I had a lesson the other day with a student and I realized that he was really having a hard time coming up with melodic ideas and phrases. I asked him “Do you ever sing?” “No!” “How about humming?” “No!” “How about in the shower?” “No!” This really got me thinking about things […]
Jazz Improvisation
Approach Note Books and Lessons
“Approach Note Velocity” by Steve Neff Approach Note Velocity is a book that I created for myself so that I could master all the different approach notes in every key. I have divided the book up into sections by key and have written out the exercises so that you can practice them and read them […]
Getting the Most from Neffmusic Online Lesson
To get most out of my NeffMusic Online Lessons I would suggest a few simple ideas. 1. Focus on one topic like Blues scales, Approach Notes, Pentatonics……..etc. In my mind it’s always better to focus on one topic at a time and master it. Working on bits and pieces of 10 different lessons and not […]
Kenny Werner Masterclass
This is a great masterclass by Kenny Werner. I’ve been a fan of Kenny Werner since I read his book “Effortless Mastery” a number of years ago. I love his mindset of letting go of the fear and distraction that can attack us when we perform. So often when I was younger, I would be […]
Practicing Jazz Saxophone With Focus
One of my biggest weaknesses when I was a kid was practicing without a specific focus. I wanted to do it all, play everything, be the best. I wanted results now. I would spend endless hours in the practice room practicing everything. The problem was, I wasn’t focused. I didn’t set goals. Instead of getting […]
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