Most Popular Lessons

Here's an etude of two five ones! 

I wrote in the chords but not the upper partials. You look and write in the upper partials. Play the chords and then play the solo. Is this helpful? 

The rhythm is a brazilian comping rhythm I know and have used for years. Try doing it all by yourself. It's a deceptively tricky rhythm. 

Check out the solo and the notes I'm playing. Can you learn anything from that? 

If you haven't heard about this book, check this out. 

There is a lineage of books here, a tree. 

It all starts with Zen and Art or Archery, goes to 'The Inner Game of Tennis' (great great book to read)

Goes to, 'Zen and Art or Motorcycle Maintenance'

'Effortless Mastery' I think comes from this tree of books. They are all great and Kenny's book is great. 

Hey everyone,

Here's a little lesson on the augmented scale. Let me know if there are any questions! Part 2 coming soon.

Check out the attached PDF!

Can you play this and make it sound good? 

🚨 Harmony Without Chords – Pt. 1: Diatonic Approaches to 3rds and 7ths

This lesson kicks off the Harmony Without Chords series by focusing on one of the most essential ideas in line construction: clearly outlining harmony using guide tones. In this first exercise, we work with diatonic approaches to the 3rd and 7th of dominant chords, avoiding chromatic notes, alterations, or upper extensions.

New Lesson Series Alert: Soloing Through the Changes 

Starting today, we’re launching an 8-part lesson series focused on helping you build clear, confident solos that outline harmony and stay rooted in the form. 

Pt. 1 – Guide Tones Over the Blues

In this first lesson, we zero in on guide tones—the essential 3rds and 7ths that define each chord’s identity. Using a 12-bar blues in F, we’ll build strong, simple melodic lines that move smoothly through the changes. No flashy licks—just solid, musical fundamentals.

🚨 Play a Great Blues in 3 Months – Week 6

So far, we’ve been developing lines using guide tones—focusing on 3rds and 7ths to clearly outline the harmony.

This week, we take that idea one step further.

👉 Instead of creating lines from scratch, we’re working with real vocabulary drawn from Milt Jackson transcriptions.

I’ve taken a few short phrases and used them to build a full chorus etude, showing how a small idea can be developed across an entire blues form.