Skip to content
Matt Otto

Matt Otto

Free Jazz Education and Music

  • Matt Otto – Bio
  • Skype Lessons
  • Jazz Studies at KU
  • Bass Drones
  • Play Alongs
  • Books
  • Zoom Lessons
  • Play Along CD – in 7/4
  • Drum and Bass Play Along in 4/4
  • Matt Otto – Bio
    • Drum and Bass Play Along in 4/4
    • Matt Otto – Bio
    • Zoom Lessons
    • Play Along CD – in 7/4

Tag: music theory

  • Home
  • music theory
By: Otto

Zoom or Skype Lessons

Having taught thousands of Zoom/Skype lessons over the last ten years, I’ve come to believe that Skype is a great way to both teach and…

Read Full Blog Post
  • Skype Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 185: Sax Alley Masterclass

https://www.saxalley.com/ This is the video from a masterclass at Sax Alley in Loveland Colorado. The shop is owned by Roy and Mendy Sturgeon and supported…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 185: Masterclass
By: Otto

Lesson 164: Yardbird Suite Etude

Here’s an Etude I wrote for Bari Sax player Andrea Edwards. Andrea is an excellent Bari player studying Jazz at KU. This Yardbird Suite Etude…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 164: Yardbird Suite Etude
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 158: Cycle 5 – Harmonic Major

This lesson covers one possible pattern using the Cycle motion concept through the modes of Harmonic Major. This is a short excerpt from a new…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 158: Cycle 5 Harm Maj
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 146 Part 3: Countdown, Giant Steps, Tri-tonic

This is part 3 in my video series on Countdown. In this lesson on Countdown we’ll continue looking at ways of thinking about, conceptualizing and…

Read Full Blog Post
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 154: Major 7 b9 Melody

The b9 is not commonly over a Major 7 chord. This melody is one a wrote to help me incorporate it’s use into my melodic…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 154: Major b9
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 152: Maj Triad add #11 Tetrad

The 4 note cell or Tetrad using 1, 3, #11, 5 has many harmonic contexts and can be used for creating voicings, improvising melodically and…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 152: Maj add #11 Tetrad
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 148: I Hear A Rhapsody – Etude

Etudes are a great way to work on new material, vocabulary, phrasing and a whole host of positive musical skills. Here’s a one chorus etude…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 148: Rhapsody Etude
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Ear Training Series II (Melodic Minor Modes)

Passive Ear Training: A Natural Approach to Hearing and Understanding Modes. This innovative ear training method, which I call “passive ear training,” mirrors the natural…

Read Full Blog Post
  • Books
  • Ear Training II - Melodic Minor Modes
By: Otto

Lesson 167: Giant Steps – Cycle 5 Melody

As a creative educator in improvisor, I often enjoy working on Cycle 4 and Cycle 5 melodies. This Etude is a vertical melody over the…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 151: Giant Steps Cycle 5
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 142: Dominant Shell add #11

The 4 note structure or tetrad made up of 1, 3, #11 and b7 is a very useful note set for voicings and improvising over…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 141: Dom #11
  • -Lesson 142: Dom #11
  • Lessons
By: Otto

Lesson 140: Cycle 4 Melody – Altered

In this lesson (which was originally a live stream discussion) I outline the entire process I go through when I work on a new original…

Read Full Blog Post
  • -Lesson 140: Cycle 4 Alt
  • Lessons

Posts navigation

Older

Instagram

Instagram post 18083553422526467 Instagram post 18083553422526467
Here's a simple tune from Alliance called "Cyril" Here's a simple tune from Alliance called "Cyril" Matt Otto Saxophone/Composer (Cyril) Karl McComas-Reichl on Bass Ryan Lee on Drums Andrew Ouellette on Rhodes Marcus Lewis on Trombone Will Flynn on Guitar
CA friends, Playing at Jojo’s in Tustin tonight an CA friends, Playing at Jojo’s in Tustin tonight and Vibrato tomorrow night w Gina Saputo.
KU Combos playing great at the Blue Room! KU Combos playing great at the Blue Room!
Geoff Landman and I will be hosting Saxophone Day Geoff Landman and I will be hosting Saxophone Day at KU! Open to all saxophonists, regardless of age or ability level, Classical and Jazz. Music Educators are also welcome to attend.Here's a link to the sign up page: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4QWu3JLWqlRVt7RLtAvr6BtHfkh5IngIOnmbCrKgD57cGBA/viewform
Here's a short Etude over I Love You - Ku Trombone Here's a short Etude over I Love You - Ku Trombone player Eli Lockhart, Asa Martin and Aidan Hamer learned it by ear and played it great! There's a free pdf on my blog m a t t o t t o . o r g
Playing the Majestic 6 to 10 tonight w Zach B. Mor Playing the Majestic 6 to 10 tonight w Zach B. Morrow and Sebastian Arias .
This is an etude I wrote for Alto saxophonist Keeg This is an etude I wrote for Alto saxophonist Keegan Kaiser. It's one chorus of 8th notes and uses the bebop scale, chromatic approach notes, bebop enclosures, diatonic cycle 4 motion (through dorian), the altered scale and tetrad (4 note cell) ideas. We worked on this together for a semester singing it and playing it and have finally began putting it through some other keys. Taking individual phrases through the keys is another valuable method for working with an etude over time.
This is a short etude I wrote over the chord chang This is a short etude I wrote over the chord changes to My Shining Hour in concert C. The etude utilizes a lot of modern-ish concepts in terms of the rhythmic groupings and harmonic/triadic substitutions. You'll find several uses of #9 on major, #11 on minor, Maj7 on -7, sequential fourths grouped in 5 or 7, #5 on Maj7, b6 on -7, plus regular harmonic tensions and standard melodic material. There are also several points where the harmony is anticipated or suspended by several beats. The PDF contains the melodic line and the common chord progression with no analysis.
After 2pm Owen/Cox Dance Group Nutcracker, We'll b After 2pm Owen/Cox Dance Group Nutcracker, We'll be at Corvino's tonight from 7pm to 9:30pm w Ben Leifer, Jaylen Ward, Eddie Moore.
Here's a Rhythm Changes Etude I wrote for Bari Sax Here's a Rhythm Changes Etude I wrote for Bari Sax player Andrea Edwards. Andrea is a senior at KU and is studying both classical and Jazz saxophone. You can visit my blog for a free PDF of the etude.
Here's a short Etude I wrote for Nic over the chor Here's a short Etude I wrote for Nic over the chord changes to Recorda Me (Joe Henderson). The Etude uses some triad pairs from the 4th mode of Harmonic Major over the first 8 bars (as well as the classical augmented scale). The bridge uses some simple triadic ideas. I'll post a free pdf on my blog for anyone interested in checking it out.
Conception etude. pdf at mattotto . o r g Conception etude. pdf at mattotto . o r g
Here's a fun Etude I wrote for KU Major Spencer Ad Here's a fun Etude I wrote for KU Major Spencer Addis over Conception by George Shearing. I wrote this in real time during our lessons and Spencer learned it by ear. This is a good method for learning as it's memorized from the very onset of learning the material. We added about 8 bars each week and finally had the whole chorus after a month or so. After that we just kept playing it and speeding it up while also singing phrases and playing phrases through 12 keys. We used the Bb-7 A7 Ab-7 G7 changes in Bars 7 and 8 although the OG changes are all Dominant 7th chords. I'll post a transcription on my blog later this week.
Got the new trio CD - The Landscape Listens. Feat Got the new trio CD - The Landscape Listens. Featuring Abe Rabade on Piano on Xose Miguelez and myself on Tenor sax. We recorded this in Portugal over the summer each contributing two original pieces to the project. It's available on Band Camp and in the usual web locations.
Follow me

Lessons

  • Lesson 187: Bird Chromatics
  • Lesson 186: 12 Note Bebop Scale
  • Lesson 185: Sax Alley Masterclass
  • Lesson 184: Self Critique
  • Lesson 183: Learning from PDFs
  • Lesson 182: Easy Coltrane Ideas
  • Lesson 181: Old Milestones Etude:
  • Lesson 180: How To Write A Song #3
  • Lesson 179: Whole Tone
  • Lesson 178: Miles Davis Chromatic Concept
  • Lesson 177: Charlie Parker “Outside” Concept
  • Lesson 176: 3 Note “Lick”
  • Lesson 175: Learn A Blues Etude By Ear.
  • Lesson 174: Giant Steps Etude
  • Lesson 173: How To Write A Contrafact
  • Lesson 172: How To Write A Song #2
  • Lesson 171: Byzantine – Double Harmonic Scale.
  • Lesson 170: I Love You Etude
  • Lesson 169: How To Write A Song.
  • Lesson 168: The Half Whole Diminished Scale
  • Lesson 167: Giant Steps – Cycle 5 Melody
  • Lesson 166: Thriving After College
  • Lesson 165: Harmonic Major Modes Over 2-5-1 in Minor
  • Lesson 164: Yardbird Suite Etude
  • Lesson 163: Blues For Alice Etude
  • Lesson 162: Rhythm Changes Etude.
  • Lesson 161: Recorda Me Etude.
  • Lesson 160: Conception Etude
  • Lesson 159: Lee Konitz – Sing a phrase – play it back.
  • Lesson 158: Cycle 5 – Harmonic Major
  • Lesson 157: 96 Melodies from any 4 Notes.
  • Lesson 156: Staying Relaxed While Playing Saxophone
  • Lesson 155: Blues Etude using Diminished and Triad Pairs
  • Lesson 154: Major 7 b9 Melody
  • Lesson 153: Minor Pentatonic Warm Up
  • Lesson 152: Maj Triad add #11 Tetrad
  • Lesson 150: Blues Etude – 4 note cell
  • Lesson 149: What is This Thing Called Love.
  • Lesson 148: I Hear A Rhapsody – Etude
  • Lesson 146 Part 4: Countdown, Giant Steps, Tri-Tonic
  • Lesson 146 Part 3: Countdown, Giant Steps, Tri-tonic
  • Lesson 146 Part 2: Countdown, Giant Steps, Tri-Tonic
  • #10144 (no title)
  • Lesson 145: Major Melody using #9, #11 and #5
  • Lesson 144: Barry Harris – Chromatic Chord Scales
  • Lesson 143: The Sus Chord – G7sus4
  • Lesson 142: Dominant Shell add #11
  • Lesson 141: Major #9 Melody
  • Lesson 140: Cycle 4 Melody – Altered
  • Lesson 139: Simple 3 chord Tune “Melisma”
  • Lesson 138: 6 Bar Tune
  • Lesson 137: All The Things You Are
  • Lesson 136: Woody and You
  • Lesson 135: Practicing Major Scale Melodies
  • Lesson 134: Chet Baker – Just Friends
  • Lesson 133: Singing all tensions on a Dominant 7th chord.
  • Lesson 132: Using Space
  • Lesson 131 b: 4-3 Suspension on Mrs. Jones?
  • Lesson 131 a: “Mrs. Jones” Natural 9
  • Lesson 130: Using the 9 on every chord
  • Lesson 129: Varijashree Venugopal – Sings Naima
  • Lesson 128: C Major Triad add #11
  • Lesson 127 Amazing Scale Warm Up!
  • Lesson 126: Practice PDFs
  • Lesson 125: Blues for Alice
  • Lesson 124: Shell + triad
  • Lesson 123: Ear Warm Up
  • Lesson 122: Melody: Triplets grouped in 5
  • Lesson 121: Fool To Want You
  • Lesson 120: Singing/Tapping
  • Lesson 119: Relative Pitch
  • Lesson118: All Intervals
  • Lesson 117: Major 9 #5 Melody
  • Lesson 116: The Four Half Diminished Scales
  • Lesson 115: Melodic Minor Modes
  • Lesson 114: Groupings of 5/8 Over 4/4
  • Lesson 113: Triads Through Scales
  • Lesson 112: Dominant Pentatonic: The “McCoy Tyner” Scale.
  • Lesson 111: 2nd Inversion Triads
  • Lesson 110b: Repetition – How to do it efficiently and effectively.
  • Lesson 110: Posture, Balance, Breath – Staying Focused and Calm
  • Lesson 109: Relax, Wait, Listen – Staying Focused and Calm
  • Lesson 108: Stardust Phrase – 12 Keys
  • Lesson 107: Car Practice
  • Lesson 106: Warm Up With Major7ths + Altered Scales
  • Lesson 105: 1,9,5,13 Tetrad
  • Lesson 104: Modes of Harmonic Minor
  • Lesson 103: -7b5 chords
  • Lesson 102: Accenting Triplets
  • Lesson 101: Lydian b13 Cycle 5
  • ~Lesson 100: Triads
  • ~Lesson 99: 4 Note Cell
  • -Lesson 98: Trumbauer
  • Lesson 97: Bergonzi
  • ~Lesson 96: Augmented Study
  • ~Lesson 95: Random Chords
  • ~Lesson 94: 7Alt Monk
  • ~Lesson 93: Scale Pattern
  • ~Lesson 92: the 3rd and 5th
  • ~Lesson 91: Yusef Lateef Scale
  • ~Lesson 90: Blues Tina Brooks
  • ~Lesson 89: Altered Melody
  • ~Lesson 88: Bach Theme
  • ~Lesson 87: ii-7 V7 Melody
  • ~Lesson 86: Bird Line (2)
  • ~Lesson 85: Intervallic Ideas
  • Lesson 84: Miles -Trane
  • Lesson 84: Visa – Charlie Parker
  • ~Lesson 83: No Tongue
  • ~Lesson 82: Maj7 #5 Pentatonic
  • Lesson 80 -Triplets in 4’s
  • Lesson 79: Broken Arpeggio
  • Lesson 78: 8th Note Feel
  • Lesson 77: Triadic Blues
  • Lesson 76: 30 Day Challenge
  • Lesson 75: Cycle Wheel pt.3 (Cycle 4 and 5)
  • Lesson 74: Cycle Wheel Pt.2 (Cycle 3 and 6)
  • Lesson 73: Cycle Wheel Pt.1 (Cycle 2 and 7)
  • Lesson 72: 3 Note Cell
  • Lesson 71: E Modal Melody
  • Lesson 70: Etudes
  • -Lesson 70: Augmented Melody
  • Lesson 69: A Major
  • Lesson 68: -7b5 nat 9 nat 13
  • Lesson 67: min triad add 9
  • Lesson 66: Minor Major 9
  • Lesson 65: Stage Fright
  • Lesson 64: Book ii-V-I
  • Lesson 63: Nat 9 ~ Flat 9
  • Lesson 62: Masterclass
  • Lesson 61: “Drop 2” Voicing
  • -Lesson 60: Diatonic Sequence
  • -Lesson 59: Spread Tri-tone
  • -Lesson 58: Triad Diminished
  • -Lesson 57: Scale Routine
  • -Lesson 56: Giant Steps Etude
  • -Lesson 55: ii – V7#5 -i dim
  • -Lesson 54: Triad w Neighbors
  • Lesson 53: pentatonic
  • Lesson 52: Enclosures
  • Lesson 51: Maj 7 #5 melody
  • Lesson 50: Wide Intervals
  • Lesson 49: sus4
  • Lesson 48: -7b5
  • Lesson 47: Dizzys’ Bebop
  • Lesson 46: Altered Melody
  • Lesson 45: Bird Line
  • Lesson 44: Simple ii – V7
  • Lesson 43: Diminished
  • Lesson 42: Synthetic Scale
  • Lesson 41: Shell + Tension
  • Lesson 40: HW diminished
  • Lesson 39: Bach Cello Suite
  • Lesson 38: 1st Inv Triads
  • Lesson 37: Singing Modes
  • Lesson 36: ii-V-i Harmonic Min.
  • Lesson 35: ii-V-i Harmonic Min
  • Lesson 34: V7 Altered Scale
  • Lesson 33: Rhythmic Grouping
  • Lesson 32: Bach – Minor V7 – i
  • Lesson 31: Bach Sing-Play
  • Lesson 30: Sing and Play
  • Lesson 29: Maj #5 #9 #11
  • Lesson 28: My Shining Hour
  • Lesson 27: 4ths-Maj7
  • Lesson 26: Relative Pitch
  • Lesson 25: 13 #11 Displaced
  • Lesson 24: Major Melody
  • Lesson 23: Harmonic Maj
  • Lesson 22: ii – V – I Chromatic
  • Lesson 21: V7 Chromatic
  • Lesson 20: V7 to i using -3rds
  • Lesson 19: Maj7 #9 #11 Melody
  • Lesson 18: Long Tones 2
  • Lesson 17: Intervallic Melody
  • Lesson 16: Long Tones
  • Lesson 15: Drones and Pedals
  • Lesson 14: Diminished Melody
  • Lesson 13: Lydian Melody in 5ths
  • Lesson 12: Embellished Triad
  • Lesson 11: Major b9, b13
  • Lesson 10: Whole Tone Melody
  • Lesson 9: Arpeggiating Voicings
  • Lesson 8: ii-V7 using triads
  • Lesson 7: C7 using Maj7(#5)
  • Lesson 6: Minor ii-V-i
  • Lesson 5: 13th Arpeggios
  • Lesson 4: Cycle Melody
  • Lesson 3: Rhythm Changes
  • Lesson 2: Diatonic 4ths
  • Lesson 1: Spread Triads

Listen or Buy Matt Otto’s Music

https://mattotto.bandcamp.com/
Copyright © 2026 Matt Otto All Rights Reserved | Music Freak by Theme Palace