So we're going to do a jammin GC and two bars each and we'll do it with a rhythm so I'll count Yeah. Okay. How's that feel? Okay. 1234 All right, so in this example, we've added in a couple of new elements. So we have a harmonic structure meaning a group of chords that's repeating in the same pattern.

And we've added in some rhythm so that our song has a structure and a framework that's predictable. And when you're playing with a duel with someone else, this is the beginning of learning how to understand form and where things are going to happen and you build a level of trust with someone else playing duo's with. with Kenny, we play together a lot over many years. So we're very comfortable together when you're playing with somebody new. These things can take a little while to feel comfortable, but it becomes really exciting that you learn how to trust it. So why don't you spend a little bit about what what are the chords that we're playing and for how long?

Sure. Well, as you heard me at the beginning of the track, I checked it with the player, my, my friend, Todd, before we started to confirm that we knew which which chords we're going to use it was the G chord, the one chord, and the C chord, which is the four chord in relation to one. So, so far, though, and counted in and I explained to him that I would do two bars of the one chord and two bars of the four core, two bars of G, two bars of C. So then I felt the tempo first. And then I asked him, How's that feel for you? And he felt good, too. So that's something you can do with your friends when you're improvising, too.

If, if so, if you felt like someone was going a little too fast, you know, and you weren't gonna be able to keep up with thinking about which notes you were going to use for your chord then, you know, say a bit slower and the person will slow it down and you can go from there. Sometimes when you're starting to, to get to immediate intermediate level and working from chord to chord, again, that panic Feeling Can, can can crop up because you're afraid you'll you'll not hit the next chord at the right time. So just take the breath you know and relax yourself and and and think about just, if you're playing the wind instrument, you know, you just have to just blow a note, a lot of the notes of the scale will sound great over whichever chord you're playing. So I found playing saxophone was a very freeing kind of thing.

Whereas a piano player, you have to really be in charge of making sure that your fingers switch on the right time. So when I started learning how to play structures, I would often use the damper pedal quite a lot. So I could just play my G chord. take my hands off right away. So right away, they can start finding where the next chord is, while the sounds still is there, so I am making sure that I count as well so that I'm not going to get lost on the track. As a piano player.

His job in the rhythm section is really to make sure that you're providing laying those tracks steady. So that the melody players can can play the play on the melody track. So my hands are ready to switch and five and six and they're ready and place and now they're just one chord like getting ready to lift the pedal and now I love pressing down pedal is taking care of the court. Now maybe I want to work on my inversions as you get higher intermediate level, you know, once you've got the the pedal down, you can start to practice your inversions that go up and that helps give them music, a sense of space that you're expanding the the landscape and that inspires the horn players to stretch themselves so it's kind of like doing a workout. It's really like having a workout buddy, but yeah, together.

Yeah, you know, going to the gym is hard. But when I have someone else to go in, it's like, yeah, we can give each other feedback and stuff. So learning I find does accelerate a lot more once you start to jam even though it's hard at first, you know, go for it. Yeah. Another step you can take kind of before you add in the rhythm, if you're having trouble keeping it locked together with two bars at a time, for example, is is to play freely, but with the two chords in mind. So we're going to do that really quickly where we know that there's going to be two chords and then again, on the saxophone, we're in a different key.

So I'm going to be playing a and d. And what instead of counting, we're just going to play it and we're going to kind of cue each other. Yeah. So in this example, do two short ones that in this example, you're going to be cueing me when we're going to switch chords? Sure, and then we'll stop and then I'll do one run communion. Alright, so here we go. I'm watching Kenny.

And I'm Alaska's. I'm breathing Awesome now I need to do one and I'm gonna move it a little closer to having the rhythm and we're gonna switch we're gonna switch faster so I'm gonna follow you follow me Yeah. All right. Oh, now's cool. I one thing I realized that I'm doing that I'd like to mention is that playing with a wind instrument as a piano player really reminds me that I've got to breathe rhythmically, as Well not just breaths for relaxation, that that that's important too. But that when when Todd was going to switch the cord, he has to take a breath so I was breathing with him and that's when my damper pedal comes up.

So you heard that little silence of breath that I put into my piano, that that makes the music sound even more like we're professional. So I'm playing a little tremolo and that's when it took my damper off and that creates a real moments of silence in music when you learn when you are golden you know when when you learn to get together with your friends and, and for piano players and drummers and bass players guitar all the rhythm section players that don't have to blow it's really great if you can, if you can learn to do that breathing as well keep your eyes on your horn players and your singers as well. This is the same for any long instrument