WRITINGS


How to Get More Ideas while Improvising Jazz

The building blocks of jazz improvisation are original, musical IDEAS. Getting these ideas requires a steady stream of inspiration and creativity. To some jazz musicians, this comes easy. Others must work at it to better learn the craft. This eBook is geared to those in the latter category—in particular, the intermediate jazz player who may run out of ideas while improvising or who wants to solo more creatively.

Composer and pianist Mark Mercury has assembled and presented fifty techniques which directly exercise a jazz musician’s improvisational creativity and the capacity to receive inspiration. Many facets of creativity and the creative process are covered. With each technique, Mercury meticulously lays out step-by-step instructions on how to put that technique into action so that beneficial results can be obtained.



 
Turn The Music Off!

Everywhere we go, it seems, the annoying drone of background music is polluting our sonic atmosphere. Do we really need it? Get Mark's take in this short article.

 


Conversational Fencing For Artists

Hark, ye composers, playwrights, painters, and artists of every calling! Defend yourselves with power and wit when you are challenged to a conversational duel. In this short article Mark explains how.