In this short I’m playing a little slice of my original tune, “Wes Side of Heaven.” I wrote it with Wes Montgomery in mind, and the whole point is that it’s a great tune to study if you want to work on melody and phrasing without getting stiff or “mathy” about it. It’s got some real groove to it—one of those things that just sits right when you play it. Even though it’s an original, I think it’s a good song to learn because it gives you a musical way to move through the changes without forcing anything. If you want to go deeper than the clip, I’ve got several lessons on it where I break it down piece by piece: the head, the solo, and how I’m thinking as I move through the harmony while improvising. The goal is to play smarter and better—make the line sing, keep the time feeling good, and let the tune groove.