Introduction
• Welcome to Fundamentals for the Creative Improviser

How To Use The Book
• Inspiration & Intent
• Layout & Structure
• How to Use the Play-Alongs
• Utilizing "Mantras"
• Studying with a Private Teacher

Sound
• INTRO: Hearing & Playing With A Beautiful Sound
• Find The Center for Maximum Resonance
• Eliminate Tension with Warm & Relaxed Air
• Accelerate the Air & Get The Sound Out Front
• Lead Pipe vs. Buzzing
• Long Tones, Part 1: Enter The Creative (Judgment-Free) Headspace
• Long Tones, Part 2: Dial In Each Part of the Note, Lip Bends, and More

Flow
• INTRO: Developing A Seamless Connection Between Notes
• Blow Through The Notes
• Sing Past The Apex of the Line & Bang The Valves Down
• Keep The Sound In All Registers
• RECAP: 3 Things To Remember

Flexibility
• INTRO: Connecting All Registers of the Horn
• The #1 Mistake Most Trumpet Players Make
• Play Notes Between the Interval
• Listen For The "Click"
• The Trampoline
• Nothing Is Up or Down...Only Straight Through
• RECAP: 3 Things To Remember

Pronunciation
• INTRO PART 1: The Key to Effortless Articulation
• INTRO PART 2: Jazz Scales & Triads in All 12 Keys
• Slurred, Legato, then Detached
• Let's Go Surfing
• Playing With Direction & Forward Motion
• Slow = Smooth
• RECAP: 3 Things To Remember

Lyricism
• INTRO: Playing Softly with Expressivity & Finesse
• Dynamics = Colors of Sound
• Adjust the Volume, Not the EQ
• Spin The Air With Intensity
• Always Be Musical & Expressive!
• RECAP: 3 Things to Remember

Building A Routine
• Sample Fundamentals Routine
• FAQ
• Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Practice Tips
• Memorize Everything
• When To Change Tempo & Dynamics
• Developing the Upper Register
• Eliminating Distractions

Conquering The Mind
• Surrender the Need to Sound Good
• Nothing Is Hard (Just Unfamiliar)
• The Ideal Mental Approach
• Dealing With Failures & Frustration
• Fundamentals Change Us From The Inside Out

Introduction
• Welcome to "How To Play The Blues"
• What The Blues Is (And Isn't)

Foundations in Phrasing
• Call / Call / Response
• Balancing Playing & Resting
• Listen for the Echo
• Anticipating the Phrase
• Phrasing Over The Barline

Melodic Approaches
• Blues
• Gospel Blues
• Bebop Blues
• Outlining Changes
• Bebop Scales
• Triads
• Pentatonics & Sus Triads
• Chromatic Approach

Harmonic Strategies
• I-IV-V
• ii-V-I
• Secondary Dominants (and ii-Vs)
• Passing Chords
• The Long ii-V
• Chromatic ii-Vs
• Tritone Subs
• Planing/Modulation
• Free Approach
• Bird Blues
• Trane Blues

Rhythmic DNA
• Core Blues Heads
• Implementing Rhythms of Blues Heads
• Emphasizing the Quarter Note
• Pushing & Pulling The Time

How To Practice
• The Target Method
• Changing Keys & Tempo
• Listening To (And Playing With) Records
• Play-Alongs & Jam Sessions
• Improvising Without Overthinking
• Repetition, Repetition, Repetition