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You know what, to be very frank and mildly funny, the big boys and girls can play good 2 5 1 voicings.

Well rounded players can do all this stuff. You can tell how well rounded a player is by listening to them play a standard and comp. For whatever that is worth. I imagine if you are a blue grass vibe player and that's all you care about then you're not worrie about this etude. But if you want to be a decent jazz player this stuff I think is important. 

Assignments Due

• Play ii9 V13b9 Imaj9 through cycle of 4ths
• 1st half of Friedman #10
• Donna Lee Play the whole melody once through and then comp the first 32 bars - All rootless voicings
• Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce
  • Was the vibes Cal’s first instrument?
  • What famous pianist did Cal play with in his early days?
  • What style of music is Cal known for playing?
  • What is Cal’s race?

Check out the attached PDF!

Keep in mind, since making these videos, I now play the Dmaj 7 in the 7th bar. I got schooled by David Friedman for doing it the Bill Evans way and now I love the Dmaj7 and know the history of the tune! 

I love the tune Recado Bossa Nova. My fav part is the Eb to A. What a cool sound. 

I wrote a very detailed (for me) etude with sticking. So you can really see how I think of things. I try to take a very minimalist approach to the vibes (most of the time). 

Notice how the harmony works and there is not a lot of chords. I think this works as a solo piece which means you don't need a lot of notes and chords for a solo piece. 

More Maj7#11 Tips!

Check out the attached PDF!

🚨 Tune Deep Dive: “Wave” – Pt. 2: Guide Tone Movement in the Intro 🚨

In Part 2, we dig into the intro vamp of Wave (Dm7–G7) and explore guide tone movement. This exercise builds from a single voice to two, three, and finally four voices, showing how harmonic richness can grow naturally out of simple lines. By working through these patterns, you’ll train your ear and hands to connect chords smoothly while keeping the groove intact.

In this lesson we’ll:

I got this idea from Ed Saindon, but I use the term a little differently now. "Dampening effects," to me, are different sounds you can produce while dampening. This includes deadstrokes, half-dampening, and dampening speed.

Check out the attached PDF!