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Ornithology: A Charlie Parker Alto Sax Solo Transcription
The beboppers of the 1940s and 1950s advanced the use of contrafacts,* and the godfather of bebop, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, used them liberally. After the many tunes he wrote over the chord...
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A Universal Chromatic Lick
The lick shown here will fit in pretty much any harmonic situation (click on it to enlarge it). You can work it as you please, then resolve it on a chord tone and move on. I like to start it on the...
View ArticleJazz Improvisation: Some Assembly Required
Last Monday night, on my way home from a rehearsal with Big Band Nouveau, I got to thinking about how different jazz improvisers sound from each other. In our sax section alone, we have three solo...
View ArticleA Crummy Storm Season and an Upcoming Video Tutorial on Circular Breathing
Well over a month has elapsed since my last post. I look at the date of that post, April 1, and think, Right. April Fool, everybody. It sure fooled me. My exuberant expectations for this storm season,...
View ArticleVideo Tutorial #3: Circular Breathing
Circular breathing has something of a sensationalist aura about it, but its mystique exceeds its mystery. There’s no secret to acquiring the skill other than to learn how it’s done and then work at it...
View ArticleGetting the Feel of a Key
Before I launch into the topic of this post–a quick tip of the hat to Big Band Nouveau for Thursday night’s outstanding performance at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids. I think this was our best...
View ArticlePlaying the Sax Again after a Forced Hiatus
Back in April 2012, I wrote about how it felt to pick up my sax again after weathering the worst case of bronchitis I have ever experienced. In short, after three miserable weeks away from my horn, it...
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Rhythm Changes: An Etude to Build Jazz Technique
Here’s a little bop-style etude I created to help build your chops for rhythm changes. No surprises here; I wasn’t striving for cutting-edge ideas but for simple building blocks of jazz vocabulary. Me...
View ArticleBook Review: The Scale Omnibus by Francesco Balena
Francesco Balena operates the website Saxopedia, a tremendous resource for saxophonists and jazz musicians of every stripe. If you play the sax—or, for that matter, any instrument—and you are not...
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How to Practice the Giant Steps Cycle: Video Tutorial and Supplementary Material
My preoccupation with John Coltrane’s tune “Giant Steps” now ebbs, now flows, but always continues. I’m not the most fabulous alto sax man who has ever played the changes, certainly not in the league...
View ArticleA Crummy Storm Season and an Upcoming Video Tutorial on Circular Breathing
Well over a month has elapsed since my last post. I look at the date of that post, April 1, and think, Right. April Fool, everybody. It sure fooled me. My exuberant expectations for this storm season,...
View ArticleVideo Tutorial #3: Circular Breathing
Circular breathing has something of a sensationalist aura about it, but its mystique exceeds its mystery. There’s no secret to acquiring the skill other than to learn how it’s done and then work at it...
View ArticleGetting the Feel of a Key
Before I launch into the topic of this post–a quick tip of the hat to Big Band Nouveau for Thursday night’s outstanding performance at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids. I think this was our best...
View ArticlePlaying the Sax Again after a Forced Hiatus
Back in April 2012, I wrote about how it felt to pick up my sax again after weathering the worst case of bronchitis I have ever experienced. In short, after three miserable weeks away from my horn, it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rhythm Changes: An Etude to Build Jazz Technique
Here’s a little bop-style etude I created to help build your chops for rhythm changes. No surprises here; I wasn’t striving for cutting-edge ideas but for simple building blocks of jazz vocabulary. Me...
View ArticleBook Review: The Scale Omnibus by Francesco Balena
Francesco Balena operates the website Saxopedia, a tremendous resource for saxophonists and jazz musicians of every stripe. If you play the sax—or, for that matter, any instrument—and you are not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Practice the Giant Steps Cycle: Video Tutorial and Supplementary Material
My preoccupation with John Coltrane’s tune “Giant Steps” now ebbs, now flows, but always continues. I’m not the most fabulous alto sax man who has ever played the changes, certainly not in the league...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pentatonic Angularity for Jazz Improv: Two Exercises
When was the last time I shared a practical exercise for jazz improvisation on Stormhorn.com? It has been ages, hasn’t it. So let me rectify that as best I can by giving you something substantial to...
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Pentatonic Licks with the Altered Dominant Chord
What? Another Stormhorn post so soon? Yes, I’m on a roll. This post is a continuation from the last post, which offered a couple practical exercises on angular playing using pentatonic scales. As I...
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Stella by Starlight: Phil Woods Solo
So much time has passed since I’ve posted in this blog that I’m not sure how it’s done anymore. My posts these days are all in my Fox’s World blog at my CopyFox editing and writing website. But for...
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