The 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast

This week we are going to learn about one of my favorite sounds ever: Harmonic Minor. This scale is amazing because it contains the flatted 6th in combination with the major seventh. This gives us a minor third in the actual scale which is unique among sounds we can use. Make sure you check out the PDF that accompanies this week's lesson as it will give you the basic scale, the arpeggio, an exercise in thirds, and an 8 bar phrase that you can steal from like a pro! This sound will take some work to get into your playing and might sound odd at first, but keep working on it and you will have the harmonic minor sound in your playing in no time! Enjoy the episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

Welcome back! I have been checking out a lot of Herbie Hancock this week so I figured I would bring you a great pentatonic pattern from his solo over Tell Me A Bedtime Story. Pentatonics are an essential part of any improvisors arsenal and this pattern will serve you well in any situation that contains minor seventh chords. The pentatonic scale can be tricky at times because it contains only 5 notes. This makes it a challenge to use over time signatures like 4/4 or anything even. Herbie does a great job of playing the scale in a way that evens it out using repeated notes. Make sure you grab the PDF and put this exercise into all 12 keys for maximum benefit. Have fun! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!  

This week features an awesome technique to use from one of the greatest who ever played the jazz language. We are going to focus on techniques straight from the playing of the jazz masters for the next couple of months on the show. Listeners seem to like this kind of episode, and we are in it for you, the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson faithful! Coltrane shows us a great way to chromatically approach diatonic triads and this will be a concept that can take you many places in your playing. Enjoy the episode and don't forget to download the PDF below!   WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!    

This Lick of The Month is a great one! It comes from one of my favorite tenor players of all time, Joe Henderson. This is am interesting lick because it doesn't follow our typical bebop blueprint. Joe teaches us how to play across changes and across the bar line by showing us his unique style and sound that will open our eyes to new possibilities. Henderson utilizes the diminished scale to play a turnaround that is both interesting and non-traditional. If you're looking for a way to step outside of your comfort zone and try a new way of thinking, this week's episode is for you! This lick actually comes from the solo I transcribed for the Inner Circle members this month. If you'd like to see and hear the rest of the solo, sign up today using the link below! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week brings us to learning an amazing sound you can use over major chords. The Lydian Mode is based off of the fourth degree of a major scale and is a quintessential improvisational device. In this episode we explain how the scale is derived and how, by using triads, you can utilize the Lydian sound to make your solos interesting and memorable. As always, thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy and benefit from this episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week we are going to look at an important triadic concept that every musician should be aware of and able to utilize. The augmented chord is based off of major thirds and gives a distinctive sound. This triad is perfect for when you're looking to switch things up a bit and try some different sounding material in your solos. You will see that this triad isn't as complicated as it seems and a little bit of work goes a long way. This episode comes with a great PDF that contains exercises as well as a great example for how to use this concept in action. Enjoy the episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week is all about the foundation of your improvisation. If you've never learned what guide tones are and how to use them, this is the episode for you! Even if you have some experience with these, they are a great thing to review and possibly learn something new about. We are going back to our old friend the blues this week and studying voice leading and starting our phrases on the strongest notes possible. When playing a melody, it makes sense to start on the most melodic note possible. This is something that I hear far too few improvisors actually DO though. By learning to pinpoint the guide tones and have them first in our mind, our phrases take on a different sound altogether and make our phrases beautiful and authoritative. Enjoy the episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

It's time for the Lick of the Month! One of my favorite trumpet players and musicians in the world is the late great Freddie Hubbard. This week we are looking at a couple of great licks from his solo on Herbie Hancock's tune, One Finger Snap. The first lick we are looking at contains some useful material over a sus chord. The second lick is an example of a great ii-V line that can be used over any tune. Remember to really absorb the language that Freddie is playing and not just regurgitate it. By learning the concept you are setting yourself up for success, by simply playing the line you aren't deepening your understanding of the material. Have fun and go slow! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week we are going to talk about how to achieve a more individual sound for yourself. Transcription is amazing and something that everyone needs to do daily but it's also important to come up with your own concepts and build vocabulary for yourself. It's always easier to start with something simple and work your way from there to material you can actually use in your playing. This episode is going to walk you through the process of building a line starting with only whole notes and working your way to using 8th notes and various rhythmic devices, resulting in an awesome line that you have written yourself! This building blocks approach is helpful in all aspects of music and hopefully will get you off on the right foot to playing like a pro! Enjoy the episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week we follow up with our lesson on the altered scale. At this point you know that the altered scale is based off of the 7th mode of a melodic minor scale. Last week we explored the theory behind this scale and how to superimpose it over a dominant chord. This week we are going to explore the possibilities in a more advanced way. Triad pairs are a great way to get that modern sound into your playing and the altered scale gives us a plethora of different triads we can use. Remember to make sure that your understanding of the altered concept is rock solid before you move on to these exercises. Have fun and enjoy the episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!  

This week we are going to look at a really cool way to play 'out.' The altered scale is an awesome way to add a ton of tension to a ii-V-I or whatever progression you choose to use it over. The altered scale is based off of the 7th mode of the melodic minor scale and in this episode we are going to explain the theory behind this device and give you some practical lines with which to start using it in your own playing. Next week we are going to get more advanced and talk about some ways to use this scale based on triads. But for this week, make sure you understand how this scale works and get the basics down. Happy practicing! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This Lick of The Month episode is probably my favorite ever. I have been digging into the playing of Joel Frahm, one of the best New York cats around, for the past couple of weeks and have given you two amazing, short ii-V-I's that will blow your mind! In the meantime, make sure you check out Joel's playing and support his music. You definitely won't be sorry! Enjoy the episode... WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

Welcome back everyone! This week we are going to finish up our series on the minor ii-V-i by giving you a bunch of awesome vocabulary to learn over this progression. Last week we talked about the half diminished ii chord and now we are going to put it all together with the V chord so you can be crushing it over any tune where you see this. It's important to remember our diminished dominant lesson from way back. If you haven't listened to that episode, make sure you review before you attempt this week's material. Have fun and remember to ask any questions you may have when going through the material! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

This week we are going to do an episode prompted by one of our listeners, Fred. He wanted us to do an episode on the minor ii-V-i and we are happy to! This is an interesting progression with some differences from it's major cousin. There are some select things we need to know to play over this progression well and we are going to cover the half diminished chord this week and then put it all together in our next episode. If you have never heard of a half diminished chord (also known as minor seven flat five) you're in the right place! There are also some common mistakes that get made when playing over this chord and we will address these in this week's episode. You'll learn how to play both the arpeggios and scales that go along with this chord in our Harmolodic exercise. Enjoy the episode and thanks for listening! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!

Welcome back everyone! This episode concerns one of my favorite tunes in the world, Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird." This tune is a short but amazing and will force you to work on things that you have never encountered before. We are going to b focusing on the last two measures in this episode. Dameron has taken a very common chord progression and put his own spin on it that provides for a beautiful sounding turnaround. In this show we talk about strategies you can use to get around these 2 bars with ease and sound great doing it! Don't forget to leave us a 5 star review and rating on iTunes, we would really appreciate it! Keep calm and jazz on. Have fun with this week's episode! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The Diatonic Method. We hope that we bring you value every week here at the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson and we appreciate all of your support! SIGN UP TO BE A PATRON TODAY!