brendanDec 30, 20191 minQuick 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. Th...
brendanJun 10, 20191 minQuick 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 ...
brendanApr 19, 20194 minDon'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...
brendanApr 3, 20192 minQuick Thought: Make Sure You Learn the EndI 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...
brendanMar 28, 20192 minHave 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 ...
brendanMar 22, 20191 minQuick Thought: No One Cares How Little Rehearsal You HadI 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 k...
brendanMar 22, 20192 minQuick Thought: Other People's TranscriptionsA 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 computer...
Brendan O'DonoghueMar 22, 20191 minQuick Thought: Getting FasterAlthough 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...
brendanMar 20, 20192 minQuick Thought: Play The Song You Want To PlayWhen 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 a...
brendanMar 20, 20191 minQuick 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, e...
brendanMar 18, 20195 minTranscribe Something Pedestrian Today...Also transcribe your heroes being otherworldly, obviously. But let’s talk about all those non-face-melting licks you can find scattere...
brendanMar 9, 20198 min4 Ways Being Like Larry Bird Will Make You A Better MusicianIt’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...
