Most Popular Lessons

Play along with the duets. Play vibes or even marimba and add your part and then upload it for others to check out!

I created these so you can get some ideas on how to comp for other instruments. Also this will help you're solo playing.

A couple things to consider:
1. If you can accompany me in this setting then when you play with a bass things will be even simpler. In this setting your voicings have to be very clear, you have to do all the work.

2. If you are in settings when you have to accompany another soloist with the support of a bass working like this will help you.

In order to learn a blues, you'll have to get some sort of system to help you remember the notes as well as to help transpose them into different keys. There are a few different types of blues scales, however in this podcast we'll focus on the minor blues scales. In the key of F the notes would be: F Ab Bb B C Eb F.

ME AND THE DUKE

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I found out that my favorite vibe player Victor Feldman used this grip! That's cool!

Here is lesson two where I demonstrate harmonizing minor and dominant bebop scales. Make sure to run these through all keys with a metronome. Notice how the major and relative minor scales are identical (you only have to learn one that you think of 2 ways ;) Also notice that on the dominant scale you play a diminished chord on the natural sixth step (instead of flat sixth on others) which is a departure from the progression of I7-V7dim-I7-V7dim etc (I falter for a second with this on the video). Please also practice the arpeggios on the chord tones and non-chord tones as well.

Scrapple is cool tune mainly because it's a variation of rhythm changes. Instead of I VI II V for the first 4 bars, it's ii V and then the rest of rhythm changes.

Here are my assignments.

1. 2 line studies and two chord studies. Do one of each (you pick).
2. Play the melody in at least 2 keys (it's a great ii V study!) Fill in the chords on the studies.
3. Play the tune solo, take a chorus, comp for a chorus and then take the tune out.

Here's me playing Blue Bossa for jl12 here at the online school. I thought I would post it for everybody. I tried to play very simple, and i shot the camera from above to see if that would be helpful.

Ahhh, welcome to the first etude of the Friedman book. You're about to embark on a really great journey!