Josh Walsh @ Jazz-Library
Each week, receive a new jazz transcription of a solo, with observations and playing tips. Join our weekly Zoom workshop to explore and play together.
What I discovered in Gene Harris's blues solo 🎹
Did you miss yesterday's workshop with Arthur Migliazza? Catch the replay at the bottom of this email. ⬇️ Reader, I'd been soloing using single note melodies using the blues scale for a while, but something didn't sound right. Oscar, Monty, and Gene Harris all played these melodic accents that I couldn't place. It wasn't until I really dug into their recordings that I understood what they were doing. I call these Bluesy Double Stops, a term I stole from my friend Adam Maness. It's when we add...
He told me why my left hand falls apart when my right hand plays 🎹
Reader, "The degree to which a piano player can sound like two or more people depends on the independence between their hands." That's Arthur Migliazza, award-winning boogie woogie pianist. This Tuesday he'll be my guest on our free masterclass to teach us how to build a bulletproof left hand that holds its groove no matter what the right hand is doing. Here's what we'll cover: The importance of the left hand ostinato patterns Techniques to learn a new pattern Exercises to build hand...
A simpler way to get that Jon Batiste blues sound
Reader, I saw a video on YouTube where Jon Batiste showed off his secret "Jon Batiste Blues Scale", which was a 10 note scale. Don't get me wrong, Jon Batiste plays a mean blues. He could probably get a chicken to sing the blues. But regular folk like us need some more constraints, and the 6 note blues scale we've been playing works really well. But, does this mean we'll never be able to play the same lines as Jon? No. There's an even simpler way to get there, and I think it's just as...
4 bars Oscar Peterson adds to C Jam Blues
Reader, On C Jam Blues, the Oscar Peterson Trio plays something I want you to hear. They extend the 12-bar blues form to 16 bars by adding 4 bars of stop time at the end. The band hits once, then drops out completely, leaving Oscar to fill the silence with a 4-bar blues phrase that drives back to the top of the form. Oscar does this for the first time at 3:05, after the head. Stop time is when the rhythm section plays unison hits and drops out, leaving the soloist to play over silence. It's a...
Why your blues solos sound mechanical (like reading, not singing)
Reader, I recently worked with a student who was frustrated with their blues soloing. They felt everything sounded plain and vanilla. When I heard them play, they were actually making good note and rhythm choices. The fundamentals were solid. But they weren't playing with any meaning. It was like reading lines from a book in a monotone voice. We worked on their articulation and embellishments. The same fundamental lines suddenly sounded super hip. Nothing about the melody changed, but...
This Oscar Peterson line teaches us all we need about blues improv
Reader, As we start improvising over C Jam Blues this week, I'm reminded of the first thing I learned about the blues. The minor blues scale. And as I look around, it's still the first thing most teachers teach. For good reason. We absolutely need it. The blues scale works. Every note is safe. You can play it over the entire progression and never hit a wrong note. But the blues scale alone isn't enough for a jazz blues. Friday Workshop: We'll continue our work through C Jam Blues together,...
If I had to learn to play the blues again, I'd start here
Reader, When I first learned blues, I spent all my time on scales, licks, and right-hand vocabulary. It took me way too long to realize the groove lives in the left hand. When it's locked in, you feel it. When it's not, something always seems off. Today we're working on creating a rock solid 2-feel bass line as a foundation on the blues. This Friday: We'll walk through C Jam Blues together on Zoom, playing a 2-feel step-by-step, as a group. Come join us to practice together, meet some new...