Welcome

Welcome to my "Experiencing Groove" website.

Purpose

This site was primarily intended to organize some of the music lessons that I've learned over the years. I wanted to have everything in one place, so my students, colleagues, and I can refer to this list of exercises using the open web.

You are welcome to poke around and use this information as you see fit, but it may be of limited value without face-time with a live person.

The general approach to this list of exercises is based on the work of Victor Wooten, through his Bass / Nature camp and his DVD Victor Wooten: Groove Workshop. I recommend purchase of this DVD over this site as a better interactive experience.

I wanted to post exercises using a consistent format. I first try to explain the purpose of each exercise. I believe that it's important to have an idea why you would want to explore a particular concept. Next, I describe the approach to the exercise. Finally, if applicable, I talk through "tips and warnings", and/or "next steps".

Many of these exercises may seem stupidly simple. This is by design. It doesn't take much to become aware of the critically subtle aspects of music. You should not labor over these exercises, but play with them from time-to-time. A few minutes spent here-and-there should go a long way towards building awareness.

Keep in mind that music is more then the sum of its parts. I'm not suggesting that running through the exercises I posted is the path to being a great player. I'm not even saying I'm a great player (I'm not). These exercises are only tools to help you discover critically subtle nuances to assist in expressing the music inside of you.

Everyone is welcome to post comments. I'll integrate them into the posts. This can be a collaboration. It really is anyway, since it's a reflection of many people who have shared music with me.