The B Section

In the second guest episode of The B Section, host Brett Belanger interviews recent Grammy Award winner and trumpeter Charlton Singleton of Ranky Tanky. In part 1, the two discuss Charlton's early life, education, and the beginnings of his professional career. Look out for part 2 next week and be sure to check out Charlton and Ranky Tanky on social media!

Utilizing space in our playing is a powerful tool. It can provide a more human element to a solo since it allows our phrasing to have pauses, just like when we speak. Pacing your ideas can also give you plenty of room to expand into when developing a solo. Saying a lot in just a few words is also an efficient way of making a musical statement that gets to the core of your idea or story.

Want to start composing? Or maybe you already write but it's been a while? In this episode, Brett gives you a composition template inspired by the music of Kamasi Washington. This template is easy enough for even the novice composer to take advantage of. The basic idea is an ABA form with the bridge being in a different (and often brighter) key area than the A's . Give this a shot and be sure to check out Kamasi Washington!

The Blues is the foundation of many of the styles of music we know and listen to today. As a musician, it is important to know the different variations on the chord changes that exist. In this episode, Brett starts simple with a rock/blues style 1-4-5 progression and adds variations that increase in complexity. As a bonus, Brett explains the chord progression of an original blues that he wrote recently. This episode was recorded in front of a Facebook Live audience.

Ready to free up your basslines even further? In Bassline Construction part 3, Brett discusses using delayed resolutions and how you don't have to always land on chord tones on downbeats of new chords. Next, start thinking about your bassline being a counter-melody instead of thinking solely in terms of shapes or patterns.

Need to get your triplets together? Use the metronome creatively to build your inner clock and get comfortable on all three divisions of the triplet. Start slow and be patient to reap the rewards of these exercises.

B section host Brett Belanger discusses being a musician during COVID-19 and offers ideas for us to support each other while staying creative.

In this first guest episode, Brett invites Tim Fischer to talk about how to comp melodically. Take your comping beyond just playing what's under your fingers and let what is happening around you guide you.

Looking for a way to approach diminished chords? In this episode, Brett breaks down what diminished is and takes you through a few ideas of how you can play over it.

We started with roots and fifths, next adding chord tones and diatonic notes. Now, let's get chromatic with it to really connect the dots and start sounding like a pro.