It seems that amidst the 2020 lockdown John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” has only increased in popularity. It’s even become something of a MEME!? I was teaching this song, via a virtual lesson, and I decided to send some chord voicings to my student. There is nothing fancy here, but these diagrams can definitely help a […]

Performance/Lesson on Jaco’s Mellow Fusion Masterpiece I first became aware of this song about a year ago. The extra practice time of the covid-19 lockdown was the perfect moment to really get comfortable with its many sections. I really love the gospel, pop, and jazz influences in this piece. Jaco and his Weather Report band-mates […]

I’ve been very interested in the classic fiddle tunes lately, whether they come from the “old-time” or “Irish” traditions. “Angeline the Baker” is such a beautiful and simple melody, and a great example of the pentatonic scale. I’ve mostly been working on flat-picking these tunes(others include: Black Mountain Rag, Over the Waterfall, Fisher’s Hornpipe, and […]

I really want to share these great voicings which I’ve transcribed from Joa’s live performance of Desafinado,  and of course his singing and phrasing is in a class by itself.     In a practical sense the internet has brought us back to an earlier time when musicians learned material through the aural tradition. These […]