The Exercise That Fixed Her Hokey Swing Feel
Everything she played sounded hokey.
I'm talking about a student I taught a while back. She was determined to improve her soloing skills, but no matter how much theory, ear training, or vocabulary we worked on, something sounded a little off.
It wasn't her rhythms…And it wasn't her pitches…
The problem was her phrasing – more specifically, her swing feel.
Remember this: A bad swing feel ruins everything.
Lucky for you, it's something that can be improved. And I've got an unusual exercise that makes all the difference.
More on that in a minute.
First, it’s important to identify what's wrong with your swing feel.
Chances are it's a grid issue.
What do I mean by that?
Well, your grid is the subdivision of beats you feel underneath whatever it is you're playing.
For instance, if you were to sing quarter notes while clapping eighth notes, that clapping would represent the eighth-note grid on which the quarter notes land:
Anyway, in order to get a good swing feel, you need to feel a triplet grid.
Maybe you've heard about the relationship between swung eighth notes and triplets before. But merely understanding a concept intellectually is a far cry from being able to put it into action. The counterintuitive exercise I mentioned earlier does just that and more…
Because once your triplet grid is solid, not only will your swing feel improve, but so will your time.
That's exactly what happened with my hokey-sounding student. Once she got this exercise down, everything fell into place. Even the simple stuff she played sounded hip.
Want to give it a try for yourself?
Well, now's your chance. Because this week (and only this week) I'm including a video demonstration as a free bonus for anyone who enrolls in my course, Phrasing Secrets.
Phrasing Secrets is one of the most important courses I’ve created.
Why?
Because no matter how cool the lines are that you play, if you don’t phrase them well, no one is going to want to listen.
It’s no different than a boring guy with a monotone voice talking on a stage. He could be reciting one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches word-for-word. Without good phrasing, the whole thing would fall flat.
You can learn more about Phrasing Secrets at the link below. But before you go clickin’ away, there’s something really cool about that bonus video series I’m including...
Not only am I going to explain to you the Triplet Grid exercise, I'm also going to share a step-by-step practice routine that we'll work through together in real time.
Think of it as one of those virtual workout videos on Apple Fitness+ or the Peloton app, just with less spandex.
Oh, and one more thing…
I've got a Phrasing Secrets discount code for ya... Enter code 40SECRETS at checkout to save a whopping 40% on Phrasing Secrets and get the Triplet Grid practice-with-me series at no extra charge.
But all that juicy savings and bonus material goes bye-bye at the end of the week, so be sure to get in on the action at the link below:
Click here to learn more about Phrasing Secrets and get the Triplet Grid bonus series absolutely free.
Happy shedding,
Jeff