all-levels

Playing pan and congas at a local Indianapolis club.

Adapting 3+3+2 to the Balafon

Watching the video is the easiest way to grasp ideas and variations. Below are added resources to go deeper into the material.

Harmonic Time:
Sometimes we need to step away from our primary instrument to rebuild our awareness from the ground up. I incorporate my Harmonic Time method for all the material I have learned and teach. Here is a general description of the method:

I'll Remember April - Solo Vibe- PIPERvibe

A somewhat “impressionistic” version of Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” using voicings from my book “Voicing Concepts For The Jazz Vibist”.

A work in progress. With a little break from teaching today at Berklee I was working on using mallets 4 and 2 for playing lines over the standard "Like Someone In Love". I feel that in my playing, mallet 4 is underutilized and I'm trying to work on that deficiency. It still needs a lot of work but I see the potential in using it more not only for solo playing for also for playing lines as well.
#thecompleteguidetoimprovisation
#voicingconceptsforthejazzvibist
#vicfirthm39edsaindonsignaturemallet

For several weeks, I have been using ballads while practicing as a vehicle for working on dynamics, time, and just trying to play decent music. Here are two recent efforts, both long time favorites of mine: Nature Boy and My Foolish Heart. I've occasionally performed these with my group, The Brooklyn Jazz Collective, when the horn players need to rest their embouchure muscles. They are both still works in progress.