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Quick Donna Lee Etude Video

I'm at school right now and I had a few minutes with the camera on. So I thought I'd play a very rough and quick version of Donna Lee, the etude I have posted here.

I think if anything the etude will lead to you thinking about using double stops in your lines to get the chords happening.

I also have a version over Bud Powell's Celia that I'll post soon.

I do spend a lot of time playing solos 'in slow motion' and seeing where I can add things in. That's what is fun about this instrument, it can be sort of like a puzzle.

Donna Lee Etude

I've been working on some bebop heads and just using them to work on my left hand. My thought is, if that gets comfortable with smackin' down double stops, that that will help my four mallet playing and enable me to do some fun things over lines.

It's not a big deal, but it's something I think about and have fun with. It's as if you're playing a line that is primarily a single line and with your left hand you're slipping in double stops. I thought it would make me more fluid.

Scales Part 1

Part 1 of 4 with some ideas for scales.
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Chinese translation for Chinese students
練習音階很重要
第一個,可以加強雙手的技巧,
第二,你要了解每一個音階中的每一個組成音,這樣當你看到一個和弦的時候,你就知道用什麼音階套用在上面。

Tom Harrell Lick I Love

This is a great lick. It really gives some insight about weaving and vocabulary.

Check out the bebop major scale coming down. What a natural evolution for the scale huh? It just smooths out the major scale!

I love how he gets to the 4 chord at the end.

I laugh when I play this lick.

I'm definitely on the side of learning licks to study and show you ways through changes. I'm definitely of the belief that it does NOT make you a cut and paste player unless you already were, and then that's another story.

Post Post Post Post Post Post

The more I do this the more I realize the power of a site like this. The more you talk about things, the more you post, the more you comment, I think, the more you learn.

When you record something with the intent of posting on this site you will work hard on the piece and it will sound your best by the time you get it up here. That's important. We all have to do things to sound our best.

The Cycle Begins

For me it's about my 12th year teaching at the college. Man I think Ed Saindon is going on 20+ something. Maybe even 30!!

It's always fascinating for me to start the year off. I know I have certain stereotypes and I'm always curious to see which ones will hold and if any will break.