Lesson with Jordan

no, I don't have iTunes. people keep on telling me I should, though.

also, another thing. I also play the piano, and I am getting a lot more into jazz with it now. I'm wondering : how much do you know about chord voicings in piano? like, how someone makes G6 sound so much better than just G, B, D, and E? if you don't know much about it, cool, but I've been all about that stuff recently, and It would be great to learn.

Originally Posted by Jordan

no, I don't have iTunes. people keep on telling me I should, though.

No worries...

Originally Posted by Jordan

...also, another thing. I also play the piano, and I am getting a lot more into jazz with it now. I'm wondering : how much do you know about chord voicings in piano? like, how someone makes G6 sound so much better than just G, B, D, and E? if you don't know much about it, cool, but I've been all about that stuff recently, and It would be great to learn.

Okay...

I'm no jazz pianist - I have limited skill, but will pass on what I know (later, need to think about it a bit). in the meantime, I'll recommend the Mark Levine Jazz Piano Book.

...

so did Pat Collins. oh! I never told you about the composition camp I went to, did I?

there were 6 pros there, some I didn't know, but there were three I did know : Mike Malone, Dave McMurdo, and Pat Collins. basically, there were only 12 students, so it was 2 people to a pro, and the other guy in my group left to go re-write his piece. so, I had 4 hours alone with Pat Collins, talking about composition. it was awesome. I learned so much.

he also recommended that book.. and I definitely am on the lookout.

Originally Posted by Jordan

so did Pat Collins. oh! I never told you about the composition camp I went to, did I?

there were 6 pros there, some I didn't know, but there were three I did know : Mike Malone, Dave McMurdo, and Pat Collins. basically, there were only 12 students, so it was 2 people to a pro, and the other guy in my group left to go re-write his piece. so, I had 4 hours alone with Pat Collins, talking about composition. it was awesome. I learned so much.

Dude...where do you live? You can't be too far from Toronto...

I'm not. Orangeville. about an hour or so north. that camp was in Guelph, though. actually, in a place called eden mills, a tiny little place in Guelph.

/me reminds robin of the want of various lead sheets

Originally Posted by Jordan

I'm not. Orangeville. about an hour or so north. that camp was in Guelph, though. actually, in a place called eden mills, a tiny little place in Guelph.

/me reminds robin of the want of various lead sheets

That's very close to Toronto...I consider anything from London to Kingston close...

ANYWAY...it's cool you're around here, there's a lot of shit happening if you know where to look.

aaaaand, check your PMs.

hah. good stuff. thanks, I will definitely check those out. anything in particular you think I should be looking for?

Originally Posted by Jordan

hah. good stuff. thanks, I will definitely check those out. anything in particular you think I should be looking for?

Just be aware of how the melody works with the changes. The melody is like the perfect solo - and as an improvisor, you're constantly inventing 'new' melodies. So, observe how/why the melody works the way it does, and incorporate that into the improvisation.

...

sure. and I have been. it's been fun, I've been playing some of this stuff on the keys, and it is interesting to look at that chords and such, now that you pointed out to me what you did.

I think that I will be writing some better charts now, but certainly, I will be playing better. I want to keep learning, but now that I have this stuff to practice, and there isn't much more in terms of teaching you can do UNTIL I get more familiar with this stuff, how about we change the lessons a bit and turn them into jazz composition lessons? I really want to get better at that as well, and... well, you know a lot, and I would love to pick your brain about some of that stuff.

Originally Posted by Jordan

...how about we change the lessons a bit and turn them into jazz composition lessons? I really want to get better at that as well, and... well, you know a lot, and I would love to pick your brain about some of that stuff.

It's up to you - let's take this wherever you want to go...