~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 5th of the chord up to the 3rd of the chord (ascending diatonic 6th) or
Lessons
~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 Melodic Patterns. This book holds a wealth of creative material which is valuable to both
~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 (1958). The line works well over the first 4 bars of Confirmation’s chord changes but
~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 mode of melodic minor (i.e. B7 alt = the 7th mode of C melodic minor).
~Lesson 88: Bach Theme
In this lesson we’ll look at and play a theme from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book 1; Fugue 10 in E minor. What I find so great about this melody is that it uses a guide- tone cliché or line
~Lesson 87: ii-7 V7 Melody
Lesson 87 is a simple ii-7 V7 melody that you’ll probably recognize. This line will work over both a ii-7 or a V7 so it’s good to practice it in both harmonic contexts. Learn to sing the melody first so
~Lesson 86: Bird Line (2)
Playing bebop melodies through all 12 keys can be a great practice that will help develop your ear, your analytical mind and your technique. Sometimes a whole melody can be a bit daunting so it can be nice to take
~Lesson 85: Intervallic Ideas
Studying with George Garzone was always extremely inspiring and challenging. One seemingly simple assignment he gave me when I studied with him at Berklee in the 80’s was to play random intervals or random notes. The challenge was to actually
~Lesson 83: No Tongue
When studying with George Garzone in the mid 1980’s, I learned to practice and play without using any tongue. In my experience, playing without any tonguing exposes your finger technique and thus, through improved awareness, helps both the time and
~Lesson 82: Maj7 #5 Pentatonic
In lesson 82 we will look at an easy 5 note (pentatonic) scale that works well when improvising over a Major 7 #5 chord. This chord can be challenging when you’re starting out and this group of 5 notes are
~Lesson 81: Well You Needn’t
Here’s a one chorus solo I played over the chord changes to “Well You Needn’t” by Thelonious Monk for the “Jam Of The Week” facebook group, which I thought might make a nice etude. A video of the orginal solo
Lesson 80 -Triplets in 4’s
Improvising using odd rhythmic groupings or accent patterns while not getting turned around (loosing the harmonic rhythm) has always been something I enjoy working on and I’ve found that many of my students share this experience. This is a simple
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