Vision Music

nylenny · Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 291

I have been using the Good Vibes Solos to complement my LBM series. My soloing gets a little better from each solo. It's been a long time since I've seen that kind of steady progress in my playing.

What's great about these solos? Mark has gone to the trouble of "pasting together" his best jazz licks over important progressions. The language in the solos is world class - licks from Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson and others -- concentrated, awesome language that easily can be cut and pasted.

Here is how I use them:

1) I transcribe the solo.
2) I check my work against the printed music.
3) I "play along" with the recording BY EAR. (The easiest way to do this is to pick 4 or 8 bars to play with at first, then work up to longer phrases. Start at slow tempos using "Transcribe!" software, and slowly pick up the pace.)
4) I practice mixing up the phrases over the same and other progressions.

I try to do as much by ear as possible. Lately, I don't even look at the sheet music that comes with the solo.

Sometimes I write the solo down, sometimes, I just figure it out and then play along with it by ear.

If you are having trouble transcribing, these solos are the perfect place to start. Why? Because there is no variation in tempo, and the solo is right with the beat. So it's relatively easy to transcribe the rhythms, yet they are rhythms you will encounter all the time in jazz.

If you want to get better AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, this is the way to go. In one fell swoop, you can improve your ear, learn a great tune, and get loads of fantastic jazz language that can be applied in many situations.

The solos are also a great complement to the LBM series. Next time you have a swing blues lesson, try transcribing the Good Vibes solo for Tenor Madness (also a swing blues). Usually I can find a Good Vibes solo to complement my lessons. I've purchased and transcribed about 1/3 of the solos, and my playing has improved immensely.

BarbNY · Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 29 Location: NY

Don MacArthur · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 50

I've been through a lot of materials, some bad, some good. I can safely say that all lessons from Mark Stefani are always top-notch and well worth the investment in time put towards learning them. The Good Vibe Jazz Solos are no exception. What you learn can be applied in many playing situations.

Don MacArthur

Mark · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 6:50 am Post subject: Re: Good Vibes Jazz Solos

nylenny · Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 291

These solos are really excellent, and I recommend them to any serious student. I've worked through about ten of them, and I can honestly say that my playing improved as a result. From time to time, I review them and always learn something! Highly recommended.

nylenny · Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 291

Guys, If you haven't checked out the Good Vibes series, you really should. There is nothing else on the market like it that I know of. Each solo is jam packed with amazing language. Not one bad note. And the language is easy to extract and use in your own solos. You really owe it to your playing to check these out.