Lesson

Here's the next tune I thought we'd check out and study.

Ed Saindon's 'Life's Blessing'. I asked Ed if he would make a solo recording to get us started. Hopefully he will. Regardless let's all start checking this tune out and talking about it and practicing it like we did with Joe Locke's tune 'Sword of Whisper'.

Maybe Phillipe could make the play along!!!

So download the tune and start working on it. I'm sure Ed will give us a hand and talk about it. Maybe he'd even do an audio lesson for us?

Here we go!

Just a quick video talking about a conceptual sort of thing. Working on going from here to there!

Here's a PDF with the G half whole scale. It's a scale that outlines a G7 b9 chord. I ask the question what if the chord was a G7 b9 #5, what would the scale be. Write it out and send it to me!

Here's all the Friedman Dampening and Pedaling vids and audio lessons on the site. This a book all of us should work through and master.

If you play any of the etudes not on the list. Please record yourself and post your performance!

Click here for the Friedman Book: Dampening and Pedaling

I banged this baby out. Really fast. But it looks ok. Let me know where the mistakes are.

But it's a lesson in drop 2 voicings. Now that I know what drop 2 voicings are I see them everywhere! How about choral writing. Big band charts.

Joe Locke has made available free lead sheets (for a limited time) from his catalogue.
Included is music from:

Force of Four
Rev-elation
Sticks and Stings and others, at the link below:

http://www.joelocke.com/shop/

I think we've all fallen in love with Joe's tune, 'Sword of Whispers'. I hope you guys all have Joe's CD 'Sticks and Strings'. It's a beautiful CD. Guitar and Vibes were made for each other, and if you didn't know that, this CD will show you. The playing is phenomenal.

I asked Joe if I could write up an arrangement on his tune 'Sword of Whispers' and post it here for subscribers. Joe graciously agreed. So here it is.

I'm also working up a solo version. This tune is so fun to play!

Ok, all this talk about sticking, I thought I'd post something I think and get everyone's response.

I think to really play lines and play them spontaneously you need to totally have your alternate sticking down. That's the most important sticking there is. For me all this double stroke stuff is cool, but the ultimate fluid line comes out of mastering alternate sticking.

Just my opinion and the way I teach. Give me your takes on this.

I think if you master alternate sticking and alternate sticking on C maj, that then you can start switching things up.

Drop 2 voicings are 'all the rage'. They're being talking about alot these. Check out Dana's lessons on Drop 2 voicings. They're really great and thorough.

Here are a few ideas demonstrated for practicing Drop 2 Lessons 1 & 2. This is not just for 4 mallet guys.

Hope this helps.

p.s. I forgot to talk about using these scale patterns to go through 4 mallet permutations (1234, 4321, 1243 etc)