Sunday, November 23, 2008

Coltrane Changes Sneak Peek!




"Coltrane Changes" NEW!-

This book is designed for intermediate to advanced jazz improvisers.
Full of exercises and Jazz Etudes (Improv Etudes) over John Coltrane's compositions "Giant Steps", "Countdown" and "26-2" for Eb and Bb instruments

Available in December 2008 as a Digital Download and in Print

Download "Play Jazz Now" Rhythm Tracks and practice with them!

Click here for "Trane Trax"


Hi!, the feedback I've been getting for "Coltrane Changes" has been great and some are already wanting to "pre-order". The book is almost done but waht I will do right now is give you a free taste. You can download the first 2 choruses of a Jazz Etude on "Giant Steps".

Click here for the Jazz Etude on Giant Steps for Alto Sax.

Click here for the Jazz Etude on Giant Steps for Tenor Sax.

Note: The Jazz Etudes are not identical. The are written to suite each instrument well. Have fun!



By the way, that reminds me. Some time ago I checked out some play alongs from Hal Leonard Publishing. They have a jazz series on different styles and artists. On a positive note, they include tracks where the melody is played along side a track with just the rhythm section. This is good for people who may not be familiar with some tunes and/or not sure of their rhythmic reading.



On a negative note, not only do I find the tracks a bit short (only 2 to 4 choruses, in some cases only 1), but I had to discover that some of the melodies were incorrect. That should NEVER happen!

Anyway, I checked out what they had on Coltrane. They had a nice pick of tunes, but "Giant Steps" and "Countdown" are only recorded at break-neck tempos. No chance for anyone trying to learn the tunes for the first time and want to get their feet wet. What were they thinking? Do they really believe that anyone who buys their play alongs will be able to play those tempos right away? Those recordings are a sad testament to a publisher who's just out to make a buck, but not really provide helpful materials for students of improvisation.



That gives me even more reason to give props to Bill Harrison of PlayJazzNow.com. His new play alongs Trane Trax gives you Coltrane's "Giant Steps"three times! - As a slow bossa, a medium tempo swing, and as an uptempo swing. That is a system you can really learn with!

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Sunday, November 16, 2008

News from SaxTips!

In this issue:



Hi,

The SaxTips Newsletter will now produced in a new format in order to give you more information on what's happening on the SaxTips Podcast, jazz aids, and more. These issues will also have practice and/or improvisation tips.

So, I do hope you enjoy your newsletter and please feel free to contact me at anytime for any suggestions, criticism, kudos, questions, whatever! ;-)

The new SaxTips Vidcast

I've just begun expanding the way to present saxophone tips to the SaxTips Podcast audience. It's been great to have over 1.000 listeners per month download these podcasts and even more just listening to it in their web browsers. Some techniques are not always easy to explain, that is why I've decided to finally bring more tips to you per video in the new SaxTips Vidcast. The first episode "One Note Theory" is already out. Check it out and tell me what you think.


Get exciting new play-alongs for Blues in All Keys!
Click here to view more details



Coltrane Changes

Have you played on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", "Countdown" or even his composition "26-2"? If so, you know how difficult that can be, and how humiliating that is if you can barely make it through the changes. If you haven't played on those tunes yet, maybe it was because you knew it was difficult and didn't dare to try. Well, I'd like to offer some help here.

Starting in December 2008, I'll be offering my new book "Coltrane Changes" at a special introductory price, and maybe even free print copies for the first 10 responders.

Included in Coltrane Changes will be exercises over the chord progression to "Giant Steps" and "Countdown" - in ALL KEYS! Included will also be patterns using alternate changes on Giant Steps as well! Then there will "Improv Etudes" over "Giant Steps", "Countdown" and "26-2" for Eb and Bb saxophones.

To sweeten it all, new play-along tracks have been created by Bill Harrison of "PlayJazzNow.com". Bill Harrison is a jazz bassist and teacher in Chicago and has created some great play-alongs. A lot hipper than the Jamey Aebersold tracks in my opinion. I will be providing links to those tracks along with my book offering. So watch out for it in the upcoming newsletter.


Get exciting new play-alongs for Rhythm Changes in All Keys!



Playing in Duo

Playing in duo, whether it be with a pianist, a guitarist or a bassist is an art form. It is not an easy thing to do and can be very tiring for a saxophonist. The challenge is not only to keep it interesting in the choice of tunes to play, keeping the energy up, but also being able to "speak" the chords clearly within your improvisation, along with keeping excellent timing (especially if you don't have a drummer playing with you).

How playing in duo ever started in jazz, no one knows. It may have been for economical reasons. Less guys to pay for a gig. Or, the venue owner didn't want to spend his money hiring a big band, or any band with more than 4 people. I remember quite well back in New York City, there was the "Carabet Law". That was a law that prevented clubs that were present in residentials areas from having more than three musicians perform on stage at a time (and drums were forbidden!). For the longest time, this law was not enforced, until the official that was preventing this law to be enforced was involved in a scandal, and he eventually commited suicide. After that, the doors were open and the law was enforced - hard! That put a lot of musicians out of work. So what did musicians have to do? Get creative. Do the best with what they had.

In the next issue, I'll get into this topic, especially improvising in duo, a little further. Stay tuned!



Get exciting new play-alongs for Major Turnarounds in All Keys!
Click here to view more details



Improv Etudes

You're listening to your favorite players and you're wishing that you can play at least nearly as good as they are and do a lot of practice to get there. But your efforts don't seem to get you any closer. I know how you feel. When I was a kid just starting out in jazz improvisation, I listened to jazz, tried to learn the melodies to tunes, tried to learn to improvise per the "Chord/Scale" method, played transcribed solos, imitate players from records - everything I could possibly think of.

At one point, while I was practicing Charlie Parker solos, I realized that I really didn't understand what he was doing. It all sounded great, but the notes he was playing to the chords, theoretically, didn't make sense. But it must somehow be right, right? So, I continued to practice in blind faith. Trusting that one day I'll be able to understand.

Finally, after 2 years of practicing and playing, I began to understand what was going on! "Oh, man! THAT'S what he's doing!" After that, everything seemed so simple and my improvising improved 100%, almost overnight!

Later, when I was in college, while I studied with Joe Allard at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, I was studying with saxophonist Steve Grossman privately to improve my improvising. Steve turned me on to the concept of what I call Improv Etudes. He said, just as there are etudes in classical music to learn the language of that music, there should be no reason why we should create etudes to learn the language of jazz improvisation. After starting using this method, my improvising improve dramatically within a short period of time!

In my books "250 Jazz Patterns", "Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys", and in my upcoming "Coltrane Changes", Improv Etudes are used to learn chord progressions and to intensify concentration to learn to play exactly the way you wish. In the future I will creating instructional materials so that you may learn this method in greater detail. So, stay tuned!

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Sunday, April 08, 2007

Discover The Simple Five Step Process To Having Financial Independence Each Month As A Committed Musician

Dear Musician,

Why do most musicians fail to make money? Why do some musicians just make a measly couple of hundred a month, and even that's not consistent?

Maybe you're the kind of musician who's in a 9-5 job and doesn't have much time to live the life you want to making music.

Maybe you're the kind of musician who in the past has set up your music career as full-time work but have had to go back and get an evening job or a full 9-5 because your music career wasn't working and you couldn't sustain yourself financially?

Well no matter what kind of musician you are and what you've been earning before, I have a proven way that will allow you to become financially independent as a musician - and it doesn't involve working a 9-5 job.

Would you like to learn my strategy? Read on...

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Friday, March 16, 2007

SaxTips on YouTube!

Hi All,

Check out the newest extension to the "SaxTips Podcast" and "SaxTips eZine" - the "SaxTips Jazz Saxophone" Group on YouTube.com!

There you'll be able to view, hear and discuss tips, concerts, interviews on saxophone playing in jazz and popular music.

Go to: http://www.youtube.com/group/saxtips and enjoy!

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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Saxophonist Michael Brecker dies

Michael Brecker, the jazz saxophonist who won 11 Grammy Awards and was considered the most influential tenor player of his generation, died Saturday at a hospital in New York. He was 57.

Read stories at:

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Help the SaxTips Podcast - Special Offer!

More SaxTips Podcasts are coming soon!

I'll have artist interviews and video-podcasts coming up. If you really enjoy the podcasts so far, help me produce better ones and chip in to help me buy a new MacBook.

Those who have chipped in will have their names appear on the SaxTips Podcast blog and announced in an upcoming podcast.

If you donate $5 or more you'll get...

  • A Special Feature and Interview on the SaxTips Podcast



If you donate $10 or more you'll get...
  • A Special Feature and Interview on the SaxTips Podcast

  • A FREE "SaxTips Podcast" T-Shirt



If you donate $20 or more you'll get...
  • A Special Feature and Interview on the SaxTips Podcast

  • A FREE "SaxTips Podcast" T-Shirt

  • A Printed copy of my "Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys"



Go to: http://saxtips.chipin.com/macbook

So ChipIn and WIN!

Or….

You can help me out by adding my ChipIn Widget onto your website! Go the above link for details.


Go for it!


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Tuesday, December 12, 2006

New Book in the "Way To Mastery: Saxophone Series" ! - Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys!



"Blues & Rhythm Changes in All Keys" -
This book is designed for intermediate to advanced jazz improvisers. The "Improv Etudes" aid to keep you sharp on two of the most powerful chord progressions that is present in at least 90% of all jazz standards.
Included in this 70-page ebook/book:





  • Notes on Blues
  • Blues in All Keys, 2 Choruses each with an extra 2 blank choruses to write your own Improv Etude
  • Notes on Rhythm Changes
  • Rhythm Changes in All Keys, 2 Choruses each with an extra 2 blank choruses to write your own Improv Etude

Available as a Digital Download AND Printed Paperback!

Go to www.evantate.com/shop.php and order NOW!

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Friday, September 29, 2006

The SaxTips Podcast on MySpace

The SaxTips Podcast is now up on MySpace. If you are also, please add us as a friend.

Make sure you subscribe to the SaxTips Podcast.

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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

SaxTips Recommendation!

Jazz Composing and Arranging


  • Jazz Composing and Arranging by John Morton -

    An extremely comprehensive volume for the serious musician moving easily from basics to advanced techniques. The text is based on over 40 years of professional experience writing for radio orchestras, theatre productions, jazz orchestras, brass bands and smaller instrumental groups.

    Extended works, often a neglected subject in many texts, receive much attention and there is a FREE score which the reader is authorised to use.



    About John Morton: Composer/arranger/trombonist John Morton has over forty years of experience writing in a wide variety of styles.
    During this time he has written for radio orchestras, big bands, theatre productions, brass bands and
    smaller instrumental groups and jazz combos.


    His range of musical experience is unusually broad and includes touring with a jazz rock and soul band doubling on
    trumpet and flügelhorn (and backing vocals!), in addition to playing bass trombone, baritone horn and euphonium
    in various brass bands.


    For over 15 years his 9 piece jazz group was a favourite with "off-duty" professionals, performing both in concert
    and in jazz clubs.


    His compositions are sold worldwide.



    Now as a Digital Download for only GBP 9.99 / @ EUR 15,00 / @ USD 19.00


    BUY NOW!

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  • Friday, September 22, 2006

    Two New eBooks from Evan Tate


    250 Jazz Patterns


    A valuable resource for students of jazz improvisation. Theses patterns start at the beginning level and move forward progressively to advanced and more complex patterns. PLUS: "Practice Solos" to help incorporate the patterns into your playing faster than imagined!

    Now as a Digital Download for only EUR 25,-!
    Go to EvanTate.com




    The Way To Mastery: Saxophone "Workout Book"!


    The newest saxophone publication from Evan Tate - The Way To Mastery: Saxophone "Workout Book"!
    This book is designed to give the intermediate to advanced saxophonist a powerful regimen to keep sharp on all necessary skills for today's saxophonist.
    Included in this ebook:

    • Tone Exercises
    • Embouchure Exercises
    • Scale Exercises
    • Interval Studies
    • Ear-Training Exercises
    • Exercises for the Extreme Ranges
    • Altissimo Exercises
    • Develop your saxophone skills faster with consistency.

    Available NOW for only EUR 10,-. Go here to order!
    Go to EvanTate.com

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