Archive for March, 2005
Ways to Cultivate Creativity
Whether or not you’re an improvising musician or not, creativity is an integral part of this profession. We need creativity not only to find the best ways to play a passage, express a cadenza, whale a bluesy solo, or play the most interesting chord progressions over a modal tune. We need creativity first and foremost, [...]
A Minimalist approach to improvisation
Posted by Evan Tate in Improvisation on March 6, 2005
Often times when we are improvising in jazz or any other idiom for that matter, we come to a point where we are in search for new ideas. There has never been a shortage of scales and patterns to try and utilize. Improvisation can also be looked upon as spontaneous composition. So what about using [...]
Calisthenics for the Saxophonists
As we all know, playing the saxophone (or any other instrument for that matter) is not a natural activity for the human being. Therefore, it can be at times physically challenging playing an instrument for long periods of time. Although we have purchased our instruments (therefore, it must do what WE say) and not the [...]
How to get out of a Slump
You know the feeling. You go to practice, put your horn together, start blowing and….you don’t know what you want to practice. Everything bores you or frustrates you. You don’t seem to be getting any further in your development. What do you do? GO CRAZY!! No, really!! Get creative about what you can practice. Learn [...]
