Jazz Improvisation, Jamey Aebersold

[surfhorn]

Thanx, Tom - As with another poster, I've been a lead player all my life and haven't really given improv that much time; now I am. You're advice is golden. I am even going to use it with my freshman high school students (brand new school); they received their 12 Major Scales marching orders today!

Thanx for your time and experience.

-Dan
_________________
Pleasure Point Brass Band
Bach 180S 37 ML, 1970
Kanstul WB1600 (silver)
Olds Super, 1964 w/ C.M. Purviance 5*K4
Marcinkiewicz: E8.4 Shew 1.75
Schilke Flugel; Kanstul Flugel
Kanstul Valve Bone
Surfboard quiver: 15

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

..............................*** LESSON NUMBER 15 ***.............................

SATCHMO, BIX, CLARK, WOODY, TOM, MAYNARD, ARTURO SANDOVAL

(1) LOUIS ARMSTRONG: *Ultimate Collection, *Best of Hot 5 and Hot 7,
Great Summit-Master Takes (w/ Duke), The Birth of Jazz (w/ Jellyroll),
*Body and Soul, *Butter and Eggman, Louis Armstrong and His Friends,
*Louis Armstrong and King Oliver, Louis Armstrong Ultimate Collection

(2) BIX BEIDERBECKE: *Ultimate Collection, *His Best Recordings,
*The Genius of Bix Beiderbecke, Bix Restored Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4

(3) CLARK TERRY: *One on One, *Trumpet Summit (w/ Diz and Freddie)
*Porgy and Bess, *Straight no Chaser, *Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry

(4) WOODY SHAW: *The Eternal Triangle (w/ Freddie Hubbard), Solid,
Double Take (w/ Freddie Hubbard), *For Sure, *The Moontrane, United,
Dark Journey, Imagination, Ironmen, *Stepping Stones, Song of Songs

(5) TOM HARRELL: *Labyrinth, *Upswing, Passages, Bopstew, Stories,
*Paradise, Sail Away, We Will Meet Again (w/ Bill Evans), Time's Mirror,
*Playing with Fire (w/ Shew), Look to the Sky, About Charlie (G. Brisker)

(6) MAYNARD FERGUSSON: *Live at Jimmy's, *Chameleon, High Voltage,
*Conquestador, *Birdland 1 & 2, Primal Scream, New Vintage, Carnival

(7) ARTURO SANDOVAL: *Trumpet Evolution, I Remember Clifford,
*The Very Best of Arturo Sandoval, *Flight to Freedom, *Hot House,
*Danzon, No Problem (Live at Ronnie Scott's)

All the listed recordings are great! My preferences (*) are subjective and
you will surely not agree with all of them, but that's life. They are all truly
great, but my first recommendations under Miles and Chet are the best to
start with, especially for a beginning improv student to listen to. I could go
on and on listing many more such as Bobby Shew, Jon Faddis, etc, but you
will develop your own tastes as you go along, and I have tried to keep the
list fairly short. Some other players I really love are Bill Evans, Stan Getz,
Chick Corea, and Pat Metheny. In the future I will list some more greats in
other jazz styles, such as jazz/fusion, jazz/funk, and latin/jazz, that'll keep
you inspired and motivated as well!

That's it for the listenning recommendations. More regular type lessons
will be coming soon. Keep up with your short daily practice, as outlined
in my "lesson number 12" and I'll be back with more. Until then, I am...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR
_________________
7 Monettes, 9 Taylors, 8 Courtois, 8 Stomvis
7 Lawlers, 4 Leblancs, 3 Bessons, 3 Kanstuls
2 Blackburns, 9 Schilkes, 8 Bachs, 5 Selmers
8 Yamahas, 5 Committees, 2 Edwards Gen X
4 Marcinkeiwicz, 9 Harrelsons, and 4 Eclipses

[JoeCool]

Are you kidding me?????? This is the thread of the YEAR!!!!! This is so awesome!!!!
_________________
Joe

[god's horn]

Awesome thread! I'm sure I'll be purchasing the Jamey Aebersold books soon.

To accent something you said earlier about music theory... There is a book that I bought about 2 years ago that deals entirely with music theory. It's a self-test book by the name of "Scales, Intervals, Keys, Triads, Rythm and Meter." It's about the thickness of the Arban's (which I just bought this Tuesday.)

I studied it about half-way through it, but then we moved, and I haven't got back to it yet. I'll probably do some review before moving on. At any rate, this book has got to be helpful to anyone involved in music.

Thanks again for the thread. God bless.
_________________
Don't forget who gave you that talent.

"Your fruitfullness is directly connected to your discomfort level." - Micheal Pitts

[RGale]

Tom, may you be richly blessed for this thread!I hope you write a book along these lines ;it is so helpful .

What do you think of Essential Elements book for Jazz Ensemble ? It is by Mike Steinel and can be used for private instruction as well.

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

Hi Joe Cool, god's horn, and RGale,

Wow... Thank's guys for all the compliments!

Those are all good books you mentioned too.

Thanks again, Tom in Texas, J-P-C

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

................................*** LESSON NUMBER 16 ***................................

Lesson 11 was an introduction to the minor blues scales. These scales are
for use with minor type chords and have a special "bluesy" sound. Use the
three blues scales (G-, F- and E-) along with the minor scales suggested in
the book when playing Tracks 2 and 3. There is no need to go further with
the blues scales for now, just work on these three only. However, do make
sure you have all 12 major scales learned as soon as possible!! Spend the
majority of your time on the less familiar ones, until they are all mastered
almost equally well, and continue your daily practice as outlined in Lesson
Number 12. Just keep going slowly at your own pace. The more advanced
lessons will all be waiting right here for you when you get ready for them.

......................."THE SEVEN MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE"....................

You have already seen that a major scale can be played starting on the 2nd
note, producing what is called the minor (or dorian) scale. You've also seen
that a major scale can be played starting on the 5th note, producing what is
called the dominant (or mixolydian) scale. Now let's consider how the major
scales can be started on the other scale steps as well.

Using the C major scale as an example will make things easy to understand,
since it has no sharps or flats to complicate things. Playing this, or any other
scale, starting on each of the seven steps, produces seven different "modes".

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C .............................. ( Ionian Mode )
D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D .............................. ( Dorian Mode )
E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E ............................... ( Phrygian Mode )
F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F ............................... ( Lydian Mode )
G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G .............................. ( Mixolydian Mode )
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A ............................... ( Aeolian Mode )
B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B ............................... ( Locrian Mode )

Notice that each "mode" has a special name... Now you can see why the
minor scales can also be called "dorian", and the dominant scales can be
called "mixolydian". These are often refered to as their "modal" names.

This example was given using the C major scale for simplicity, but please
remember that all major scales can be broken down into seven modes too.
There is a chart in the middle of page 47 in your book that shows all of the
seven modes as well. I know that I'm skipping around in the book a bit, but
the order I'm presenting the material will be much easier for you to grasp.

There is nothing for you to study in the book for this lesson at this time. I'll
return with another lesson soon, but for now just continue with your usual
daily routine, and re-read this lesson a couple more times. See you soon!

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

...............................*** LESSON NUMBER 17 ***..................................

Lesson 16 introduced the seven modes of the major scale. Please be sure
that you understand that lesson on "modes" before continuing on... If you
got all that, then let's move on and learn about...

.............................. THE SEVEN DIATONIC CHORDS..............................

So, I've already told you that chords are basically groups of notes played
together that generally sound pleasing. That's a fairly simply definition but
now let's go further. Again, I'm departing from the way the book presents
this material, but don't worry about that. It will all come together soon and
you'll have a much better understanding of it all in the end... I promise!

Suppose that we take the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes out of the C major
scale, and play them all at the same time. This would give us the notes...
C, E, G, and B. This group of notes has a pleasant sound, and we call this
a "chord". Now suppose we take the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th notes out from
the scale and play them all at once. This also gives us a pleasing sounding
"chord" as well. Of course, we'd need an instrument like a piano or guitar
to play these groups of notes all at once, since our trumpets can only play
one note at a time. Now let's consider how chords can be built starting on
each of the seven steps of the major scale as well. Again we shall use the
C major scale in our example to make it easier to understand.

Here are the seven "diatonic chords" in the key of C major:

C, E, G, B ............................... ( the I chord )
D, F, A, C ............................... ( the II chord )
E, G, B, D ............................... ( the III chord )
F, A, C, E ................................ ( the IV chord )
G, B, D, F ............................... ( the V chord )
A, C, E, G ............................... ( the VI chord )
B, D, F, A ............................... ( the VII chord )

Notice that, just like the seven modes, each of the seven "diatonic chords"
has a special name, depending upon which step of the scale it is built. Also
note that all 12 of the major scales would have seven diatonic chords able
to be built from them as well. In other words, each major scale has seven
diatonic chords associated with it, which are labeled with Roman numerals.

One more thing worth noting right now: The most frequently used chords
in jazz music are the I chord, the II chord, and the V chord. This will soon
be discussed in an upcoming lesson about the "II/V/I chord progression".

OK, you know what to do! Re-read this a time or two, and don't worry at
all about my not going exactly along with the book. We'll get back to that
book real soon, and it'll all make much more sense! See you later, I am...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[RBtrumpet08]

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

.................................*** LESSON NUMBER 18 ***................................

"MORE INFO ON CHORDS" is the subject of this lesson... It is now time to
learn more about the specifics of chord construction.

You've noticed terms such as, "major chords", "minor chords", "dominant
chords", etc... We will now learn what these terms mean. Once again I will
teach them in a somewhat different way than Jamey Aebersold does in his
book, but later when you read what he says about chords, it' will all make
much more sense to you.

You've probably noticed that all the chords I mentioned in the last lesson
were built using every-other-note from the major scale. Musicians refer to
this as building chords "in thirds". This is because the distance from each
chord tone up to the next involves 3 total notes.

Example: C up to E is 3 notes (C, D, E), E up to G is 3 notes (E, F, G), and
G up to B is 3 notes (G, A, B)... Any interval involving three total notes (or
3 total letters) is called a "third". Do make sure you get this, then read on.

Most chords (but not all) are built in thirds, and we will limit our discussion
to this type of chord for the moment. Now the next thing you need to know
is that there are basically two main types of "third" intervals. There is the
"major third" (which is made of four half steps altogether) and there is the
"minor third" (which is made of three half steps altogether). Do remember
that a half step is the distance from one note, to the very next note in the
chromatic scale. So once again...

A "major third" has four half steps in it, and a "minor third" has three half
steps in it. Here are some examples: (Please count the half steps yourself
using the chromatic scale as your guide.)

(1) C up to E is a "major third" ... (count the four half steps).
(2) C up to Eb is a "minor third" ... (count only three half steps).

(3) G up to B is a "major third" ... (count the four half steps).
(4) G up to Bb is a "minor third" ... (count only three half steps).

This can be a bit confusing at first, counting 3 total notes (or letters) to see
that an interval is called a "third", then counting up the half steps within the
interval to see if it's a "major third" or a "minor third"... So go back now to
the examples above and do the math again and again as needed, until you
really get it. Major thirds have 4 half steps. Minor thirds have just three.

At first it may seem confusing, but with just a little review it should all start
to become pretty clear. Just chew on this awhile before going on. Anytime
you get confused, just back up and review the previous material, and then
try again. It usually just takes a little review. More about chords in the next
lesson, but do make sure you understand all about major thirds and minor
thirds before you go on...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

Hello all,

I've received quite a few PMs about my large collection of trumpets... so
I thought I'd say a few words here about them. I taught in public schools
for 10 years after graduating from college. I later began to help students
to locate instruments and avoid the high priced music stores in this area.
I found a niche and this soon became my full-time business for 25 years.

I eventually began to specialise in the high end professional market, and
then later in the very exotic market of boutique type trumpets, flumpets,
and flugelhorns. I still buy and sell trumpets, and I do have a very large
personal collection as you can see. I'm in the process of planning for my
semi-retirement now and am actually liquidating my inventory and much
of my personal collection as well. Almost all of my instruments are either
in utterly pristine mint condition or very close to it. If any of you have an
interest in this type of instrument, please do feel free to PM me. I'm now
down to about 250 instruments in all and plan to keep about 30-35 horns
in my collection from now on. I've been very fortunate to live out all my
trumpet fantasies while making a living at the same time.

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR
_________________
7 Monettes, 9 Taylors, 8 Courtois, 8 Stomvis
7 Lawlers, 4 Leblancs, 3 Bessons, 3 Kanstuls
2 Blackburns, 9 Schilkes, 8 Bachs, 5 Selmers
8 Yamahas, 5 Committees, 2 Edwards Gen X
4 Marcinkeiwicz, 9 Harrelsons, and 4 Eclipses

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

..................................*** LESSON NUMBER 19 ***...............................

"EVEN MORE INFO ON CHORDS" is the subject of this lesson. I know what
you're thinking... The last lesson was supposed to be all about chords, and
then all I told you is that most chords are built using "thirds", and then all I
did was talk about major and minor thirds the whole time. Well, it was very
important to fully understand "thirds" before you could understand all of the
various types of chords, so you needed that primer lesson. If you have any
doubts about "major and minor thirds" at all... go back now and review that
previous lesson until you know you have it for sure, then come back to this.


(1) If a chord has only three notes in it, it is called a "triad".
For example: C, E, G (1st, 3rd, 5th)

(2) If a chord has four notes in it, it is called a "seventh chord".
For example: C, E, G, B (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th)

(3) If a chord has five notes in it, it is called a "ninth chord".
For example: C, E, G, B, D (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th)

(4) If a chord has six notes in it, it is called an "eleventh chord".
For example: C, E, G, B, D, F (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th)


That's as far as we'll go. I hope you see the pattern here. We just keep
stacking on one more "third" with each advancing chord. All we will talk
about for now are "triads" and "seventh chords". This'll keep everything
simple, and it's all you'll need to get all the way through JA's Volume 1.

In the next chart, I will refer to major thirds as M3's, and I will refer to
minor thirds as m3's. That's M3's and m3's. Just take your time with this
next part, but first, I'll give you one example to make certain that you'll
understand. So be sure you read the next paragraph about five times!!

The C major seventh chord has the notes C, E, G, and B. Notice that
C to E is a M3, and E to G is a m3, and G to B is another M3. Sooo...
The formula for making a MAJOR SEVENTH CHORD is "M3, m3, M3".

Seriously, you may need to read all that slowly several times, or go back
and review the previous material, and then come back to study this more.
You will then be able to understand and absorb what comes next... a table
that lists the formulas for all the triads and seventh chords you'll need for
a long time. You'll then have about 80% of all the music theory you need
for a full year of improv study!


............FORMULAS FOR TRIADS AND SEVENTH CHORDS...........

MAJOR TRIADS......................... M3, m3 ................. C, E, G
MINOR TRIADS......................... m3, M3 ................. C, Eb, G
DIMINISHED TRIADS................. m3, m3 ................ C, Eb, Gb
AUGMENTED TRIADS................. M3, M3 .................. C, E, G#

MAJOR SEVENTHS...................... M3, m3, M3 .......... C, E, G, B
MINOR SEVENTHS...................... m3, M3, m3 .......... C, Eb, G, Bb
DOMINANT SEVENTHS................ M3, m3, m3 .......... C, E, G, Bb
HALF-DIMINISHED SEVENTHS..... m3, m3, M3 .......... C, Eb, Gb, Bb

It won't be necessary to memorize these formulas right away so don't
bother with that right now. Just make sure you understand the concept
that all these chords are made by stacking notes in "major thirds" and
"minor thirds". That's really all you need to know for now. The reason I
presented it now is to give you a good understanding of how the chords
are constructed. The only thing we'll really be conscerned with for quite
a while, is which scales sound good with the various chords, that's all...

Lessons 16-19 should be reviewed until they are your very best friends!
These four lessons are what puts it all together for you... You'll be pretty
much set for a year or so, as very little else will need to be learned. Now
it's almost all just practicing by playing along with the CDs and listenning
to some really great jazz. You're going to love it and you will be amazed
at how quickly you'll progress, and you'll NEVER regret it!! Being able to
just close your eyes and play whatever you hear in your head, and feel
in your heart is something that is priceless!! Until next time, I am...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER COLLECTOR

[trumpetchops]

Hi Tom,

I used to play a lot of jazz but I gave it up to concentrate on legit stuff.

I just came across this thread and read it from start to finish.

It is great stuff. This is very nice of you to do.

Thanks !!

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

................................*** LESSON NUMBER 20 ***................................

"CHORDS, ONE LAST LESSON" would be a good title for this post. We need
just a little bit more discussion on this part of music theory, then it's back to
playing along with the CD! Please review Lesson 17 on the diatonic chords.

The term "diatonic" refers to the fact that the 7 chords are built on each step
of a major scale, using nothing but every-other-note from that scale. We can
build seven such diatonic chords on each of the 12 major scales. Now, I want
you to notice which diatonic chords are major, minor, or dominant, etc...

If you analyze each of the diatonic chords labelled with the Roman numerals
in Lesson 17, you would notice the following:

(1) The I chord is a ......................... MAJOR SEVENTH CHORD
(2) The II chord is a ........................ MINOR SEVENTH CHORD
(3) The III chord is a ....................... MINOR SEVENTH CHORD
(4) The IV chord is a ....................... MAJOR SEVENTH CHORD
(5) The V chord is a ........................ DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD
(6) The VI chord is a........................ MINOR SEVENTH CHORD
(7) The VII chord is a ...................... HALF-DIMINISHED SEVENTH

The seven diatonic chords from all 12 major scales fit this same pattern.
In other words the I chord in every key is a "major seventh chord", and
the II chord in every key is a "minor seventh chord", etc... Pause here a
moment and reflect on this. A couple more examples: All V chords are of
the "dominant seventh" type, and all VII chords are "half-diminished". All
this goes for every diatonic chord in all 12 keys.

Now let's discuss one more thing about chords. Chords are represented by
something we call "chord symbols". You have already seen chord symbols
such as G-, F-, and E-. These symbols refer to the three triads that we call
"G minor, f minor, and E minor". All chords are represented with this type
of symbol. There are a few variations that are commonly used, such as...

C MAJOR TRIAD ............................... C, C maj, C ma, CM
C MINOR TRIAD ............................... C-, C min, C mi, Cm
C AUGMENTED TRIAD........................ C+, C aug
C MAJOR SEVENTH ........................... C maj7, C ma7, C M7
C MINOR SEVENTH ........................... C min7, C mi7, C m7
C DOMINANT SEVENTH ..................... C7

Some other common nomenclature can be seen on page 51 in JA's book.
Major type chords are often marked with a small triangle, diminished type
chords are often marked with a small circle, or as C dim or C dim7... and
half-diminished type chords are usually marked with a small circle with a
slash mark through it. The NOMENCLATURE CHART on page 51 will show
many variations for these and other chords in the right hand collumn. The
most commonly used symbols are listed inside the little boxes.

The scales recommended to be used with the various types of chords are
listed in the left hand collomn. There are also many more types of chords
& scales listed on this page, as well as much more music theory material
written out above and below the chart. I want you to ignore all this extra
information and just look over the five lines marked with the big asterics.

It may not all make perfect sense to you now... but at least you'll see the
triangles and little circles I can't type on my keyboard. Remember to just
ignore all the other info on that page. It is all too confusing and you don't
need any of it at this point. Most of that material is for the very advanced
student only.

Now I'd say you have about 90% of all the music theory type information
you will need for a whole year of study, 90%!!!! As I said before, now you
will mostly just play along with the CD's and listen to some great jazz, and
also work on your scales.

One new assignment: Go ahead and learn one more blues scales now, the
one in C (C, Eb, F, F#, G, Bb, C). You should then know four blues scales.
That is all you will need for quite some time. We will use them much more
soon, so do get to work on those four pretty seriously, along with your 12
major scales. Continue playing and singing along with tracks 2-5 on the CD
and continue reviewing these lessons and all the corresponding pages I've
given you from the book. Write up a schedule, listing these lessons, pages
in the book, and the various scales you're working on, and begin checking
them off as you fully learn each part. This will help you see your progress,
and keep you on track. Don't waste your time... PRACTICE EFFICIENTLY!!

Always remember to have fun with this and don't be in any rush. The more
time you spend with these basics, the easier it will be for you in the future!

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[RichN]

Excellent stuff. Keep with it! I'm still at about Lesson 2...

Maybe worth a listen:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/documentaries/insideimprov.shtml

[JasonHarrelson]

Tom...I promised I'd stop by and read your thread weeks ago! It looks great!

I have been using a somewhat similar program (Aebersolds, transcriptions and transcribing by ear) with my students for several years with great success. I usually teach the 1st (lead) and 2nd (jazz solo) chairs in the surrounding local high school jazz bands. For anyone wishing to take the leap to improv...follow Tom's advice. I've had the pleasure of hearing him play and believe me, his words are as solid as his own playing.

You know...with all respect to Jamey, the instructions in his books are a little long-winded. Maybe you should put together a book that gets right to the point? I have my students read some of the notes in the Aebersold books, but they seem to lose interest if I have them read all of book 1. You might talk to Jamey and see if he'd be up to having you write some kind of "Guide to the Aebersold Series" book with your own advice included.

Call me sometime and we'll discuss your flugel.

Jason Harrelson
_________________
Harrelson Trumpets
www.whyharrelson.com

[plp]

Tom, where were you 25 years ago when I needed this????

People, and particularly you youngsters, this is pure gold! I wasn't introduced to a lot of these concepts until my second year of music theory, and it fell on deaf (or rather thoroughly confused) ears. To be able to couple this instruction with the play along CDs is one of the best ideas I've seen on this site since the BE forum!

Thank you for this excellent tool, now I'm off to order some CD's.......

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

Hi RichN, Jason, PLP, Dave, Tim, and all the others who've PM'd recently,

Thanks everyone for the kind words! I do appreciate the encouragement
and I may do some writing (instruction books) in the future. My presence
here on Trumpet Herald has always been to make a difference. It makes
me feel good to see that I am...

It was pointed out in a recent PM that the latest edition of JA Volume 1 is
different than earlier editions. I'm using the most recent edition, so if you
had trouble locating the sections I refer to in the book, that's probably the
reason why. I'd suggest ordering the latest set and giving your old one to
a friend, with the condition that he comes over each week and jams to the
play-along tracks with you. You can give some instruction too. It is alot of
fun to play, taking turns with friends, and it's very motivating as well!


..............................*** LESSON NUMBER 21 ***...............................

Lessons 12-15 gave recommended DVD's and CD's for wise purchasing.
Lessons 16-20 gave enough information on chords to last you a full year.

Now we will return to basic instruction going along with the book again.
In Lesson 9, we studied some basic scale patterns that can be used for
playing along with the first few tracks on the CD. These patterns aren't
exactly "licks" and should simply be thought of as patterns that will help
you get used to the scales, and offer a starting point for improvization.

The basic patterns and some helpful tips for practice are given on pages
9-19, but we have just used the first seven patterns so far (pages 9-13).
Now it's time to go ahead and look at the rest of the patterns (20 in all),
so review pages 9-13 now, then continue reading all the way to page 19.

When you're finished with the reading, turn back to page 78 in the book,
and you will remember that all the suggested patterns are written out in
the key of Bb here, for trumpeters to use with track 2. You can play the
patterns with track 2 by simply reading them all right off the page!

Some super organized people will have the urge to systematically learn
all 20 patterns, in every possible key and mode there is before going on.
There is no need for this. I would probably only play paterns 3, 7, 11, 12,
13, 19 and 20, and only over the minor scales given on pages 78 thru 82.
This will give you a great start without repeating alot of material in whole
notes, half notes, and quarter notes, etc. You should go ahead and mark
those recommended patterns on pages 78-82, and then you're all set.

You can practice these patterns away from the CD, or along with it. Try to
vary the rhythms a bit, which will bring you a little closer to improvization
already. When playing them along with the tracks, you should not feel that
you must play them exactly as written. Remember they are a springboard
to launch improvization from. If you feel inspired to experiment, go ahead
and have some fun. Experimentation is exactly what you need.

Experiment all the time, but take it slowly... always trying to prehear each
idea in your mind. Do not just play a bunch of random notes. If all you can
hear is just a note or two, then that's what you should play... Later you will
hear 3 or 4 notes, and then more. You crawl, then you walk, then you run!!
Do experiment by improvizing without the CD tracks too. Trying to keep up
with the count, and the chord changes can hamper the creative process.

You can improvize some on all 12 major scales as you're working on them.
Spend the most time with the "newer, harder ones". Do improvize a little on
every scale as you practice it. This will help you to learn them even faster.

Be sure to practice your seven minor (dorian) scales this way too, as well
as your four minor blues scales. You will find those scales are just begging
to be played. Don't worry about these scale patterns too much, they're just
there to help get you started... In fact, I think I hear some of these scales
calling to me now... So, I guess I better go! Later...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

................................*** LESSON NUMBER 22 ***.................................

"FOUR MEASURE CADENCES" ...or... "THE II/V7/I CHORD PROGRESSION"

This lesson represents a big and very important step in the improvization
student's developement. You should re-read Lesson 16 "the 7 modes" and
Lesson 17 "the 7 diatonic chords" at this point before going on...

You'll recall that the major scales can be played starting on each of their
seven tones, making seven "modes". You'll also recall that all the major
scales have seven different "diatonic chords" associated with them, each
starting on a different scale step (just like the modes). So each of the 12
major scales have seven modes, and seven diatonic chords.

Also recall that each of the seven diatonic chords is labelled with a roman
numeral, depending on which step of the scale it is built from, and each of
the seven modes has a special name (Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, etc...).

Now turn to page 74 of the play-along section in your book, and look at the
Track 6 "FOUR MEASURE CADENCES" section. The first line has the chords
G-, C7, and F Maj. This would be the II chord, the V chord, and the I chord
in the key of F major. Some are triads, and some are seventh chords, but
this makes no difference to us right now. The only thing that matters is that
they are built on the 2nd step, the 5th step and the 1st step of the F major
scale, and therefore they are the "II, V and I chords in the key of F".

It's probably better to point out that the V chord is really a V7 chord, but as
soloists, it won't matter to us if the piano player is using a triad, a 7th chord,
or even a 9th chord, since it won't effect what scale we will use to improvize
with anyway. I'll talk about this more later. The main thing is just to see that
we're using the II, V7, and I chord in F major.

Now let's look at the scales that are recommended for use with each of these
chords. LOOK! They're all modes of the F major scale. Notice the II chord
uses the 2nd mode, the V chord uses the 5th mode, and the I chord uses the
first mode (Dorian, Mixolydian, and Ionian).

The notes of the F major scale will sound good over every chord on that
whole first line! This is some very important stuff here folks. It's now time
to really make sure you get this!! I know we're using different modes with
each chord, but they are all modes of the same F major scale. They all use
the exact same notes. All the chords are built from the tones of the F major
scale, and all the notes of the F major scale sound good when played over
all of these chords. When you think about it, it all makes perfect sense!
And... it all works in every key! Let's check it out:

First line ........... II/ V7/ I in F ............ F major scale works throughout!
Second line........ II/ V7/ I in G .......... G major scale works throughout!
Third line........... II/ V7/ I in A ........... A major scale works throughout!
Fourth line......... II/ V7/ I in Bb ........ Bb major scale works throughout!
Fifth line............ II/ V7/ I in C ........... C major scale works throughout!
Sixth line .......... II/ V7/ I in D ........... D major scale works throughout!

Feeling brave??? You know what to do! Review this lesson a little, then...
GO FOR IT!!! Put that CD in the player and advance it to Track 6. Notice
each line repeats so you don't get lost. Now, jump right in!! You'll most
likely want to listen to the track a bit first, then play along.

You could try just playing the first five tones under each chord symbol as
eighth notes to get you rolling... then, gradually begin improvizing freely,
bravely, without the slightest sadness that you miss some notes now and
then. Keep it simple, simple, SIMPLE, but don't worry about mistakes!!

Experiment... and make lots of mistakes! Who cares? It's your first time...
Stop occasionally just to listen. Hum, and count measures. Begin to feel the
chord changes just like you did on the earlier tracks, then play some more.

It'll feel a bit awkward at first! How could it be any other way? But it DOES
get better and better, day by day, week by week... until it's so easy you'll
look back and wonder how it ever felt so odd at first!! HAVE FUN! I am...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

[JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR]

..................................*** LESSON NUMBER 23 ***..................................

..."THAT TRICKY FOURTH STEP OF THE MIXOLYDIAN AND IONIAN MODES"...

When we played along with Tracks 2 thru 5, we were using one minor scale
over one minor chord for several measures at a time. We were able to hold
any of the scale tones at any moment and it would sound pretty good. If you
have already begun playing along with Track 6, presented just above in our
Lesson 22, you might have already noticed that there are a couple notes in
the scales, that if held at certain times can sound "wrong or bad". You might
have wondered how there could be any "clinkers" in these suggested scales.

While we notice that the first line on Track 6 can be played using only one
major scale all the way through, for this discussion I'd prefer to refer to the
scales used for each chord by their "modal names". In other words the scale
under the G- symbol would be G dorian, the scale under the C7 symbol will
be C mixolydian, and we'll call the scale under the F Maj symbol F ionian.

The problem lies with the fourth steps of the mixolydian and ionian modes...
Look at the material for Track 6 again on page 74 in the book. During the C7
chord, the fourth step of its corresponding mixolydian mode can sound wrong
if held for a couple of beats or more. Similarly, during the F Major chord, the
fourth step of its corresponding ionian mode will also sound wrong if held for
any length of time.

During the C7 chord the "problem note" would be F, and during the F Major
chord the "problem note" would be Bb... If you have not yet noticed this on
your own, go now to the CD player and put on Track #6. Do remember that
we are using the first line as our example here, but this problem exists with
the fourth step of all the mixolydian and ionian modes. Play along now with
Track 6 and intentionally hold out the note F during the C7 chord, and also
hold the note Bb during the F Major chord. Not very pretty, are they?!

If you just play them for a short time, passing through on the way to other
notes of the scale, there's no problem. It's when you hold those notes out for
a couple of beats or more that the problem arises. The fourth step in each of
these two scales "clash" with the third step, which exist in the chords.

There is no problem with the fourth step of the minor/dorian scale we used
with the G- chord (for example) and its fourth step can be held anytime w/o
sounding bad. It is just the fourth step of the mixolydian and ionian modes
that we have to be careful with.

It's not a very big issue if one is playing notes that they've "pre-heard" as part
of a melodic idea. Your mind won't tell you to hold that "problem note" anyway,
since you instinctively know it would sound bad. Just go slowly and pass through
it on the way to other "good sounding" notes. If you always play what you 'hear'
you won't have any problems. There is an old saying in jazz that I once heard
(and later originated) that goes something like this: "If you hear it, it can't be
wrong!" There is alot of truth to that statement...

Just go slowly and be careful with that fourth step, and later you won't have
problems with this tricky note at all. Soon you won't even notice it anymore.
Keep practicing, and do give yourself a break. Don't be so hard on yourself.
Remember that trial and error is a great teacher. We learn as much from all
the mistakes as we do from the successes. If you never make mistakes then
something is terribly wrong. So, don't be shy, and don't worry about making
a few mistakes! Our mistakes teach us what doesn't work!! Later guys...

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR