Every musician has different strengths and weaknesses, and my job as a teacher and guide is not simply to hand out information, but to guide you on how you can learn independently and make the most of yourself and your talents. We start by assessing your musical goals and what you want to achieve, and then formulate a plan of action from there, focusing on topics accordingly. Even the greatest musicians have weaknesses, but part of achieving your potential is learning how to maximize your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses; this is a key factor that separates the "masters" from others. So after a comprehensive, in depth look at your learning process, I want you leaving our studies with skills you'll be able to use the rest of your life. Topics vary widely depending on the student, but a general overview on what we may cover: how to practice, technique, musicality, instrument setup, time/groove/feel, bassline construction, melodic phrasing and soloing, theory/harmony and scale/mode/chord formulation, memorization and repertoire, sightreading, counterpoint/composition, styles and history, and ear training. And though I am known primarily as a "jazz performer", I do offer lessons in world music (Balkan, klezmer, etc), classical performance, as well as compositional analysis (counterpoint, Schenkerian analysis, etc). I offer private lessons from my home studio in New York City on a weekly or monthly basis as well as by mail/email/CD and with Skype if you are not in the area.
a note on transcriptions: a transcription is not a sufficient substitute for listening to the recording; as phrasing and timing varies widely from player to player, sometimes I approximate complex rhythmic phrasing. And no transcription is truly complete without the accompaniment, as an good soloist relies on harmonic and rhythmic interaction with the rest of the band. I always view a written transcription as a supplement to deep listening, not a guide on "how to solo"; personally, I use transcriptions for theoretical study and as an eartraining exercise/tool. By examining the greats' musical language, we can gain greater insight into how to develop our own.
Check back for periodic additions...
click any title to download a PDF:
Albert Stinson - "Forest Flower" -1963 - an undersung virtuoso bassist who passed away at age 24 in 1967, leaving very few recordngs as a sideman behind
Eddie Gomez - "You Must Believe in Spring"- 1977 - This album was one of the first jazz albums I ever bought, and one of my favorite Bill Evans recordings; Gomez's solos in particular I find to be incredibly lyrical and my favorite with the group. As a sidenote, I am very fortunate to now play on a regular basis with drummer Eliot Zigmund, also on this album
Eddie Gomez - "We Will Meet Again" - 1977 - same album as above; compare Eddie's melodic contours with Bill's solo on the same tune and you'll see find a lot of the same melodic language from these guys, having played with each other for over ten years almost exclusively
Bill Evans - "We Will Meet Again" - piano solo
George Mraz - "Thad's Pad" - Hank Jones' Upon Reflection with Elvin
Larry Grenadier - "Ron's Place" - from Mehldau's vol 2
Larry Grenadier - "I Hear a Rhapsody" - from Tim Hagans' Audible Architecture
Larry Grenadier - "Solar" - Mehldau Live Vol 4
Mark Turner - "Lennie's Groove" -lead sheet
Mark Turner - "Lennie's Groove" - Turner solo
Mark Turner - "Jacky's Place" - lead sheet
Kurt Rosenwinkel - "Jacky's Place" - guitar solo
Kurt Rosenwinkel - "All or Nothing at All" - East Coast Love Affair
Steve Lacy - "Reflections"- a very concise solo primarily utilizing organic material; don't fault me for the incorrect changes, it's what they played...as a side note, Buell Neidlinger on bass...great sound and time from a little known player still alive and playing on the west coast
Chick Corea - "Matrix" -first 8 choruses from the historic album
John Coltrane - "Giant Steps" - first 6 choruses...and hey, I know Im only the 10,000th person to transcribe this but it's a great way to get inside tetrachords and get inside the method firsthand
and a few choice lead sheets, standards and otherwise:
Allan Holdsworth - "0274" - incredible solo from Sixteen Men of Tain; forgive me at a certain point, I called it quits...one can only transcribe so many 23rd notes before pulling out your hair in frustration
Eric Dolphy - "245"- a slow blues with some interesting Dolphy twists
Oscar Pettiford - "Laverne Walk" - nice bass unison melody; the transcription includes all embellishments on his part
Lucky Thompson - "Dancing Sunbeam" - from the historic trio with Oscar Pettiford on bass; another unison melody
Lucky Thompson - "The Plain But Simple Truth" - see above tune...same album
Duke Ellington - "Ad Lib on Nippon" - a fantastic little played tune from Ellington's "Far East Suite"
Kanyakamari - "Ragalaya" - a composition by the Indian violin virtusuo
Kanyakamari - "Srivalli" - If anyone knows something I don't about the meter of this one, let me know! It can be heard in multiple meters, but 4/4 is the only that works out evenly
"With the Wind and Rain in her Hair"
Rabih Abou-Khalil - "Dog River" - you can hear a home studio version I played on here with Nate Radley, Chris Carroll and Art Hirahara
Woody Shaw - "Moontrane" - from Larry Young's Unity; different versions have different forms and intro harmonies
Meshuggah- "New Milennium Cyanide Christ" - a mostly rhythmic transcription detailing all the different cellular motifs throughout the tune - From Chaosphere
Meshuggah- "Corridor of Chameleons" - another track from Chaosphere
and a few of my less involved originals playable in lead sheet form:
"Makhol" - a tune in 11/8 (Bulgarian Kopanitsa) that I wrote years ago; you can hear a version online here
"Lacrimosa" - a slow tango I wrote while in Medellin, Colombia, inspired by my visit
"Circularity"- a 9/8 Bulgarian inspired daichovo, suitable for jazz consumption