Online Lessons
What’s it like to take a lesson online? Well, honestly it’s not much different then a lesson in person. Except that neither one of us needs to travel anywhere. And I’m able to connect with students all over the world! There are a few obvious drawbacks: We can’t play duets together. And we can’t both play a piece of music simultaneously. However, I find that taking turns playing can be more time efficient in the long run. And encourages more focused listening for both my students and myself.
These days it’s quite simple to send music back and forth to each other via text and or email. I take advantage of that ability, to send exercises, etudes, transcriptions etc. to my students so that we literally are “on the same page.” That also gives me the ability to customize each students lesson to the things they want to learn. Let’s face it, not everyone likes the same music or has the same playing goals.
““Oftentimes progress as a musician is achieved in fits and starts. Sometimes progress can be slowed by the smallest of issues. When these bumps in the road of musical progress are identified, and addressed, musical doors can be immediately opened. Music instruction inspires and motivates by identifying goals and eliminating any objects in the path to achieving those goals. There is nothing more exciting as an instructor, than to witness the “ah-ha” moment a student experiences when an obstacle is identified, and begins to be resolved.” -Karl Hunter”
"At first I was a bit skeptical of lessons over the Internet, but studying with Karl has proven to be very enriching and I can hear the difference in my playing after just a few short months.
Instruction from Karl has motivated me to hit the practice room a LOT more. He quickly picks up on what I need to work on and the time we spend on FaceTime is very wisely guided. I look forward to each lesson he helps unlock my hidden improvisational skills. " -Tim Powers -Juneau, AK
“Our 14-year-old son has been taking online drum lessons with Karl Hunter for three months now and he's totally digging it. It goes without saying that Karl in an incredible musician but he is also an intuitive music educator. Karl quickly tapped into our son's learning style and has taken his playing ability to the next level. Even the neighbors have commented how much his drum playing has improved.” -Joe Gosen -Bellingham, WA
“I would highly recommend Karl to anyone looking to learn or improve their sax playing. I came to Karl after having played semi-regularly since leaving school many years ago and was looking to step up my improvising and overall playing. His lessons are structure while still remaining fun. He tailors his lessons specifically for my level, but is still flexible enough to explore other concepts or techniques if I want to. Karl is very easy going, but is clearly a master at his craft - no flashbacks to my archaic, rigid school music teachers. The lessons are phenomenal value for money especially considering his level of skill and experience. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Nick S. - Western Australia”
Karl is a very charismatic and relatable teacher. He doesn’t just pound scale after scale into your head, but shows how to use them in a practical context and more importantly WHY they are important and used the way they are. Even after just a few lessons I’ve noticed improvements in my own playing both in jazz and whatever other genres I may be playing; they’re lessons that you can take with you and apply them to virtually any situation. I highly recommend studying with Karl, even if it’s only for a lesson here and there.
Daniel Garcia -Orlando, FL
GENERAL WOODWIND LESSON GOALS:
establish what kind of music student is interested in and what their playing goals are.
evaluate students technique and customize exercises and practice routines that address their specific needs. (after lesson I will write send exercise pdfs to work on that week.)
direct student with their gear choices (i.e. mouthpiece, reeds, ligature, horn etc.) and make sure all the equipment is working together to achieve student's sound goals.
evaluate and direct student's posture, and ergonomics to achieve optimum comfort and efficiently.
establish proper diaphragm breathing and articulation techniques, air control , embouchure and intonation.
detail how to develop time, how and when to use a metronome, how to read rhythms and to phase rhythms correctly, according to genre.
detail the different woodwind techniques necessary to play stylistically correct in different genres of music. including extended techniques. i.e. vibrato, growling, subtone, altisimo, multiphonics. etc.
Improvisation lesson GOALS:
WHAT to practice and how to get the most from your practice time. (how to identify problems and develop solutions)
How to develop a personal sound
How to to transfer musical ideas from your head to your horn
Important books, and practice materials
Jazz theory and proper application
Chord-scale relationships
Scale patterns and how to internalize them. and how to use the patterns within a improvisation without sounding derivative.
Jazz notation and NOMENCLATURE
Articulation-styles, how to practice them and how articulation applies to different genres of music.
How to BUILD a solo within a chorus and throughout a solo
Use of Play-A-Long recordings / apps
Mastering common jazz PROGRESSIONS, I,IV,V, ii,V,I etc.
The steps to learning and memorizing a tune and it's chords.
how to pick a solo to transcribe and how to transcribe, analyze and incorporate transcribed musical ideas into your own improvisations.
How to develop a relationship with odd-time signatures. how to internalize the feel so that every time signature becomes second nature.
every jazz lesson concludes with playing and/or trading solos with me, and honing in on specific musical elements that can be experimented with for each successive chorus. Concentrating on the many possible elements to a well structured improvisation. (i.e. melody, time feel (where to place the beat, how to phrase and articulate according to the genre etc.), the use of space, how to alternate harmonic devices to keep things fresh) Oftentimes concentrating on a specific element or two per chorus.
Technical Requirements-
Luckily, these days we have many devices available to us to communicate via a live stream. Be it a smart phone, Tablet, Laptop or Desktop. I typically use FaceTime or Skype. Depending on what we’re working on I prefer my students to also have a metronome that can be amplified. Be it through a home stereo or a Bluetooth speaker. I have an amplified metronome on my end so I can can demonstrate musical passages with a time reference.
