Digital Pill – working musicians talk about their lives

Dave Evans explains the uses of the accordion bellows shake. In this video, Dave describes the uses of the double and triple bellows shake in jazz, zydeco and cabaret music. He includes detailed instructions about how to perform the shake as well as techniques for adding accents to play with the rhythmic aspects of accordion. [...]

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Cam Robbins demonstrates a classic device for jazz improvisation on the clarinet, rhythmic register jumping. The video contains several examples and Cam demonstrates how to use the technique over one and two chord sequences. Here’s some links to Cam’s music Cam playing with Skazz and also this is a link to all his music on [...]

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Anton Delecca explains the uses of chromatic scales in jazz improvisation and as a warm up excercise for sax. In this video, Anton describes three excersices for warm up that improve tone and dexterity and are very useful to enliven passages of improvisation. This video works together with a pdf of the lesson available here [...]

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Paul Williamson explains the uses of bebop scales in jazz improvisation. In this video, Paul’s first post for Digital Pill, he describes the construction of bebop scales, jazz articulation, the use of a metronome and how bebop scales place the chord tones firmly ON the beat to create an “inside” sound in improvisation. The video [...]

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Doug DeVries shares some ideas on how to add harmonic and rhythmic variation to a piece of music. In this lesson he uses one of his own compositions – Astoria – as an example of voice leading in harmony as well as examples of how to increase interest by varying the rhythm. Visit Doug on [...]

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Ray discusses using a combination of tone and slap sounds on the djembe to produce rolls of various lengths and their use in contemporary percussion soloing. More information about Ray’s classes, projects and recording can be found at raypereira.com

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In part 2 of a series Doug DeVries shares some ideas on how to add rhythmic variation to a piece of music. In this lesson he demonstrates how to increase interest by varying the rhythm. Visit Doug on these links His website dougdevries.com Doug’s albums on iTunes

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Dean looks at long notes from several different angles – the growl, vibrato, dynamics and ear training. Listen to Dean’s music here The Pearly Shells Zydeco Jump The Vanguards

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One of the first videos to go up on Digital Pill just passed the 50,000 hit mark. If you are a sax player go and check it out and see what the fuss is about. Dean Hilson’s stratospheric sax gliss

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