In lesson 63 we look at a simple melody that uses both the natural 9 (the #11) and the b9 on a dominant 7th chord.  Within the first bar of this melody a major triad a whole step above the root is present.  Somtimes this is refered to as an upper structure triad since it outlines some of the notes above the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the chord (in this case the 13th, the 9th, and the #11th).

The resolution melody in bar 2 does not contain a 3rd or a 7th so you could conceivably play this idea over a major, minor or dominant 7th chord.  It can be interesting to improvise over a chord using just the root, 5th, 9th and 13th – creating a nice open sound (you can hear this concept used by many great improvisers such as Art Tatum, Monk, and Dexter Gordon).

There is a play along mp3 below to help you hear the harmonic context of the melody and also a “sing along” mp3 with the melody for ear training, singers, or those suffering from RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome.  In the video I first play the resolution melody (5, 13, 9, 13, 5, 9) in the second bar of the play along through the keys.  Next I play just the V7 melody resolving just to the 5th of the resolution chord through the keys and lastly I play the whole melody through the keys.

~Enjoy!

Lesson 63: nat 9 – b9  PDF

Lesson 63: Sing Along 80 BPM

Lesson 63: Sing Along 140 BPM

Lesson 63: Play along 80 BPM

Lesson 63: Play along 140 BPM

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While working on major 7th and minor 7th “drop 2″ chord voicings, I found a nice  shape to work on through the keys.   Drop 2 is a great way to voice chords and has been used in classical and jazz music for hundreds of years.  Several of Mick Goodricks books really get into the drop 2 voicing in depth while this short exercise just looks at one simple major and minor voicing in isolation.  Arpeggiating voicings on a single note instrument can be  interesting and challenging and will help you incorporate intervallic melodies to contrast traditional linear ideas. One nice thing about working with a chord voicing is that,  no matter what order you play the notes in, a strong melody ensues.

~Enjoy!

Lesson 61: Drop 2 Voicing PDF

Lesson 61: Drop 2 Voicing mp3 sing along

Lesson 61: Drop 2 Voicing backing track

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This lesson covers a great melody from  one of the Bach Cello suites which has been extended slightly to cover the whole major scale.

The sequence outlines the main seven chords found in the major scale (in the key of C: Fmaj, B-7b5, E-7, A-7, D-7, G7, Cmaj); the root motion moves in diatonic fourths.  I’ve found this exercise to be very melodic and yet strangely challenging to memorize and play technically.

To expand on this melody, try playing the material in smaller phrases, perhaps just outlining one or two of the chords.  Also, changing the rhythm in a variety of ways should help the material become a more creative part of your vocabulary.

~ Enjoy!

Lesson 60: Diatonic Sequence PDF

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I thought it might be nice to work with a variation on Lesson 1 (Spread Triads) – In this exercise we play spread major triads a tri-tone apart, a sound which will work nicely over a dominant 7th chord with with a b9 and a #11 (or as a substitution).

This is one simple way to begin hearing larger intervals and shapes while still maintaining melodic and harmonic integrity.  I like to work on the material  slowly with a metronome while trying to sing and memorize each interval right from the start.  This helps to internalise the new material quickly and exercise your analytical mind.  By singing melody slowly over a drone in a key that fits the range of your voice the larger intervals will become easier to hear and to incorporate into your improvisation.

There is a PDF and video of me playing the lesson below.  The melody is played through the 12 keys starting on Concert C7.

~Enjoy!

Lesson 59: Spread Triads in Tri-tones PDF

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I’ve put together mattotto.org blog lessons 1 through 22 in a 60 page, 8.5 by 11, spiral bound book for easy reference. 

I did omit the Long Tone and Drone exercises since they don’t include written material, but I’ve expanded the Rhythm Changes etude to include all 12 keys and added a major scale study as well.

Here’ a link to purchace the book:

Book: Lessons 1 to 22

This book includes my blog posts on studies in…

1. Spread Triads
2. Fourths
3. Rhythm Changes
4. 13^th Chord Arpeggios
5. Major 7 #5 Chords over Dominant 7ths
6. ii-V-I using triads
7. Voicing Based Melody
8. Whole Tone Melody
9. Spread Triads Embellished
10. Lydian Melody in 5ths.
11. Diminished Melody
12. Intervalic Melody
13. Major 7 with #9 and #11
14. ii-V-i using Chromatic Scales

…and more. Each study is written in all 12 keys.

I’ve started doing Skype Lesson formally.   Having taught many Skype lessons over the last few years, I’ve come to believe that Skype is a good way to both teach and learn from the comfort of your own home.  I charge 40$ for one a one hour lesson, and interested folks who are at an intermediate or advanced level can email me to set up a lesson at: ottojazz@gmail.com.

During a Skype lesson I will listen to you play/improvise for a duration and determine a course of study based on what I hear.

Some of my common teaching methods include:

• Singing and visualising melodies and harmonies over drones.
• Playing ideas through keys.
•  Memorising tunes and chord progressions.
• Displacing melodies rhythmically.
• Working with a metronome.
• Singing and playing scales, ideas, melodies, voicings, arpeggios, and  solos.
• Transcribing, singing, memorising and playing solos through keys.
• Diatonic harmony.
• Analysis of standard progressions and songs.
• Chord-scale theory.
• Synthetic scale analysis and application in improvisation and composition.
• Long tones.
• Overtones.
• Diaphragmatic Breathing.
• Establishing an effective daily routine.
• Writting contra-facts.
• Compositon.
• Interval recognition.
• Harmonic recognition.
• Singing and playing over progressions and songs.
• Learning to play by ear.
• Working on rhythmic feel.
• Developing a vocabulary.
• Working towards performance and recording.

I’m also willing to work on specific personal goals and/or problems that an individual may have.

I’m happy to work with people who play any instrument.

Best,

Matt Otto

Reviews:

“Matt Otto is a gifted teacher and a warm-hearted person. I’ve been fortunate enough to study with him and have applied his
teachings to many facets of music-making, from sound production and ear training to improv and composition. I can’t recommend him
highly enough. He’s approachable, friendly, and has a casual way of making difficult concepts easy. His methods and philosophy
are geared toward developing the whole musician and guiding the student in finding their musical “voice”, which has been a joy
to experience first-hand! He’s been a great mentor and I would recommend him to any musician interested in improving the quality
of their playing in a way that is true to the self.”

~Peter Gilli – tenor sax, Rhode Island

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I have been studying with Matt for over six months now. With his guidance, I’ve been able to move past several musical obstacles allowing me to set new goals as an artist and saxophonist. The bar has been raised, so to speak. His teaching effortlessly encourages growth within the idiom of jazz improvisation, while still maintaining clear awareness of the student as an artist in their own right. Simply put, my lessons with Matt have allowed me to deepen my relationship with music directly.

~Jason Moore – tenor sax, North Carolina www.jasonjmoore.com

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“I studied with Matt Otto from 2000 to 2006 and during that time, Matt was a true mentor.  In those years of study, I developed an understanding of elemental aspects of sound, rhythm, and musicality that I felt ownership of.  Matt stressed the importance of developing a personal and instinctive command of the instrument, and I credit his teaching style for enabling me to mature from student to artist.  Beyond teaching, Matt  produced and engineered a recording of mine, which helped me win a competitive artist’s grant from UC Berkeley — the funding from this grant payed for my travels and first year expenses moving from California to New York City where I live today.  Learning from Matt and being influenced by him has been a great gift that continues to be a part of who I am both musically and personally.”

~Kenneth Auyeung – Alto Sax, Brooklyn, NYC.

“Studying with Matt is the best. He really taught me how to sing through my instrument, which completely transformed my approach to music.”

~Ryan Seward – Guitar, Los Angeles, CA.

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“After years of going around in circles in my practice, lessons with Matt finally got me to break through the blocks and rise above the plateaus. His positive, encouraging approach to ear training and teaching jazz improvisation have given me the tools and confidence necessary for any measure of success I’ve reached. In short, Matt has basically taught me everything I know.”

~ Josh Welchez – Trumpet, Los Angeles, CA.

I had the honor of taking lessons with Matt Otto for an extended period of time beginning in 2008. In addition to being one of my favorite musicians on the planet, Matt is among greatest teachers I have ever had. His approach to learning is focused on the student developing his/her own unique individual voice. He made me aware of how to be honest in my playing. Many of the exercises we did involved singing over a drone (Example: Charlie Parker head). Often I would sing over the drone and transcribe what I sang. This opened up my ear immensely and is one of the best ear training concepts I have learned. I began realizing that the instrument is just an extension of my voice and we worked towards bringing out what I really hearing. Matt knows the balance of being positive and encouraging, yet challenging and demanding. I always left our lessons motivated and excited. Matt is a treasure to the jazz community.

~ Dr. Brandon Bernstein – Guitar, Los Angeles, CA.

“Matt Otto has been an incredible mentor and teacher who’s passion for the music and articulate way of teaching has not only changed the way I play, but also the way I listen and experience music as well.”

~Blake Deibal – Tenor Sax, Kansas City, MO.

“I have studied with Matt Otto and utilized the resources of his music blog for several years.  In my case, as with his other students, he carefully analyzed my level of playing and developed an action plan for improving both my technical skill and my understanding of jazz improvisation and underlying harmonic structure. In addition to his vast knowledge of music and technical expertise, Matt has a very generous spirit that inspires his students to put in the work necessary to reach their individual goals. For players of all levels who wish to improve their jazz improvisation skills, I highly recommend studying with Matt.”

~Frank Martinez – Tenor Saxophone, Pico Rivera, CA.

“Matt Otto played a huge role in helping me understand and feel comfortable with jazz harmony and improvisation.  He broke things down in a way that made sense to me as a singer and a musician. I’m grateful to have had him as a teacher!”

~Sara Gazarek – Vocalist, Los Angeles, CA.

“I was drawn to Matt as a teacher because of my love for his music.  I sought him out, hopeful that his teaching would match the depth of his music.  I was not disappointed.   My lessons with Matt have been musically transformational.  In my experience, he is a rare breed.  His ability to get right at the heart of a musician’s strengths and weaknesses is truly amazing.  He was able to quickly match up my goals with a plan to overcome my weaknesses, in some cases using ‘outside the box’ methods to deal with my stubborness.  He is an incredibly patient and generous person which translates into how he deals with his students.  You could not ask for a better mentor on your musical journey.”

~Jeff Stocks – Guitar, Kansas City, MO.

~Miles Freeman – Tenor Saxophone, Los Angeles, CA.

I played a gig a few weeks ago with a wonderful alto player from NYC named Logan Richardson.  While playing over Without a Song in Eb using Joe Henderson’s changes, Logan played a nice pentatonic idea over the concert B Major7 in bar 5.  I liked it because it wasn’t the pentatonic sound that I usually use over a major chord.  He played a melody outlining an F# Major pentatonic over the B Major 7th chord (the next chord is F# Major 7, so he may have concevied of it as a harmonic anticipation).  Although this may be common practice, I don’t actually use that specific sound (F# Major pentatonic over B Major 7) as often as I’d like, so I came up with a simple melody to help me become more familiar with the concept and  it’s use. 

The line starts with the first 6 notes that Logan played during his solo and than ends with something I heard as a possible continuation, reminiscent of one of John Coltrane’s pentatonic ideas.

The melody is worked around the circle of 4th starting with C major.  I also play the shell voicing (1, Maj 3, Maj 7) in each key to help give a harmonic context to the melody since there is no root found in this application of the pentatonic scale.

You can also use the midi mp3 below to practice singing the melody for ear training etc…

~Enjoy!

Lesson 53 pentatonic PDF

Lesson 53 pentatonic midi mp3

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Here’s a quartet album we did on Origin Records.   We recorded it in 1999 and released it in 2005.   You can download this for free by clicking on the album cover below.

~Enjoy!

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For his 5th recording as a leader, Los Angeles-based saxophonist Matt Otto teams up with old friends from his years spent in New York to explore a set of 8 originals. Now a regular in Los Angeles clubs, he can be seen there and touring the west coast with Anthony Wilson & Alan Pasqua, and around the country with his own quartet. In the tradition of Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, and Joe Henderson, Otto’s close musical relationship with his bandmates allows for music of depth and clarity.

by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Saxophonist Matt Otto is Los Angeles-based these days, but for his fifth CD, Red, he got together with some musical running mates from his time in New York: guitarist Greg Toughy, drummer Qasim Naqvi, and bassist Danton Boller. Considering its standard jazz lineup of tenor sax and a rhythm section, the band has crafted quite an original sound.The set of eight Otto orignals sustains a hauntingly restrained mood from start to finish, churning along in a cool fluid simmer that rises at times toward a slow boil, without ever quite doing so. And that dyamic works very well in this case. The sound, the blend of tenor sax and guitar, the gentle insistence of the bass/drums has a forlorn, restrained midtempo beauty that translates to an insideously mesmerizing listening experience. It’s as if Otto and company have seized upon a series of relatively simple musical ideas and driven themselves deeply into them with a smoldering, frictionless group equilibrium.Otto’s tone has a round, ringing quality, and I get the feeling that on this outing the saxophonist may have been influenced by the trio put togther by bassist Jeff Johnson with sax man Hans Teuber and drummer Tad Britton on the excellent Near Earth (Origin Records, ’04). While it manifests a different collective personality than Near Earth, Red has a similar feeling of tranquility and, also similarly, it enchants, compelling the listener into multiple spins.

by David Franklin, JazzTimes April 2006

If Paul Desmond was, as he proclaimed, the “world’s slowest alto player,” then Matt Otto may be the world’s quietest tenor man. On the eight originals that comprise Red, Otto’s dynamics rarely rise above the level of an intimate conversation. His delivery is so relaxed and subtle that even the intake of breath is sometimes audible. But although Otto doesn’t strut, he does quietly demonstrate an admirable control of his instrument and of chord progressions. And he is given to well-constructed melodic lines that develop organically as they outline a formal dramatic curve. Otto does play fast and high at times, but even then the sound level is subdued. His compositions are subtle as well, often based on simple melodic lines that may or may not involve a rubato tempo.Guitarist Greg Touhey is a compatible partner. His lovely, smooth tone compliments Otto’s approach, and he’s a thoughtful improviser who creates long, well-developed lines. Bassist Danton Boller and drummer Qasim Naqvi masterd the tasks of keeping the subtle time together and adding to the overall texture while maintaining the intimate dynamic level.

by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

A fluent tenor saxophonist with a cool tone and a relaxed style, Matt Otto is able to glide over the most complex chord changes gracefully. For this pianoless quartet set with guitarist Greg Touhey, Otto creates cool jazz of the 21st century. The music is mostly quiet with its heat being just below the surface. Even “Class Struggle,” which is essentially “Giant Steps,” features Otto’s playing making it sound simple and laid-back. This subtle set, which features close interplay, is worth several close listens.

by Kevin Cox, Jazz Review

Here’s an easy way to begin to introduce some wider intervals into your improvisation while still maintaining melodic and harmonic integrity.  This exercise uses a dominant 7th chord, and also includes it’s upperstructure tensions (9, #11, and 13).

The melody starts on the 13, leaps down a major 7th to the b7, up a #5 interval to the #11, down a major 7th to the 5th, up a perfect 5th to the 9th, down a b7 to the major 3rd, up a tri-tone to the b7 and lastly down to the root.

Sounds a bit complicated in words but it actually sounds much simpler and really outlines the sound of the chord clearly.

The material is played as 8th notes starting on the 1st beat of the measure and again as 8th notes starting on the 2nd 8th note of the measure (the “and” of one).

After playing the line through the keys the same intervallic sequence is played again in all triplets starting on the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd triplet of beat one.  The PDFbelow only includes the written melody in 8th notes however.

~Enjoy!

Lesson 50: dom wide intervals PDF

Lesson 50: dom wide intervals sing along Mp3

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This album was a pleasure to record.  Pianist Leonard Thompson and I did 6 hours of live takes at a Church in Kansas City with a huge Steinway grand and great acoustics.  Playing with Leonard is always a pleasure as he very musical and empathetic, never overplaying or forcing anything.  We spent a few months of sonic weeding, picking versions we were both happy with from over 30 takes.  This is my first “standards” album, although we didn’t play the heads of the tunes, nearly all the tracks are based on the chord progressions to songs from the great American song book.

Album Notes

This recording of saxophone/piano duets presents a natural, free, uncontrived, and largely impromptu musical dialogue between Matt Otto and Leonard Thompson, who have been honing their musical simpatico over the past half decade. Most of the tracks are simultaneous improvisations over harmonic progressions from Great American Songbook and jazz standards, free of their expected melodies. These improvisations, nonetheless, are still rich in melodic content, always showcasing both players’ verve for linear construction and clarity.

Rounding out the recording are 3 tracks of more ostensibly “free” music with no predetermined structure at all, as well as 2 original pre-composed melodies(one penned from each player) with no corresponding improvisations. For all of the freedom of approach that permeates the recording, it is always rhythmically grounded, dynamically balanced, and shows a keen awareness of space and texture.

Matt Otto – tenor sax

Leonard Thompson – piano

Recorded april 10, 2011, at All Souls Unitarian

Church, Kansas City, MO. engineered by Chad

Meise. mixed and mastered by Matt Otto.

Cover art “twin 1” by Malaika Zweig

Review:

Anima, Matt Otto, saxophone, and Leonard Thompson,
piano.
This excellent duo outing by two of modern jazz’s unsung masters showcases the symbiosis that can grow from a prolonged musical relationship. Saxophonist Otto of Kansas City, and pianist Thompson of NYC, find themselves exchanging and crafting stories over the changes to standards from the American Songbook. Flanked by a few completely improvised tracks as well as an original apiece from each musician, Anima is one of those rare albums where the music is performed in such a democratic matter, it’s impossible to pinpoint who the leader of the date was. We come away with the impression that the only thing leading this recording was the music itself.

There’s an intimacy in sound achieved partly through the virtual absence of reverb on this recording. Recorded in mid-2001 at a church in Kansas City, one feels that they may be tucked away in between the piano and saxophone in somebody’s living room. There’s a warm dryness that prevails throughout the session, a reminder to us that – when it comes down to it – no amount of flashy studio gear can truly change the quality of the music as it’s going into the microphone.

Both Otto and Thompson draw from a significant palate of sound and texture. Otto’s control over the saxophone, both in terms of timbre and technique, is truly remarkable. Able to color his tone with the most subtle and minute adjustments of sound and volume, the listener feels as if they are watching a great master painter add tiny bits of color to a blank canvas. Otto lets them blend together as they dry and crack into a thing of pure beauty. Thompson at times has a pointillistic approach to the piano, evoking images of both Monk and Chick Corea. At other times, he plays in a vein reminiscent of Bill Evans’s “The Solo Sessions.” On this recording, he avoids playing block chords and using classic piano accompaniment tactics, instead picking apart the harmony and playing singular lines against, within, and on top of Otto’s voice. The result is a openness which pervades the entirety of “Anima.” The two musicians are never competing for sonic space, instead giving each other enough room in which to coexist.

Otto’s virtuosity is especially apparent on the opening track, a slower-than-slow rubato take on the changes to the great ballad “Body and Soul,” in which he lays out the history of the saxophone from Coleman Hawkins to John Coltrane to Mark Turner and beyond. “Ground Bloom,” for instance, is a sort of bluesy, funky-free abstract piece which showcases his mastery of extended saxophone techniques. The track reminds me of Joe Henderson’s use of multiphonics and overtones, as well as the bird-like flutters and swoops of sound one associates with Dewey Redman, Sam Rivers, Ornette Coleman and the modern master, Joe Lovano. Another aspect of both Otto’s as well as Thompson’s playing is their thoroughly impressive control over dynamic shading.

Using, as a framework in which to craft their conversations, the harmony from tunes like Benny Golson’s “Stablemates,” Monk’s “Let’s Cool One” and Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss,” among other classics, Otto and Thompson often remind the listener of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh in the way they craft collaborative “solos.” At most points during this album, it’s impossible to tell who is soloing and who is not. The musician’s ego gets lost.

There are a few tracks which act as vehicles for Otto’s unaccompanied saxophone, once again showcasing his mastery of sound, harmony, and melody. Thompson also has moments to shine on his own, though he is mostly content being the other half of this puzzle. The clarity of ideas and communication between Otto and Thompson, coupled with a sense of discovery and impeccable rhythmic timing, further enhance the quality. This is some of the most sensitively music this reviewer has heard in a long time. Jazz fans, musician and non-musician alike will find “Anima” alluring, mysterious, and worthy of countless plays.

Here’s an intervallic diminished sequence I wrote when I was in Leipzig on a short avante-guard tour in the late 90′s.  We had many long days of doing nothing before the sound check and gig so I wrote this melody and put it through the keys to keep myself occupied and out of the bars.  The use of spread triads within the line helps creates a nice intervallic shape.

The melody is played  3 times in each key, each time it is displaced by one triplet (i.e. on the first, second and 3rd triplet of beat one of the bar). The melody is than played through the keys around the circle of 4ths.

I really enjoyed learning  several of  the great diminished sequences from the Nicolas Slonimsky book; mainly the ones that Coltrane made popular on recordings like Blue Trane.  After that I really wanted to try and come up with a few of my own ideas and build off what I had learned, this melody was one that stuck over the years.

~Enjoy!

Intervallic Diminished Sequence PDF

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