Rhythm

I've done other etudes with Cherokee, but here's a new one. I like doing  certain tunes even if I'm doing another something for that tune. Some tunes have so many progressions in them that when you learn them, you learn many many other tunes at the same time because they have pieces of these progressions. So learn this one again it's best. If you memorize it, play it and play it and play it study it study the harmony study the upper partial, see what you remember when you make up your own solo or you do your own comping.

Hello all,

The vibraphone is one of the only instruments we play where you have to work extra hard to control the ending of a note. It requires two separate strokes to play and end any given note with dampening, whereas on, say, the saxophone, you can end a note by simply stopping your air. Thus, it's important to figure out how all this relates to playing the instrument in any context, including in lines, so that you're able to play what you're hearing.

Hey everyone,

In this dampening lesson, I explain a technique I call "partial-deadstroking" and its implications for playing ballads, as well as comping on swing tunes!

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Hey everyone,

Another lesson on comping on ballads! We're looking at rhythmic density and ways to create an overall sense of arc with your comping, or while you're playing solo. Let me know if you have any thoughts!

Hey everyone,

Here's the third and final part of my series on comping over a medium swing F blues, and how to give it that rhythmic drive a full rhythm section has. This is an interesting lesson, because I, myself, am still figuring it out! We're talking about sliding -- like a glissando, and how to use it the way guitarists and pianists do.

Let me know if you guys have thoughts on this! I obviously don't think it's applicable in all situations, but I think it certainly has some use in swing and rhythm music.

Hey everyone,

Another lesson on comping. This time I'm looking at octave displacement (a lot less crazy than it sounds in this context) and rolls -- two things vibes players could do more, I think!

Hey Everyone!

New series on comping. In the first few of these lessons, I'm just going to be talking about rhythm while comping and techniques to get a good feel. Obviously, metronome work, recording yourself and listening back, playing along to records, etc. will all help you get a good feel in the minutia of things, so make sure to practice all that, but here are some interesting, tangible techniques to add into your comping to give it some more swing on the macro-level.

Let me know if anyone has any thoughts!

A few months ago, I bought Lionel Hampton's autobiography. As I am slowly, but surely, making my way through it, I have learned a great deal from the master. I want to share some of that with you all.

I look back on my history with this instrument and I realized that I always threw Hamp to the wayside. I loved Gay Burton and Milt Jackson, but never gave him much consideration. I have now realized how grave a mistake that was.

Hey everyone,

I'm starting a new series on solo vibes arranging, where in the first part, I'll give an arrangement in the form of sheet music, and in the second part, I'll walk through it, note by note, explaining why and how I'm picking voicings, textures, etc. I hope this gives everyone ideas on arranging tunes on their own, as well as giving a tangible arrangement to play on gigs or for practice.

As this is the second part on "Easy to Love," I'll be posting an explanation video.