Work through these ideas at slower tempos and increase gradually – grading yourself at each stage of practice tempo wise and recording yourself wherever possible. Remember to think of the forward momentum of the great bop players – sit at the front of the beat until you’re killing on the faster tempos. You could ‘groove’ a bit more after your up tempo time feel is really ‘in’. A general rule is to sit forward on the tempo with your lines – ALWAYS record and listen to yourself and see where you place, especially over the top of the original artist. … [Read more...]