Playing arpeggios up to the 13th is a great exercise, but playing them down from the 13th is even more valuable. As a saxophone player, I tend to be very “root-oriented,” often thinking and visualizing harmonic shapes from the root upward.
By learning to play, hear, and visualize from the 13th down, you develop a deeper understanding of harmony. Over time, it becomes easier to manipulate and embellish harmonic structures, creating stronger melodic ideas that make effective use of voice-leading.
This exercise focuses on three harmonic qualities—major 13 #11, minor 13, and dominant 13 #11—arpeggiating them from the 13th down to the root and back up (13, #11, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1, etc.). Play the shape through all keys, starting with concert C and moving around the circle of fourths.
At first, bring your analytical mind along by naming the tensions as you play or sing the exercise (e.g., “13, #11, 9, maj7, 5, 3, 1”). Once you have a comfortable grasp of the Dominant 13th, try improvising with the structure—displacing rhythms, breaking up the arpeggio, and exploring new phrasing. Finally, experiment with altered arpeggios, adding #5, #9, or any other tension.
~Enjoy.
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You can download the PDF of the lesson here:
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This is a great idea. I’m applying it on bass guitar. Looks like you have a bunch of other excellent lessons here. Thanks you very much!