The skill of observation is a crucial skill for all musicians. However, it's also a skill that most students have not come close to developing when they're early in their lessons for learning their instrument. Observation helps you find patterns, to identify structure, to see how one part of the music connects with another, not to mention more basic things to notice such as dynamics and articulation. In the digital age, paying attention and developing the skill of observation is not only more challenging, but more important than ever. Check out this episode for ways to improve this important skill.

The YouTube video that is featured as an audio-only portion of this episode can be watched here:

https://youtu.be/AsNTSP7DxXk?si=CqlRmhNhcVK0mHNW

More or fewer episodes like this? Let me know your thoughts at: https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can also let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/. If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling. Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Jazz is a genre that serious musicians at least take time to explore. Whether it's classical musicians, film composers, rock musicians, pop artists, hip hop artists, even country artists like Willie Nelson...it's hard to find accomplished musicians in any genre who are ignorant of the world of jazz. While this episode won't get into the nuts and bolts of the genre, this is an introduction to 10 albums that will give you an idea of the versatility of the genre. All of this is from host David Lane, someone who resisted fully exploring jazz until he was nearly 40.

Sound clips from the following albums occur in this order:

Time Out (Dave Brubek Quartet) (Blue Rondo a la Turk, Take Five, Everybody Jumpin’)

Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis) (Concert do Aranjuez: Adagio, Will o the Wisp, Soleo)

The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra (Divertimento, England’s Carol, First movement)

Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz and joǎo Gilberto (The Girl from Ipanema, Desafinado)

Far East Suite (Duke Ellington) (Ishafan, Depk, Mount Harissa)

Let My Children Sing (Charles Mingus) (Adagio Ma Non Troppo, Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid Too, Hobo Ho)

Rosetta (Stephan Crump) (Were It a Loss, Rosie, Our Survival)

Chamber Music Society (Esperanza Spalding) (Little Fly, What a Friend, Inútil Paisagem)

The Epic (Kamasi Washington) (Change of the Guard, The Magnificent 7, Clair de Lune)

Finding Gabriel (Brad Mehldau) (Born to Trouble, Striving After Wind, Proverb of Ashes)

Previous Episodes mentioned:

Episode 5 - Two Approaches to Listening to Music

Episode 6 - Jazz Piano 101 (with Federico Pivetta)

More or fewer episodes like this? Let me know your thoughts at: https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can also let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/. If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling. Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Composing and Improvising are essential tools for every well-rounded musician, but they are different skills. Quite often, when someone decides to become a composer, they are making up something from their instrument and then writing it down on staff paper. This is actually more of a transcribed improvisation than it is true composition. There's nothing wrong with that, but it is an incomplete look at the craft. Composing a 2-part canon is a simple exercise that will force you to think like a composer and less like an improviser. In this episode, David Lane composes an easy canon from scratch. You can download that canon on the link below, and follow along.

Link: Sample Canon from this Episode

More or fewer episodes like this? Let me know your thoughts at: https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can also let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/. If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling. Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.