Here's a post that got lost when I moved my website. Waiting on Maidenhead Station I saw this wall. It made me think about 5-time and how, if you want to split the bar into two, you have to play on 1 and the + of 3. That doesn't seem to be half-way through the bar. … Continue reading Station walls and musical time
Author: Jeremy Kahn
Musician, cook. Takes photographs. Writes some stuff. Paints pictures
Self envy
There's a photo showing me in my early 30s on an island in the middle of a lake, with my two sons, aged about 3 and 4. The sun is shining and we all look happy. I look young, fit, and slim. The photo gave me a feeling of envy; I wished I could be … Continue reading Self envy
Play it by ear
Studying jazz is hard. We all know that. Sometimes we make it harder for ourselves than it needs to be. I see a lot of horn players struggling with chord symbols and trying to generate some kind of line that matches them. I suspect that in some cases the learning style is not matched to … Continue reading Play it by ear
Drive on
The cops are after you The car is battered And parts keep dropping off But you drive on In the end the car collapses In a steaming heap of wreckage The cops handcuff you The game is over But not until that moment Until then you drive on The old man would say to me … Continue reading Drive on
Play it slow
There's a quote that's popular at the moment: If you always sound good in the practice room, you’re probably not doing it right. I kind of agree, but the converse is true for sure: If you always sound bad in the practice room, you’re probably not doing it right. The first quote is getting at … Continue reading Play it slow
Play it like Coltrane
I once heard Tony Woods practising down a stairwell. He played a major scale in long notes, and it was so beautiful that it almost made me cry. I've written about this before but it's worth repeating. Paul Clarvis said Silence is golden, so if you're going to break it, you better make a good sound. … Continue reading Play it like Coltrane
The true story of Bob
Polite people don't talk about money. It's vulgar. But right from the start, Bob made it clear how rich he was. I know a few people with money and I'm used to them talking about amounts that I could never hope to have as if they are small change. But Bob was the master at … Continue reading The true story of Bob
A letter to a would-be King Cnut of language
Dear Dominic You and I got into a discussion about the abuse of the word literally. I suggested that you look at something I wrote about learning language by osmosis. Language is what people speak, I suggested, not what the rules say. You didn't see it that way. You made an analogy with shopping: [...] … Continue reading A letter to a would-be King Cnut of language
Show, don’t teach
The word teach makes me cringe. It suggests an asymmetric power relationship in which the teacher's pronouncements are by definition true. The students' opinions are not relevant. There's also an idea that the students may be tested later to show that they can echo what has been taught. Disagreement with the curriculum is not … Continue reading Show, don’t teach
On food. And family.
As a child, food was a challenge. Rationing ended in the same year that I was born. My mother's frugal habits lasted for most of the time I was at home. Luxuries like avocados, artichokes or wine were served in tiny quantities, and we used to fight over them. You learned to eat fast and … Continue reading On food. And family.
jeremykahn.co.uk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.