This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern gets tougher again. It has four notes in C and four notes in D flat but they are all spread throughout the bar. Again, this pattern helps you to get comfortable transposing quickly. And all of these patterns … [Read more...]
Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 4
This pattern should be easier than the previous dominant 7 scale pattern. The transposition doesn't split the bar so you only have to think about transposing once during the full pattern. The rewarding function of this pattern is that you can use … [Read more...]
Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 3
This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern is similar to the previous pattern. It still moves up a half step for a total of 2 notes in an eight note pattern. But this time, the transposed notes are the fifth and eighth notes in the sequence. This means that … [Read more...]
Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 2
If Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 2 seemed easy to you, I guarantee you'll find this next one more challenging. Last time, we took a four-note pattern and transposed it up a half step for the second half of the bar. This time, we're using a … [Read more...]
Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 1
John Coltrane loved the Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale. During the 60s, Trane (and other avant-garde musicians like Ornette Coleman) created a unique and dissonant style of "playing outside" the chord changes. Often, they would play a half-step … [Read more...]
Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast 04-09-07
Topics covered: Singing what you hear, the body/mind connection in music, exercises to improve your musicianship, and more. Download: Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast 04-09-07 … [Read more...]
Ear Training or Listening Practice?
You can make ear training something you do once in a while or you can make it part of who you are. That's the difference between ear training and a listening practice. Ear training has often been half-jokingly, half-seriously referred to as "ear … [Read more...]
Songwriting Challenges – Where Do I Begin?
One of the most common challenges I hear about songwriting is not knowing where to begin. With the lyrics? With the music? Or something completely different? It's a rather simple challenge to find a solution to, really. Start with a single note or … [Read more...]
How Your Mind Codes Time and Why You Should Know
Time lines are particularly useful to Life Hackers. Since productivity is all about planning the future, putting finished things into the past, and figuring out what to do with the present, it is extremely important to understand how your mind codes … [Read more...]
Why Singing What You Hear Is Important To Your Ear Training
Singing what you hear is an important part of improving your perception. Let's look at it from a body/mind perspective. Recognizing that C and F is a perfect fourth is a cognitive exercise. You have to think about it. Maybe only for a split-second, … [Read more...]