So You’ve Got an LP, EP, or Single Ready for Release: Now What? The recording is done, and you’re excited to share your music with the world. If you’re happy with simply getting your music out there, whether it reaches 1 person or 1 million, it’s easy to press a few CDs or have major … Read more
In this post, we’ll discuss the various roles involved in a recording and how to define them. If you missed Part One, you can click here to read it. Long before Annalee recorded her album, she was very clear about defining everyone’s roles. This helped reduce pressure for everyone involved, allowing them to focus on … Read more
In this part of the series, we’ll explore how to use the Circle of Fifths to improvise your own melodies.
A couple of months ago, Annalee asked me to produce her first record of original music. Annalee is a highly accomplished musician who plays piano, sings, and writes. We worked together as teacher and student when she was in high school. Now, she performs around Seattle and teaches at Creative Music Adventures. I asked Annalee … Read more
Several years ago, I had an adult student who was a great jazz player. She felt that all of her issues in playing music stemmed from not understanding the circle of fifths. She brought in the diagram and explained it to me perfectly. I told her it seemed like she already understood the information well. … Read more
After a lesson with a student who has been working with me for nearly 14 years, I took a moment to assess the state of our room as I walked out, letting him tear down his gear. I was inspired to take a quick picture after realizing that this may not be a typical scene … Read more
Learning cadences and voice leading are important aspects of playing music. We can also improvise to learn or reinforce these concepts. This video works through a process on how to do this.
In the beginning, my whole teaching studio at Creative Music Adventures was built on this phone call from teacher friends around the community: “I have a student who has some potential, but they are driving me crazy. They are supremely talented but won’t do anything I ask. Can I send them to you to see … Read more
Here is video on using triads and a basic melody in an improvised context:
While in college, I started teaching piano lessons regularly. I could play piano, compose, and improvise on a standard college level—but teaching was a whole different animal. Thankfully, I had great teachers growing up and could call upon my experiences with them to help the lessons become productive as quickly as possible. The methods were … Read more
