Follow me through this. Here are some advanced concepts in *comping*. man I hate those fancy titles. I'm just playing through the changes vertically and horizontally. Check it out, follow me, play along and ask questions. At the end I comp/solo through several choruses of the chords to Invitation.

Check out the first part of this video. Matt is a local guitar player. What struck me is watching him play solo and realizing that would totally translate to the vibes. There's a major conceptual study there in playing the vibes solo.

I've learned so much from listening to guitar players play and especially play solo. They have the same problems we have. I just thought I'd show you guys this.

thought i'd share some recent new york xylophone action I recently found!

I had a lesson with Tony today and after the lesson we started talking about learning the tradition and how mentors are key figures in that process. I was telling him that I read an article about this issue on a magazine. The name of the article was: "Earn your keep. Jazz and the lost art of apprenticeship." and it's based on the liner notes of alto saxophonist Bobby Watson CD "From the Heart" that features his "Live & Learn" band.

Anyone that comes from a dysfunctional family (all of us??) and has had therapy, knows this. For the next few weeks, don't make any major decisions, put them off. If you could hold off until spring that's great. Whatever you do for the next several weeks... chill.

This is not the time to quit playing the vibes, or leave your wife (or husband) to pursue life as a starving vibe player!

This is Christmas time, and it's pulling a bunch of us down.

In my other life (firefighting), my Lt. or Captain often asks at the end of the shift. "Did anyone learn anything today" then we'll go down the roster and answer, stating what each of us learned that shift and how we could do it better next time.

I thought it would be interesting to post what we have learned this year by visiting www.vibesworkshop.com

Check out member Danasud. Great latin sounds!