A continual study of triads helps to build an ever strengthening grasp of the underlying structure of both melody and harmony. Using this simple approach…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 99: 4 Note Cell
In this lesson we’ll look at 5 different harmonic contexts for a common 4 note cell. This 4 note cell is often thought of as…
Read Full Blog Post-Lesson 98: Trumbauer
This past week in my Jazz Theory and Performance class at KU we looked at a solo recorded in 1927 by Saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer. The…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 97: Bergonzi
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet composer, educator and tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi at the KU Jazz Festival last weekend. The KU faculty and…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 96: Augmented Study
In this lesson we will look at a melodic pattern derived from the (classical) Augmented Scale (not to be confused with the whole tone scale). …
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 95: Random Chords
Playing by ear over tunes you don’t know can be challenging. I’ve found this easy ear training routine to really help in this regard. We’ll…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 94: 7Alt Monk
Taking a short phrase from a popular jazz tune and working it through the keys by alternating between singing and playing is great way to…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 93: Scale Pattern
In this lesson we’ll play a simple scale pattern ascending chromatically through all 12 keys. This is a variation on what is often called “diatonic…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 92: the 3rd and 5th
In this lesson we’ll look at using only the 3rd and 5th of each chord in a melodically specific way. We’ll either play from the…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 91: Yusef Lateef Scale
Yusef Lateef was one of the great innovative melodic improvisers and composers and in the 80’s, I purchased Yusef Lateef’s book, Repository of Scales and…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 90: Blues Tina Brooks
Here’s a nice blue’s idea (or “lick”) played by Tina Brooks (tenor sax) over the chord changes to Confirmation on Jimmy Smith’s album House Party…
Read Full Blog Post~Lesson 89: Altered Melody
This is a simple Altered Melody that works on a dominant 7th chord with a #5, #11, #9 and b9 and comes from the 7th…
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