Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
JAZZ IMPROVISATION, CLASS NOTES 2016-2017
PREFACE
The following class notes were written between approximately September 2016 and July 2017
as a continuation of my ongoing workshops in jazz improvisation at Music Center Of The
Northwest (musiccenternw.org). These notes include exercises written for a Rock Band theory
class and a Summer jam session, which is part of the same improvisational curriculum.
I would like to thank all my students for their dedicated participation and feedback in these
workshops. Hopefully these notes will continue their usefulness beyond the scope of the classes
they were written for.
Have fun, and thanks for reading.
-David Matthew Shere
Seattle, WA; June 30, 2018
i
Jazz Improv I Class notes 2016-17 PAGE
Class notes 01 - Etudes on chord changes ("Autumn Leaves") 1
Bass clef 4
guitar 6
Class notes 02 - Jazz-blues licks in 6/4 ("All Blues") 9
Bass clef 11
guitar 12
Class notes 03 - ("Autumn Leaves" 9th arps/"Blue Bossa") 14
Bass clef 17
guitar 19
Class notes 04 - ("All Blues" follow-up study) 22
Bass clef 24
guitar 25
Class notes 05 - ("Autumn Leaves" 9th arps + scale) 27
Bass clef 30
guitar 32
Class notes 06 ("Nuages") 35
Bass clef 37
guitar 38
Class notes 07 - Default scale "cheat sheet" 40
Bass clef 45
Bb 46
Concert 47
Eb 48
Guitar 49
ii
Class notes 08 ("Killer Joe") 51
Bass clef 54
guitar 56
Class notes 09 - ("It Had To Be You") 59
Bass clef 62
guitar 64
Class notes 10 - ("Tenor Madness" melodic study) 67
Bass clef 68
guitar 69
Class notes 11 - ("Tenor Madness" default scales) 70
Bass clef 71
guitar 72
Class notes 12 - ("Black Orpheus") 73
Bass clef 77
guitar 79
Class notes 13 - ("The 'In' Crowd") 83
Bass clef 87
guitar 89
Class notes 14 - ("Things Ain't What They Used To Be") 92
Bass clef 94
guitar 95
Class notes 15a - ("Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" modes/scales) 97
Class notes 15b - ("Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" guide tones) 100
Bass clef 104
guitar 107
iii
Class notes 16 - ("God Bless The Child") 114
Bass clef 118
guitar 120
Jazz Improv II Class notes 2016-17 125
Class notes 01 - ("Caravan") 127
guitar 131
Class notes 02 - ("Poinciana" arps + scales) 135
guitar 138
Class notes 03 - ("Blackbird") 141
guitar 145
Class notes 04 - ("Blues In The Closet") 149
guitar 150
Class notes 05 - ("Poinciana" arps + scales) 151
guitar 154
Class notes 06 - ("Sidewinder") 157
guitar 160
Class notes 07 - (Elogie") 163
guitar 167
Class notes 08 - ("It Don't Mean A Thing") 171
guitar 174
Class notes 09 - ("Gang Gang") 177
guitar 181
Class notes 10 - ("Blackbird") 185
guitar 189
Class notes 11 - ("Take 5") 193
guitar 196
iv
Class notes 12 - ("Mr P.C.) 199
guitar 201
Jazz Improv III Class notes 2016-17 205
Class notes 01 - ("Skylark") 207
guitar 210
Class notes 02 - ("Freddie Freeloader") 213
guitar 215
Class notes 03 - ("Honeysuckle Rose") 217
guitar 220
Class notes 04 - ("My Funny Valentine") 223
guitar 226
Class notes 05 - Default scale "cheat sheet"
Bb 229
Concert 230
guitar 231
Class notes 06 - ("Autumn In New York") 233
guitar 236
Class notes 07 - ("Pennies From Heaven") 239
guitar 242
Class notes 08 - ("Blue Monk") 245
guitar 247
Class notes 09a - ("Lady Bird" scales.chord functions) 250
Class notes 09b - ("Lady Bird" parallel modes) 252
Class notes 09c - ("Lady Bird" Guide tones) 254
Class notes 09d - ("Lady Bird" Etude) 256
09a guitar 258
v
09b guitar 260
09c guitar 262
09d guitar 264
Class notes 10 - ("Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me") 266
guitar 269
Class notes 11 - ("St. Thomas") 272
guitar 274
Class notes 12 - ("Route 66") 276
guitar 278
Rock Band Theory Class notes 2016-17 281
Class notes 01 - Blues solo templates 283
All 12 keys 284
Class notes 02 - ("Superstition" licks) 287
All 12 keys 288
Class notes 03 - Blues solo templates 291
All 12 keys 292
Class notes 04 - Blues solo templates 295
All 12 keys 296
Class notes 05 - Blues solo templates 299
All 12 keys 300
Class notes 06 - Blues solo templates 303
All 12 keys 304
Class notes 07 - Blues solo templates 307
All 12 keys 308
Class notes 08 - Blues solo templates 311
All 12 keys 312
vi
Class notes 09 - Blues solo templates 315
All 12 keys 316
Class notes 10 - Blues solo templates 319
All 12 keys 320
Class notes 11 - Blues solo templates 323
All 12 keys 324
Class notes 12 - Blues solo templates 327
All 12 keys 328
Improv Theory general class notes 2016-17 333
general class notes 01 - ("Lady Iris B" Solo, 2nd chorus) 335
All 12 keys 337
Bass clef 342
Bass clef all 12 keys 343
guitar 348
general class notes 02 - 9th arp/scale comb. Exercises 350
All 12 keys 351
Bass clef 354
Bass clef all 12 keys 355
guitar 358
general class notes 03 - Major vs. minor blues scales 359
All 12 keys 361
Bass clef 365
Bass clef all 12 keys 366
guitar 370
general class notes 04 - One-,easure melodic studies 372
All 12 keys 373
vii
Bass clef 376
Bass clef all 12 keys 377
guitar 380
general class notes 05 - Sequences (based on one meas. examples) 381
All 12 keys 383
Bass clef 389
Bass clef all 12 keys 390
guitar 396
general class notes 06 - BASIC SEQUENCES 398
All 12 keys 402
Bass clef 415
Bass clef all 12 keys 417
guitar 430
general class notes 07 - Addirional scale patterns 434
All 12 keys 436
Bass clef 442
Bass clef all 12 keys 443
guitar 449
general class notes 08 - Chord progressions
I. Parallel chords 451
II. Borrowed chords 452
III. Relative substitutions 452
IV. Tritone substitutions 453
general class notes 09 - Chord progressions (cont'd.)
I. Major and minor [ii-V-I] progressions 455
II. Applied dominants ("secondary" dominants) 456
viii
III. Applied [ii-V-I] progressions 458
general class notes 10 - Collected whiteboard lecture notes 459
Summer Jam Session class notes 2017 465
Class notes 01 - ("C Jam Blues"/"Autumn Leaves") 467
Class notes 02 - ("Bag's Groove"/Cantaloupe Island") 469
Class notes 03 - ("C Jam Blues"/"Georgia") 471
Class notes 04 - (Bag's Groove"/"Fly Me To The Moon") 473
ix
x
123
124
126
203
204
206
280
282
331
332
334
459
Improv Theory 2016-17
General class notes 10
David M. Shere
6/5/2017
Collected whiteboard lecture notes
1/3/2017
Chord symbol: X melodic image: Y
(“When improvising, any given chord symbol X should result in a melodic response of Y,
where Y = any scale, arpeggio, or melodic pattern chosen by the improviser”)
Stages of melodic development in improvisation
STUDY/PRACTICE
1) THEORY - “safe/correct/right” note choices
2) BORROWING - quotes, transcriptions; “stealing licks”
3) INTUITION - melody INDEPENDENT of harmony
4) PROFICIENCY - confidence in all note choices
1/19/2017
Red book (“Tools For Improvisation”) arguments summary (by chapter):
1. Know all 12 major scales equally/with equal fluency
a. Start with most difficult (Db, B, Gb/F#)
2. Know all 12 major scales by step (2nds) and by skip (3rds): 3rds, triads, 7ths, …, 13ths
3. Know all 12 major scales starting/ending on any note (relative modes)
4. Know all 12 major scales in parallel modes
5. Recognize common chord progressions/related chords
6. Recognize unrelated chords
7. Know all chord tones, suspensions, alterations, and extensions
8. Know all triad and 7th
chord types
9. Know basic rhythm patterns and phrases
10. Devise a practice strategy and keep a journal
11. Prioritize useful technical exercises
460
4/13/2017
1. For every chord there is a scale
2. Often one scale will fit (2) or more chords, adjacent or separated
IDENTIFYING RELATED CHORDS ((2) or more chords = (1) scale/key/mode):
Process of elimination
1. Are two chords (x,y) related?
a. IF YES, (1) scale applies
b. IF NO, each chord requires a different scale
2. If two chords are unrelated, do they use parallel scales?
a. Look for common tones between unrelated scales
3. Whenever root movement in a chord progression proceeds by half steps, either
Tritone substitutions (TTS) or secondary dominants are likely
4. There are (12) notes. For every note, there is an object.
a. 12 [ii-V] progressions
b. 12 dominant 7th
chords
c. 12 major 7 arpeggios
d. etc.
OTHER THOUGHTS
1. PATTERN RECOGNITION comes from memorizing common related chord
progressions in every key ([ii-V-I], [iii-vi-ii-V-I], etc.)
2. IDENTIFYING CRYPTIC CHORDS (substitutions, borrowed chords, secondary
dominants) works by process of elimination (“One of these things is not like the
other”)
3. Your melodic image is informed by your ARTISTIC MISSION (“What is your artistic
mission? How do you imagine yourself proficiently improvising?”).
a. Artistic mission informs how we approach theory individually, and what
subjects we prioritize
b. “If there were two of you, and you were in the audience listening to you
improvising onstage, what do you imagine you would want to hear you play?”
461
4/18/2017
APPLYING THEORY TO IMPROVISING
1. Identify the scale for the given chord
2. Create melodies from the scale
a. sequences
b. stairsteps [12, 1232, 123432, …etc.)
c. arpeggios (chord tones)
d. randomize
e. apply varying rhythm patterns/phrases/articulations
f. borrow licks from other players using same scale
g. quote (from the tune, from other tunes same key)
h. theme/variations
i. guide tones [3rd
/ii> 7/V]
j. use stock licks (traditional, universal melodic fragments)
4/26/2017
1. All parallel chords are borrowed.
2. Not all borrowed chords are parallel.
3. A dominant 7 chord which resolves down ½ step is a TTS
5/3/2017
1. Guide tones are specifically defined as the 3rd
of a [ii] chord and the 7th
of its relative
[V] chord
2. Common tones are any notes that are shared between two chords or scales
3. The goal of using guide tones and common tones is to produce small-compass
melodies (compass = the intervallic distance between the lowest and highest notes
of a melody)
4. Guide tones typically resolve on the 3rd
of the [I] chord (“Aim for the 3rd
of the [I]
chord”)
462
5/10/2017
CHORD-SCALE ANALYSIS
1. Identify the scale for each chord
2. Convert scales into parallel modes wherever possible
3. Identify chord tones, guide tones and useful common tones
4. Construct licks and etudes
5. Identify a “default” scale (the main scale used to improvise over the chord changes
of a piece)
a. The “default” scale may be chosen by identifying the statistical prevalence of
chords common to the primary key of a piece (the key that occupies the most
space on the chart)
b. “Default” scales are a placeholder device for the convenience of student
players. The goal is to eventually arrive at a degree of proficiency that permits
changing scales with every chord
5/11/2017
GOAL: Develop technical reflexes that will serve us under pressure (proficiency)
1. Acquire theory
a. from the perspective of the composer
b. understand how the music is assembled
c. do a chord-scale analysis and create melodies from scales
2. Formulate improvising strategies
a. map out chord/scale pairs
b. map out arpeggios/chord tones
c. map out licks and etudes
d. woodshed (practice intensively) scales/arpeggios/licks
e. devise improvised melodies in response to chord progressions
463
5/20/2017
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS about improvisation and technical improvement
1. Train ourselves to think faster? NO
a. Train our technique to accommodate our ideas and imagination YES
b. Practice scales and arpeggios diligently and athletically
2. Train ourselves to track theory information faster in real time? NO
a. Train ourselves for pattern recognition of common chord progressions and
cryptic chord progressions through BRUTE MEMORIZATION of the relevant
information YES
3. A good technical benchmark is to be able to play a C major scale 2 octaves in 16th
notes @ 120BPM
a. All other scales in 16th
notes @ 90-100BPM
464
466
