Sonic Storytelling

A 90-minute live-streamed masterclass with Zach Brock.

4 Available Time-slots:

Saturday, February 25 at 9AM or 2PM EST

Sunday, February 26 at 9AM and 2PM EST

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Are you a musician who is:

1) Struggling to connect with your audience and/or bandmates when you solo?

2) Running out of ideas when you play more than a few choruses?

3) Looking for new ways to solo on tunes that you play a lot?

4) Tired of feeling like you have nothing significant to say musically?

 If so then this class is for you.

The most transportive, engrossing, and enduring solos aren't just a collection of well-played licks and phrases but instead are the ones that take the listener on a dramatic journey of discovery, conflict, and (one hopes) resolution. They are the solos that tell a great story.

Some of my favorite storytellers include Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Jimi Hendrix, John Scofield, Wynton Kelly, Herbie Hancock, and Frank Zappa. Who are some of yours?

Mastering your instrument along with the elements of rhythm, harmony, and melody will give you the tools to deliver a story, but in the abstract they will not make you a better storyteller. All the chops in the world will not transform you into a great storyteller. 

In fact you don't need any new musical information to become a better storyteller. Rather you need to start thinking about the stories you want to tell, learn how to use what you have already mastered in service of “the story,” and you need to know how to develop your storytelling in the practice room. 

So how can you practice telling a story through music? Let’s take a brief survey of some common traits of the great storytellers and imagine these traits in a great soloist:

  1. They allow vulnerability in order to draw the audience into their personal narrative.

  2. They can read the audience and tailor their delivery so that the story “lands.”

  3. They carefully place and pace the main points and significant moments of the story.

  4. They surprise the audience along the way.

  5. They employ tension and release to heighten the dramatic impact.

  6. They continually challenge themselves to tell stories in new ways.

When even some of these characteristics come together then the story (or solo) is remarkable and the audience is spellbound.

Anyone who has taken an introductory class in musical composition or public speaking has probably encountered some of the essential techniques of great storytelling, including: 

  1. Varied phrase lengths

  2. Active silence

  3. Surprise

  4. Dynamics

  5. Variable tone and articulation

  6. Repetition 

"Sonic Storytelling" places all of these elements within a musical context and imparts the strategies I use to prepare for a solo that can hold the audience's attention, draw them into the song, and satisfy (or subvert) their expectations. 

In this one-hour class you will learn the foundational building blocks of effective sonic storytelling and you will leave knowing how to practice these concepts so that they become natural and instinctive.

The class will run one hour with a thirty-minute Q&A at the end.

This is a "play-along" class so bring your instrument. All levels are welcome.

Participants will receive a Zoom link to attend as well as the “Sonic Storytelling" eBook, backing tracks, and a recording of the class for review.

Can’t make it for any of the times but still really want the information? No worries. You’ll still have access to the recorded class and materials.

Engage your “Sonic Storytelling” abilities and transform your soloing in 2023!