I’m going to do a series of blog posts about the conference to keep them short and manageable.

FAVORITE PERFORMANCES!

I didn’t get to hear everything I wanted to hear, more or less everything I could have heard. I worked to balance my time between clinics, performances, and the hang / networking. Post-conference people always ask: “What’s the best thing you heard?” Which is never an easy answer when you’ve just been saturated with incredible music for almost 4 days straight! But this year, one group stood out to me:

The Ed Neumeister Quartet with Michael Wolff (piano), John Goldsby (bass), and Danny Gottlieb (drums).

Musically, it was some of the most innovative and creative playing that I heard in a long time. I was transfixed the entire (all too short) 40 minute performance and truly appreciated Ed Neumeister’s writing, especially his arrangement of Take the A Train. Not one of my favorite tunes, but I left liking it again.

My second favorite was the Alan Baylock Orchestra…

Alan’s music just makes me happy. And it has ever since I was introduced to his music when I was in college, and now I’m lucky enough to call him a friend. Alan loves music and it shine through in everything he writes. I left that performance smiling and happy.

Missed Opportunity:

At a conference like this, there’s always something that you miss that you wished you’d seen. Or many somethings. You can’t see it all but you really do wish you could. This year I missed seeing the Bass Extremes featuring Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey. I remember seeing Victor Wooten live maybe a decade ago and loved it. I loved the book he wrote – The Music Lesson – too. I wish I had seen that performance and I know it was awesome, because lots of people told me it was one of their favorites.

1) The 2012 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony & Concert Webcast

2) One of my favorite videos on why we need to fail to succeed.

3) Think Twitter is a waste of time? Can’t find the point? Here’s a good article explaining how to use it and what’s its good for.

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2012/01/twitter-tip-for-musicians-patience-is-a-virtue/

4) http://blog.commpro.biz/thehiringhub/?p=1399
Tips on Networking. 5 easy to follow ideas that are good reminders in this day and age.

5) http://www.feelgooder.com/self-promotion-tips-for-nice-people/ – the title says it all. You don’t have to be a jerk to successfully promote.

While teaching, I always started with 5 notes. Which 5 notes varied depending on the instrument, but I would always make a game out of it for the kids. For the more advanced kids we would do 5 note patterns in major and minor and work on switching keys quickly and easily. In my own practicing, I eventually expanded it to what I’ll show you in this post.

I like practicing five note patterns because they work on the transition between tetrachords. See my post on tetrachords. Note that even though the exercise is written in 8th notes doesn’t mean it has to be played quickly. Since I primarily use it for warming up, I play it very slow, all slurred, and really focus on air support, smooth fingers, and what each pattern sounds like.

There are five different tonalites: Major, Minor, Diminished (WholeHalf), Super Locrian (7th Mode of Melodic Minor), and Augmented.

I definitely recommend memorizing this as soon as possible. Then you can listen to the color of each five note scale piece and what happens to that color when even just a pitch gets altered. It’s a listening exercise as much as finger practice.

Download Five Note Scale Pattern Warm-up in all 12 keys.

1) “My goal in life is to play better tomorrow then I did today” – James Moody

Check out the other videos from that same interview.

2) At the JEN conference last weekend I met a trumpet player named Craig Fraedrich. Check out his Educational Materials on his website

3) If This Then That – ifttt.com It’s a cool little website that lets you set triggers that create responses. The concept is really cool, but I’m still trying to figure out how it all works. I’d love to hear what anyone else using it thinks. It was recommended to me at a clinic at the JEN / TI:ME conference last weekend.

4) Great video on why we need music education in our schools:

5) http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~keller/jazz/improvisor/ This is another new thing that I just discovered. It’s very new to me and I’m still experimenting, but looking forward to seeing what it can for me and my students. Anyone out there familiar with it who’d be willing to give me some tips?

What instruments do you play in your profession, and in what capacity do you play them?

I play piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano, alto, tenor and bari saxophone professionally in jazz combos, big bands, rock bands, chamber ensembles, orchestras, as a soloist, and in recording sessions.

I also play oboe, bassoon and electric bass for fun, working on getting them to a higher level.

I play just enough piano to be dangerous. I mostly use it for transcription, composing and arranging.

Woodwind Specialist, Doubler, Multiple Woodwinds Performer… there are so many titles for what you do. Do you have a preference for what you are called?

I like the word Doubler, but I know that few people outside of the musician community really knows what that term means. Multi-Instrumentalist seems to be the most user friendly and clear.

Just call us talented.

Did you get into doubling for the money? (haha)… What are you in it for?

I’ve always said that you should “never do the math”, so I don’t know this for sure, but I highly doubt that the cost benefit ratio for being a doubler ends up in the black. I’m not sure if when you factor in the cost of instruments, reeds, repairs, cases, mouthpieces, and sheet music that you can make an argument for being in it for the money. And that doesn’t even include the time you spend learning to play those instruments. The other side of that coin (haha, pun intended) is that many gigs are only available to doublers – such as musical theatre. Nowadays, all the most interesting big band music has doubles. I have worked a lot of gigs because I am a doubler and I also get to do a wide variety of gigs, because I can play a variety of instruments. If you’re just a jazz tenor player, that’s all you’ll ever get called to do.

For example, in a 2 week period I found myself playing: bari sax and bass clarinet in 2 very different big bands, alto and clarinet in a musical pit orchestra, bari in a funk / R&B band, flute with a percussionist and rabab player accompanying dancers from India, bari in a Tower of Power Tribute band, and tenor, soprano, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo in my own group – the Doublers Collective. So cool! (Plus, I get to teach all these instruments as well, which is also rewarding.)

Funny thing is that the more I thought about this question the more I realized that I have really been a doubler since the beginning. I started on clarinet, but moved to saxophone rather quickly. In high school I played saxophones in band and jazz band, played clarinet in band, played oboe in Youth Orchestra, and took oboe, flute, and saxophones to music camp. I played everything in college.

Ultimately, I’m a doubler because I love it. I love exploring the different instruments, the available colors, even just to have a wide range to choose from. I feel like I can say anything I want to with my different voices. I love to explore and with doubling, I constantly have something to explore. It’s an endless challenge and I love it.

How and when did you begin adding instruments? Do you have any opinions on the order that students should add additional instruments?

I added instruments gradually. I usually picked up something new as it was needed or someone gave me an instrument to use. But there were large gaps in my learning, amounts of time that I didn’t play one instrument or another. It wasn’t until my early 20′s that I really focused on doubling and tried to work each instrument as it’s own. Nowadays, my practice routine is really focused so I make sure to cover everything on a regular basis.

I’ve taught quite a few students to double and none of them the same way. Every student is different and I think their individual interest carries far more weight than any “method”. I’ll help guide my students through the experimental stage as they find the instruments that they connect to the most. Hopefully in the process they get enough skills to come back to one later if they want to.

Did anything or anyone ever discourage you from doubling?

I have always loved doubling and I have been incredible fortunate to have acquired mostly pro horns, because cost can be really discouraging. I don’t know if I’ll ever own a $20,000 flute or a contrabassoon, but that’s ok. I do what I can and try to save up little by little to upgrade.

I have had more than a few people tell me that I “should choose one and focus on it”. I get the thinking behind that, but even if I could make a living playing only one ax, I’d never be able to choose. Picking one just isn’t an option for me and sometimes people don’t get that. It’s ok, we each have our own path, ya know?

How does doubling affect your flute playing?

I picked up flute in college, so the thing that I had to work on the most was not projecting my saxophone habits (such as voicing) on my flute playing. It took me a couple of years to master that. Now, I feel like my primary concern is tone. Sometimes playing sax or clarinet for a long time and then picking up the flute, I feel the tension and lip pressure, but I’ve worked hard at going back and forth so it doesn’t take too long to get into “flute mode”.

How do you manage your practice time on so many instruments?

I keep a practice journal of everything that I’m currently practicing and things that I want to practice. Learning that I can’t practice it ALL was a tough lesson for me to accept, but you have to stay focused if you want to get something accomplished. Otherwise, you’re just flapping your arms, so to speak.

If I’m strapped for time, I make sure to do longtones and some free improv on every instrument no matter what. My longtone routine is intense, so it takes me a good 20-30 minutes on each horn. I play a saxophone and the flute everyday, and the clarinet 4-5 days a week.

I also find as much common ground as possible and try to use that to my advantage. For example, I’m currently in a technique routine where I practice all the scales, arpeggios, and patterns starting on a single note. I find that after I’ve worked it all out on sax, the flute goes much quicker. That gives me time to focus on the things that are unique to each instrument and spend more time on that stuff.

What are the most challenging aspects of being a doubler?

Keeping the reeds wet.

In all seriousness, it’s picking up an instrument cold and having it sound as good as it would if you had been playing it the whole time.

There is also learning all the little idiosyncrasies of each instrument – the pinky keys on the clarinet, the 3rd octave of the flute, the palm keys and altissimo of the sax as just a couple of examples. I’m willing to settle for just knowing part of an instrument, I want to know how it all works. That takes time and discipline, and it can be challenging.

It seems there is a very small percentage of women doublers. Why do you think this is?

I have any insight on this one. I’m usually the only or one of the only women in all the groups I’m in. I don’t know why that is. I’m not really all that concerned by it either. We are all musicians and we are in it together. That’s what is important.

What advice would you give to flutists wishing to “branch out” into woodwind doubling?

Jump! Just pick an instrument that interests you and go for it. Get the highest quality instrument you can get your hands on. Get a good teacher who will teach you how to play it correctly from the start, which is way easier than getting a year or two in and having to relearn everything.

Was it always your childhood dream to be a doubler? When did it become your goal?

As I said before, I just kinda fell into it. Music was my childhood dream, and being a doubler just kinda happened along the way. It really became my goal when I was at Arizona State University and was in the classical flute studio and playing saxophone in the jazz department. I had so much fun! After college I started do pit work pretty much right away, which was awesome. Now, I have my own jazz ensemble made up of professional Doublers – www.doublerscollective.com

I’m proud to be a doubler. I enjoy it and am very thankful that I can do such a wide variety of things. It’s a lot of fun for me!

I’ve heard this quite often from students throughout my years teaching and giving clinics. It is completely understandable, although I suspect that not knowing what to play (in that moment) is directly proportional to not knowing what to practice at home. Or, possibly, not practicing at all. It’s as if someone asked you to give a short presentation on nuclear physics and if you don’t know anything about the subject, you have no idea what to say.

There are a bunch of resources out there on things to practice. Trust me, I own most of them and I’m often quite amused when I run across the same concept over and over, maybe slightly varied. Musicians all have their own take on things like this, and some things stick with us (when we were learning) better than others. That’s ok. As a student you have to find something that works for you… And then simply get to work. (A good private teacher can help a lot with this. They are wonderful guides.)

I think students hope that if they stumble across the “magic” they will suddenly be able to improvise. Those who struggle feel like they just haven’t found it yet. Others know just enough to get by, but never produce anything spectacular. (I was that kind of student). But there’s no magic. You’re not going to wake up one day after years of not knowing what to play and suddenly know exactly what to play. It takes practice. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. Check out what Phil Woods has to say about it…

So here’s one suggestion from my library. All of Bergonzi’s books are worth checking out at some point, but this one is a good place to start.

Jerry Bergonzi’s section of Melodic Devices, on page 145 of his Inside Improvisation Series, Volume 6 Developing a Jazz Language is one of the most comprehensive and clearly defined lists I’ve ever seen. No digging, just pick one of his 43 suggestions and get to work.

http://www.jerrybergonzi.com/books.htm

Let me know how it goes!

There are no wrong notes… and here’s the proof.

The most basic blues progression looks like this:

One of the things that you first notice is that all the chords are dominant chords. Dominant chords are awesome – one of the most versatile chords out there. The color possibilities are just about endless.

So, let’s talk about chord scales for a second. We’ll show them in the key of C for simplicity. Below are 4 possible scale choices that can be played over a dominant chord, like the ones found in the blues progression. I’ve labeled the chord tones as well.

Option 1 – The Blues Scale

Option 2 – Mixolydian (5th Mode of Major)

Option 3 – Dominant Bebop Scale

Option 4 – Superlocrian (7th Mode of Melodic Minor, also commonly called Dim Whole Tone)

That’s not even all the options available to play over a dominant chord (I’ll save that for another post), but it’s all we need right now. Let’s combine these scales together.

C (Options 1, 2, 3, 4)
Db (Option 4)
D (Options 2, 3)
Eb (Options 1, 4)
E (Options 2,3)
F (Options 1, 2, 3)
F# (Options 1, 4)
G (Options 1, 2, 3)
Ab (Option 4)
A (Option 2, 3)
Bb (Options 1, 2, 3, 4)
B (Option 3)

Is there any note not covered by one or more of those scales? Nope. All 12 are present and accounted for.

So, can any note you choose to play be justified? Yep. No fear, right?

Naturally the proof is in the pudding, so go try it. Go put on a blues playalong and have some fun. And don’t worry about playing a wrong note, because there aren’t any!

So, when Derek wrote a book, I was ready to jump on board, if nothing else to support his project and ideas. I purchased a hard copy (although I love my iPad, there’s still something about holding an actual book) and waited patiently for it to arrive in the mail. Then I pressed “pause” on the other book I was reading (The Savvy Musician, by David Culter) and enjoyed Derek’s book.

There are other great reviews of his book, so I won’t bore you with details when I can just provide a link…. I will say this: I enjoyed the book very much. It’s written in an easy to read, story format that sticks with you. (especially if you check out the videos that are online.) If you’re a longtime follower of Derek, then his book isn’t anything new or surprising. But that’s not to say it’s not valuable or worthwhile. It totally is!

Here’s a great review of Anything You Want – Much better than the one my cat Miles (in the pic above) would give you after sleeping on the book.

About a year or so ago, I decided to apply this concept to the Major Bebop Scale.

So, above is the Major Bebop Scale. How many triads, 7th chords, 9th chords, and scales can you derive from this scale?

The answer is here:

The first PDF has just the notes, unlabeled. Great for testing your theory knowledge or just playing through.

C Major Bebop Text Twist – Blank

The second PDF has everything labeled so you know exactly what you’re playing.

C Major Bebop Text Twist – Labeled

It’s pretty amazing what a little Bebop Scale can do, ya know?