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February 2013
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:My teacher told me to practice with a metronome, but then I was getting ahead of it sometimes, and behind it sometimes. Where can I get a metronome that works? Beats Me Dear Beats:Don't be so quick to blame your metronome--you may have accidentally hit its “jazz" setting. ...
January 2013
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:I was playing at a club in town, a pretty fancy place, the gig all the guys in town want. On the break a pretty woman in the audience came up to me and complimented my playing. So far so good! But then she asked if I play professionally! What should I ...
Best of 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:I've noticed that when a lot of the younger groups rearrange a standard or pop song, they take out a beat here and there. It keeps me off guard and if I don't count I lose track of the downbeat. But that's fine. What I'm wondering is: Where do those beats go?
November 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:My mom won't let me play jazz. She says all jazz musicians are seedy. Is it true? class="f-right">- Gottagroove Dear Gottagroove:If by “seedy" your mother is referring to drug and alcohol abuse, she's being ridiculous! Let's take a look:Louis Armstrong was famously a pothead. Charlie Parker, ...
October 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:Now that so many people have smart phones, there's no more conversation with my band mates on our breaks. Each guy just starts texting, or surfing the net, or playing his favorite app. It used to be that “the hang" was one of the best things about gigs, but now ...
September 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:Will there ever be a unanimous decision within the jazz world on who is and who is not “burning"?Are there different levels of “burned"? Gregg BC Dear Greg:“Burning," “smoking," “on fire...." It's all so different from the Cool Jazz of the Fifties! What has caused ...
August 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:At the end of my gig, the bandleader told me that my playing is “timeless." Is that good? Drummer in Doubt Dear DID:Does he pay you by the hour? If so, he may be trying to pull a quick one on you. Think about it: If you've ...
July 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:Does it really help to announce your gigs on Facebook? Ron Arnold Dear Ron:Absolutely! In a strictly therapeutic sense, of course. It's a positive, celebratory affirmation of who you are, and what you do. “Ron Arnold," you proclaim in boldface, a hand-picked profile picture removing ...
June 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.:When people use big words to describe their music, is that supposed to make it better? Like I know a bassist who says he's “contextualizing" his music. Why does he do that? Bassist Uses Lofty Language Dear BULL: He's practicing Grantspeak, of course. A few decades ...
May 2012
by Mr. P.C.
Dear Mr. P.C.: I am a jazz vocalist. When I am on a gig, is it OK to request that the bassist play arco on a solo, or should that be entirely up to his discretion? I hope you can help me. I don't want to make a dumb singer mistake here. ...
