Hey Jazz Guy

Hey Jazz Guy, When I improvise, I’m switching to different sounds on every chord, how can I get more harmonic continuity in my linear playing? -Switching in Scranton   Dear Switching, Much of jazz improvisation is based on playing different types of scales for each chord, for example, playing a Lydian scale on a Maj […]

Hey Jazz Guy, I’ve got all the right notes in all the right places, but my improvisation just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. How can I build a solo with direction? -Wandering in Williamsburg   Dear Wandering, This really is the improviser’s greatest challenge. The mechanics of theory and technique may be necessary for a […]

Hey Jazz Guy, I feel like I’m a broken record – always playing the same rhythms and can’t seem to snap out of it, any suggestions?–Broken in Bedlam   Dear Broken, One great way to spice up your rhythmic life and improve your technique at the same time is to study groupings of notes and […]

Hey Jazz Guy, I feel like all my solos sound the same. Any advice on how I can diversify? –Uniform in Unity Village Dear Uniform, What a great question. This is more than just a jazz topic. No matter what style of music you are playing, this concept will give you a great palate from […]

Hey Jazz Guy, Now that I’ve got the inside playing down, how bout that ‘out’ stuff? –Inside in Indianapolis Dear Inside, How bout that ‘out’ stuff? Well, it is worth looking outside the box to examining some simple techniques that can sound fantastically outside. As with the inside examples, we use for practice the first […]

Hey Jazz Guy, I’ve got all my scales down pretty good, but still having trouble making all the changes. Can you give me some advice on how to put it all together?? –Fragmented In Fargo Dear Fragmented, A difficult part of improvising, is putting it all together, turning scales into great sounding lines. However, there […]

Hey Jazz Guy, Now that I got the A section of “Rhythm Changes” together, what can I play on the dominant chords in the bridge? –Subordinate in Salem Dear Subordinate, The bridge or B section changes in “I Got Rhythm” is one of the most commonly found harmonic progressions in jazz. Using all dominant chords, […]

Hey Jazz Guy, What kinds of things can I play over ‘rhythm changes’? –I Got Nothing in Naperville Dear I Got Nothing, Ahh, Gershwin’s little delight “I Got Rhythm” is one of the most important forms in the jazz idiom. This tune is a gateway drug to the great American songbook and understanding it well […]

Hey Jazz Guy, I love the way that chromatic playing sounds. Can you explain how I can play more chromatically in my soloing? –Diatonic in Denver Dear Diatonic, This is a fascinating topic! Playing chromatically is a very modern technique that will add a sublime element to your playing. Unless you are in an atonal […]

**Hi cats! So in the magazine the music example has a couple typos… GMaj7 in the first two examples should be Gmin7 and CMaj13 in the last example should be Cmin13. Sorry bout that…my mistake on the fine print! Thanks for following, happy shedding…here’s the lesson: PS – you can download the corrected practice sheet […]