Tag Archives: improvisation

Jazz Guitar and Online Success Part 2 of 2 (with Jens Larsen) Ep071

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:34 — 48.4MB)

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Jens Larsen is a Danish jazz guitarist who has become an internet celebrity for his YouTube lessons.  Aside from his incredible jazz guitar chops, he has posted over 700 YouTube videos, has acquired almost 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and recently released two books.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick sit down with Jens to talk about his journey, how to approach jazz as a player and as a teacher, musical gear, online success, practicing, composition, and recording.
 
Jens has become famous through his YouTube lessons on how to play jazz guitar.  In Part 2/2, he says that he originally started posting transcriptions of jazz solos, then began writing blogs for UltimateGuitar.com, and finally started posting videos on YouTube.  Recently he released two books, Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts and Advanced Jazz Guitar Concepts.
 
Aaron asks Jens how he approaches his practice sessions, and Jens provides an in-depth look into his practice routine.  He warms up by playing chromatically across the guitar neck in all 12 keys, he practices 7th arpeggio patterns, triads, and open-voiced triads over the entire neck, and he creates simple melodies by ear and transposes them to all 12 keys.  Then he practices his triad ideas over the chord changes of jazz tunes.  Jens practices with his metronome set on beats 2 and 4, but also experiments playing with the metronome set on unusual beats to spur rhythmic creativity.
 
Jens tells of some of his most meaningful performances as well as his dream show.  He talks about his band (Traeben), how he/they compose songs, and the differences among his three albums.
 
Finally, Jens gives us a few inside looks at his other hobbies and interests outside of music!

Jazz Guitar and Online Success Part 1 of 2 (with Jens Larsen) Ep070

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:02 — 56.1MB)

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Jens Larsen is a Danish jazz guitarist who has become an internet celebrity for his YouTube lessons.  Aside from his incredible jazz guitar chops, he has posted over 700 YouTube videos, has acquired almost 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and recently released two books.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick sit down with Jens to talk about his journey, how to approach jazz as a player and as a teacher, musical gear, online success, practicing, composition, and recording.
In Part 1 of 2, Jens tells of his years playing on the streets of Copenhagen, followed by his studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (in the Netherlands).  The guys discuss how to learn, review, and perform new jazz tunes.  Then they discuss the merits of preserving traditional musical styles vs. pursuing progressive musical styles.  Jens tells Joe and Aaron how he would approach teaching a new jazz guitar student, providing some very useful information for both teachers and players!
Next the guys move on to a look at guitar gear.  Jens talks about his guitars (notably an Ibanez AS2630), amps, and effects.

Jazz Vocals, Music School, Vocal Technique Part 2 of 2 (with Darden Purcell) Ep064

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:15 — 51.7MB)

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Dr. Darden Purcell is a jazz vocalist and the Director of Jazz Studies at George Mason University.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have a wonderful time talking with Darden about her musical journey, her duties as a “Director of Jazz Studies,” how to transition to singing jazz music, and specifics on vocal technique and practice.
Part 2 of 2 is packed with useful information and tips regarding vocal technique and practice (applicable to all styles of music!).  Darden tells the guys about vocal habits such as speaking and singing on vocal fry, scooping into pitches, and falling off at the ends of words.  There is a discussion about the short careers of some singers resulting from poor vocal health.  Darden talks about how certain food and beverages affect your singing voice, and she emphasizes the importance of sleep leading up to a performance.  It is important to understand that your vocal range changes depending on the time of day and how far into a performance you are.  This is incredibly useful when choosing the keys of your songs and planning your setlist.
Darden tells Joe and Aaron about her favorite gigs, ranging from performances with symphonies to jazz gigs with great audiences.
Finally, Darden gives a ton if information regarding vocal practice.  She stresses the importance of singing with the piano and a metronome, critically analyzing the music you are singing, and keeping a practice log.  She addresses proper breathing for singing, singing long tones, singing with lip trills, and a couple other exercises to master pitch control.
 
Find out more about Darden at http://www.dardenpurcell.com/.  Find out more about George Mason’s music programs at https://music.gmu.edu/.
 

Jazz Vocals, Music School, Vocal Technique Part 1 of 2 (with Darden Purcell) Ep063

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:37 — 63.0MB)

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Dr. Darden Purcell is a jazz vocalist and the Director of Jazz Studies at George Mason University.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have a wonderful time talking with Darden about her musical journey, her duties as a “Director of Jazz Studies,” how to transition to singing jazz music, and specifics on vocal technique and practice.
In part 1 of 1, Darden tells the guys about how she started singing jazz music, her experiences singing in the U.S. Air Force Band, her time working and performing in Nashville, and her experience in graduate school at the University of Illinois.  They discuss the music scenes in New Orleans, New York, and Chicago.
Darden explains her duties as the Director of Jazz Studies at George Mason.  They discuss trends in the incoming pools of students and how they are related to trends in society.  They also talk about Darden’s students and some of her teaching approaches.
Darden has released two albums, and she gives insight into her studio experiences, her influences while producing these albums, and the unintentional consequences of releasing an album with complicated arrangements (it’s hard to gig!).
 
Find out more about Darden at http://www.dardenpurcell.com/.  Find out more about George Mason’s music programs at https://music.gmu.edu/.
 

Backing Tracks, LA Music Scene part 2 of 2 (with Quist) Ep062

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:11 — 52.6MB)

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Quist has built an enormous online presence through his jam-backing tracks, and he recently performed as the lead guitarist for Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music).  This Danish guitarist has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Abbey Road Studios, and has established himself in the Los Angeles music scene.  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray enjoy an awesome conversation with Quist, diving into his musical journey, his jam-backing tracks, the LA music scene, and building and maintaining an online presence.
In part 2 of 2,  Quist talks more about the origins of his backing tracks, and how he built a following on YouTube.  The guys discuss balancing the work-load of YouTube video releases, other musical endeavors, and personal time.
Aaron and Joe ask Quist about opportunities to do session work and to tour.  Quist says that he is selective about the work he accepts – it has to be great music with great people or the right money!  His advice for acquiring this work involves 1) being great at what you do, and 2) networking, especially through jam sessions.
Quist reminisces about his most exciting performances and studio experiences: highlights include performances at the Hollywood Bowl and the Royal Albert Hall, recording at Abbey Road Studios, and performing in Colombia with Mike Dawes (fingerstyle guitarist).  The conversation ends with a discussion on the eternal quest to improve as a musician, the insane levels of talent that exist on the internet, and the importance of playing meaningful, emotive music.

Backing Tracks, LA Music Scene part 1 of 2 (with Quist) Ep061

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:42 — 49.4MB)

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Quist has built an enormous online presence through his jam-backing tracks, and he recently performed as the lead guitarist for Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music).  This Danish guitarist has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Abbey Road Studios, and has established himself in the Los Angeles music scene.  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray enjoy an awesome conversation with Quist, diving into his musical journey, his jam-backing tracks, the LA music scene, and building and maintaining an online presence.
Quist tells the guys about his musical beginnings, playing his dad’s guitar at age 6 and touring as a ballet dancer until he was 13.  After leaving the ballet world, he devoted himself to the guitar, eventually studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London, performing in New York City, and settling in Los Angeles.
Quist tells Aaron and Joe why he originally started creating backing tracks for practicing, and how they gained wide popularity on YouTube.  The guys have a healthy discussion of how to create mode-specific chord progressions, with lots of useful music theory.
Quist, Aaron, and Joe discuss the differences in the music scenes of different towns with a focus on the LA scene.

Fingerstyle Guitar, Online Success Part 2 of 2 (with Adam Rafferty) Ep055

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:10 — 51.7MB)

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Adam Rafferty is a jazz guitarist-turned fingerstyle guitarist who has found huge success through YouTube, as an online guitar-coach, and as a touring performer. Check out his awesome fingerstyle arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, as well as jazz standards. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have the opportunity to talk with Adam about his journey, his internet success, his method of arranging for fingerstyle guitar, his gear, and his experiences with copyright law.

In part 2 of 2, Adam tells the guys about his Maton and Cole Clark guitars, his AER amp, and the rest of his gear.

Aaron and Joe are very interested in how Adam deals with copyright law as it applies to his YouTube videos of cover songs as well as his teaching business. He is incredibly open and informative!

Adam recounts his musical journey from his childhood and teenage years, to his classical training in college, his formation of a hip hop group, and his jazz studies with Mike Longo (pianist for Dizzy Gillespi).

Finally, Adam talks about life as a touring musician and how he practices and stays comfortable and confident on the road.

Find out more about Adam Rafferty at: https://www.studywithadam.com/ or https://www.adamrafferty.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adamraffertyguitar/. He also hosts the Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

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Seattle, Lead Guitar, Writing and Recording an Album Part 2 of 2 (with Brent Lyons of Solving Sounds) Ep043

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:44 — 55.8MB)

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In Part 2 of 2, Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick continue their conversation with Brent Lyons of the “Solving Sounds” podcast. They talk about the process of writing and recording an album, the popular music scene, and the way that society consumes music.

Brent tells us about his approach to writing and recording an album from start to finish. He writes songs in batches, with a focus on the overall sequencing and journey of the album (think Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”). The guys discuss the virtues of creating music for art versus promotion. Brent talks about how he writes individual songs – using different instruments to create the main hooks. The guys hash out creativity in the studio, including working with engineers who have songwriting/arranging input, using different equipment for different tones, and using Ableton and MIDI to spur creativity.

Finally, Brent, Aaron, and Joe talk about the state of the overall music scene and how it is influenced by the ways that the general public consumes music. With the lack of new band cultivation by major record labels, the legendary bands of the past have been elevated to even higher statuses, and reunion tours and tribute bands have gained momentum.

Check out Solving Sounds on your favorite podcasting app or at:
https://www.facebook.com/SolvingSoundsPodcast/
http://solvingsounds.libsyn.com/

Seattle, Lead Guitar, Writing and Recording an Album Part 1 of 2 (with Brent Lyons of Solving Sounds) Ep042

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:47 — 50.4MB)

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In Part 1 of 2, Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick are joined by Brent Lyons of the “Solving Sounds” podcast to discuss his podcast, the Seattle music scene, approaches to lead guitar and music theory, and guitar effects.
Brent tells the guys about the different sub-scenes in Seattle, from indie rock to heavy sludge rock to folk and acoustic.  He also talks about the transforming landscapes within the scene, including old venues closing down due to gentrification, and the challenge of “pay-to-play” gigs.
The guys talk about Brent’s Solving Sounds podcast, its release schedule, and some of its memorable moments.
The episode ends with an in-depth discussion on approaches to playing lead guitar, learning music theory, and Brent’s favorite guitar effects pedals.
Check out Solving Sounds on your favorite podcasting app or at:

Jazz and Higher Education with Dr. Shawn Purcell Ep039

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:37:32 — 67.2MB)

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Dr. Shawn Purcell, who teaches jazz guitar and jazz arranging at George Mason University and performs for the U.S. Navy Commodores, provides us with many insights into his story, learning and teaching music at a collegiate level, touring with the Ringling Brothers Circus, and his career as a military musician.
Shawn, Joe, and Aaron discuss methodical and efficient practice routines, working with new students to develop these practice routines, and the need to adjust these practice routines to prepare for different sorts of gigs and musical opportunities.
Shawn’s story takes us from his youthful days of Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, and Van Halen to his college days in which he studied jazz guitar and the recording arts at Duquesne University.  Upon graduation he landed a gig touring with the Ringling Brothers Circus, for which he spent two years traveling around the country on a circus train and played guitar for a living.  His next stop was eight years as the guitarist for the Air Force’s premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note.
in 2004, Shawn and his wife, Dr. Darden Purcell, moved to Nashville where he gigged and earned his Master of Arts in Music from Middle Tennessee State University.  He gives us details of his experiences in the Nashville music scene.
If you thought Shawn had already received a lot of music education, he and his wife then moved to Illinois where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance.  After a period of teaching at the National Guitar Workshop, he landed the job as the guitarist for the U.S. Naval Academy Band, and a couple years later he won the position as guitarist for the U.S. Navy Band “Commodores” jazz ensemble in Washington DC.  Shawn tells us lots of information about becoming a military musician, the lifestyle, the necessary skills, etc.  He stresses the importance of being able to sight read!
Finally we get into a deeper discussion about higher education: how to become a music professor, what that experience is like, how universities work, etc.
Shawn was one of Joe’s jazz guitar teachers at George Mason University, and Shawn’s methodical and organized style of teaching helped Joe achieve tremendous growth as a guitarist and as a teacher.
Check out Dr. Shawn Purcell at www.shawnpurcell.com