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Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose.
BRENDAN O'DONOGHUE
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brendan
Dec 30, 20191 min read
Quick thought: what to transcribe?
Almost every player plays the same shit at every tempo... so if you’re significantly slowing everything down. Just find a slower song....
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brendan
Jun 10, 20191 min read
Quick Thought: It's definitely simpler than you think it is.
1) What you should work on in the practice room 2) The fingering of that lick or passage (even in F# maj) 3) What constitutes a balanced...
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brendan
Apr 19, 20194 min read
Don't "Flanagan" Your Bandmates!
If you somehow ended up under a rock, John Coltrane recorded a song called "Giant Steps" on an album of the same name: He had a fantastic...
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brendan
Apr 3, 20192 min read
Quick Thought: Make Sure You Learn the End
I think everyone has an experience where were learning a song, got the double chorus at the end, and said "I got this" and moved on. Then...
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brendan
Mar 28, 20192 min read
Have You Even Listened To Jazz?
I was listening to that album "Charlie Parker: One Night At Birdland" Other than the stacked line-up, it's probably the live bebop album...
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brendan
Mar 22, 20191 min read
Quick Thought: No One Cares How Little Rehearsal You Had
I promise that no one on the bandstand or in audience that's gonna move your career forward is thinking, "That cat sounds great for not...
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brendan
Mar 22, 20192 min read
Quick Thought: Other People's Transcriptions
A friend who is does a lot of IT programming once told me in reference to cloud backups: "There is no cloud, just someone else's...
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Brendan O'Donoghue
Mar 22, 20191 min read
Quick Thought: Getting Faster
Although we all know it's true, it never hurts to hear it again. Remember that if something sounds rough at 40 BPM, it may sound flashier...
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brendan
Mar 20, 20192 min read
Quick Thought: Play The Song You Want To Play
When doing low-key pick-up gigs or jam sessions there are good opportunities to try out new ideas to grow. But in light of there being...
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brendan
Mar 20, 20191 min read
Quick Thought: Be a fan of the performer in classical music.
This doesn't mean neglect your favorite composer or compositions. But especially as a performer, figure out which soloists, orchestras,...
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brendan
Mar 18, 20195 min read
Transcribe Something Pedestrian Today
...Also transcribe your heroes being otherworldly, obviously. But let’s talk about all those non-face-melting licks you can find...
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brendan
Mar 9, 20198 min read
4 Ways Being Like Larry Bird Will Make You A Better Musician
It’s a good joke among my friend that I don’t follow sports. My better known friends know that I’m actually pretty fluent in late 90s and...
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