Welcome to the JVL Practice Tracker! Track your progress Reach your goals “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.We are what we repeatedly do.Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle Download The JVL Practice Tracker In order to progress, we must be organized and (as much as possible) practice daily. […]
Hello , It’s great to transcribe solos. It’s good for your ear but you need to know what to make of this transcription. I realized I needed to analyze the melody (identifying scale degrees) and simplify the phrases to understand how these phrases were built. This is what I call “zooming out”, to the quarter note and […]
“You can miss the note, but you can’t miss the time!”
I’ve been asked “what is the best way to practice arpeggios?”. Short answer: as soon as you practice arpeggios, you’re doing something good! There are of course many ways to practice arpeggios, and here I want to share with you my favorite exercise. With this, you will practice all arpeggios (triads and tetrads), in all […]
For jazz musicians looking to hone their craft, “Blue Train” is a treasure trove of inspiration and musical lessons. Coltrane’s innovative improvisations, the tight interplay between band members, and the sophisticated arrangements make each track a valuable study in jazz theory and performance.
Here are some of the mantras I live by: • Don’t underestimate the fundamentals. • Don’t overestimate your mastery of the fundamentals. • There is fun in fundamentals! • Keep swinging! Watch the video and download the PDF! English Français English Français Resources: Jazz Map Triads & voice-leading Why triads are important Black Orpheus Stella […]
In this short video (Tetrads in tonal harmony) I want to introduce or clarify some of the most foundational elements we need to understand and hear in order to play music in a tonal context. In classical harmony as well as in pop music, the chords are mainly triads (except the dominant 7th chord). However, […]
Native American Jazz Musicians – Adobe 2023 Jazz, with its rich history and diverse influences, has been a genre that transcends boundaries and embraces cultural pluralism. While created by the African American community, jazz has also been embraced by musicians from various backgrounds, including Native Americans. In this blog post, we celebrate the Native American […]
“On Green Dolphin Street” (originally titled “Green Dolphin Street”) is a 1947 popular song composed by Bronisław Kaper with lyrics by Ned Washington. The song was composed for the film Green Dolphin Street, which was based on a 1944 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Goudge, and became a jazz standard in the 1950s. In this clip from the full course, we focus on the […]
Kenny Garrett Today, we gather to celebrate the birthday of a true jazz icon, saxophonist Kenny Garrett. Born on October 9th, this musical genius has been gracing us with his exceptional talent, innovation, and soulful melodies for decades. As we commemorate this special day, let’s take a journey through Kenny Garrett’s remarkable career, his influence […]
