David Friedman talked about playing an free improv each day as a way to kind of start the process, when he was practicing. It's a great idea and I've been messing around with it during my practice time. Here's the one from today.

As he mentioned 'free' doesn't mean out, it just means, not based on anything specific. This was the last thing I did when I was practicing and when I listen back I can hear parts of Dolphin Dance in the improv because that's what I was just practicing.

Jakez François is a French Harpist I just discovered. But don't expect from him much classical scales or wise lyrical standards... He plays jazz/blues with his instrument, and man, he plays it freaking good!!

Watch him here on a soulful version of Georgia on my Mind...

Whatever the instrument, if you have technique you can do a lot, but if you got soul, you can do... anything... and do it so right!

Enjoy,

- M

I am working on Stella By Starlight. Here a version with Band-in-a-Box.
Is there too much ringing? I try to find a trade-off between ringing and being to choppy (with pedal/dampening). I thought it was OK, but would appreciate other opinions.

I tried doing a solo version, but my timing is terrible. I'll continue working on that...

Barry

(4/24/10)

Here's a lesson I made for Stefan. He wanted help with putting scales to the tune Bluesette.

Check this tune! You think it sounds like '60s? I really dig it, it captures an era, doesn't it?

I asked Terry to pick a solo of his that he really dug, and he chose his solo on 'You Go To My Head'. Check it out

Just restored a couple of instruments.
I think, they turned out pretty well.

One of them is a Deagan 594, once owned by Mike Mainieri. When we got it in, it was painted white.
We did the following:
- cleaned the bars
- replaced the terrible casters by new, bigger, and better ones
- removed the experimental midi-electronics (didn't work anymore, impossible to repair)
- filled up the space in the endblocks where the midi was placed.
- coated the keybed
- powdercoated the supporting frame and the coverplates for the rails in black

From the Real Book, the chords are:

___|_Em7b5_______|_A7b9________|_Cm7_________|_F7__________|, etc., with melody:
Bb |_A___________|____G__A__Bb_|_F___________|_F___________|


When I play it, it sounds like the 1st and 3rd chords are suspended versions of the subsequent chords. I play the Em7b5 as Bb D E A, then dampen the D (the sus 4 of the subsequent chord) and hit a C#, to turn it into the A7b9. Similarly, I play the Cm7 as Bb C Eb F, then dampen the Bb (the sus 4 of the subsequent chord) and hit an A, to turn it into an F7 (no root).

Chinese translation for Chinese students

C為起音的第三級Melodic scale, (C Lydian Augmented)
如果把C這個音當作是一個Melodic scale 的第三個音，那往下推（小三度），可以得到A。
所以你可以把C Lydian Augmented音階想成A melodic scale, 但是從C音開始打。
這個音階為，C,D,E,F#,G#,A,B,C
前五個音形成全音音階（Whole-tone scale）
這個音階的音，會經過C Augmented 5 chord (Cmajor7#5) 和弦。
所以看到C Augmented 5 chord (Cmajor7#5)和弦時, 可以用C Lydian Augmented音階。
練習方式：設定一個速度（Set a groove), 然後開始即興這個音階，並且12個調都要練習到。

So, this was the scene. The old Hershey Hotel in downtown Philly. Milt Jackson was playing there with his quartet (Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Mike LeDonne on piano and Mickey Roker playing drums.) There were two sets, and I had a ticket for the first one. I got there early to see if I could get to talk to Milt Jackson a bit. Turns out their sound man never showed up for the gig. I am an amatuer audio engineer, so I volunteered... it was perfect. I got to sit right next to him while he was playing and I got to stay for the second show for free.