Jazzadvice.com - "Melodic Power" Course

[Turkle]

Hi, all.

Let me say first that I love the site jazzadvice.com. Super interesting articles, well-researched and presented, chock-full of excerpts from jazz masters, and with tons of practice ideas any time I need inspiration or a new direction to take. The two guys that run the site do an outstanding job and I've been inspired many times by their ideas. I've even donated to their site (not a lot, but I'm not rich) for their trouble.

I notice that they have an e-book for sale: "Melodic Power." Now, this is extremely relevant to my interests, as I have been trying to cultivate a more melodic approach to improvisation (primarily by studying Stan Getz, Ruby Braff, and Chet Baker). It's a method book highlighting melodic ideas from the great masters and exercises to get them into your own playing. It also comes with a full set of explanatory videos and backing tracks.

https://www.jazzadvice.com/melodic-power-course/

It's quite expensive but looks right up my alley. Have any of you checked this out yet? I'd love to take the plunge but it would be really helpful to hear what one of you thought of it.

Thanks!
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[beagle]

Did you buy this yet, or hear from anyone who has?

I'm also a big fan of the Jazz Advice website and would also be interested to hear any opinions on the Melodic Power course. Considering what I have already gained for free from their site, I actually feel like I owe it to them to buy this regardless and I'm pretty sure it is good value anyway.

Rob
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Schagerl Sig. James Morrison
Selmer Paris Chorus 80J

[Turkle]

No, didn't buy it yet, and sort of completely forgot about it until I saw your post. Would still appreciate a review if anyone else has used it. Cheers
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[beagle]

After my last post I decided to go ahead and buy it (January is not over and I have now broken my New Year's resolution not to but any more method books...).

You have probably already seen the video introduction and sample chapter here: melodic power.

This gives you a good idea of how the book works and their overall approach to teaching techniques. There are 8 main sections (melodic concepts) - these are listed in the sample - each with a lesson and around 5 subsections which describe particular techniques for using the concept. Each technique is supported by an example from a real solo. The approach is then to introduce the technique using some exercises around the cycle and chromatically. Once mastered, you are then asked to improvise, limiting yourself to the given technique, and then again using the technique as well as other techniques in your melodic vocabulary.

There are videos and audio tracks to support the material. The exercises are simply played through, though there is some textual commentary on the video (though no actual speech). The thing that struck me most about the tracks and videos is just how slow they are and how long they hang on each chord (16 bars each). They believe that going this slow is more effective for mastering and internalizing each technique. It gives you much more time to think about and hear what notes you are actually playing.

The topics themselves are quite interesting and unusual. For instance, as you see in the free sample, they start with how you can make use of the the 4th (i.e. the "avoid note") with a major triad over a major chord. It shows that the book is perhaps not really aimed at beginning improvisers. You are also expected to have a reasonable knowledge of scales and harmony.

If you are a regular reader of the Jazz Advice site, then their way of isolating techniques in this way is probably familiar. If you work through the book slowly and attentively as the authors intend, then I am sure that you will not only see improvement in your soloing, but through the repetition of their learning method over all the lessons, I expect it will also be much easier to both identify and learn new concepts and techniques from transcribed solos.

I am not very far into this yet, and the above is pretty much a first impression. However, I believe that if you like the Jazz Advice site, you are very likely to enjoy this course.

All the best,
Rob
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Schagerl Sig. James Morrison
Selmer Paris Chorus 80J

[Blancolate]

After the last review I decided to purchase the "Melodic Course" on that site.
I am very pleased by their approach to teaching improvisation.......its a fine combination of developing aural, mental and practical skills. Becoming a highly skilled improviser is a long term endeavor and it looks like this course plus a couple of others they have on that site give you a pretty solid map to get there. The courses may seem a little pricey but they give you enough to work on for a very long time!

[Richard III]

I listened to the intro someone linked to above. I heard someone playing notes in a chord. I didn't hear melodic improvisation. Maybe that's because it was demonstrating basics? But the backing track to the demo was also lacking in forward movement and sounded just like standard modern jazz which to me lacks melodic development. Turkle mentioned Ruby Braff and others who are melodic development improvisers. I don't see this as that. Variations on a theme using the melody as the basis for the variations is my goal. Sorry to be negative.
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Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[beagle]