I decided to go back to some basics this week. I have been practising lick 1g, chapter one in Matts book, as a warm up exercise in12 keys. In then decided that I needed to apply it to a tune, with my own variations arising out of it. So here it is on Daphne!

Hope you enjoy this jazzified Mendelssohn! If you haven't heard of Nora Germain, she is a fantastic jazz violinist and the very first one I came across many years ago after discovering Stephane Grappelli. I've seen her perform live a few times. https://youtu.be/103yNKHg_Rk?si=fuaXlAoj9hiElzuw Anyway, I'm excited to unlock level 2 and access more of the materials in this community 🎶

It’s Q&A time next Monday. Anybody got anything that hey want help with? Let me know in the comments?

Last week I played a gig at a local place. I spent the first half really not enjoying my own playing By the second half I was warmed up but I still didn’t come away happy as a whole. I have been practising a lot, as well as thinking a lot about jazz playing because of all the things I do on here. We often think that if we practise lots, we will start to feel the benefits at least some time in the near future. It isn’t the case for me and I think I know why. It’s answered in part because a few days later I listened back to some recordings and actually thought I sounded great. The more we practise, the better our ear gets, we get more attuned to mistakes because that’s what good practice entails, listening to yourself and critiquing your playing in order to make it better. Also our standards go up instantly, we know what we are trying to achieve more and become focused on a goal. None of the above is conducive to letting go and being free, which is what jazz playing is really all about. That isn’t to say that the practice isn’t working or even that it isn’t making you better in the short term. I found that out when listening back. But going hard on the practise at home makes your perception shift and become hyper critical. Note to self, and all of you. Be kind to yourself, you sound a lot better than you think. Great to meet some new faces today at the practise club. All the recordings and exercises we worked on are in the Classroom in their various courses now. Matt

Got space for one person for some 1-1 coaching at the moment. It’s a focused 4 week programme where we work properly on your playing and try to make some real progress. Usually it’s people who feel a bit stuck or want a clearer idea of what to practise. If that sounds like you just send me a message and I’ll let you know a bit more.