Work, with Miles Okazaki
Episodes
Danny Boy
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Here's I am working on "Danny Boy," and talking about the history of the song via my friend Jacob Garchik. If you haven't s...
Mailbag: Melodic Minor
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A deep dive into Melodic Minor from a recent member question. We cover uses of this sound as a tonic and dominant in improvisation, a brief look at Ra...
Bach on Sunday: WTC Book I, Fugue in E minor
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I look at a two part fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier. This one is especially well suited to the guitar. Two guitarists could play it togeth...
Guided Practice, All-Interval Tetrachord
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's shape turns out to be All-Interval tetrachord 0137. In the video I go through what this means, and look at some of the sounds that we can get ...
"Hot House" part II
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this video I go through the fingerings that I've found for this somewhat tricky melody. I also talk about the language used in the lines, and how t...
"Hot House" and the mysterious minor ii-V
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is part 1 of two long videos about the bebop classic tune "Hot House," by Tadd Dameron. In this episode we don't actually get into the tune itsel...
Anatomy of a Groove: Dog Star pt. 4, "Lush Life"
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a part of live concert in Brooklyn where we combine the Dog Star groove with Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life." Check out the whole concert for fr...
Anatomy of a Groove: "Dog Star" 3
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a second version of the Dog Star groove, after we had been playing it live for a while and it had turned into a different tune. Although there ...
Anatomy of a Groove: "Dog Star" 2
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's the groove we talked about yesterday in it's first incarnation, at a recording session at the old Systems Two Studios, one of my favorite place...
Anatomy of a Groove: "Dog Star"
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is my first post about composition, a much-requested topic, but one that can quickly go down long rabbit holes. I try to limit the topic by talki...
Bach: Cello Suite in C minor, "Sarabande"
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a look at an amazing melody by JSB, from Cello Suite no. 5 in C minor.
Guided Practice: Shape of the Day
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Looking at the shape for Feb 26 from the book 351 shapes.
"Epistrophy" and the Ukelele
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a parenthetical episode while we're working on Charlie Christian stuff. Something I discovered recently while messing around with the ukulele.
Bach: BWV 1005
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a recording of me playing the four movements of J.S. Bach's violin sonata in C major. Two movements on acoustic guitar, and two moveme...
Bach on Sunday: Chorale 98
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look at a Bach chorale, with improvisation.
Meet your heroes
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Random thoughts on the way to work
Guided Practice, sight reading, intervallic playing
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A guided practice using only one scale, progressing from easy to difficult
Charlie Christian 06: Stompin' chorus 3, 2nd half
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This series of videos takes a close look at one of the greatest improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy" from M...
Charlie Christian 02: Stompin' chorus 1, 1st half
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This series of videos takes a close look at one of the greatest improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy" from M...
Charlie Christian 03: Stompin' chorus 1, 2nd half
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This series of videos takes a close look at one of the greatest improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy" from M...
Charlie Christian 04: Stompin' Chorus 2
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This series of videos takes a close look at one of the greatest improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy" from M...
Charlie Christian 05: Stompin' chorus 3, 1st half
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This series of videos takes a close look at one of the greatest improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy" from M...
Charlie Christian 01: History, context, listening
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we start a new series - one of the most famous improvisations of all time, Charlie Christian's solo on "Stompin' at the Savoy," recorded live at...
New Tool! Sight Reading Trainer
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The perks of membership keep coming! I finally got this thing working - "Fly Shit" is a thing built in MAX/MSP that generates sight reading material b...
On Organization and Creativity
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some disorganized thoughts in response to a member question about how to "get organized." Got a really special post coming tomorrow, make sure to chec...
Bach on Sunday: Chorale 274
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's start the week nice and easy. Here's short one in A minor.
Pentatonics on "Giant Steps"
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a follow up to the "Pentatonics in three keys" Guided Practice video, putting that concept into practice on a common tune. Note: This video en...
Anatomy of a Tune: "Lush Life"
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a primer on "Lush Life," using Billy Strayhorn's version of it as reference. I'll make another video that goes deeper into analysis, but this a...
Robots
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This post is a bit of a weird one. Lately I've been building some stuff in MAX/MSP. I give a little look here at one of my practice tools. Once I work...
Mailbag: Melodic Minor
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A deep dive into Melodic Minor from a recent member question. We cover uses of this sound as a tonic and dominant in improvisation, a brief look at Ra...
Tuning the Guitar
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's up with the G and B strings, anyway? A primer on tuning, harmonics, and practical methods for getting the guitar in tune with any ref
Bach on Sunday: Chorale 206
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I looked at the first phrase of this Chorale on the recent mailbag episode. Here it is after practicing it for a little while. In another video today ...
Mailbag: Chorales in four voices and practicing Septuplets
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this mailbag episode I answer questions from members Juan Carlos Hernandez and Soloist. First I go into how I approach playing all four voices of a...
351 Shapes
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
ABOUT THIS BOOK:What you have here is a list of musical scales. You can find any collection of notes from 1 to 12 tones somewhere in it. The format is...
Guided Practice - Three notes
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's an idea for creative practice. I play a drone of three notes and improvise on it according what it seems to sound like. Then I change one of th...
Listening session: Grant Green
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the New York Times had an article called "Five Minutes that will make you love Jazz Guitar," in which I wrote a little thing about this trac...
Bach on Sunday: Chorale 198
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a reading of Chorale 198, as usual one voice at a time. Read along with the attached sheet music.
Bach Prelude for Lute: Lessons from a Master (performance and analysis)
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday I posted a performance of this piece. Here I go through it bar by bar and talk about how I think about memorizing it and what lessons it has...
Mailbag: George Van Eps, Picking direction, posture, breathing
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
today we go into recent comments from Frank Boons, David Sharki, Cameron, and Jesse. Let me know if this clears anything up, or maybe makes it more co...
Bach on Sunday: chorale 166
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look at Chorale 166. Play along by looking at the attached sheet music.
Bach on Sunday: Chorale 86
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chorale 86, four voices. I don't make many guarantees, but I do guarantee that if you look at these Chorales with me on Sundays, your sight reading an...
Polyrhythm 11: 7:5 and 7:6
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we wrap up the series with a couple of less common polyrhythms. I give some excercises, a cheat code for difficult polyrhythms, and a bit of one...
Polyrhythm 10: Seven against Three
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing on the polythyhm series, here's a couple of ways to practice 7:3 or 3:7
Polyrhythm 09: Seven against Four
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Into the world of sevens. We're starting with 7:4 and comparing it to 7:5 with an old tune of mine. For anybody who'd like to hear the whole tune, it ...
Polyrhythm 08: 6 against 5
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On to the number 6. A little discussion about the number itself, and then a couple of exercises to get this one together which is a little tricky beca...
Polyrhythm 07: 3 against 5
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Similar exercises to previous vidoes, this time with 5 and 3.
Polyrhythm 06: 4 against 5
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moving past 2,3 and 4, here's a basic primer on 4:5.
Polyrhythm 05: Seven Rhythmic Modes
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! Here's how to transform the last polyrhythm excercise into seven new rhythms, based on the modes of the diatonic scale. Hope you enjoy...
Polyrhythm 04: The Rhythmic Major Scale
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big concept day! I talk about an analogy between 12/8 bell patterns and the diatonic scale. This is one of my favorite ideas. I hope you dig it.
Polyrhythmn 03: three against four with the pick
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This video is similar to the last one, except that I'm using a pick. Some members probably don't use the fingers at all, so I thought this would be us...
Polyrhythm 02: three and four
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a relatively short (16 min) video on the all-important three against four. I'll be doing a few videos on this particular one, because it is so ...
Polyrhythm 01: Duple/Triple
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This has been a requested topic that's a real rabbit hole. So I figured I better get started on it. First a discussion of and then guided practice of ...
Guided Practice: G major pentatonic
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a kind of meditation, something that I like to do to get warmed up. I do about half of a session here, 37 minutes. This video is meant to be p...
Diatonic Scales, all keys, all modes, all positions
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's an exercise to get you through all modes of all 12 keys in all positions on the guitar (in 20 minutes!). An excellent warmup - you will really ...
Guided practice - diatonic scales through the keys, one position
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's an extension of the pentatonics into diatonics, adding the 3rd and 7th degree of each scale. I do this along with singing, in order to hear the...
Bach on Sunday: Chorale deep dive
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here is a fun and illuminating approach to playing a chorale - layering each voice and then trying to analyze and improvise on it. To skip the part wh...
Guided Practice - Pentatonics in 4 keys
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A long guided practice (to skip introductory theory, go to 8:30 in). We work gradually through four changing keys, two strings at a time, until all si...
Guided Practice: Pentatonics in 3 keys
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing on the idea of the augmented, here is a guided practice on flowing through pentatonics in three keys separated by major 3rds. There's about...
Mailbag: The augmented triad
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Answering a member question about augmented triads. I talk about common usage of this sound, as well as some more abstract things. Free to paid and un...
Guided Practice: Pentatonics through the keys
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's an exercise that gets you through all keys in all positions. Highly recommended for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Play along w...
Mailbag - Member questions
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a mailbag episode, free to all folks paid or unpaid. The two questions have to do with:1) Concepts for beginners2) Use of the diminished in the...
Confirmation 06: Real time transcription
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an epic video, an hour long. I go through the first chorus of Charlie Parker's solo on the Sep. 29, 1947 recording of Confirmation, showing ho...
Confirmation 05: Diminished on the Dominants
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's something that I use constantly. Thinking of each dominant chord as a diminished 7th, and using that sound to create color and movement in the ...
Confirmation 04: How to play changes
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This post addresses a member question from the previous post. I talk about how I was taught how to play changes, how I think about playing changes fro...
Confirmation 03: Target Practice
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favorite exercises, that I've used for years to work on getting relaxed with forms and time. I give a bunch of examples from basic to advanc...
Confirmation 02: Reinforcing the melody
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's an exercise that I do on all kinds of music to make sure that I've actually learned the melody. It's called take offs and landings. Seems easy,...
Confirmation 01: Fingering and ornaments
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I go through a fingering for Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" as it is played on Sept 29, 1947 at Carnegie Hall. A lot of time is spent...
Bach: Allegro Assai 05
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An even longer video, finishing up the series on the 4th movement of the Sonata in C major for violin. Talking about specific choices in the passages ...
Bach: Allegro Assai 04
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pretty long video where I go through the whole second page of the Allegro Assai. Talking about approaches to finding the best fingerings, isolating ...
Bach: Allegro Assai 03
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Third video on this piece, where we get into the part that is the real challenge for the pick.
Bach: Allegro Assai 02
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of the sight reading study on the Allegro Assai from Bach's Violin Sonata in C major.
Bach: Allegro Assai 01
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beginning of a series on a violin Sonata by J.S. Bach. I talk about how great the violin pieces are, and then I get into looking at the final movement...
Scrambler 03: Random ear training
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of the most powerful ways I've used the scrambler idea - creating random sequences of keys to get as quickly as possible by ear. Let me kn...
Scrambler 02: Voice Leading and modulating improv
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here are two more ways that I use the scrambler to create randomized exercises.
Scrambler 01: Drones and Tones
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here is a video on a musicianship exercise that I like to do. A very simple idea but not necessarily that easy to do. I'll do a series on page 35 from...
My Favorite Books
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This video is open to everyone. A few people have asked me for book recommendations, so I go through what's on my studio shelf. It's a long video, sta...
Member questions (awkward picking, Bach chorales)
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This video is open to free members. I address two member questions from previous posts, one about picking on three adjacent strings, and one on the Ba...
Bebop Guitar: Bud Powell's "Wail"
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Another long video, welcoming new members and getting a little deeper into bebop language on the guitar, in celebration of Bud Powell's 100th Birthday...
Pick Control 08: Flams
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here we go into one of the classic rudiments: Flams. These are not easy, so don't get discouraged. They're also not that necessary, but in my opinion ...
Pick Control 07: Ruffs and Drags
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's picking technique has to do with making a very quick double stroke leading into another string, what drummers call a ruff or drag. I give some...
Pick Control 06: Triple Strokes
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here we extend the exercises of symmetrical picking into triples, and all of the cool stuff you can do by combining twos and threes (all other numbers...
Pick Control 04-05: Paradiddles + Paradiddle Workout
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Singles and Doubles together allow us to make paradiddles, one of the most common and fundamental drum patterns. I think this one is really fun to pra...
Pick Control 03: Double Strokes
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following up on the last video, here's a thing on double strokes. Also an interesting observation on "Boogie Stop Shuffle" and "Mr. P.C.," two minor b...
Pick Control 02: Single Strokes
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here I give an introduction to Symmetrical Picking, something that I developed while writing "Fundamentals of Guitar" about ten years ago. I outline h...
Pick Control 01: Holding the pick, upstrokes and downstrokes
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the beginning of a new series on articulation with the pick. It's one of my favorite subjects, and I've put a lot of thought into developing e...
Donna Lee
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a fairly long video showing my approach to the melody of a classic, "Donna Lee." This video is open to free members. Please share and tell frie...
Member question: Augmented triad and Grant Green
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here I take a look at a passage from a Grant Green solo brought up by a member. This leads to some discussion about the Melodic Minor scale, and how i...
Symmetry 12: Polarity in real life applications (tunes)
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This videos jumps off of the questions from the last episode. I talk about "Stardust," "Embraceable You," "Night and Day," phrases by Charlie Parker, ...
Symmetry 09: To plan or not to plan
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a response video to a couple of questions from the last post, which was pretty complicated. The main thing is looking at options of how to thi...
Symmetry 11: The 8-way traffic circle
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By introducing mi6 chords, we've now doubled the number of dominants available at any given time. I get into this idea here, with a very short explana...
Symmetry 10: The mystery of minor
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Turning from major to minor, I do a very brief history and explanation of the major/minor duality, and then get into the cadence Fmi6 --> C. Feel f...
Symmetry 08: Dominant Chains
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here the traffic circle idea explodes into an infinite pathway concept. I reference a 1945 recording by Don Byas and Slam Stewart that can be found he...
Symmetry 07: Secondary Dominants
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a continuation of the traffic circle idea, and the beginning of a pathways concept. We are now getting to the juicy part where we connect one ...
Symmetry 05 - Reverse Traffic Circle
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the last video we looked at four ways to get to a place. Now we look at, for any particular place, four ways to get out of it. For example, if you ...
Symmetry 04: Alterations of the dominant and the traffic circle concept
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moving back to application, I explain here how the four dominants that we made from the diminished create four "altered dominant" sounds. Specifically...
Symmetry 03: Diminished into Dominant 7th Morphing exercise
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back to warmup exercises, here's one looking at the diminished 7th morphing into the four dominant 7th chords that are related to it.
Symmetry 02: Diminished Resolutions in Context
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a video to address a member question of application of the stuff from the previous post, using examples on a minor blues and "All the Things Yo...
Symmetry 01: Diminished / Leading Tone Resolutions
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This will be a series of videos on a single topic that I find extremely useful, which is the use of diminished structures. We start out with thinking ...
Chromatic Scale (pt. 3, Levels of Dynamics with the Pick)
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Still using the Chromatic Scale, and then demonstrating with improvising on a blues. Seeing how many levels of dynamics we can get with the pick, play...
Chromatic Scale (pt. 2, practice ideas)
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A couple more quick practice ideas for the chromatic scale, a great way to get your fingers and picking hand going.