I mention 5ths in the beginning of the video. I play 5ths but then quickly dive in to 4ths as I'm playing. So think 5ths and 4ths as I talk. Of course an inverted 5th is a 4th and vice versa.

Here's the first etude for the octaves study over our TOTM "Alone Together". I tried to keep some of the same voice leading concepts from my dampening etudes, so if you worked on the dampening part, you will have a head start here!

Focus on making the octaves one handed, and there's usually some kind of contrapuntal line or guide tones to follow the octaves. Have fun!

This just went up on the NPR site. A short, casual, beautiful performance. Enjoy!

http://www.npr.org/event/music/243938351/gary-burton-tiny-desk-concert

Both Tony and Benh inspire me in this one.
I reach 290 in I got rythm. Still a bit ackward but practicing at these tempos should give me more suppleness.
Go back to my vibe ....
;o )

Not much to say about this.
Still practicing ... months after months ....

Hey Everyone,
December's Good Vibes (the 1st and the 4th) will be on the air before we know it. Here's a preview:

Here's the final dampening etude. It's complete with the bridge and last A, along with a few fun, new voicings! Enjoy!

Here are some alternate changes I use for the the 9th thru 11th bar of Alone Together. The typical change is Bmin7 E7 Gmin7 C7 F f7 emin7b5 A79 Dmaj7. My substitution is Bmin7 Bb7#11 Amin7 Ab7#5 Gmin7b5 Gb7#9 Emin7b5 A7 Dmaj7.

Here's an idea to incorporate into your playing which works well over Alone Together.
-Tyler

John D' Agostino from KDSD jazz 88.3 out of San Diego sent me this review of my debut recording, " Jackson"

“The first thing that drew me into two new releases by vibraphonist Thomas Mackay — his Quintet’s Here’s That Rainy Day and especially The Mackay Project’s Jackson — was the revelation that he’d written vibes songs. This can’t be over-empasized.