the sound of jazz

7/29/2019 The Sound of Jazz

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The Sound of Jazz

Preface

I taught a small jazz combo performance class for a number of years at a college at

which this was the only class that dealt with jazz. I felt that, since this was the only jazzclass, I needed to present every aspect of jazz. I would have to teach not just

performance, but history and theory as well. The problem is that each of those topics

deserves a class of its own. This book grew out of my need to organize the material that

I wanted to present in the way that I wanted to present it.

The intent of this book is to provide information about improvisation in the different

eras/styles of jazz as concisely as possible, and to provide materials and knowledge that

will enable college level players to play within these various eras/styles of jazz. It goes

without saying that the materials here must be used in conjunction with listening to the

music within these eras.

For the instructor, the book serves as a way of organizing ideas about how the course

can be taught. It can function as a text (I used it that way some years) or as a guide for

ideas on what to present. There is an extensive course design included in the appendix.

Knowledge and appreciation of the history of jazz improves the playing of it. And I

believe that knowledge of the techniques and approaches used in different eras can

only strengthen players abilities in whatever style of jazz they choose to engage in. That

seems painfully obvious. What is less obvious is that when the real work of jazz the

relentless search for, and discovery of, a personal voice is engaged in, this knowledge

will provide players with material with which to shape their music. It will also let themknow what has come before so that they can, if they choose, consciously avoid

repeating history.

That being the artistic reason, the practical reason is this: the knowledge of different

styles well help you get a greater number of gigs. People enjoy Dixieland. They like

swing and bebop and free jazz. For every style of jazz there is a different audience. Some

people like it all.

Just as importantly, it will open your ears and mind to different ways of doing things.

That openness will hopefully extend to styles outside of jazz. An attitude of inclusivenesstends to make the journey a lot more interesting. It gives you more opportunities to

create stuff, youll work more, and youll be a more interesting person to hang out with.

A book like this cannot be comprehensive. There is just too much stuff to cover. It

should be treated as a guide to the topics that you may want to explore more fully.


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Part 1 Instrumental Roles

In a small jazz combo, improvisation occurs on many levels simultaneously. In other

words, everyone in the band should, in some sense be improvising continuously. The

written music acts as a guideline, suggesting possibilities, not dictating outcomes.

The Rhythm Section

The rhythm section is a group of players accompanying a soloist, although at certain

points in jazz history, the rhythm section has shifted from purely accompanimental

(early jazz, swing) to freer and more interactive (bebop, free jazz). This group of players

consists of drums, bass, piano and guitar. The following descriptions are the most

conventional.

Bass

Ideally, the bass player chooses notes based on the chord changes. The bass line is

improvised in such a way that it supports what the rest of the band is doing and reflects

the underlying harmony and feel of the tune. Like everybody else in the band, the bass

player must respond to what is happening in the rest of the band.

The walking bass line can be thought of as the foundation of the bassists role. It

involves playing one note per beat, emphasizing the 2nd

and 4th

beats while maintaining

a strong sense of the pulse. Notes are chosen from within the chords of the progression

and in doing so, the bass player outlines the harmony. As well as chord tones, bass lines

are composed of scales and chromatic passing notes (CPT). Heres an example.

fig. 1

Certain things become apparent on analysis. The line is comprised largely of chord tones

with the following basic approach:

Beat 1 root (exceptions are found in bars 4, 6, 7 and 10; bar 4 and 6 are bothpart of a 2 bar phrase so it makes sense avoid the root in order to keep things


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moving; bars 7 and 10 land on 5 after strong chromatic movement towards it;

this is logical and provides variety); Beat 2 play the 3rd

, 5th

, or 7th

; Beat 3 3rd

,

5th

, or 7th

(bars 2, 3, 5, and 10 break this rule in favor of strong linear movement);

Beat 4 any chord tone or chromatic approach tone leading to the note on beat

1.

Using chord tones exclusively becomes monotonous. The inclusion of scale passages and

chromatic passing tones are necessary to maintain an interesting line.

Bass players will also fill gaps in the sound with fragments of melody or responses to

what is being played. In the sixties this became an important stylistic part of bass playing

as players involved themselves in musical conversations in a more explicit way than

previously.

Piano

When accompanying the soloist, the pianist plays chords and rhythms that are

complementary to what the soloist is playing. This is an improvised activity and choice of

chord voicings are intended to provide color as well as harmonic and melodic ideas for

the soloist.

When soloing, the pianist generally comps (see comping below) with the left hand and

plays single lines with the right hand. There is a wide variety of approach here, but thats

the basic idea.

Drums

In order to maintain a regular pulse, the drummer plays ride rhythms on the ride cymbal

with the right hand. These rhythms can be one stroke per beat, but are usually more

complicated. The drummer can play these rhythms on other parts of the kit as well, but

the ride cymbal is used most often.

Here are some examples of ride rhythms. Swing feel is most appropriate here.

fig. 2 basic ride rhythm

fig. 3 ride rhythm 2


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I could continue to write variations of note/eighth note rhythms for a long time and

come nowhere close to the number of possibilities for ride rhythms.

With the left hand, the drummer can accent and color the group sound with snare

drum, tom toms and a variety of cymbals. Good drummers can create a huge variety ofsound, depending on how they use the kit. This variety, along with tasteful use of

accents, is used to inspire the soloist and the rest of the band. The drummer also has a

strong role to play in terms of dynamics.

Swing feel can be enhanced by playing 2 and 4 on the high hat, but it isnt necessary

and, if over-used can create a heavy kind of feel. The bass drum can be used lightly on

any of the four beats or just for accents.

While drummers are conventionally thought of as timekeepers in many genres of music,

in jazz their role as colorist is just as important. As jazz has evolved, the bass player has

assumed a more important time-keeping role. Of course, it isnt just one persons

responsibility. Everyone in the band has to have a strong sense of time.

Soloist

In order to have the resources to create consistently fresh and new improvisations,

successful jazz soloists rely heavily on training and intuition. They must be able to create

phrases that fit with the chords that are being played and to be able to spontaneously

edit those phrases as they play. Soloists must remember what theyve played in order to

repeat it, vary it, or play something new. They must be able to swing and to keepperfect time so that the whole group sounds cohesive, and they must be able to

respond to what the rest of the band is doing.

In order to sound fresh and new it is necessary to listen to the work of great musicians

so that you know whats already been done and to get a better idea of what you want to

do. It is also necessary to explore your own melodic ideas in practice sessions through

the manipulation of scales and arpeggios. This essentially means composing lines to use

while improvising.

Its possible to improvise melodies from scratch, but the most common way toimprovise is to play off something like a pre-existing melody or lead sheet. The original

melody can be altered in whole or in part and the phrasing can change as can the

rhythm of the melody. Some players take a fragment of the melody and vary it

throughout the tune. Others ignore the melody altogether and improvise something

completely different.


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In order to be a successful jazz soloist you must:

Develop command of your instrument through constant practice so that you canplay any musical idea effortlessly.

Have strong knowledge of harmony so that you can negotiate key changes andcreate interesting melodies. This relates directly to the recognition of standardchord progressions.

Be able to listen intently to the entire band while playing and know how tointeract with them.

Develop a knowledge of the jazz repertoire through learning pieces and listeningto repertoire.

Comping

Comping is associated primarily with chordal instruments like piano or guitar. However,

drums and bass also assume a comping role as well. Traditionally, they have been lessfree to do so because of their time-keeping roles. It is possible, however to maintain a

sense of pulse without making it obvious. It is also possible to give time-keeping duties

to the piano or guitar.

Comping implies an attitude. It is derived from the words accompaniment and

complement and is used to describe a sensitive, supportive approach to working with a

soloist and with the rest of the band. The comping instrument listens and responds. If

the soloist plays an interesting rhythmic figure, the comper can repeat it or develop it.

The comper can wait until the end of the phrase and insert commentary or can play

rhythmic accents to support the line.

Listening to live or recorded jazz is essential in order to get a feel for comping. When

comping, it isnt necessary to emphasize the pulse since another member of the group

will be doing that. The following are aspects of typical comping rhythms:

Any single offbeat or downbeat Any combination of offbeats or downbeats Any rhythm on the beat followed by or preceded by an offbeat rhythm Generally no more than 2 successive chords on the same beat

In other words, anything is possible. The thing to remember is that you arent mindlessly

playing a repetitive rhythm. Youre listening and waiting to place the chords in theappropriate place.

Chord voicings can be based on the following principles:

Three or four note voicings in the left hand (piano). Be careful of muddiness ofsound produced by placing the chord too low in the register.


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The right hand (piano) can produce color in the form of chord extensions (9, 11,13).

Dont continually play the root in the bass. The 3 rd and the 7th are strong choices.These are guidelines to get you started, not rules. Make sure you experiment.

Figure 4 shows some typical comping rhythms.

fig. 4 comping rhythms

As you can see, there is no attempt to establish a rhythmic pattern. Notice the amount

of space that is left. This implies that another instrument is filling it.


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Creating the Sound of Jazz History

Any discussion of jazz history involves an examination of the major figures associated

with jazz. This gives jazz a human face and provides us with touchstones for talking

about the music. It can inspire us to achieve things to the same degree as those that

inspire us.

It can also, however, give us an excuse to ignore the work that jazz asks of us: discovery,

and innovation through discovery of what you want to express and how you want to

express it. Its easier to copy than to make an original contribution. On the other hand,

its also difficult to make an original contribution without first copying.

Jazz encourages us to appraise and reappraise ourselves on a daily basis. Are we doing

enough to be able to express ourselves clearly? Are we being honest with ourselves and

with our audience? Are we growing, getting better? These are fundamental questions

that require dedication, courage, and practice to answer.

Part of answering these questions involves another question what should I be doing to

get where I want to go? In other words, what do I practice in order to play what I want

to play?

The intent of the following brief examination of jazz history is to give you the tools to

answer the question of what to practice through exploration of different approaches

and techniques. It is an exploration of what musicians of previous eras did to create the

sounds that they created, By looking at what they did, you will become aware of the

things that are useful to you as you work on creating your own voice. You must listen to

this music and listen for the things that are discussed below. Otherwise, they are just

words on a page.

Early Jazz 1920 1935

The most influential jazz musician of this period, perhaps of all time, was Louis

Armstrong. He emerged from a tradition that included ragtime and the blues, but

transcended both by creating a space for solo playing that has remained in place to this

day.

He made an impact on fellow musicians and created greater opportunities for othersoloists to take on the same role as his. In his work with the Hot Five and Hot Seven, he

combined emotional depth ,rhythmic innovation and a sense of solo freedom, creating a

new set of aesthetic qualities and a sense that there could be considerable artistic worth

in music conceived as entertainment.


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His rhythmic innovations involve taking the timing and mannerisms of ragtime and

creating something loser and more rhythmically daring. He essentially brought a sense

of swing to small group jazz.

His innovations include:

Paraphrasing the melody. This was common at the time, but he took the idea toanother level with more inventive variations and began substituting new

melodies

Introducing vocal nuances Using solos to inject swing and momentum. He abandoned the stiffness of

ragtime, using swing 8th

note patterns and projected a more relaxed feel by

playing behind the beat.

Showing that collective improvisation was not the only way to play jazz and thatthe musical effectiveness of solos need not depend on ensemble interaction

Swing

Swing is the name given to the big band style that lasted from around 1935 to around

1948. This was the only time in the history of jazz that it was considered popular music.

Although its a big band style, it had an enormous impact on small band playing and

initiated significant stylistic changes. Some of these changes include:

Tuba replaced by double bass Banjo replaced by guitar Changed from playing 2-beat in which players stressed the first and third beats

to 4-beat where bass players would run simple arpeggios in each bar,

emphasizing the 2nd

and 4th

beats. This resulted in the walking bass style.

Jimmy Blanton, bass player in Duke Ellingtons band, transformed the rhythmsection by focusing momentum and time keeping on the bass, freeing the drums

from simply being a timekeeper.

In the early 1940s, the even flow in the drums was replaced with punctuationsfrom bass and snare drums while timekeeping was transferred to the ride

cymbal.

So innovations at this time consisted mainly of changes in the rhythm section approach.

Innovations in improvisation were not as significant in terms of harmonic or rhythmic

sophistication, although many players became more proficient technically or changed

the way their particular instrument was played.


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Instead of New Orleans front line counterpoint common in the 1920s, trumpets and

saxophones started playing unison riffs based on the tune and opened up the middle

section of the tune for solos. While a number of players helped establish the swing style,

the two most influential players were Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins

emphasized harmony in his solos; Young emphasized melody and rhythm. While in

Europe, Hawkins introduced sophisticated new harmonic techniques:

Chromatic passing tones Chord substitution. When played over the original chords, this created a type of

dissonance new to jazz.

Incorporated harmonic thinking into pieces played at quicker tempos in which hestruck a balance between vertical and horizontal logic of the melodic line.

Lester Young tried to reduce harmonic material for the sake of melody. He:

Used alternate fingerings for the same note in order to create different timbres Opened up a method by which fragments of melodic material (licks or motifs)

were used.

Introduced dissonance by relying on the internal logic of the melodic line. Itdidnt matter to him if the melodies fit the chords as long as they sounded good.

Emphasized rhythmic variation.Bebop

Swing had to do with unifying approaches to meter, chording, voicing, and arranging of

melody, and ways of building improvised solos. Bebop involved changes to all of that,

but also, at a more fundamental level, that of melody, harmony and rhythm.

Melody new melodies were superimposed on old chord changes. These newmelodies were called heads and were more complex, jagged, full of rapid figures

and uneven phrase length. There was a logical development of motivic use with

solos being constructed from strings of motives. Phrases became more intricate

and harmonic thinking became more complex with additions of chord extensions

(9th

, 11th

, 13th

) and alterations (altered 9ths and 5ths). Bass players began

moving away from simple arpeggios to more flexible lines with melodic

characteristics and the incorporation of passing tones.

Harmony substitute harmony became increasingly common with the use ofpassing chords and replacement chords. Entire sections of harmony were oftenreplaced with more complex chords.

Rhythm the rhythmic backdrop became more complex. To a larger degree thanpreviously, responsibility for the timekeeping became the responsibility of the

double bass and ride cymbal, leaving the drummer freer to place accents in a

more complex manner. The pianist began using chordal accents more, giving the

rhythm section a more unpredictable feel. Solo style in the piano move from a


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two-handed approach to a style in which the right hand played lines while the

left hand comped.

Bebop also differed in its focus on small ensembles and less emphasis on arrangement.

The emphasis was placed on improvisation. Soloists created surprise by developing

rhythm in a more complex way and by moving outside of the original key area morethan in swing. This created a music that was more difficult to follow for the average

listener. Its status began to resemble classical music rather than popular music, and

began to lose its audience.

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie are the two musicians who developed bebop more

than any other musicians. When they met in June of 1940, they had developed similar

ideas independently. They had both absorbed ideas about chord substitution and

emphasized extensions (9ths, 11ths, 13ths) in their solos. What some players used as

passing tones, they would use as a fundamental ingredient. Instead of moving through a

9th

to get to the 3rd

, for example, they would land on the 9th

. By challenging ideas about

melody, harmony, and rhythm, they pushed levels of uncertainty. They were creating

music that they wanted to play as opposed to what audiences wanted to hear. Jazz

began to be seen more and more as an art music.

Hard Bop

Hard bop developed directly from bebop in terms of melody and harmony and used the

same kind of improvisational techniques, but projected a funkier, more earthy feel. It

was set in a more accessible format of catchy, riff-based melodies over a gospel-tinged

rhythm with the back-beat inflections of rhythm and blues. This approach helped to

break through to a mass audience and, though it has experienced periods of neglect, itsone of the most common styles of jazz being played right now.

The standard format for a hard bop tune involved trumpet and tenor sax stating the

theme in unison or in harmony and played with a hard-driving insistent character. There

were often pauses in the melody allowing rhythm section fills that were worked out in

advance. It was more tightly organized than bebop, but less organized than Cool and

West coast Jazz.

Hard boppers wrote many of their own tunes, moving away from the standard AABA

format and standard chord changes. This led to less formulaic playing, which had begunto effect bebop as more and more players copied Parker and Gillespie.

Cool Jazz

Cool Jazz was the antithesis of hard bop in terms of feel, and was more restrained and

subdued. It projected a more relaxed feeling with more formal arrangements, at times

resembling chamber music. Tempos were slower, solos were less angular and complex


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than bebop and the rhythm section played a more straight-ahead, less complex, less

interactive role. Many Cool players placed emphasis on lyricism and simplicity and horn

players often used a soft, light tone with little vibrato.

In terms of improvisation, Cool players continued to use the same techniques that were

developed by bebop players. Miles Davis, Lennie Tristano, The Modern Jazz Quartet, andGerry Mulligan were some of the main proponents of the style.

Free Jazz

Free Jazz is characterized by lack of preset chord changes, key, melody, or meter,

though a lot of free jazz is rarely free of feelings of tempo or of assigning horns to solo

roles and bass and drums to supporting roles. It extended techniques for instruments,

especially the horns, in the manipulation of pitch and tone quality and in developing the

altissimo (ultra-high) register and various sounds like shrieks and wails. Texture became

as important as melody, and melody itself tended toward greater fragmentation. Long

lines were not as common, replaced with short bursts of notes or non-pitch specific

sounds. Musicians often thought in terms of large blocks of sound created by the entire

ensemble rather than specific instrumental roles.

Ornette Coleman is the most recognizable figure of the free jazz players and is possibly

the most important jazz innovator of the past 40 years. Much of his music is free of

preset chord changes and chorus length, but maintains the rhythmic impetus of jazz. It

freely changes keys, but stays in one long enough for us to know that hes in one. He

plays freely, but we hear organization resembling preset harmonies. Some of his music

sounds quite conventional because of his use of written melody and consistent tempo.

His principal innovation was the reduction of improvisation to the melodic realm instead

off the harmonic. If you use melodic fragments instead of chord sequences as the basis

for improvisation and you play these fragments at whatever length, pitch and speed feel

right even if the pulse never changes, then you have the essence what he began to

explore in the mid 1950s.

Improvisations are free, but it is possible to hear organization. This is not as easy to say

about some other free players. The difference between Ornette and bebop is that the

boppers started with changes and then added to them. Ornette starts with key, tempo,

and mood. He brought a new attitude to the idea of collective improvisationeveryonehas the lead and nobody has the lead.

In order to play freely, you have to rethink how to improvise by freeing yourself from

the chords and your preconceptions of how things should sound. The relationship

between soloist and the ensemble needs to be re-thought and you must be willing

dispense with elements that have been part of musics structure. This includes preset

chord changes, melody, style/feel, etc. This doesnt mean that none of these things exist


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in whatever you play; it simply means that you dont decide what those things are until

you start playing. And once you start playing, these things can change at any time. Stay

open and dont get too attached to what youre doing.

In free jazz:

There is no need to rely on chordal instruments. The bass doesnt have to supply a continual pulse or underlying harmony. Instead of keeping time, drummers can play intricate polyrhythms or function as

colorists.

Melodies or fragments introduced by one soloist can be picked up by anothersoloist and developed or replaced.

Fusion

Fusion can mean many things in the context of jazz, but most people think jazz-rockwhen they hear the word.

Jazz-rock began as an attempt to escape the conventions of the jazz rhythm section by

changing the basic feel and by adding new instruments such as electric piano, electric

guitar and electric bass. It is, for the most part, an instrumental style that maintains the

spirit of improvisation and uses rock as its basic feel. Characteristics of jazz-rock include:

Repetition of riffs opening up into extended vamps for solos A more static harmonic base, mostly modal Less complex melodies and harmonies Shorter phrase lengths Less frequent chord changes

Miles Davis has been widely credited with starting the whole thing with albums like In a

Silent Wayand Bitches Brew, although bands like Cream were highly influential earlier

in Britain. American musicians like Larry Coryell, Gary Burton and Charles Lloyd were

also experimenting with rock before Miles. Miles contribution lent legitimacy to jazz-

rock and brought players like Josef Zawinul and John MacLaughlin into the movement.

The other extremely popular jazz fusion is latin jazz, which has been around since the

1920s. The rhythms of latin music work so well in the jazz context that all you have todo, for most tunes, is take latin rhythms and superimpose them on the given chord

progression. Here are some basic latin rhythms that you try this with.

The clave rhythm.


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fig. 5 clave rhythm

Its called the clave rhythm because its traditionally played with a pair of shortcylindrical pieces of wood called claves. This rhythm is used as the basis for the intense

rhythmic texture found in latin bands.

The most common variation is the reverse clave in which you simply reverse the bars of

the basic clave rhythm.

fig 6 reverse clave

Here are two other variations the rumba clave and the Brazilian clave.

fig 7 rumba clave

fig 8 Brazilian clave

The two most common latin styles are the bossa nova and the samba. The following are

the basic rhythms, but there are numerous variations.

fig 9 bossa


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fig 10 samba

Keep in mind that these are simply the most widely played styles of jazz fusion.One of the truly great things about jazz is its ability to accept other styles and use them

to create new approaches to making music.

The 80s and Beyond: Smooth Jazz and the New Traditionalism

We can trace the different movements and changes in jazz from decade to decade until

we get to the 1980s when it becomes a bit murky. This may be because were too close

to it to be able to define a major movement, or it may be because there isnt a major

movement.

One of the styles that has become increasingly popular since the 80s, but which began

in the 70s is smooth jazz. The style has had a hard time gaining legitimacy in the jazz

world. Its seen a kind of elevator jazz. This is more a matter of production values in the

studio than lack of musical ability on the part of its practitioners. It sounds like its being

groomed for am radio, and in some cases it is. Its important to get past that and just

listen to the music. A lot of it is good.

Smooth jazz is the musical intersection between jazz and r&b. Tunes can be

instrumental covers of vocal tunes or newly created pieces using electronic or acoustic

instruments or both. The style emphasizes the use of musical grooves and hooks, a

characteristic of r&b. The concept of hooks, a staple of pop music and considered by

many to be musically limited, may be why smooth jazz has had a hard time being

accepted by the larger jazz community. The presence of improvisation, syncopation, and

creative use of melody, harmony and rhythm come from the jazz side of the style.

What Im calling the new traditionalism is just younger players playing in the style of

musicians who are now, for the most part, dead. This became a popular thing to do

when record companies started re-issuing back catalogues instead of supporting new

ideas. A lot of musicians figured, correctly, that if they played the same stuff (i.e. old

music) they would stand a better chance of getting a record contract. Some, of course,are less cynical and love playing in that style.


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Part 3 Materials for Improvisation

Melody

Everything discussed in Part 3 should be considered in the context of improvisation. I

will start by listing the materials used in improvisation and then discuss strategies for

using those materials.

Creating melody is essentially what a soloist does. Even guitarists or pianists playing

block chords are aware of melody being created by the top note of whatever succession

ofchords theyre playing. Because this topic is so integral to jazz, some general

comments need to be made about it.

A melody is more than just a sequence of notes. Its a sequence of notes that uses

rhythm and accent to get its point across. There are countless ways to put these three

parameters together and many of these ways suffer from a lack of quality. A good

melody is something like magic and cant really be produced through formula (though

there are formulas) and is often produced by fluke.

Although the idea of what good melody is tends to change from culture to culture, there

is one thing that all melody has in common: contour. Contour is central to our

experience of melody and is created in different ways. One way is to simply write downwhat you hear. This approach is most effectively employed by an experienced ear.

Another way is through the use of melodic fragments or motifs. A single motif can be

repeated and modified to create a longer, more complex melody. Motifs will be

discussed in more detail later.

There are certain rules associated with melodic construction which almost always apply

to good melodies, conventionally speaking.

Nearly all notes are chosen from the scale on which the melody is based. Notesoutside the scale are placed in unaccented positions and are unemphasized. This

supports the underlying harmony. The largest percentage of intervals in a melody should be small. Too many leaps

sound awkward and large leaps should be used sparingly.

Individual notes are not repeated excessively Changes in melodic direction usually occur at rhythmically important places.. Melodies generally have only one occurrence of its highest note. Leaps always land on a scale tone, not on a chromatic tone.


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Never leap from a chromatic tone.Study of successful melodies supports these rules. Having said that, one of the most

important reasons to know these rules is so that you can figure out how to effectively

break them.

There are numerous materials and techniques that can be used in creating goodmelody. The main resource is the diatonic scale. Cut up and rearranged, it can produce

any number of interesting results. Combined with chromaticism, these results become

even more interesting.

Another resource is the arpeggio, which can be used to create harmonic movement in a

melody. Well look at those now.

Arpeggios and Extensions

More will be said about how to use arpeggios in improvisation later, but for now welllook at how theyre constructed. First of all, were dealing with 7th

chord arpeggios and

not triad arpeggios. That means that there will be four notes in the chord instead of

three.

In general, the arpeggio is best understood in the context of a scale. Below is a major

scale with scale degree numbers underneath it. Every second number is highlighted;

those numbers represent the arpeggio.

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

fig. 11

So if you take the every second note of any 7 note scale, you get an arpeggio.

There are five basic chord qualities when dealing with 7th

chords: major 7, dominant 7,

minor 7, minor 7b5 (or half diminished 7)and diminished 7. Heres how you figure out

which is which.

Starting with major 7, begin with the first note of the major scale and take every 2nd

note. In the above scale this would give us C E G B (1 3 5 7).. We can transform thischord into the others through a process of lowering notes. So to create a dominant 7,

we lower the 7th

C E G Bb (1 3 5 b7); minor 7th

has aa lowered 3rd

as well as the

lowered 7th

C Eb G Bb (1 b3 5 b7); minor 7b5 lowers the 5th

- C Eb Gb Bb (1 b3 b5 b7);

and the diminished 7 lowers the 7 again C Eb Gb Bbb (1 b3 b5 bb7).


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The 9, 11, and 13 in fig. 11 are called extensions because they extend past the octave.

They are the natural result of continuing up the scale in thirds and can be added to the

basic 4 note 7th

chord in order to create color.

In a sense, were organizing degrees of tension when we talk about arpeggios. The chord

tones 1, 3, 5, 7 are always more consonant than the extensions. Knowing this, wecan create diatonic lines with varying amounts of tension. Because we know where the

chord tones are, we can create direction toward resolution of whatever tension we

decide to create. Even more tension can be created by stepping outside of the diatonic

scale. Ill talk about that when we get to the melodic minor scale.

Scales and Modes

A mode is a scale thats been built from a scale degree of what is called a parent scale.

An example of a parent scale is the major scale. Another is the minor scale.. There are

many more. A mode also ends an octave higher on the scale degree it started on.

As an example, the C major scale has seven modes the parent scale (itself a mode)

starting on C, and six more starting on the remaining notes of the scale D, E, F, G, A, and

B.


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Fig. 12 Modes of the major scale

From these seven modes, all diatonic melody emerges. All diatonic argeggios exist

within these modes. If you were not interested in chromaticism, you could stop learning

scales after youve learned these ones. Using these modes, you can play in any major or

minor key that you want.

You may want a different kind of diatonic sound, though. Thats where pentatonic scales

come in.

Pentatonic Scales

The pentatonic scale is a five-note scale used in almost every style of Western music

(blues, jazz, rock, country, classical) and some non-Western music. They are

tremendously useful for improvisation.


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The two main types of pentatonic scales are the minor pentatonic (1, b3, 4, 5, b7) and

the major pentatonic (1, , 3, 5, 6).

Fig 13. Minor pentatonic

Fig 14. Major pentatonic

In order to create the modes of the pentatonic scale, you simply start the first mode on

its second note. The third mode starts on the third note of the first mode, etc. Below are

the fives modes of the C minor pentatonic scale.


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Fig 15. Modes of the minor pentatonic scale

When leaning something new, it helps to establish relationships to things you already

know. Here are the relationships between the modes of the major scale and the modes

of the minor pentatonic scale.

Mode 1 of the minor pentatonic maps onto the aeolian mode. C minor pentatonic

contains five pitches (C, Eb, F, G, Bb) of the C aeolian mode (C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb). If

youre improvising in the key of C minor (the most common possibility among many for

these scales), either of these scales will work.

The other relationships are as follows:

Mode 2 of C minor pentatonic maps onto Eb ionian. Mode 3 maps onto F dorian Mode 4 maps onto G phrygian Mode 5 maps onto Bb mixolydian

This should be figured out in all keys.


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Scales Used for Creating Chromaticism

Harmonic minor and melodic minor offer our first experience of chromaticism. Both can

be used on minor chords and both can be used on dominant seventh chords. Ill start

with using them on minor chords.

Fig 16. C Harmonic minor

Fig 17. C Melodic minor

From Figures 16 and 17, we can see that the only chromatic note is the B natural since

there is a B flat in the C minor 7 chord. The A flat in the harmonic minor is from the

aeolian mode and the A natural in the melodic minor is from the dorian mode.

In the context of jazz, the ascending form of melodic minor is used exclusively. The 6th

and 7th

scale degrees are not lowered when descending.

These scales can both be used on Dominant 7th

chords as well and it is there that the

most chromaticism occurs when using these scales.

The way to create the most chromaticism when using the melodic minor against a

dominant 7 chord is to start the melodic minor scale a semitone up from the root of the

chord. Well use G7 as an example.

The G7 chord is made of the following pitches: G B D F. The Ab melodic minor scale (one

semitone up from root of G7) is made of the following pitches: Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, G.

In comparing the G7 chord tones and the Ab melodic minor scale, we see that three of

the G7 chord tones exist in the Ab melodic minor scale G, Cb (B), F. The other four

pitches in the scale (Ab, Bb, C#, D#) are called tension tones or altered extensions.

Tension tones are used to create interest in the melodic line. When improvising, we

move toward them and away from them any time we feel the need to create a different


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emotional experience. The art of using them lies in the timing used in initiating their use

and in resolving them.

Below is the most common way to use the melodic minor scale when creating and

resolving tension.

Fig 18. Using the Melodic Minor scale

This is a jumping off point. Learn the relationships between the diatonic scale

(mixolydian in this case) and the melodic minor scale and you will begin to move

smoothly between the two. You can also start the melodic minor on the perfect 4th

,

perfect 5th

or b7 above the root of the chord. Each of these provides a different level of

tension. Do the analysis and find out how much each contains.

Harmonic minor can also be used on the dominant 7th

chord from the same starting

notes for a different kind of sound.

Symmetrical Scales

The three most common symmetrical scales are the symmetrical diminished scale

(whole tone/half tone), the symmetrical dominant scale (half tone/whole tone), and the

whole tone scale.

The symmetrical diminished scale is commonly used on the diminished 7th

chord and the

symmetrical dominant scale is commonly used against the dominant 7b9 chord. The

whole tone scale is normally used against the dominant 7#5 or the dominant 7b5 chord.

These scales all start on the root of the chord theyre being played against.

Fig 19 Symmetrical Dominant


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Fig 20 Symmetrical Diminished

Fig 21 Whole Tone

Melodic Motifs

Melodic motifs are sequences of intervals that can be used to build coherent solos. They

are typically quite short, no more than a bar.

Below is a melodic motif.

Fig 22

This can be changed in a number of ways. Here are a few examples.

Fig 23 rearranging the pitches


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Fig 24 rhythmic compression

Fig 25 rhythmic elongation

Motifs can be played anywhere in the solo where the harmony will accept the notes.

Emin7 Amin7 D7 Gmaj7

Fig 26 same motif, changing harmony

Development of melodic motifs creates music with variety and unity, The danger lies in

too much of either and this is where the players taste becomes crucial. Too much unity stating the motif too many times without variation creates predictability and

boredom. Too much variety jumping around from idea to idea without establishing

any of them through repetition and variationand the listener cant make sense of it. It

creates a different kind of boredom by sounding all the same. Between these two

extremes can be found a balance that creates compelling music.

A good strategy for improvising a melodic line is to present a motif, vary it for as long as

you think its interesting, and then move on to a different motif. The first motif might

last a couple of bars or it might last an entire chorus. If youre really listening to what

youre doing, the music will tell you what to do. Your job is to make sure you have

enough vocabulary (motifs) so that you have something to play once the first motif

ceases to be useful.


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Following is a motivic analysis ofLadybird. This is a composed melody and so is clearer

than most improvised solos would be.

Fig 27 motif use over entire chorus

Motif 4 is unique in that it isnt repeated anywhere.

Another way to use motifs is by taking a motif and repeating it at different

transpositional levels (otherwise known as sequencing). The motif can be repeated

diatonically, changing the interval qualities to fit a specific key or chromatically,

maintaining the exact interval qualities of the original motif.

Below is an example of how John Coltrane uses this approach in his solo on Giant Steps.

Scale degree numbers are used to describe the particular motif he uses.

Fig 28

Notice how, in order to keep this motif in the same key, the intervallic structure

changes.


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Heres what happens when the initial intervallic structure is maintained. Notice the

chromaticism that is created.

Fig 29

This is only a four note pattern. Longer patterns are possible, but the longer it gets the

less recognizable the pattern will be.

Harmony

In the West we seem to be uncomfortable with melody alone. We are used to other

dimensions and one of the most important of these dimensions is harmony. We are

trained through constant exposure to hear chords along with our melody.

In jazz, harmony influences improvised melody to a great degree. Even if you are the

type of player that plays against the harmony plays notes outside the scale dictated by

the chords the existing harmony still defines the possibilities. Certain notes simply

sound bad against certain chords if those notes are used indiscriminately and without

regard to how they might be resolved.

Arpeggios represent the notes of the chord and are an effective tool for improvising.

Once scales enter the picture, we need to know what key were in so that we can

choose the appropriate scale to use.

Roman Numeral Analysis

Roman numeral analysis is the key to understanding how to go about improvising on a

chord progression that changes keys. This is crucial for all pitched instruments. For

drums, its important to know whats going on in a chord progression so that you can

phrase accordingly. If you arent hearing the chords changing as they go by, your playingwont be as effective.

While roman numeral analysis isnt ear training, an intellectual understanding of chordal

movement strengthens you ability to hear whats going on. Key changes in a tune are

important structural points in the life of a piece. Pointing them out to listeners through

your playing helps keep them engaged.


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The following shows the diatonic chords built on the scale degrees in the key of C and

the roman numerals associated with each chord. As stated earlier, the term diatonic

refers to notes within one key. Therefore, the following notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B are

diatonic to the key of C. The following pitches C#, D#, F#, G#, A# - are not.

All of the notes in the following chords are in the key of C.

Cmaj7 Dmin7 Emin7 Fmaj7 G7 Amin7 Bmin7b5

I ii iii IV V vi vii

Heres a simple chord progression.

Cmaj7 Amin7 Dmin7 G7 Cmaj7

Can all of these chords be put into the same key?

By checking the diatonic chords in the key of C above, you can see that the answer is

yes. The roman numeral analysis of this progression is as follows:

Key of C: I vi ii V I

Heres a more complex progression.

Cmaj7 Fmin7 Bb7 Cmaj7 Bbmin7 Eb7 Abmaj7

It looks like it starts in the key of C, but by looking at the diatonic chords in the key of Cabove, you can see that every chord that follows isnt in C.

So how do you figure out what key these chords are in?

Generally (though there are plenty of exceptions), the first chord of a tune will be the I

chord , or tonic, of the key. That places the first chord in the key of C. The Fmin7 chord is

a problem, though. We cant put that in the key of C How do we figure out what key its

in?

Going back to the diatonic chords, we see that there are three min7 chords in the key ofC. This is the same for any key. So the Fmin7 could be the ii chord in the key of Eb, the iii

chord in the key or Db, or the vi chord in the key of Ab. You can see that this doesnt

help much in determining the key. Ignore this chord for now and move on the Bb7

chord.

By looking at the diatonic chords in the key of C above, you can see that there is only

one dominant 7 chord and that it falls on V. Since there is only one dominant 7 chord in


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any key, we just have to count back 5 from Bb. That brings us to Eb. So the Bb7 chord is

in the key of Eb major.

Now we know what key the Bb7 chord is in. How does this help us figure out what key

the Fmin7 is in? Start from the idea that you want to keep all the chords in the same key

if possible, and then ask yourself if the Fmin7 chord is in the same key (Eb major) thatBb7 is in. The answer is yes. Its the ii chord in Eb major.

So far the progression is:

Key of C: I; Key of Eb: ii V

The next chord is a Cmaj7 which doesnt fit into Eb major. Its either a I chord in C major

or a IV chord in G major. Since we started in C major, it makes sense to return there. But

try it both ways.

The next chord is Bbmin7. We have the same problem as with the Fmin7 - a choice of

three different keys. Lets go on the Eb7 chord. Remembering that theres only one

dominant 7 chord in any key and that its the V chord, we count back five and come to

Ab major. Does Bbmin7 fit into Ab major? Yes. Its the ii chord. The final chord is Abmaj7

which is the I chord.

Heres the entire progression.

Cmaj7 Fmin7 Bb7 Cmaj7 Bbmin7 Eb7 Abmaj7

Key: C I; Key: Eb ii V; Key: C or G I or IV; Key: Ab ii V I

Minor ii V

What do you do with the following progression?

Amin7b5 D7b9

If you take the b5 from the Amin7b5 chord and the b9 from the D7 chord, you have

Amin7 D7, a iiV progression in G major. But this isnt a ii V in G major. The min7b5

doesnt fit. This is more like a vii in Bb major followed by V in G major.Theres a simpler

explanation and it involves minor keys.

Heres how roman numerals work in minor keys. Its directly related to major keys.

Here are the chords in Bb major.

Bbmaj7 Cmin7 Dmin7 Ebmaj7 F7 Gmin7 Amin7b5

I ii iii IV V vi vii


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We get the minor key progression by starting on the vi chord (Gmin7) of the major key,

calling it the I chord.

Gmin7 Amin7b5 Bbmaj7 Cmin7 Dmin7/D7 Ebmaj7 F7/F#dim7

i ii III vi v/V7 VI VII/viio

The 7th

scale degree is often raised in minor resulting in a dom7 chord on V and a

diminished 7 chord on vii.

Now lets go back to the original progression Amin7b5 D7b9. By looking at the

chords in the minor key, we can see that the Amin7b5 chord is ii and the D7b9 chord is

V. The b9 on the D7 chord is an Eb which is the same as the b5 on the min7b5 chord.

The b9 isnt absolutely necessary, but it creates better voice leading and, since the Eb is

in the key of G minor, it establishes the key better.

Rhythm

Rhythm gives music cohesion. No matter what harmonic or melodic things are

happening, rhythmic contrasts will be heard above all. If you have a highly developed

rhythmic sense, your playing will always be compelling. Work on it by writing out

exercises with a variety of rhythms using all note values. Make these exercises two to

four bars long. Then get your metronome out and play them really slow, gradually

increasing the speed. Thats only one simple idea. There are plenty of books dealing

with the subject.

Rhythm is part of melody as well. The notes of a melody form a pattern of differing

durations and accentuation. Important rhythmic junctures such as downbeats are often

where we find the most important notes of a melody. Melody tends to change direction

here and harmony often makes its most noticeable moves at these places. Rhythm is so

important to melody recognition that well known melodies can often be recognized by

hearing their rhythmic outline tapped out without pitches.

In jazz, there is a rhythmic element commonly known as swing that resists definition. It

can be defined at a superficial level as follows. Swing is a rhythmic feel that is

represented in notation by the first and last notes of an eighth note triplet.

Fig 30 swing rhythm


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These are known as swing eighths. It is normal to see the word swing above a chart. In

that case, all eighth notes would be played as in figure 30.

There are a great variety of types of swing. Some would sayas many as there are jazz

musicians. Perhaps the most important property of swing is the forward propulsiongiven to each note through the use of timbre, attack, vibrato, and other means not so

easy to define. The proper rhythmic placement of each note is a key factor in swing feel,

as well as any other feel. In order to achieve it, the player has to listen to the music.

In jazz, the 2nd

and 4th

beats of each bar are stressed; these are the offbeats or

backbeats. In early jazz, accents were placed on the 1st

and 3rd

beats creating what was

called two-beat. As jazz progressed four-beat, in which every beat in the bar was

marked, became popular. Eventually, emphasis on the 2nd

and 4th

beats became more

important.

Syncopation

Syncopation is fundamental to jazz rhythm. To a great extent, the character and vitality

of jazz is dependant on it. Syncopation refers to the accenting of the weaker parts of

the beat and creates a sense of being thrown off balance. There are two basic types of

syncopation. There are a lot more not-so-basic types of syncopations, but we wont be

getting into those. Well look at eighth note syncopation and sixteenth note

syncopation.

Fig 31 eighth note syncopation

As you can see in figure 31, emphasis is placed on the offbeats.

A familiar device found throughout jazz is the habit of maintaining a certain rhythmiv

unit eighth note, sixteenth note (duple) or triplets (triple).- while accenting the

opposite rhythmic unit. For example, you could play a string of eighth notes and

emphasize every third note.

Fig 32 triple against duple (3 against 2)


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Or you could play triplets an emphasize every second note.

Fig 33 duple against triple

You can also mix up the accents.

Fig 34 combinations of accents

The same thing can be done with sixteenth notes.

Another effective way of creating syncopation is through the use of rests. Here is an

example using sixteenth notes.

Fig 35 syncopated sixteenths

Finally, you can add accents.

Fig 36 accented sixteenths

Using these ideas, you can create endless syncopated patterns to use when practicing

scales, arpeggios, or comping.


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Rhythmic Motifs

Rhythmic motifs function in the same way as melodic motifs in that they provide logic

and unity in a solo. An important difference to keep in mind, however, is that its

generally easier to remember a rhythmic motif than a melodic motif.

Take a melodic motif that youve come up with and rearrange the pitches while

maintaining the rhythmic motif. Do anything you want with the melody but dont

change the rhythmic motif. You can create a lot of dissonance, but if the rhythmic motif

stays constant. It wont lose its sense.

Remember, you can build an entire solo from the first thing you play. Make it simple

enough that you can remember it and then use it again. Vary it or move on before you

get bored.

Concepts for Improvisation

Using arpeggios

Lets look at an Emin7 arpeggio E G B D. Where can we use this arpeggio when

improvising? The most obvious answer is on an Emin7 the notes all work quite safely.

Where else can you use it? This gets a bit more interesting.

Where else is Emin7 at home? From roman numeral analysis we know that any minor 7

chord exists in any one of three different keys. Its either a ii chord in D major, a iii chord

in C major, or a vi chord in G major.

Now take the notes of Emin7 and superimpose them on the chords in G major and see

what happens. If you play the notes of Emin7 over a Gmaj7 chord, the relationship of

the notes in the Emin7 chord to the Gmaj7 chord are as follows: E 6; G 1; B 3; D

5.We repeat all the notes of the Gmaj7 chord except for the F#, which is replaced by

the E. This is a small change of color and may be enough. If you want more, try

superimposing the Emin7 notes over the ii chord Amin7. Against the Amin7, E is 5, G is

7, B is 9, and D is 11. This gives us two notes that arent chord tones which provides

more opportunity for creating and resolving tension.

Now superimpose Emin7 over every chord in the keys of G major, D major, and C major.

Then do it with all the other keys. Start with the sound and decide whether you like it or

not. Doing the analysis first, like above, may lead you to assumptions about what will

work based on theoretical concepts, and you may not try it. Explore the sound, decide if

you like it, and then look at the theory behind it. The theory sill help you apply it in


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other places. In order to do this effectively, youll need to loop some single chords and

some chord progressions to play against.

Theres a tremendous amount of work here. Its all beneficial. Dont get bogged down

thinking that it has to get done by a certain time. Simply explore the sounds, enjoy the

process, and use what works for you. Before you know it, youll have a ton of usefulideas.

Playing the Same Old Thing

This is horribly common. Breaking out of old habits can be really difficult. Here are some

things you can try.

1. Play an entire chorus using no more than two rhythmic motifs.2. Play an entire chorus using no more than two simple (3 or 4 note) melodic

shapes.

3. Play an entire chorus going from loud to soft; then soft to loud.4. Play an entire chorus playing as few pitches as possible.5. Play an entire chorus using one type of articulation ( staccato, legato, etc.)6. Play an entire chorus playing only in every other bar.7. Target chord tones and approach them chromatically.

Exercises 1 to 6 give you the sense of creating something consistent and related, instead

of stringing together a bunch of unrelated ideas. Exercise 7 is more about exploring

melodic possibilities.

Tetrachords and Scale Invention

A tetrachord is a four note scalar fragment. They can be used in different combinations

to create new scales. We can break the major scale into two halves.

___tetrachord___ ___tetrachord___

Fig 37 tetrachords

We can change the pattern of whole steps and half steps to create different qualities of

tetrachord.


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Fig 38 major tetrachord

Fig 39 minor tetrachord

Fig 40 phrygian tetrachord

Fig 41 whole tone tetrachord

We can put any two of them together or we can combine as many as we like. Its a nice

way of creating resources for melodic patterns that we wouldnt otherwise discover.

Fig 42

Fig 43

Feel free to link the two tetrachords with a minor second instead of a major second.


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Pattern Permutation

Its easy to get stuck in patterns to the point that they seem to control you instead of

the other way around. Sometimes its because we use the same patterns in the same

place all the time. The section above on arpeggios addresses that problem, but what

about finding other ways to use the pattern? The fact that were aware of playing thesame pattern again and again indicates that we dont have a large enough vocabulary of

patterns.

A single pattern can yield a great variety of possibilities. For example, you can take a

pattern and simply go through all the possible orderings of the notes. Take the following

pattern: CDEG. Now figure out all the possible orderings.

CDGE; CEDG; CEGD; CEGD; CGED; CEDG; DGEC; DGCE; DEGC, etc.

You get the idea. Combined with the possibilities of rhythm, melodic patterns will yield

more ideas than you can use. Work on making your own using scales and arpeggios and

get a book of patterns to get some ideas.

Using the Melody

It isnt necessary to use the melody during improvisation, but it is a great resource and

should be considered and worked with. It has a way of making a solo sound more

coherent. Here are a few ways to work with it.

1. Play the melody in its entirety, but fill the spots where the melody isnt moving.This is the simplest way of using the melody. Its a good way of exploringimprovisation and strengthens your sense of where you are in the tune.

2. Do the above, but paraphrase the melody. In other words, dont play it exactly aswritten. Interpret it as you see fit and add fills.

3. Use the melody as a contour guide. If the melody looks like this:

Fig 44

You can change it to look like this. The accents mark the original melody notes.


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Fig 45

Using this technique, the melody is still implied and lends a sense of coherence to the

line. Notice that the melody notes are all, with one exception, in the same metrical

placement in both examples. This isnt necessary; you can play with placement.

The key to this approach is to know the melody really well. Then these things will

happen naturally.

Heres how pianist Billy Taylor presents the idea.

Fig 46 three blind mice

Fig 47 change rhythmically

Fig 48 playing around the melody, first 6 bars

Accents indicate original melody. The possibilities for playing around the melody are

endless.

Connecting the Improvisation Over Key Changes or Seemingly Unrelated Chords

This is one of the big challenges in mastering jazz improvisation. Youre playing along in

one key, everythings going fine, ideas are connecting, and then suddenly the key

changes and the great idea you had sounds like crap.


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Knowing your arpeggios is a good way of getting around this problem. If you know your

arpeggios then you know the notes that will work for any given chord. This enables you

to connect notes from chord to chord. For instance, you could have a progression that

goes from Cmaj7 (C, E, G, B) to Eb7 (Eb, G, Bb, Db). On the surface these chords dont

relate very well. A closer look , however, reveals a common note G. You can use this

pitch as the main note of the line connecting these two chords.

Go through each progression you play this way and find a path through the progression

using as few notes as possible. It takes some time figuring out the arpeggios and

creating the path, but its well worth the effort an gets easier the more you do it.

Eventually, youll be able to do it while playing.

As you move from chord to chord, keep the intervallic distance between notes as close

as possible. This will create a smooth melodic movement. This is only one approach and,

as youll see, there are others.

Once you have the primary chord tone path, you can improvise secondary paths from

primary note to primary note. If you know where youre going and you know that it will

sound good when you get there (even it sounds a bit out on the way), youll play with

more confidence and be much happier with your playing.

Here are a couple of examples. The first note of each bar is the primary note.

Fig 48

Fig 49

Notice that the first note in bar 1 (3 of Dmin7) is the same as the first note of bar 2 (7 of

G7). Since that note isnt a chord tone of Cmaj7, it moves down to E. In fig 49, a less

conventional progression, the note at the beginning of all three bars remains the same.

It doesnt have to be that way. Heres another approach.


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Fig 50

This scratches the surface of whats possible. Eventually, you will have a clear idea of

what the chord tones of each chord are as you approach it and you will create a path

(possibly based on motifs that youve created) between these chord tones.

Remember: establishing the chord tones (also referred to as target tones) is the first

step. The next step is to create improvised lines between them. The target tones

represent large-scale structure and organization and give coherence to what you play.

What you put in between these tones represents surface interest, or the stuff thats

easiest to hear.

An effective way of doing this is to take a small portion (say, the first two chords) of the

progression and play through it concentrating on chord tones. After youve mastered

two chords (which means having no trouble finding the chord tones of each chord and

being able to play stuff you like), move to the third chord. Now youll be playing the first

three chords until theyre mastered. Eventually, youll have the entire progression

mastered and that mastery will transfer to other progressions.

If you try to do the entire progression right away, you will simply get discouraged. That

approach doesnt give you the opportunity to experience mastery at a regular rate like

working on small chunks does. Remember. Master small tasks.

Chord tones/extensions/alterations Security

Its pretty simple to gain a sense of security and confidence in this area. All it takes is

work. Heres what you do.

Take a recorded progression and play through it playing only the roots of the chords.

When this feels solid do the same thing with the 3rds, then the 5ths, then the 7ths.

When you feel confident playing them one at a time, try playing more than 9ne chordtone per chord.

When the chord tones feel solid, do the same exercise with the chord extensions 9ths,

11ths, and 13ths. Youll find that some of the extensions work on some chords, but not

on others. Keep a journal to remind you which is which. Then do it with the alterations

b9, #9, b5, #5.


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The alterations are trickier because certain ones work on certain chords, but not others.

#9 and b9 dont work on major 7 chords, but work great on dominant 7 chords. #5 and

b5 are used on dominant 7, minor 7, and major 7. Youll discover which ones work for

you as you work on the exercise. Keep in mind that the level of dissonance you can

tolerate now will change. Give things a chance and re-visit the exercise once in a while.One of the keys to being a good improviser is being able to use tension effectively.

Chord Substitution

This related to the section on using arpeggios, specifically to superimposing one

arpeggio type melodiccaly against a different type of chord (i.e. Emin7 against a Gmaj7

chord). In this section were talking about replacing one chord with another in a

progression. For example, we can take the following progression:

Amin7 D7 Gmaj7

And change it to this:

Amin7 D7 Bmin7

The Gmaj7 chord has been changed to a Bmin7. In order to figure out why, we have to

look at each chord in more detail. In other words, what are the chord tones?

The chord tones for Gmaj7 are G, B, D, F#; Bmin7 is B, D, F#, A. There are three common

tones B, D, F#. So these chords are linked really strongly. By using Bmin7 as a

substitute for Gmaj7, you essentially add one note (A) while getting rid of the root (G).The A turns out to be the 9

thof Gmaj7 so what were left with is a Gmaj9.

The next thing that needs to be clear is the relationship between the chords. If Gmaj7 is

the I chord, then Bmin7 would be the iii chord. Simply stated, the iii chord of any key can

be substituted for the I chord. This works in any key. For example, in the key of D major,

Dmaj7 is the I chord and F#min7 is the iii chord. Dmaj7 chord tones are D,F#,A, C#;

F#min7 chord tones are F#, A, C#, E. Common tones are F#, A, C#.

Another common chord substitution is substituting vi for i. Take a look at the chord for

Gmaj7 (I) and Emin7 (vi). Gmaj7 is G, B, D, F#; Emin7 is E, G, B, D. Common tones are G,B, D.

To summarize: the I chord can be replaced by either the iii chord or the vi chord.

Another common substitution is ii for IV or vice versa. In the key of C, the ii chord is

Dmin7 chord tones: D, F, A, C; the IV chord is Fmaj7 chord tones: F, A, C, E. These

two chords share three common tones F, A, C. Playing Fmaj7 in place of Dmin7 adds


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an E (9) to the Dmin7 chord. Playing Dmin7 in place of the Fmaj7 chord adds a D (6) to

the Fmaj7 chord and gets rid of the E.

Another one is vii (Bmin7b5 B, D, F, A) for V (G7 G, B, D, F). The common tones here

are B, D, F.

Tritone substitution is also common, but a bit more complicated. The basic idea is that

you can take any dominant 7 chord and replace it with another dominant 7 chord a

tritone away from the first. For instance. You can replace a C7 with an F#7 and vice

versa. To see why, we have to look at chord tones again.

The chord tones for C7 are C, E, G, Bb. The chord tones for F#7 are F#, A#, C#, E. Being

able to substitute one chord for another requires that they be strongly related through

common chord tones. It appears, on the surface, that there is only one here the E. A

closer look that the A# and Bb are enharmonic equivalents, but that still gives us only

two common tones.

It seems that this shouldnt be enough to link these two chords, but its the particular

chord tones themselves that make these two chords strongly related. Certain chord

tones identify the chord more strongly in our ears, and the strongest ones are the 3rd

and the 7th

. If you look at the two chord tones common two these two chords, youll see

that they are the 3rd

and the 7th

of each chord. the 3rd

of C7 (E) becomes the 7th

of F#7,

and the 7th

of C7 (Bb) becomes the 3rd

of F#7.

Bb E

G C#

E A#

C F#

Since the common tones between these two chords are the 3rd

and the 7th

, theyre

linked quite strongly. Playing an F#7 when you see a C7 (and vice versa) adds some

alterations as well the F# is b5 of C7 and the C# is b9. When playing C7 instead of F#7,

the C is b5 and the G is b9.


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Part 4 Practice

Most of what you learn when you study an instrument is what to practice and how to

practice it. The first part is relatively easy. Practice the fundamentals scales, arpeggios,

technical exercises, repertoire. Once a certain level of competence is achieved, you can

start considering specific questions: What can I do with what Ive got? How do I expressmyself using the abilities Ive achieved?

How you practice is something else and will determine not only how good you get, but

how quickly you get good. Unorganized, unfocussed practice is a waste of time. Below is

a set of guidelines that give you a good idea of how to practice.

Slow Down

Everyone wants it to sound the way they want it to sound and they want it right away.

Getting it up to speed and having sound good requires intelligent practice. If you try toplay it faster than you can play it, youll make mistakes and your body will think that the

mistakes are correct. Your brain knows better, but motor memory will make your hands

do things that you know are incorrect. Playing everything slow to begin will teach your

body the proper movements. Once you have that, getting it up to speed is easy.

Remember: if you teach the body a wrong movement, it takes between 5 and 10 correct

repetitions to re-learn the movement. By going slow, youll bet where youre going

faster.

Master small things

This takes patience and discipline. Practice one small thing until its mastered and then

move on. Start slow. Youll learn it better, retain it longer, and be able to use it more

effectively. And after a few months, youll have a lot of stuff that you can use well.

Resting

Dont, as a rule, practice for more than 45 minutes at a stretch. Your brain wont be

effectively be assimilating the material anymore and youll be wasting your time. For the

sake of your body, take short breaks at 20 minute intervals. Just put the instrument

down and do a couple of simple stretches, go to the bathroom, whatever.

New stuff, short session

When working on new material, dont go for more than 15 minutes. You want to avoid

going beyond your attention span, losing concentration and making mistakes that will

have to be fixed. New stuff requires more attention/concentration than old stuff.


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Identify the stuff you know, work on the stuff you dont know

Working on stuff that you already know well is a waste of time. People do this to feel

better about themselves since all the new stuff does is show them what they dont

know. This can be hard on a persons ego. A change in attitude is required, one in which

we see the stuff we dont know as a gift that allows us to get better. The old stuffdoesnt make us better.

Keep it interesting

Dont try to practice everything every day. Some things need to be worked on every day

in order to get them into the fingers. Fundamentals need to be memorized and this can

take time. Once theyre memorized they can be practiced when they need to be in order

to maintain them.

Stress variety in your sessions. Technique is important if you want to effectively express

yourself, but look at other topics: learning solos by your favorite player, songwriting,

anything that interests you.

Clearly identify what it is you want to accomplish

Why are you doing this? Do you want to become a great soloist, play in a band,

compose, record, all of the above? What kind of music do you want to play? These are

the kinds of questions that you need to answer in order to figure out what to practice.

The answers will change the longer you remain a musician, but the questions will stay

the same.

Once you answer the questions, figure out how what youre learning applies to what

you want to do. This can sometimes be difficult to figure out. Assume that the learning

applies until you become absolutely convinced that it doesnt.

---------------

Practicing your instrument is something that youll have to come to terms with if you

want to reach your full potential. For a lot of people, practice feels more like a

punishment than a musical experience. Others use it as an escape from the real world.Practicing can, however, come directly from curiousity about what you can do on your

instrument, and how you can create the sounds you want to hear. It shouldnt be about

ego or painful hours spent alone in a small room.

To move from dreading practice to looking forward to it requires a shift in attitude and

approach. One attitude that makes practice less than fun is that it is supposed to be

repetitious and regimented. Playing the same thing a hundred times isnt always


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something you want to be doing. When you do it, there should be a positive outcome,

and you should keep that outcome in view at all times.

Remember that music is a long term project. Repetition is necessary, but you dont have

to play the same thing a hundred times a day when 20 times will get you where you

want to be. Less repetition means greater concentration. Anybody can concentratethrough 20 repetitions. After that, the ability to concentrate goes down and mistakes

creep in, and those mistakes need to be dealt with in later practice sessions.

Think about the difference between practice and performance. In performance we feel

energized, excited, alive. The situation feels charged with possibility. Does your practice

sessions feel that way? Why is it that we can sit in a room with our instrument, free to

do anything we want, and wind up either falling into unsatisfying practice routines or

aimlessly noodle, accomplishing nothing? Usually, its because we havent identified

things that really excite us, and then found ways to work on those things. Or we think

we should only be working on certain things.

Once weve identified something that we want to get better at, we have to organize that

thing. Say you want to get better at scales. The worst thing you could do is get a list of

scales and start working in all of them every day. Most people can keep this kind of

thing up for maybe a month. The list is fine, but then

Organize the material. Take one scale and get familiar with it. Figure out where your

fingers are supposed to go and how they feel getting there. If you get into the feeling of

your fingers on the instrument, two things are accomplished: its more enjoyable to play

and you avoid injury since youre more aware of how things are feeling.

Now explore the sound and the pattern of the intervals in the scale. Do this slowly and

really listen. Play them melodically and harmonically. If you play a chordal instrument,

create chords from the notes in the scale; you dont have to have names for them.

Create interval patterns and make sequences. If you get an idea for a tune, write it

down. Take a break.

Come back to the scale later and see how many ways you can play the scale. Think

dynamics, timbre, tempo, whatever occurs to you. Write a solo. While youre doing all

this, ask yourself how you can use this material to create music. Go on to another scale

once youve exhausted the possibilities of the first one. You may not have exhausted thepossibilities, but if you feel that you have, then things will start to get stale without

change. You can always come back to it.

Some things are easier to practice than others. Most people prefer to work on pieces as

opposed to technique. This is understandable since music is easier to find when playing

pieces than when working on technique. Why is this? Why do weplaypieces and work

on technique?


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Technique is the basis of creation. Without it, we cant play our instruments. We dont

know whats possible. Pieces are things that have been created and are waiting to be

recreated. But they were created out of technique.

When you work on technique, take the approach outlined above. Scales, arpeggios, etc.need to be worked into the fingers somehow. If you practice correctly slowly and with

concentration you can practice technique however you want. Make it creative. Use

your imagination.

By creating stuff with technical material, you define what it is you like and dont like and

move closer to creating a personal style. The point in doing this is to start hearing

technical work (scales, arpeggios, chords, etc.) as musical. This is a creative process and

requires awareness of what youre doing, honesty regarding what you produce, and the

ability to think critically.

Practicing can proceed without a rigid plan. You dont have to do exactly what you did

yesterday or always start with the most difficult thing or pick up where you left off last

session (although sometimes its a good idea). This type of approach has nothing to do

with creative intelligence which, as an artist, youre working to cultivate. Sometimes a

rigid plan is necessary in order to get something specific done a performance exam,

concert preparation - but theres another way.

Try asking yourself, in relation to your practice, What do I want to do right now? You

might get the answer, Practice this scale 100 more times. Maybe you want to do that

or maybe you just think you should or maybe you arent sure what else to do. Just keep

asking the question. Eventually, youll start getting different answers. I want to write atune; I want to learn a solo; I want to loop this progression an try improvising to it. It

doesnt really matter. The point is to think for yourself and find out what you really want

to do with your practice time.

This can be difficult in college because the environment is geared toward working fast,

not taking your time and listening to every note. Music school goes for breadth, not

depth, in order to expose you to as much as possible in a short amount of time. This

gives you the opportunity to make decisions about what you ultimately do with music.

Its important to understand this and not think that how you do things in college is the

only way to work. You have to figure that out for yourself.

The Body

Its helpful for musicians to think of themselves as athletes. We train muscles in our

body to do specific tasks at a high level and we do it every day. For most of us, the


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muscles we train happen to be located in a small area of the body, namely the hands.

For singers its the singing apparatus, for percussionists its the arms and legs.

Aside from the percussionists, the focus on our hands often leads us to forget that

theyre connected to our arms, which are connected to our shoulders, which are

connected to our back, etc. If our posture is bad, our playing will suffer. Our entire bodyis engaged in the production of sound and we need to develop habits in the whole body

that allow our hands to work as efficiently as possible.

Its possible to play in a hunched over and make a decent sound (Glenn Gould springs to

mind), but you have to wonder how much better you would sound with the body in a

healthy position. Youll never know the difference in sound between healthy and

unhealthy positions. You would need two of you, one playing in a healthy position, the

other in an unhealthy position.

One thing is absolutely certain, however. Bad body position will take its toll over time in

ways that wont just effect your playing. Unless you screw up your back so bad that you

cant play anymore. Or you keep getting repetive strain injuries when nobody else

seems to be.

Relaxing the body when we play is essential. Fine motor control is compromised the

tenser you get. Theres a level of tension that is necessary if were to play at all, but past

that level, our playing gets worse and our body pays a price. Many musicians create

more tension than is necessary when producing sound, especially when playing loud.

Guitar players grip their instruments too hard; singers tighten their throat muscles.

Think of the body as a resonating chamber, part of what helps you make a great sound.This is easy for singers, a little less easy for wind players and not often considered by

string players. However, it should be obvious. The body isnt exactly empty, but it does

resonate; we can feel it when we speak or sing. More loose and open it is, the more

effectively it resonates, taking the sound youre creating and creating a richer, fuller

sound. Think about this. It may help you relax, creating better coordination, better

technique and better sound.

In order to avoid undue stress on muscles, we need to vary our movement patterns.

Even though repetition is necessary in order to acquire the skill we need to play our

instruments, practicing the same thing 100 times in a row can cause muscle fibers tolose their elasticity and become shortened. To avoid muscle straing, health professionals

recommend frequent breaks. Take a 10 minute break every 45 minutes; some

recommend a break every 20 to 30 minutes. If your body feels stiff or tight during a

practice session, stop and stretch for a minute before continuing.

We tend to think of standing or sitting in one position as having no stressful impact on

the body, but muscles have to work in order to maintain a certain position. They need to


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change position from time to time or they become fatigued. Madeline Bruser discusses

these issues in depth in her excellent book, The Art of Practicing.

Letting go of tension takes mental effort and awareness. We cant undo something that

we dont know were doing. As you practice, monitor your body. If you stand when

practicing, place your awareness on the soles of your feet. Are they flat on the groundall the time or do you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet? Are your knees

locked causing your lower back to work harder? Is your upper back hunched, causing

strain in your neck and shoulders? If it is, then try this simple readjustment exercise.

Raise your hands above your head and turn the palms over so that they face the feeling.

The fingers should be pointing at each other which means that the elbows should be

pointing outwards. You should feel your shoulder blades move inwards toward each

other. Hold this position for 10 seconds or so. Now lower the hands while maintaining

this back position. Let your hands hang at your sides for 10 or 15 seconds.

This is the position that health professionals, yoga practitioners and others consider to

be the healthiest position for the body. It will feel strange and wrong at first if your body

has become used to a less natural way of holding itself, but try for a week whenever you

practice or are sitting at the computer. It will begin to feel more natural.

Working this way takes great mental focus. Limit your practice time to only 10 minutes

to make sure you maintain awareness. Take a short break and then come back to it.

Eventually, this new way of holding your body and moving with more relaxation will

take less conscious effort. It will become automatic.

More ideas for practice

Sometimes a lot of timesyou just dont want to practice even when you know that

you should or that you have to. Here are a couple of suggestions that might help.

1. Clear your mind walk over to your instrument (stop thinking) and pick it up. Youhave to clear your mind because otherwise youll come up with all sorts of

reasons to not practice. Nothing is easier than finding those reasons.

Sit down, pick up your instrument and try not to play. If you feel like playing, go

ahead. Play whatever comes to mind. If theres something specific that you feel

like playing or practicing, go ahead. Often, using this technique, well wind uppracticing for half an hour without realizing. Half of the struggle is getting the

instrument in our hands.

2. This one requires a bit of preparation. The night before, write down when andfor how long youre going to practice. Write it down in a book thats going to

stay in your room and leave it somewhere obvious where youll see it the next

day.


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the sound of jazz

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