Over the last few years I have been very fortunate to play music on a pretty regular basis with one of the most advanced guitar players I've ever heard - Randy Vincent (who has recorded &/or toured with Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, etc.). I've been amazed sometimes just watching chorus after chorus of brilliant, spontaneous music come out of him, and have asked him more than once if he'd be interested in writing a book for Sher Music Co. Finally, given the task of applying Mark Levine's Drop 2 Book to guitar, Randy agreed to share his many decades of musical knowledge with the world, and the results have been well worth waiting for! I will let its web page describe the contents, but I was not surprised when glowing endorsements by Vic Juris, Steve Maskowski, Larry Koonse, John Stowell and others started coming in. And before the ink was even dry at the printer's on this book, Randy sent me the beginning of Volume 2! Randy is a very dedicated musician and his love of exploring the way music works comes through in this book, just as much as the practical information itself. If you are a jazz guitar player (or have one on your Holiday gift list), don't miss Jazz Guitar Voicings, Vol.1: The Drop 2 Book!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Jazz Guitar Voicings, Vol. 1 - The Drop 2 Book just released!
Over the last few years I have been very fortunate to play music on a pretty regular basis with one of the most advanced guitar players I've ever heard - Randy Vincent (who has recorded &/or toured with Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, etc.). I've been amazed sometimes just watching chorus after chorus of brilliant, spontaneous music come out of him, and have asked him more than once if he'd be interested in writing a book for Sher Music Co. Finally, given the task of applying Mark Levine's Drop 2 Book to guitar, Randy agreed to share his many decades of musical knowledge with the world, and the results have been well worth waiting for! I will let its web page describe the contents, but I was not surprised when glowing endorsements by Vic Juris, Steve Maskowski, Larry Koonse, John Stowell and others started coming in. And before the ink was even dry at the printer's on this book, Randy sent me the beginning of Volume 2! Randy is a very dedicated musician and his love of exploring the way music works comes through in this book, just as much as the practical information itself. If you are a jazz guitar player (or have one on your Holiday gift list), don't miss Jazz Guitar Voicings, Vol.1: The Drop 2 Book!
Foundation Exercises For Bass released!
After pouring over the text a thousand times, adding new exercises after every bass lesson I gave for months, getting very useful feedback from dozens of musicians, and putting all the conscious energy I could muster into making my new book as good as possible---Foundation Exercises For Bass, by yours truly, is finally out! As far as I'm concerned, this is the crowning achievement of my thirty years in music publishing and I hope all you bass players (and bass teachers) out there find it to be most useful, comprehensive and even inspiring!I'll leave its web page to describe the contents for you, but my general intent was to create a method book that contained all the information anyone would need in order to successfully play bass with others, regardless of the style of music they were interested in, or how long they have been playing. At the same time, my goal was to give people a sense of how to practice so that the process of learning becomes an enjoyable, creative experience in itself. If people have half the fun using it that I had creating it, then it will be a big hit! Music is a beautiful thing and I hope this new book helps people feel what a great gift playing music can be. Enjoy! - Chuck
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sher Music releases "The Jazz Singer's Guidebook" by David Berkman
For those of you not familiar with David Berkman, he is first of all one of the best jazz pianists of the post-Herbie generation. His records are great and he has developed far past them in the last few years. In short, he's the real deal, jazzwise. In addition, he is a very funny guy, a deep thinker and a great teacher, as those of you who have read his first book, "The Jazz Musician's Guide To Creative Practicing" know full well.
So when he told me he wanted to do a second book to help singers learn to become real musicians instead of just entertainers, I was thrilled to hear it. There are some good books for jazz singers already on the market, but nothing with the depth that David's book possesses. Any singer who goes through the program that David lays out here will be as well trained in the language of jazz as nine-tenths of the instrumentalists out there. Let's hope that it is a big success in that regard!
"The Jazz Singer's Guidebook" takes singers from step one, showing them basic jazz harmony on the keyboard, how to voice chords in several different ways, and how to use that knowledge to get inside their songs so that they can hear what changes should be on their lead sheets. It has them practicing singing lines using arpeggios and pieces of scales, practicing scatting using chromatic approach notes, practicing singing hip intervals, etc., etc. David told me that the course laid out in this book is in reality exactly the things every jazz player should know, since being able to sing a solo in your head is the first step to being able to create it on your instrument. A brilliant book from start to finish.
So if you are a jazz singer, or work with one, I highly recommend that you check "The Jazz Singer's Guidebook" out. Another classic from Sher Music Co.!
So when he told me he wanted to do a second book to help singers learn to become real musicians instead of just entertainers, I was thrilled to hear it. There are some good books for jazz singers already on the market, but nothing with the depth that David's book possesses. Any singer who goes through the program that David lays out here will be as well trained in the language of jazz as nine-tenths of the instrumentalists out there. Let's hope that it is a big success in that regard!
"The Jazz Singer's Guidebook" takes singers from step one, showing them basic jazz harmony on the keyboard, how to voice chords in several different ways, and how to use that knowledge to get inside their songs so that they can hear what changes should be on their lead sheets. It has them practicing singing lines using arpeggios and pieces of scales, practicing scatting using chromatic approach notes, practicing singing hip intervals, etc., etc. David told me that the course laid out in this book is in reality exactly the things every jazz player should know, since being able to sing a solo in your head is the first step to being able to create it on your instrument. A brilliant book from start to finish.
So if you are a jazz singer, or work with one, I highly recommend that you check "The Jazz Singer's Guidebook" out. Another classic from Sher Music Co.!
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