Jack Walrath: Five Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Musician

Jack Walrath: Five Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Musician

  Back in July our Michael Feinberg published an article titled 5 Things I Wish I Was Told in Music School. That turned out to be – by far – the most viewed post of our blog, which made us realized that musicians out there are particularly interested in learning from others’ experiences. Coming from that perspective we decided to make a […]

Drawing Parallels Between Conceptual Art and Free Jazz

Why People Hate Jazz: The Loss of Objectivity

Drawing Parallels Between Conceptual Art and Free Jazz I stumbled across this video today and couldn’t help but draw parallels between conceptual art and free jazz. As a music student I loved free jazz and the avant garde, the more “out” the more I enjoyed it. As I developed my craft, learned the history of […]

What a Japanese Pasta Chef Taught Me About Jazz

What a Japanese Pasta Chef Taught Me About Jazz

Lessons Learned Playing Bass On Tour in Japan Growing up in Jersey (cue the Sopranos theme) and living in NYC, I’ve had my fair share of great pasta cooked by Italians. You could imagine how surprised I was, when the best cooked pasta dish I had ever eaten, was prepared by a Japanese chef in Chōshi, […]

An Introduction to Brushes

An Introduction to Brushes

I love brushes. Brushes are more than a tool with which one plays the drums; they are an instrument in their own right. Brushes are used in different music styles, but their most extended applications are found in jazz. Most people outside the world of jazz identify brushes with ballads and mellow or folksy tunes, […]

The Trifecta - Enhance your practice routine - Preview

The Trifecta – Enhance Your Practice Routine

There are so many obstacles we confront as students of music. In jazz it’s expected to have a deep understanding of harmony, be able to play all tempos, be fluent in various styles, have a large repertoire, etc. With so much to learn, practice, and incorporate into our playing it’s typical for students to feel […]

Five ethical principles for the working musician

Five Ethical Principles for the Working Musician

Working in a competitive field like music presents many challenges, especially in a place like New York City where there are so many musicians already. In my experience, I found that one’s musical skills are not the only deciding factors in this competition; music is a social business, and one’s professional attitude and behavior can […]

5 things I wish I was told in music school

5 Things I Wish I Was Told in Music School

Moving to New York to become a professional musician was always a dream for me as a kid. I did everything I could to soak up the knowledge that I thought I needed if I was ever going to “make it” which included studying at the Berklee College of Music, The University of Miami, and […]

Analyzing the poll for musicians

A Poll For Musicians, Interpreting The Results

Back in February we posted a poll on social media, asking musicians from all over the world to indicate what played the strongest role in their musical growth. The four options were: Participating in jam sessions Going to see live music Getting advice from advanced musicians Playing with better musicians The poll was not meant […]