Most Popular Lessons

Check out the PDF for the info. Simple 2 5 1 exercise through cycle of 4ths.

Can You Do This?

This is an article recently written for PAS' magazine Percussive Notes by Gustavo Agatiello. Gustavo did a great job transcribing and analyzing Joe's solo on the standard "It Could Happen To You". As always, Joe is playing brilliantly on this track.

The playing took place during a long weekend that Joe, Gustavo and I spent together at my house in December 2009. We had a great time picking each other's brains, sharing improvisational concepts as well doing some serious cooking. Joe makes a great chicken cutlet dish.

Working on the bebop dominant scale is important. This is a mixolydian scale with a half step between the root and the 7th. So in the key of C the scale descending would be.

C B Bb A G F E D C

Print out the pdf, The first chord is a D7, you write in the chords and look at each bar and the notes. Play this exercise, in fact memorize it.

Can you make up your own bebop dominant scale licks?

I have two tracks here, one with the melody from the pdf and one where you can make up your own stuff and cycle it through the cycle of 5ths.