Chord-scale theory for sceptics

Berklee College of Music, Boston MA, home of one of the best-known chord-scale methods. Photo by Tim Pierce - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 The Jazz Harmony Cube makes connections between chords and scales. So this is the dreaded chord-scale theory? I guess so. But bear with me. The cube is based on the idea that…

A tune won’t eat you alive. But try telling your ears that.

I want to say something about the 'Lady Madonna' theory of jazz education. The approach which says that, to be a good improviser, you need to 'listen to the music playing in your head'. Sure, playing what you hear in your head is better than playing some formula from a theory textbook. And sure, for…

Teacher don’t teach me no nonsense

Jazz education is a fraught subject. If you think people get passionate about styles of music, wait until you encounter the emotions that surround different ways of teaching and learning jazz. The role of jazz theory is particularly controversial. I thought the discussions at a local jazz education conference, held in Brighton earlier this year,…