How many thousands of hours of practice do you think are represented in the serious groove laid down by the master/monster musicians in this video?
International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert Osaka 2014
“Hang Up Your Hang Ups”
Herbie Hancock – piano
Roy Hargrove – trumpet
Kenny Garrett – saxophone
John Scofield – guitar
Sheila E – percussion
Terri Lyne Carrington – drums
Blues Inflection in Jazz
Saxophonist Todd Williams guides you through Blues inflections, and performs W.C. Handy’s classic St. Louis Blues to illustrate
Sweet New Metronome You Feel Instead of Hear
Check this one out! What a great idea, especially the ability to synchronize the beat across a group. How about 75 of them for a concert band? Or 20 for a jazz band? Maybe they would cut a deal for large orders like that. I’d ask them, if you’ve got the money. Or even four…
Frank Zappa’s Black Napkins
Watch the video below this one of Zappa performing Black Napkins on the Mike Douglas talk show in 1976. Incredibly expressive playing and some serious chops. Check out this YouTube playlist for more gems. There is currently a very cool Kickstarter happening that involves access to ALL of the Zappa archive (video below the first video).
Drive By Preachers: Om Johari
Om used a brilliant strategy to help get her guitar chops together, make some money for her efforts, and pass the flame along, too.
Want to know what her guitar chops look/sound like? Here’s a full length video of Om in action, singing and playing on her song Drums, Bass & Guitar:
Create (and Understand) Polyrhythms
One way to understand polyrhythms is to mess around with the Polyrhythm Beat Generator. Or check out these amazing videos.
You Have Never Heard An Instrument Like This
Check out the instrument Javier Bustos invented and plays. Haunting sounds, that would be really great in a horror flick. What a cool idea.
How Sleep Will Boost Your Abilities (Yes, all of them)
Nearly every world-class musician I interviewed for the book took naps regularly, usually after the main practice session of the day. It works, and Mednick explains why.
Keith Emerson (1944-2016)
Originally posted on Good Music Speaks:
Sadly, I learned that keyboardist and composer Keith Emerson died this past week from what the coroner has determined was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was suffering from depression and anxiety mainly over some nerve damage in his hands hampering his ability to play keyboards. It seems that depression…
What Miles Meant By “Do Not Fear Mistakes. There are None.”
How Miles Davis lived the words attributed to him: Do not fear mistakes. There are none.
Take a Sonic Trip with Genadi Tkachenko
Check out Ukranian vocalist Genadi Tkachenko. His practice has resulted in an amazing range, both pitch-wise (high to low), but timbre-wise, too. Wow!
The Practice of Practice 