LESSONS
BUY FULL SERIES - $ 29.99
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 1
In lesson 1, James immediately introduces you to the pentatonic and blues scales, and how they will help you to improvise a great funk sound. The biggest thing you'll take from this first lesson is the importance of practice, and James's useful tips on what and why you should be practicing will add a lot to your sax playing. James also introduces a number of useful phrases that are great for forming the basis of your funk improvisations, and finishes with a 'must know' tip for maintaining rhythm in whatever you play.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 2
This lesson is all about James teaching you some key funky licks that you can learn and build into your repertoire for when you start to improvise with your sax. These licks are all brilliant for helping you to 'feel' the rhythm of the music you're playing, and replicating James's style will help you begin to attack the notes and deliver an inspirational, funky sound. By the end of lesson 2, you'll have a great foundation for moving onto the more advanced ideas throughout this series, and already be building your funk vocabulary.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 3
Lesson 3 moves onto '3 note groupings.' Learning to play within limited notes is a great way to boost your creativity without going too far and creating a mash up of sound rather than the smooth rhythm that you should be aiming for. This lesson will give you several brilliant ideas for playing within certain groups, and enable you to really begin to understand where you should be going with your funk improvisation. James also shares some added tips and some excellent additional resources for further enhancing your funk improvisation skills.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 4
In this lesson, James introduces you to the natural sixth, which will help to add depth to the range of funk you're able to play and enable you to add a greater range of moods to your improvisation. The note is added to the blues scale, keeping you within a range of notes in order to keep your improvisations smooth and to the point, rather than making you get lost in the music. James shows you how to use this note to move into additional licks, and gives you some ideas of his own that you can go away and experiment with.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 5
This lesson involves introducing fake fingering, quarter tone notes, and some additional techniques you can use to build the depth and character of your funk improvisations. James provides you with many examples of how you can play around with the new sounds you're going to create, leaving you ready to start from the beginning and build your own funk solos. James goes through all of the notes you're able to experiment with, leaving you ready to create whatever funk sound you want to.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Lesson 6
James opens lesson 6 by summarizing everything that you've covered in the previous five lessons, while also providing some final expert advice on how you can take your funk improvisations to another level. There's also some final ideas and experimental options included for you to play with and enjoy. James finishes by adding his final thoughts on how to put a solo together, helping you to tell a story with your music and bring meaning to everything you play, rather than just have a collection of random notes. The end of the lesson also features a sneak preview of what's to come in Funk Improvisation Series 2.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Tone & Gear
In this video, James talks you through the set up of his instrument and the equipment and accessories he uses to create a distinct sound and play inspirational funk improvisations. He also talks you through why he uses each piece of equipment, featuring some great tips for finding the things that work for you, and how to avoid getting unnecessarily frustrated. James explains the importance of finding the equipment that works specifically for your own tastes and styles, rather than what you've heard is good, and how it impacts on your sax playing.
Funk Improvisation Series 1- Backing/Jam Track
This backing track has been specifically designed for Funk Improvisation Series 1, and is perfect for using either when practicing yourself or with your friends or band. The track is the ideal accompaniment for anyone looking to develop their sax playing, and will help you to fine tune your rhythm and ensure you play in the style required for a distinct funk sound.
