Lesson 31: Bach Sing-Play
In lesson 31 we’ll take a small melodic fragment from the Bach 2 part inversions and both play it and sing it through the diatonic chords found in concert Eb major. I enjoy taking a small phrase from any number
Lesson 30: Sing and Play
Since I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in 1990, I began to sing as a way of practicing the saxophone without using my hands. After my operation, I could not use my hands to play the sax for 4 months so
Lesson 29: Maj #5 #9 #11
This is a melody taken from the harmonic major scale. The b6 mode of harmonic major outlines a major 7 chord with a #5, a #9 and a #11. The melodic line starts with a simple “shell voicing” (the root,
Book ~ Modern Jazz Vocab. Vol.1
I finally finished my first book on jazz improvisation. After years of practice journals and outlines for the ultimate jazz tome, I finally realized that I’m not Mick Goodrick or Hal Crook (no matter how much I practice) and in
Lesson 22: ii – V – I Chromatic
In lesson 20 and 21 we worked on using chromatics as melodic material over specific harmony. Continuing along these lines, this exercise is another ii-7 – V7- Imaj7 using the chromatic scale. The melody ascends from the minor 3rd
Lesson 21: V7 Chromatic
Although we all practice chromatic scales over the years, sometimes it’s challenging to actually use them as convincing melodies while improvising. One thing I’ve noticed is that every other note of a chromatic scale creates a whole tone scale, and
Lesson 20: V7 to i using -3rds
Here’s a short melody I worked out using minor 3rds descending by half steps. It works well as a V7 to i minor cadence and after the descending minor 3rd passage I added a short 5 note minor melody to
Lesson 19: Maj7 #9 #11 Melody
Using unusual modes from scales can help produce some interesting melodies. This major #9 #11 melody comes from the 6th mode of harmonic minor (i.e. Ab to Ab from C harmonic minor). This mode is a wonderful substitution for Lydian
Lesson 17: Intervallic Melody
Using bigger intervals when improvising can help create an interesting contrast to your linear ideas. This is a melody comprised of a spread triad in 2nd inversion and 2 upper-structure “tensions”; the 11th and the 9th. These melodies are played
Lesson 14: Diminished Melody
Here is a simple melody that will help you hear diminished as diminished, not merely as a dominant 7(b9). This is fairly easy idea that is played through the keys around the circle of fourths starting in concert C. It’s
Lesson 13: Lydian Melody in 5ths
Playing larger intervals can help to break up more linear ideas in a creative way that still sounds melodic and outlines the harmony clearly. This exercise in comprised of consecutive 5ths through Lydian, so it will work well over Major
Lesson 12: Embellished Triad
Lots of great melodies are no more than a triad with a bit of stepwise embellishment. This exercise takes a spread triad in root position and embellishes the 3rd at the top of the voicing with upper and lower neighbor
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