Orble - Jazz Improvisation

Jazz Improvisation

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Trumpet lessons at Jazz Workshop Australia

July 28th 2010 23:09

We now have two trumpet teachers working at the Jazz Workshop in St Leonards. Ellen Kirkwood, who is one of the featured solists in the Sirens Big Band, gives lessons on Thursday afternoons. Paul Murchison gives lessons on Wednesday afternoons. Both are jazz players, but are familiar with AMEB music if required.

Ellen tends to focus on general technique and jazz improvisation. Paul does likewise, but is also an experienced lead player in big bands and so is a good choice for any student interested in that.

Anybody who wants to learn how to play jazz really needs to take lessons with a professional, improvising jazz musician who is also an experienced and effective teacher, such as Ellen Kirkwood or Paul Murchison. At Jazz Workshop Australia my aim is to make such players accessable to students in Sydney. Ellen and Paul give trumpet lessons, but we have a whole faculty of excellent teachers covering all the common jazz instruments.

If you are looking for lessons, why not visit our website at www.jazzworkshop.com.au and see what's on offer. See you there!

Saul Richardson.

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Drum lessons at the Jazz Workshop

October 27th 2009 11:47

This post is really a "plug" for my music school, but the opportunity this presents for young drummers to study with a couple of amazing players is worth the interjection.

Two of Australia's best jazz drummers are now teaching at my music school, Jazz Workshop Australia. Dave Goodman and Jamie Cameron are two of this country's "first call" drummers. They are also outstanding educators. Private drum lessons are available for any motivated student keen to take up this special opportunity.

Dave Goodman is a professional drummer and educator with over twenty years of experience. He studied drum set with Joe Morello, Billy Hart, Jim Chapin, Chad Wackerman, Jim Piesse, Gordon Rytmeister, Andrew Gander, Barry Stewart, Peter Harkins and Steve Fuller.

Dave has taught drums on the faculty of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Australian Institute of Music. He also has considerable experience tutoring younger musician, in school bands and individually. He is currently working on a PHD in Jazz Studies

Jamie Cameron grew up in Sydney studying with Martin Highland and Andrew Gander, followed by Gordon Rytmeister and Andrew Dickeson at the Sydney Conservatorium, and later Chad Wackerman and Simon Barker. He also travelled to South Korea in 2007 to study traditional percussion, in part with master percussionist and educator, Kim Dong-Won.

Jamie has played, among others, with Sean Wayland, Elana Stone, Steve McKenna, and Greta Gertler. Current projects include Cranky Pants, The Adorables, Medium Brown, live drum'n'bass act Ghost Solaris, Dave Reaston's 10 Guitar Project, and songwriters Luke Escombe and Joe Kelly.

Visit the Jazz Workshop Australia website for drum lessons with either of these marvelous teachers.

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Why NOT to teach the blues scale

July 13th 2009 03:44

Here is a common scenario: Jazz musician confronted by a class of students. They have been asked to introduce them to improvisation. Nine times out of ten, said musician will do something involving a three-chord twelve bar blues, and the blues scale.

Why is this NOT a good idea?

1. How many times have you heard a professional jazz musician play a whole solo, even in a blues, using nothing but blues scale? Hardly, if ever. Why not teach the students to do things that jazz players ACTUALLY DO?

2. The blues scale is full of notes that clash in the worst way with every chord in the progression. There is the 4th and flat 5th of chord I, the 4th and flat 9 of chord IV, and 4th major 7th of chord V. Not to mention a host of minor 3rds against major chords.
In the wrong hands, the hands of a novie, these notes WILL sound terrible.

How about this as an alternative? 1, 2, b3, 3, 5, 6, 8.

Flesh it out with passing notes, emphasise the key note as central and even novices can sound terrific, and can play things similar or identiacal to what jazz players actually play.

108

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Instrumental music curriculum design as a message system

June 25th 2009 01:40

By Saul Richardson, 2009.

Warning: this post is not practical but theoretical. It refers to school music education in the Australian state of New South Wales. No doubt a lot of it will apply to other areas too

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How to keep your band motivated, and how to keep your band strong

June 21st 2009 03:15

By Saul Richardson

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Welcome

June 21st 2009 03:06

This blog will include articles, ideas and thoughts on jazz education, learning to play jazz and teaching jazz. Many of the ideas will be based on the method I use for teaching jazz improvisation at Jazz Workshop Australia, my music studio in the Sydney suburb of St Leonards.

I hope you find something useful or interesting here

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July 2010

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October 2009

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July 2009

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