practice routine is like and I get answers […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: improviser, Jazz Improvisation, learning, music, Practice

Why is Learning Jazz Patterns Foreign to Me?

August 24, 2015 by Steve 7 Comments

I received this question in an email the other day and I thought it would be good to try to answer it in detail on the blog here so others can benefit from it: Question: Steve, I have always listened to jazz, but I tend to favor simpler, lyrical playing like Houston Person, Gene Ammons, […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: Jazz Improvisation, jazz patterns, language, learning to improvise, phrases

FREE 12 Blues Scales Sheet

February 4, 2014 by Steve 17 Comments

Here’s a free sheet I give to all my students after they learn their major scales. It’s just a sheet with all the 12 Blues Scales on it. When I teach my students to use the blues scale I teach them to try to move off the #4 note quickly when playing. Many student who […]

Filed Under: Jazz Improvisation Tagged With: free sheet, students

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I’ve been downloading your lessons for 4 months now (20 lesson) and I have noticed tremendous growth in my playing thus far! I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your site!
Bob
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude

I want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert

Steve,

I have played for many years and have enjoyed going “back to the basics” in some of your lessons!  You have such a gift for explaining concepts.  As I have gotten older, some of the basic things have gotten muddled because I just play, not knowing why.  As I refresh myself with “why”, it increases my confidence and expands my playing.  Thank you so much for using your gift!  You are a blessing!

Julia

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore
Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony

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Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 1-Minor Chords
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Major Bebop Scale Book
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