Digital Pill – working musicians talk about their lives

Doug de Vries gives a lesson on how to doubble your chord output when playing jazz on the guitar. Using the standard “All the things you are” he quickly demonstrates how to add interest and contrast to your accompaniment using this simple technique.

Click > HERE < to download a pdf of this lesson

Have a listen to Doug’s music on iTunes

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Tim Nikolsky demonstrates how to do Walking Basslines on Guitar. Tim has been performing with the vocalist Margot Leighton for the past 13 years and has developed a unique style of playing in this musical duo incorporating the whole rhythm section on guitar. The technique of walking bass on guitar is also a great way to accompany other instrumentalists and soloists. Here he demonstrates the secrets of good accompanying on guitar; and breaks down his approach to walking basslines on guitar – step by step.

Click HERE to download a pdf of the lesson

Visit Tim online here
whitewithtwo.com
australianjazzrealbook.com
youtube.com/timnikolsky

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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 together with the pdf download explain the uses of bebop scales over major, dominant and minor scales.

Click the links below to download a pdf of each of the lessons
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6

Listen to Paul’s music here

Paul playing with Way out West on myspace

Way Out West – Old Grooves for New Streets available from iTunes

and from CDbaby

And last but not least check out this footage of Paul I shot at the gig

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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.

Listen to Dave’s music here

Dave playing with the Band Who Knew Too Much on myspace

The Band Who Knew Too Much CDs available here

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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 these links

His website dougdevries.com

Doug’s albums on iTunes

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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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Anthony Schulz plays an improvisation on the stradella and free bass accordion

Visit Anthony on myspace here

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Rae Howell is a freelance composer and performer on piano & vibraphone. She is a founding member of Sunwrae Ensemble, showcasing some of Australia’s finest versatile musicians. Here she plays her piece “Decipher the Crooked Ways” on the vibraphone using a combination of bowing and four mallet technique. Decipher the Crooked Ways…. an ambient & (brief) solo version of a Sunwrae Ensemble work (usually ~30 minutes, for vibes, harp, clarinets/flutes, double bass, lap-steel, percussion), from the Never Stops to Wait album. It’s a journey about time, letting things go, deciphering the crooked ways of life, unraveling naturally.

Have a listen to Rae’s other truly incredible recordings from
Sunwrae Ensemble’s official website
Also
Sunwrae Ensemble on myspace
Sunwrae Ensemble on youtube

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