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 jazz class, 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 them know 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 inclusiveness tends 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.

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 both part of a 2 bar phrase so it makes sense avoid the root in order to keep things

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

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 of sound, 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 h at, 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 keep perfect 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 to improvise 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.

In order to be a successful jazz soloist you must: Develop command of your instrument through constant practice so that you can play any musical idea effortlessly. Have strong knowledge of harmony so that you can negotiate key changes and create interesting melodies. This relates directly to the recognition of standard chord progressions. Be able to listen intently to the entire band while playing and know how to interact with them. Develop a knowledge of the jazz repertoire through learning pieces and listening to 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 less free 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 the appropriate place. Chord voicings can be based on the following principles: Three or four note voicings in the left hand (piano). Be careful of muddiness of sound produced by placing the chord too low in the register.

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 3rd 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.

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 other soloists 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.

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 to another 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 that the 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 rhythm section 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 punctuations from 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.

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 he struck a balance between vertical and horizontal logic of the melodic line.

Lester Young tried to reduce harmonic material for the sake of melody. He: 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 new melodies 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 of passing chords and replacement chords. Entire sections of harmony were often replaced with more complex chords. Rhythm the rhythmic backdrop became more complex. To a larger degree than previously, 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 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. It didnt matter to him if the melodies fit the chords as long as they sounded good. Emphasized rhythmic variation.

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 more than 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, its one 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 begun to 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

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, and Gerry 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 improvisationeveryone has 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

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 another soloist and developed or replaced.

Fusion Fusion can mean many things in the context of jazz, but most people think jazz-rock when 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 Way and 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 jazzrock 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 to do, 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.

fig. 5 clave rhythm

Its called the clave rhythm because its traditionally played with a pair of short cylindrical 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

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.

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 of chords theyre playing. Because this topic is so integral to jazz, some genera l 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 down what 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. Notes outside 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.

 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 good melody. 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 well look at how theyre constructed. First of all, were dealing with 7 th 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 1 D 2 E 3 F 4 G 5 A 6 B 7 C 8 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 2 nd note. In the above scale this would give us C E G B (1 3 5 7).. We can transform this chord 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). D 9 E 10 F 11 G 12 A 13 B 14

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, we can 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 6 th 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

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 4 th, 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

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

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. To o 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 variation and 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 hav e enough vocabulary (motifs) so that you have something to play once the first motif ceases to be useful.

Following is a motivic analysis of Ladybird. 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.

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 playing wont 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 chan ges 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.

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 I Dmin7 ii Emin7 Fmaj7 G7 iii IV Amin7 V Bmin7b5 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 C above, 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 of C. 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

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) that Bb7 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 o ne 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 ii V 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 I Cmin7 ii Dmin7 iii Ebmaj7 IV F7 Gmin7 V vi Amin7b5 vii

We get the minor key progression by starting on the vi chord (Gmin7) of the major key, calling it the I chord. Gmin7 i Amin7b5 ii Bbmaj7 III Cmin7 vi Dmin7/D7 v/V7 Ebmaj7 VI F7/F#dim7 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

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 propulsion given 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)

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.

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 tone s 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

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 useful ideas. 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.

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.

Pattern Permutation Its easy to get stuck in patterns to the point that t hey 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 t hat were aware of playing the same 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 exploring improvisation 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 as written. 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.

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.

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.

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 chor d 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 a t 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 chord tone 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.

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 9th of 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

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 3 rd 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 3 rd 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.

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 express myself 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 to play 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.

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 stuff doesnt 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 a bout 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

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 concentrate through 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 the possibilities, 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 we play pieces and work on technique?

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 a tune; 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

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 body is 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 to lose 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

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 ground all 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 times you 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. You have 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 up practicing 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 and for 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.

Whats important here is not practicing so much as stating your intention to practice even if you just wrote, Tuesday - 10 seconds. Two things happen: it makes it easier to practice and gives yourself an objective look at yourself as someone who thinks they should be practicing. Maybe you shouldnt be practicing. But if youre thinking about it. Here are some excuses for not practicing: I dont feel like it. This relates to #1 above and is the first thing youll come across if you think about it. When were actually practicing, it doesnt seem like that big a deal, but when were inactive theres anxiety around it. Your brain creates that anxiety, so shut it off and go pick up your instrument. Dont worry about practicing. Just pick it up. Im not inspired. Dont wait too long. Inspiration, in almost all case, comes once were immersed in the work. Heres something else to think about. If you do get inspired to do something, but you havent done the work required to learn about what youre inspired to do, then what you do will probably be lame. People are listening. Youre a musician. You want people to be listening. Maybe they can hear something you arent hearing and help you get better. This one isnt really that big a deal for most people, but if its a problem for you, remember: theyve got their own things; theyre not that concerned about you practicing. If you think that theyre judging your playing, pay attention what you think theyre saying. Thats probably you. Unless youre a mind reader, what goes on in your brain is you talking. I suck. Work on hearing what youre doing that sounds good. The difficult passage youve been working on finally falling into place, a scale played strongly from start to finish, a good chord. Small things are really important. There are always as many things that go right in a practice session as go wrong. Recognize them.

What should I practice? Theres a tension here between what you want to practice and what you have to practice. Sometimes its the same, sometimes not. Regardless, you have to figure out what these are on a regular basis. For music students its relatively easy. Theyre told every lesson what they need to be working on and how to work on it. When preparing for an audition or a recording, you prepare whatever is relevant to those situations. But what if these situations dont apply to you?

Try this: spend a quarter of your time on other peoples music (solos, pieces, studies), a quarter on technique (scales, arpeggios, exercises), a quarter on composing (you can write something as simple as a melodic motif that you turn into an exercise or you can write pieces), and a quarter on listening (to music, ear training). You dont have to cover everything every day. The important thing is to keep a variety of interesting things in your musical life. Cultivate diverse musical interests with well-defined projects with which to develop them. Projects can be anything from a particular technique that you want to learn, to a band youre putting together, to a solo piece youre writing, to a new style of music youre learning, to a new instrument youre learning, to recording tunes for social networks. Theres lots you can be doing.

Timetables for Practice Organization is a nasty word for those that believe spontaneity is a better approach. It makes sense to me that there be a balance. Make sure that you know how to be spontaneous, but organize the things that you really want to get done or theres a good chance theyll remain unfinished. If youre going to become skilled at whatever you do, you have to identify what if is you have to do to become skilled and then organize your time to make sure it happens. It wont happen spontaneously unless its all you do. Most of us have more than one thing going on in our lives music, friends, work, etc. The following approaches should get you thinking about how you organize your time.

In College The priority approach This approach makes practice the number one priority. Every time you get half a chance to practice, you take it. This is also known as the obsessive approach. If your practice time is focuses and productive, you can get a lot done with this approach. The problem is that the rest of your life suffers since you tend to do nothing else. 6 AM Get up at 5:30 to get the necessary stuff out of the way (shower, eat, etc.). Work on technique until 8 AM. 8 AM Take the bus to school instead of driving because that way you can visualize scales, arpeggios, whatever. 9 AM Class 10 AM Practice sight reading. 11 AM Practice tunes (memorize melody, chords, analyse for improvisation possibilities). 12 PM Lunch 1 PM Class 2 PM Practice improvisation scale use. 3 PM Class 4 PM Practice improvisation arpeggio use. 5 PM Bus home, errands. 6 PM Supper 7 PM Homework 8 PM Practice improvisation on loops using discoveries made earier (2 PM and 4 PM). 9 PM Learn transcription. 10 PM Bed. Visualize practice material until asleep.

The do-it-when-it-feels-right approach This seems to a lot of peoples preference. The attitude is that music happens from inspiration. Anything else isnt the real thing. This approach doesnt normally yield good results in terms of getting better on your instrument. 6 AM Are you kidding? 7 AM Sleep is good for me. 8 AM Better get up, Got a class at 9. 9 AM Class 10 AM Hang out 11 AM Practice. Just got an idea for something. 12 PM Lunch 1 PM Class 2 PM Hang out, homework, maybe practice. 3 PM Class 4 PM Practice a bit. Gotta learn those chords. 5 PM Drive home. TV. 6 PM Supper 7 PM Homework 8 PM TV 9 PM Go out. Usually back by midnight.

The Procrastinating Approach You may think that Im trying to be funny with this one. Im not. I know a lot of people like this. So do you. This isnt a plan they have. It just kind of happens to them. 6 AM Very funny. 7 AM I should get up. 8 AM I should really get up. 9 AM Crap, Im late for class. 10 AM Chase down classmates to find out what you missed. 11 AM I should practicelater 12 PM Lunch 1 PM Class 2 PM Hang out. 3 PM Class 4 PM I should practice. I wonder whats on TV. 5 PM Practice for an hour before supper. 6 PM Supper 7 PM Homework 8 PM TV until 10 10 PM I hardly practiced all day. Oh, well. Tomorrows another day. Im going out.

The Balanced Approach In the long run, this is the best approach for most people. You learn the most in the shortest amount of time using the priority approach, but you run the danger of burning out. You dont learn much with the do-it-when-it-feels-right approach, but sometimes you discover things about what you want to get out of music. The procrastinating approach means you should be doing something else. With the balanced approach, you can get 3 4 hours of practice a day and still have a life. 6 AM Sleep is good for you 7 AM Wake up, shower, eat. 8 AM Practice a bit, just play around on the instrument. 9 AM Class 10 AM Review class, hang out. 11 AM Practice 12 PM Lunch, hang out. 1 PM Class 2 PM Homework 3 PM Class 4 PM Whatever 5 PM Practice 6 PM Supper 7 PM Practice 8 PM Homework until 10 or practice if theres time. 10 PM Bed or whatever.

With a Job The Priority Approach In time this will kill you. And if youre doing nothing but practicing and working, there will be no time to look for gigs and youll start practicing less because there will be less reason to do so. Make gigs or teaching the reason to get better and kill your day job. Then youll have more time to practice if you want. 5 AM Practice until 7 AM. 7 AM Shower, eat, etc. 8 AM Work until 4 PM. Practice at lunchtime 4 PM Necessary errands. 5 PM Practice 6 PM Eat and practice. 7 PM Practice until 8 PM 8 PM Break 9 PM Practice until bed. 10 PM Bed

The do-it-when-it-feels-right Approach This approach makes you feel like youre a musician when youre not. Youre someone whos working a job and happens to have an instrument that you play once in a while. Start a band and youll be closer to the truth. 7 AM Shower, eat, etc 8 AM Work until 4 PM 4 PM Go for a beer 5 PM Pick up the guitar (maybe), noodle. 6 PM Supper 7 PM Hang out, TV. 10 PM Pick up the guitar (maybe), noodle.

The Balanced Approach Theres time here to practice and pay attention to important concerns like finding work as a musician. The schedule changes for the sake of gigs or rehearsal or any professional commitment. 6 AM Shower, eat, etc. 7 AM Practice for and hour or review contacts/performance opportunities. 8 AM Work until 4 PM. Use a part of lunch and breaks to phone/email/research potential performance opportunities. 4 PM Errands 5 PM Practice or networking. 6 PM Supper 7 PM Practice or networking. 8 PM Hang out, whatever. 10 PM Bed

The Procrastinating Approach Practicing is a dim memory. 7:30 AM Eat while getting to work. 8 AM Work until 4 PM 4 PM Errands 5 PM TV 6 PM Supper 7 PM TV 8 PM Hang out. 10 PM Think about the guitar, TV 11 PM Sleep

Part 5 Arranging
An important part of this course is the creation of arrangements for each piece performed. The possibilities that exist when using the basic techniques of arranging are endless. Here are the basic techniques. Form Form in most mainstream jazz is defined by the length of the chorus, the chorus being defined as the entire tune played once, the most common forms are: 12 bar blues 16 bar AB 32 bar AABA 32 bar ABAC The last two are different only in that the last few bars of the C section are different than the B section. Otherwise, B and C are identical. Each letter is considered a section and is usually 8 bars long. In AABA form the first section is repeated (AA), then the second section is played (B), and then the first section is played again (A). Solos are normally taken over the entire form, or chorus. The following is a typical jazz arrangement. Intro Chorus Solos Chorus Outro

In a standard jazz arrangement, the only change from endless choruses is the addition of sections like intros, outros, vamps, interludes, etc. Depending on the type of band, you can insert background material into a solo section. If focused of composition, the possibilities for arranging open up. If focused on improvisation, arrangement tends to take a back seat. Sometimes the above structure is changed by deleting sections. In an AABA structure, the last A is often deleted for the solos because otherwise the A section would be repeated three times in a row which can get monotonous. AABAAB is preferable to AABAAABA for a lot of players. Sometimes the melody after the solos is left incomplete, especially with longer forms or with ballads. This can occur at the end of the piece by playing only the A section after the solos or by splitting the chorus between solo and melody, having the soloist play on AA and then playing the melody on BA. An interlude a short passage that connects longer sections can be added to an existing structure if it makes musical sense. Sometimes theyre used between solos to break up the endless stream of improvisation if desired. They can be used before or

after each chorus, after the first chorus and before the first solo, or before the last chorus. Try to cultivate a flexible idea of section. They dont have to be any specific length. If it makes musical sense to add a bar to an 8 bar section then do it. If it makes musical sense to insert a 2 bar variation of the intro between A and B, then do it. Do whatever comes to mind. It just needs to make musical sense. Trading fours is an effective way of creating variety in the form of a piece. This usually occurs after the last solo and essentially splits the last chorus (or however many choruses you want) into four bar sections. Each member of the group solos over one of the four bar sections, followed immediately by another member who solos over the next four bars. This continues until the end of the chorus. Often the drummer will solo over every other four bar section while the other players take turns alternating with him/her. Intros 1. Turnarounds A turnaround is two or four bar chord progression that is usually at the end of a tune or section of a tune. If used as an intro, the turnaround should lead satisfactorily (whatever you think that means) to the chord that starts the tune proper. Here are some common turnarounds leading to Cmaj7. Amin7 Dmin7 G7 Cmaj7 A7 D7 G7 -Cmaj7 Eb7 Ab7 Db7 Cmaj7 2. Material from the tune Any distinctive aspect of the tune can be used as an intro, whether it s a rhythmic idea, a melodic idea, a particular chord progression, anything that sticks out. These kinds of ideas may be very short. If they are, then they need to be developed into an idea long enough to be considered an intro. Complete sections or even entire choruses are sometimes used as intros. In these cases, a solo is often used instead of the melody. Otherwise you would just be playing the tune an extra time. 3. Material in intro continued in chorus This would normally be rhythm section material like a repeated bass figure or a rhythm section vamp that continues when the melody comes in. This creates a seamless transition from intro to chorus.

4. New Material If youre writing your own intro then that means that it should have something in common with the tune, but not be from the tune. Intros dont necessarily need to have anything to do with the tune, but it helps. Create surprise and interest by varying tempo, feel, key, dynamics, etc in relation to the tune. New chord progressions and new melodies are often used. A chord progression simply has to lead to the first chord of the tune in a convincing way. A new melody can simply be a repeated riff or an extended melodic idea. The latter is trickier and requires more care. 5. Solos Solos can be used as intros, either on part of the tune or as new material. 6. Free time This refers to a lack of pulse. This can be done with a soloist or the entire band. Its usually short 4 to 8 bars and can be taken from the tune or be newly composed. If the entire band is doing this, then this type of intro is often represented by a series of chords with fermatas over them. As each chord is played the band improvises freely until the next chord is played, usually cued be a band member. The fewer the players the less need for strict guidelines 7. Vamps Vamps are popular for players because they can be really open (i.e. last as long as you want) and can be used for extra solo time. It also provides a way to vary the order of solos and can show up in places other than the intro. A short progression two to four chords is normal for a vamp. Things like riffs or a written bass line are also possible. If using a vamp, you can stagger the entrance of the instruments so that a new instrument enters every two or four bars. As with any type of intros, think of texture. The whole band doesnt need to be playing all the time. The intro could b a drum solo, a bass/sax duet, a piano solo with shots from the band, etc. use your imagination.

Outros 1. Tags Tags are generally the last two bars of the tune repeated however may times you want, although two or three times is most common. The progression used is

usually a turnararound and the accompanying melody or a solo is played along with it. 2. Using the Intro as an Outro Although its a bit of a clich, this technique establishes a sense of unity. Out of necessity, the outro will be a variation of the intro since it has a different function. Each situation is different. Youll figure out how to change it once youre working with it. 3. Fermata A fermata can be used on the last note of a melody. This is a very common ending and must be used sparingly. A variation is to use a fermata on the last note and follow it with another fermata that actually ends the tune. Cadenzas are often used with the fermata, usually before the ending fermata, but sometimes after it. 4. Staccato The opposite of fermata is staccato. Simply end the tune with a staccato on the last note. This doesnt work on all tunes so be careful how you use it. Usually its used on up-tempo tunes and not on ballads. Often, staccato on the last note is followed by a few more staccato shots, creating a false ending. 5. Vamps Vamps can be effective with a crescendo heading for a staccato or a fermata ending. They also work well with a gradual decrescendo, known as vamp and fade. A variation of the vamp and fade has players dropping out one at a time until theres only one player left to end the tune. All of the outros mentioned here have been used a lot, to the point of becoming clichs. They can be used as is if you havent got time to come up with anything better or they can be used as springboards for something different. Composing is always the best option.

Accents Im talking here about a particular type of accent called shots, often associated with horn sections. If youve ever heard James Brown, Count Basie or any number of jazz or funk big bands, you will have heard shots.

Shots are often used in call and response or to highlight a distinctive rhythmic figure. Melody notes that have some kind of emphasis are often accented. The following can be accented: Notes of longer duration than those around them. Syncopated notes. Notes that begin or end phrases. Highest or lowest notes. While its possible to accent existing aspects of a tune, people will quite often compose these accents as responses to whats happening in the tune. Shots will also be composed as a riff that continues in the background to a solo, or as a countermelody of sorts behind a melody line. One of the best things you can do is get some funk, blues, or jazz recordings with horn sections to here what Im talking about. Breaks A break is simply a brief silence from the whole band into which a solo is usually inserted. It provides relief from the same texture throughout and is usually only one or two bars long at the end of a section or the beginning of a solo. You can use them anywhere if you can make them work and they dont have to have a solo stuffed into them. Dynamics Changing dynamics often take the shape of starting soft and building in volume. Here are a few places where its appropriate. Beginning of a solo Beginning of any formal unit intro, A section, B section, vamp Last time a turnaround is played in a tag it can get louder to signal the end These often happen naturally and dont require advance discussion. There are, of course, lots you could do with dynamics. You would just have to work it out in advance if it was anything outside of the norm. Style Changes This is also known as a feel change and has been used in many tunes. Usually there are no more than 2 style changes per tune, but more may be used. As usual, its a matter of taste. It should sound natural, not change for the sake of change or because you got bored of the original feel.

Some tunes like A Night in Tunisia or Greeen Dolphin Street have style changes built into them. In tunes where the style change isnt built in, it almost always occurs when moving from section to section. For example, the A section could be swing and the B section could be latin. It doesnt often happen that the style changes after 4 bars, but try it and see how it works. Sometimes the vamp is in a different style than the rest of the piece. Taking a well known tune and changing the style for the entire tune can have a dramatic effect. The most common styles used alongside jazz are latin, rock and funk, although pretty much anything is possible. Hip hop is using jazz more and more. Changing instrumentation acoustic guitar and voice points towards folk. Anything is possible. Free jazz is another resource for arranging. Two ways of incorporating it into an arrangement are: Free time. Drop the pulse for brief periods as an intro, interlude or outro. Collective improvisation where all members improvise together. This could happen during one of the solos, as an outro, or as an extension of the last solo. Listening to as many types of music as possible well give you ideas for what you want to do with jazz. The great thing about jazz is inclusiveneness. I accepts any style if you have the taste to make it work. Tempo Changes Tempo can be changed by playing the entire tune in a different tempo or changing the tempo during the tune. Ritards and accelerandos arent used that much in j azz except at the end of tunes. Accelerandos could be used leading into a solo and creating a new tempo. Normally, when changing tempo within the tune, the tune goes into double time or half time when entering a new section. In half time, the tempo is halved. If the tune is played at quarter note = 200, it goes to quarter note = 100. In double time, its the reverse. In double time feel the piece feels twice as fast because the eighth note instead of the quarter note takes the pulse; the changes go by at the same rate, but the piece feels twice as fast. In half time feel, the half note gets the pulse. Again, the changes go by at the same rate. This can be done by the entire group or just the bass and drums while the rest of the group sticks to the original feel. Tunes will most commonly change tempos once and stay there or change and then change back. Its a bit trickier to change tempos frequently in the same piece, but its been done. Check out Charles Minguss version of Mood Indigo.

The most natural place to change tempo is at the beginning of a major section. Its also possible to, as mentioned above, to use accelerando or deccellerando to lead to a new tempo. Its not widely done, but its worth experimenting. Rhythm Section The standard procedure for the rhythm section is for the bass and drums to play standard patterns appropriate to the style of the piece being played while chordal instruments provide harmonic background. Standard patterns are developed and varied throughout the tune, particularly during bass solos when the rest of the rhythm section plays much more sparsely. Transitions from one section to the next are usually highlighted or emphasized in some way. The rhythm section has many ways to keep the standard patterns from becoming monotonous. One way is for the entire section to simply provide shots either as call and response or playing certain notes in unison with the melody. The contrast when the tune moves into the next section and the rhythm section goes back to the groove can be striking. Its also a nice effect to have everyone play the melody for as long as you think it works the whole tune or a single phrase. This works best with medium tempo and uptempo tunes. On ballads, a fermata can be placed at the end of certain phrases. The pulse is suspended and the rhythm section can play fills or provide accents while the soloist freely interprets the melody. One way of doing this is to have the soloist play the melody alone with the rhythm section coming in on the last note of the phrase, while the soloist provides a short cadenza. In order to vary the texture of a tune, its a good idea for rhythm section members to drop out from time to time. A common way to do this is to not use a comping instrument during all or part of a solo. Instruments can also lay out during the melody. For example, the piano might play only during the A section. The entire rhythm section could drop out or the drums could play only during the solos. The bass could double the melody while the rest of the rhythm section lays out. There are a lot of textural combinations. Special patterns can be written for tunes. On some tunes there are specific patterns (bass lines, shots), but on other tunes you can write your own. These approaches can all be combined in the same tune. For example, the drums can play standard patterns, accent important melodic statements, and provide fills, while the bass player plays a line that he or she has written for the tune. There a lot of

options, some of which can be improvised on stage, some of which need to be worked out in advance.

Part 6

Solo Analyses

The intent of these analyses is to give you an idea of what ideas are possible in a solo, why its useful to do analyse solos, and to pull out some ideas that you could use in your own improvisations. The six solos here represent different eras. Go ahead and copy this stuff if you want to. Just remember that the ultimate aim of playing jazz is invention, to offer what you have, not what someone else has. Early Jazz Joe Oliver Dippermouth Blues The first thing to notice is the lack of pitches. Aside from the 7 th bar, Olive uses only three pitches until the last 8th note of the first chorus (bar 12) where we see the highest note so far. In the second chorus, there are only five pitches except, again in the 7th bar of that chorus, where we get the same F G F G motif as in the 7th bar of the first chorus. At the beginning of the3rd chorus, we get the highest note of the solo, a G. Its interesting that he saves the highest notes until the beginnings of new sections. In the 3rd section he uses seven pitches, increasing the pitches by two just as he did from the 1st to the 2nd chorus. Take a look at the 6th bar of the first chorus. The motif Db Bb C Bb turns up a number of times in the solo. See if you can find them. His use of Db is significant. Played against the Bb major chord, which has a D natural, the Db should sound quite dissonant. It works because of the fact that its a standard device used in the blues known as a blue note. Our ears have essentially been trained to accept that note as full of feeling instead of dissonant. Another blue note is the b7. Oliver must have loved the note because he keeps coming back to it. The only other note that he plays as much is the Bb, but the Db has more impact, partly because its a blue note and partly because he plays it on strong beats more often. He plays it all the way through the 1st chorus, and then in the 2nd chorus, bars 1 3, he plays a D natural, which has the effect of lightening the mood a bit. He returns to the Db in bar 4 and doesnt return to the d natural until the last note of the solo.

Louis Armstrong Basin Street Blues In comparing this with Dippermouth Blues, the first thing you would probably notice is the difference in rhythmic complexity. Oliver uses half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes. Armstrong uses those as well as sixteenth notes, eighth note triplets and a quintuplet. The large scale rhythmic contrast is noticeable as well. The first half of Armstrongs solo is crowded with notes lots of sixteenths, not too many rests - while the second half is mainly eighth notes and triplets. On a smaller scale he uses a particular rhythmic motif two sixteenths followed by an eighth with the second sixteenth tied to the eighth throughout the solo. In bars 5, 6, 10, and 12. In bars 5, 6, and 12 its preceded by n eighth note. In the second half of the solo, in bars 19, 22, and 27 its preceded by a triplet. This is the o nly time that sixteenths show up in the second half of the solo. Armstrong uses a single note D throughout , which has the effect of unifying the solo. In bars 2 and 3 and in bars 10 and 11, he uses it as a pedal tone and he starts and ends the solo on a D and octave apart. Its present in the rhythmic motif mentioned above and he continually uses it at points of rest. A big difference between this solo and Olivers is Armstrong willingness to use extensions on strong parts of the bar. At bar 5, the D is a 9th and bar at 6 its a 13. If you look, youll find more. There is a melodic motif that he uses a number of times a three note chromatic figure followed by a leap. Its found in bars 4, 7, and 12 of the first chorus and bars 4, 5, and 6 of the second chorus. The first couple of times we see this motif its descending (bars 4 and 7); in bar 12 it ascends and is immediately repeated at a different pitch level. Other examples of immediate motivic repetition can be found in bars 5 and 6 of the first chorus and bars 4 and 5 of the second chorus. Its interesting that he uses an arpeggio to begin the solo and then uses them sparingly for the rest of the first chorus and not at all in the second chorus. Notice that he announces the beginning of the second chorus by slowing down the rhythm in bars 15 and 16 and then playing the highest notes of the solo at the end of bar 16 the end of the first chorus.

Swing Lester Young Just Me, Just You

Lester Young is known primarily as a melodist , someone who thinks more about the beauty of the line than about outlining the changes. This doesnt mean he ignored the harmony or never used arpeggios to outline it. In fact, he clearly does this in bar 3, where he plays an Fmin7 arpeggio over the Fmin7 chord. More often, though, he finds a way to make it a bit more interesting. In bar 20, for example, he plays an Fmin7b5 arpeggio (F, Ab, C, Eb) against an Db7 chord (Db, F, Ab, Cb). There are three common tones F, Ab, C, and one extension Eb. This extension provides a bit more color. The general principle here is that you can play a min7b5 arpeggio a major 3rd above the root of the chord being played. Another example of this occurs in bar 24, where he plays a Dmin7b5 arpeggio against a Bb7 chord Repeated melodic motifs dont really jump out at you, but there are a couple worth mentioning. Compare bars 4 and 30. The same run occurs C, Ab, G, Gb, F. Both runs ultimately lead to a Bb as the note of rest and both move on to a similar melodic fragment A, Cb, D. This melodic motif is played over different harmony, providing a nice example of how players will use the same material in different places and find a way to make it seem new. In another less dramatic example, bars 9 and 29 use the same fragment D, F, E, F, G in different octaves. Lester Youngs playing is strongly connected to the blues. As mentioned before, blue notes exist somewhere between b3 and natural 3, between b7 and natural 7, and between b5 and natural 5. In bar 6, the Cb is b3 of Ab major and in the next bar, the Db is b3 of Bb major. Bar 13 has a b3 against Eb7 and bar 15 has a b5 against the Cmin7 chord. There are numerous occurrences of b7 against dominant 7 chords.

Bebop Dizzy Gillespie I Cant Get Started In bar 6 theres a melodic motif on the second beat that turns up a number of times in the solo bars 12, 22, 32, 35, 38 and 42. Theres also a rhythmic motif starting on the second 16th note of bar 13. It turns up again in bars 15, 16, 19 (varied), 20 (varied), 21, 23 (varied), 29, 30, 32, 38 and 43. He paraphrases the melody twice once at bars 9 11 and again at bars 17 and 18. In bars 19 and 20 he outlines the chromatic chordal descent with arpeggios taken directly from the chords. The root movement descends, but the melodic movement ascends until the last arpeggio (Abmin7) Bar 26 is a good example of motivic variation. The motive is F D B; this occurs on the first beat, is repeated oon the second beat with rhythmic variation, on the third beat with melodic variation, and on the fourth beat with an added note at the end. In bars 35 and 36 he uses the same concept that he used in bars 18 and 19 with the descending chromatic progression. This time, however, its more complex. The idea on beats 1 and 2 of bar 35 is repeated on beats 3 and 4, but in a slightly different manner. Notice how the first three notes of beat 3 are a semitone higher than the first three notes of beat 1. It looks like he wants to repeat the whole idea up a semitone, but then decides against it and winds up repeating the rest of the idea down a semitone. In bar 36 he uses the same idea of descending, but with a different lick.

Modern John Coltrane Giant Steps This is one of Coltranes most famous pieces, not because its one of his better tunes, but because of how difficult it is to solo on. In the first 8 bars it changes keys every bar, often on the 3rd beat. In the second 8 bars it gets easier, but the tune flies by at an extremely fast tempo. If you look for pattern repetition youll find something fairly significant a pattern that gets repeated 9 times on the first page alone. He uses it for the whole solo. The pattern is a 1, 2, 3, 5 pattern on major chords(C, D, E, G in the key of C) and 1, 3, 4, 5 on minor chords. He plays it backwards as well. The rest of the solo consists of scalar passages and arpeggios.

Appendix
Things to consider Jazzbreaks with Western conventional thinking, denying the distinctions between composer and performer, soloist and accompanist, artist and entertainer, composer and arranger.in jazz, it is the activity itself that is as important as the result. John F. Szwed Jazz 101 Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series off small things brought together. Vincent van Gogh On soloing: Finish before youre done. Miles Davis Dave Liebmans three levels of improvisation. 1. Playing whats already known. This is basically the use of ccliches and patterns, which isnt necessarily a negative thing. There are ways to use this material in fresh, new ways. 2. Instant creativity. This refers to working out newly formed, imperfect iideas during the playing situation. 3. Pure inspiration. This is rare. Be ready for it by practicing. Soloing concepts 1. Leave room for the rhythm section play long notes, use silence. 2. Play repeated figures. 3. Make sure that long lines have a beginning, middle and end. Make them sound like intelligent sentences. 4. Take a breath at the end of a phrase. Listen to what you played. Try to play it again. 5. Enter and exit at unexpected places. 6. End phrases on offbeats.

(Jazz) is a personal and individual music in a collective age; an improvised music in an age of planning; a subversive music in an age of state direction. People do not expect to get rich or famous from jazz and they are usually right. Above all, in an age of mass distribution and commercialization, it is a doggedly privatemusic. The amazing thing is that anyone has ever tried to arrive at a definition of jazz at all Miles Kington - The Jazz Anthology The prime thing is that it must have the communicative feeling of warmth from the individual musicians Stan Kenton

The fact is that jazz of Lesters kind, the purest and most subtle kind, doesnt actually need a listening audience. What it needs is an atmosphere of relaxation. The musicans play; people are present. If the want to listen they draw near and attend; otherwise they can sit at the bar, talk to each other, perhaps get up and dance. When a master is on the stand and playing well, theyll listen anyway because the will fall under the spell of his music. Perhaps this is an element which jazz has inherited from Africa, where music has always had a social role. Certainly the idea that the way to experience music is by sitting silent and motionless in a seat is peculiar to Western Europe and only in comparatively recent times at that. Dave Gelly Lester Young Swing is the sum of good time. Mike Zwerin Close Enough for Jazz Improvisations on top of the elastic swinging pulse of jazz cannot be censored because they exist only in the present. Jazz is hard to pin down. It appeals to both mind an body. Mike Zwerin La Tristesse de Saint Louis Honest jazz involves public exploration. It takes guts to make mistakes in public, and mistakes are inherent. If there are no mistakes, its a mistakeThe heart and soul of improvisation is turning mistakes into discovery. Mike Zwerin Close Enough for Jazz Note: I have used quotes around jazz because jazz never existed. There was then, as now, only musicians and their music. Dick Westwood The piano was the first secure and honest thing in my life. I could approach it on my own and fail or be good. Straight to the point and quick. Hampton Hawes Raise Up Off of Me

Listening Its crucial that, as musicians, we learn to listen well. Here are some ideas that should improve your listening ability. 1. This is an awareness exercise. Get out a piece of paper and spend 10 minutes writing down everything that you hear. If youre inside, it might be the ventilation system, the fluorescent lights, your breathing, your cat. Be very still and listen very closely. If youre outside in an urban setting can you hear the sounds of nature over the people-made sounds? In a busier environment some sounds mask others; you have to learn to hear past the dominant sounds. 2. Record yourself, then listen as closely as you can. Quite often youll find that you dont really hear everything youre doing. This is usually because were concentrating on getting whatever were doing right (playing the right arpeggio, scale, lick) and not hearing the actual sound. When listening to yourself on tape, separate the things you like from the things you dont like. Try to be objective, as if youre not listening to yourself. Write down the things you like and the things you dont like. You may have an aural idea in your head that youre comparing yourself to. What you played may be good. It may simply not be what you were going for. Things we generally dont like: missed notes, sloppy rhythm, direct ionless melody, other. Things we generally like: nice phrasing, clear rhythmic or melodic ideas, good tone, other. Once youre clear on what you like and dislike, youll hear these things in your playing while youre playing them and youll naturally adjust. If you dont know that things arent sounding as good as they can, you wont be able to do anything about it. Awareness is a crucial step in getting better. Now listen to your favorite players. The purpose in doing this is to identify what they do that you think is great. Do they ever do anything that isnt so great? Listen for signs of individuality. How do they attack the notes? Is it aggressive or relaxed? Is there a unique rhythmic concept? What about dynamics? Think of as many musical parameters as you can and see how they use them.

Listening to music The following are basic things that you should be listening for when you hear music. If you arent used to doing this, then I suggest you take a single piece and listen to it six times, once for each of the categories listed below. Concentrate only on that one particular thing. It should be obvious that your listening will get better. What isnt quite so obvious is that your playing will get better, too. 1. Sound What instruments are used? How are they used? Do melody instruments play together at certain times? Are instrumental effects used (mutes for horns, effects pedals for guitar, extra percussion, etc)? Do the players adjust the timbre of their instruments as they play? 2. Melody Whos got the melody? Where does it go up? Where does it go down? What melodic motifs are repeated? Is the melody played in more than one instrument? Is there a counter-melody? Wheres the highest note? The lowest? Is the melody long-breathed of choppy and aggressive? Or something else? 3. Rhythm Whats the time signature? Are there recurring rhythmic ideas? Is it swing, funk, rock, etc? Whats the rhythmic character peaceful, violent, propulsive, something else? Do different sections of the piece have a different character? 4. Harmony Try to recognize chord qualities. Is the piece in minor or major? How quickly do the chords change? How many chords are there? What instruments are playing the chords piano, guitar, horn section? Is there a lack of harmony altogether? 5. Form Is it a 12 bar blues? A 32 bar song form? How many sections are there? Which section is longest? Are they all the same in length? Is there a single section? Is it free-form with no repeating sections? 6. Emotion How does the piece effect you? Does it make you feel anything? How would you characterize it? Happy, sad, violent, stately, frantic, calm, dark, etc?

Slowing down Every improvising musician wants to immediately be able to play what they hear, to be able to play at the speed of thought. Or be able to play a difficult solo transcription right away. This doesnt happen by simply grabbing your instrument and doing it. It comes from slowing down and hearing what youre doing. Heres a simple, but profound exercise. Take a G major scale and play it really slowly, playing each note and letting it die before playing the next. Be patient. Now start exploring the relationships within the scale 1st note to 2nd note, 2nd note to 3rd note, etc. Play the scale in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths and 7ths. Play slowly and really listen. If you do this, you will have inserted into your musical imagination the physical feeling and the sound of the scale. You will know, in your fingers and your ear, the relationships between all the notes in that scale. This is worth the time it takes. Take a look at the following passage using the same G major scale.

Dont play it on your instrument. First imagine the sound of the scale as youve played it in the past. Now sing the passage (play the first note if you need to orient yourself) as you imagine it would sound. Dont worry about being correct. Now imagine playing it on your instrument. Now actually play it. The idea here is to translate musical thought into musical sound, something were always striving for. Slowing down like this gives us the opportunity to look closely at the process and to improve our abilities in this area. Dont be discouraged if the sound you imagined isnt exactly what came out of your instrument. The more you do the work, the better it gets. Notes and Chords Discovering your relationship to sound of notes against chord is fundamental to your development as an improvising musician. Heres an exercise to help develop an awareness of these relationships. Record and loop any two chord progression in the key of C. Sample progressions could be Cmaj7 Dmin7; Emin7 Amin7; G7 to Cmaj7. Make each chord a bar long and use a slow tempo.

Now play the C major scale against the progressions and listen closely to the sound of each note against the chords. Identify what note youre playing against each chord (3 rd, 6th, 9th, etc). Hold the notes you like and listen for their character. How do they make you feel? Do the same with the notes you dont like. Doing this clarifies your playing, gives it more direction, and provides it with more emotional depth. More Scales The ones that Im presenting here are the ones most commonly associated with jazz. They are used mainly as a way of inserting tension into the melodic line. Over the years players have experimented with a wide variety of scales other than these. Feel free to do the same. Melodic minor ascending or jazz minor

This form of the melodic minor scale does not lower the 6th and the 7th scale degrees when descending. It can be used on minor 7 chords starting on the root of the chord and on the dominant 7 chord starting on the b2nd, 4th, 5th, or b7th of the chord. Each starting point creates a different level of tension. Explore these tensions on your own or for a more in-depth treatment, check out my book Tension and Jazz. Harmonic minor

The harmonic minor can be used in the same way as the melodic minor on the root of the minor 7 chord or the b2nd, 4th, 5th, or b7th of the dominant 7 chord. Symmetrical scales These include the whole tone scale, the symmetrical diminished scale (alternating whole tone/half tone), and the symmetrical dominant scale (alternating half tone/whole tone).

Whole tone scale

This is a six-note scale that moves exclusively in whole tones. It can be used on a dominant 7 chord starting on the root of the chord. This creates two tension tones - b5 and a #5. It is sometimes used on major 7 chords as well. Special attention needs to be given to the A# in this case. Symmetrical dominant - half tone/whole tone

This scale is most commonly used against a dominant 7b9 chord starting on the root of the chord, but any dominant 7 chord will do. It has a very distinct sound and needs to be used carefully or it runs the danger of simply becoming an effect. Symmetrical diminished whole tone/half tone

This scale is most commonly used against a diminished 7 chord starting on the root.

Rehearsal Before any rehearsal, you need to prepare. This can mean a variety of things depending on your role in the group. If youre a chordal instrument, you learn the chords as many inversions as you can use. If youre the melody instrument you learn the melody and figure how you want to paraphrase it. Bass players need to be familiar with the arpeggios for each chord in the tune. Drummers need a solid rhythmic concept (i.e. knowledge of and facility in an appropriate style for the tune; feel changes where appropriate; solid sense of time).

In terms of improvisation all instruments except the drummer should know the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. Starting key and where the tune changes keys. Scales/modes to play in each key. Arpeggios for each chord. Patterns for use on each chord and in each key.

Do these things and the rehearsals will be much more effective. Youll get more done in less time. Once in rehearsal, the rhythm section should not assume the role of a karaoke machine. Each member of the rhythm section should be listening closely to the other players and responding accordingly. Guitars should not continue the same strumming pattern throughout; bass players should not play the same rhythm throughout; drummers can put fills in unexpected places. If someone does something interesting, try to copy or vary it. Listen and respond. If a member of the band is self-conscious about improvising then they can start simply. Use nothing but whole notes and half notes. Use notes from the arpeggios or, more generally from the entire key. Initially this will seem unmusical. Stick with it and things get better pretty quickly. As they progress through the tune, shorter note values naturally start happening. Once youve made it through the tune a couple of times and its feeling comfortable, start thinking about the arrangement. Refer to the chapter on arrangement for ideas. Remember, youre going to wind up playing the same tune many times. In order to not get sick of it, youll want to find ways to play it differently every time. This doesnt mean huge changes. It means each player making small adjustments to what theyre pl aying each time. For comping instruments that means placing accents in different places, playing different inversions, playing very little, even laying out altogether. For bass players it might mean playing less arpeggio type lines and more scalar lines (or vice versa) being busier rhythmically (or vice versa). Drummers have great flexibility in the ride rhythms that they can play. They can use the bass drum to prod the soloist or to set up a rhythmic idea. They can think in terms of groove or color. Boredo m shouldnt be an option. The key is to be aware of what everyone in the band is doing.

Selected Discography This list barely scratches the surface, but gives an idea of who did what and, if nothing else, lists a lot of good albums. Its meant to provide a list of important musicians without being overwhelming. Early Jazz Jelly Roll Morton Birth of the Hot, The Classic Chicago Red Hot Peppers Sessions, 1926 27 Bluebird/RCA Paul Whiteman Paul Whiteman and his Dance Band, Vol. 1 NAXOS Original Dixieland Dance Band The 75th Anniversary Bluebird/RCA Louis Armstrong The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, Volumes I, II, III Columbia Bix Beiderbecke The Bix Beiderbecke Story Sony Music Fletcher Henderson Fletcher Henderson, Ken Burns Jazz Columbia/Legacy Earl Hines The Earl featuring Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, Original Recordings, 1928 1941 Swing Duke Ellington The Blanton Webster Band (1940 - 19420 Count Basie The Complete Decca Recordings (1937 1939) Benny Goodman Solo Flight Art Tatum God is is in the House Lester Young The Kansas City Sessions Coleman Hawkins 1943 - 1944 Roy Eldridge Hecklers Hop Charlie Christian The Genius of the Electric Guitar Django Reinhardt Djangology 49 Bebop Dizz Gillespie The Complete RCA Victor Recordings Charlie Parker The Complete Dial and Savoy Studio Recordings, 1944 - 1948 Thelonius Monk Live at the It Club Sonny Stitt Stitt Plays Bird Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus Bud Poewell Jazz Giant Tal Farlow Sign of the Times

Cool Jazz/West Coast Gerry Mulligan The Complete Jazz Recordings of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet Mil;es Davis Birth of the Cool The Modern Jazz Quartet Django Dave Brubeck Brubeck Time Hard Bop Horace Silver Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1954 1955) Lee Morgan The Sidewinder Clifford Brown Clifford Brown and Max Roach (1954) Freddie Hubbard Red Clay Cannonball Adderly Somethin Else Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um and Blues and Roots Free Jazz Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come Cecil Taylor The World of Cecil Taylor John Coltrane Ascension Albert Ayler Spiritual Unity Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch Henry Threadgill Carry the Day Sun Ra The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Modal Miles Davis Kind of Blue and Milestones Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage John Coltrane My Favorite Things Fusion Cream Wheels of Fire Charles Lloyd Forest Flower Gary Burton Duster Miles Davis Bitchs Brew John Maclaughlin Birds of Fire Larry Coryell Introducing the Eleventh House Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency Weather Report Heavy Weather Michael Brecker Straphangin Jean Luc Ponty Imaginary Voyage

Smooth Jazz Grove Washington Mister Magic George Duke A Brazilian Love Affair Gerald Albright Live at Birdland West Lee Ritenour This is Love Regina Carter Regina Carter George Benson Absolute Benson Kenny Garret Simply Said 2000 now Steve Coleman and Five Elements Ascension to Light Bill Frissell The Intercontinentals Greg Osby Further Ado Jason Moran Black Stars John Zorn Naked City Matthew Shipp By the Law of Music Dave Holland Quintet Prime Directive Rabih Abou-Khalil The Sultans Picnic Trilok Gurtu The Trilok Gurtu Collection John Scofield A Go Go Wayne Horvitz Empty Suits

Bibliography Berliner, Paul (1994). Thinking in Jazz. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press Bruser, Madeline (1997). The Art of Practicing. New York: Bell Tower Coker, Jerry (1978). Listening to Jazz. Englewood cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Coker, Jerry (1964). Improvising Jazz. Simon and Schuster. Cox, Gerard (2002). Building a Jazz Library. All About Jazz. Retrieved 04/17/03 from source. Deveaux, Scott (1997). Bebop. Berkely, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. Gridley, Mark C. (1994) Jazz Styles: History and Analysis. 5th Edition, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Jourdain, Robert (2002). Music, the Brain,and Ecstacy. New York: Harper Collins. Levine, Mark (1995). The Jazz Theory Book. Petaluma CA: Sher Music Co. Kernfeld, Barry (1995). What to Listen for in Jazz. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Kington, Miles (1992). The Jazz Anthology. London: Harper Collins. Liebman, David (1988). Self Portrait of a Jazz Artist. Advance Music Mehegan, John (1984, 1959). Jazz Improvisation I: Tonal and Rhythmic Principles. Watson-Guptil. Mehegan, John (1984, 1959). Jazz Improvisation II: The Improvised Line. Watson-Guptil. Mauleon, Rebeca (1993). Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble. Petaluma, CA: Sher Music Co. Ratliff, Ben (2002). The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz. New York: Henry Holt Rinzler, Paul E. (1989). Jazz Arranging and Performance Practice: A Guide for Small Ensembles. Metuchen, N.J. & London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.

Riposo, Joe (1981). Jazz Improvisation: a Whole Brain Approach. JR Publishers. Roberts, Howard and Hagberg, Garry. Guitar Compendium. Caris Music Services. Shipton, Alyn (2001). A New History of Jazz. Londo, New York: Continuum. Szwed. John F. (2000). Jazz 101. Hyperion. Taylor, Billy (1982). Jazz Piano: History and Development. Wm C. Brown Co. The New grove Dictionary of Jazz (1995). Kernfeld, Barry editor, New York: St. Martins Press. Cambridge Companion to Jazz (2002). Editors Mervyn Cooke and David Horn, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Jazz Combo Course Design

1. Situational Factors
Specific Context Number of students in class:8 to 15 1st and 2nd year students 3 hour class once a week Delivered via live classroom instruction

Expectation of external groups Curricular goals of department that affect the course: ? Professional accreditation requirements that affect the goals of the course: none General societal expectations on students with regard to this course: students should be able to competently perform in public

Nature of the Subject Divergent subject matter, working toward multiple, equally valid interpretations Primarily cognitive, but physical skills are necessary The field of study (jazz improvisation) is always changing. Students need to assess results based on musical results rather than convention. That being said, conventions are built into the course in the form of resources (scales, arpeggios, etc.), and stylistic conventions. Students are encouraged to use these resources and stylistic conventions how they see fit. They are encouraged to listen closely to the musical results they are producing. They are asked to understand the conventions, and directed to move beyond them. This requires critical and creative thinking skills.

Characteristics of the learners the following can be ascertained by questionnaire during the first class, observing foip guidelines Full-time, part-time? Working? Reasons for enrolling? Prior knowledge or skills? Professional goals? Learning styles?

Pedagogical challenge for this course Balancing lecture and doing is the lecture material usable in practical application; how are in-class activities related to lecture and out-of class reading; are the students able to understand the relevance of the lectures to playing in bands while the lecture is happening?

2. Learning Goals
1. Foundational Knowledge Remember techniques and theory for improvisation Scales Arpeggios Guide tones and targeting Motif construction (melodic and rhythmic) Comping Listening Roman numeral analysis Understand rehearsal process How to use time efficiently; when to play, when to talk and how much Need for a leader What to work on Where to start Creating arrangements How to use various techniques for creating form Understand texture who plays when and why How to create clarity Role of dynamics

Jazz History Remember different eras of jazz history Remember major figures 2. Application Be able to create melody spontaneously using improvisation techniques, responding to the demands of the moment (skill in use of technique and listening)

 Be able to efficiently use rehearsal time for maximum benefit (practical thinking) Be able to create a simple arrangement of a pre-existing tune (creative thinking, critical thinking) and create lead sheet arrangement (skill) Be able to read a lead sheet Project: create entire show Two sets at the Redstone

3. Integration Relate improvisation to common life experiences (resource: Freeplay, S, Nachmoninoff) Relate improvisation to collaborating with others (listening/responding skills) Relate improvisation to arranging (experimentation, risk-taking, new ideas) Relate jazz history and theory to other classes dedicated to those subjects Relate theory to improvisation 4. Human Dimension What can students learn about themselves and others? Students see themselves as confident enough to be able to create spontaneously in public Students connect with how they improvise in daily situations (ie. use it as a thinking tool) Students recognize and empathize with other students, learn how to collaborate/communicate with different people Students are able to accept and make use of mistakes 5. Caring Students broaden their idea of what jazz and improvisation is Students recognize improvisational spirit in other music Students understand improvisations role in effective performance in any genre Students value others opinions; accept different approaches 6. Learning how to learn Being a good student: working constructively with others; able to accept and work with criticism Learn how to engage in inquiry and construct knowledge, think critically. Be able to create variety from limited topics

 How to be a self-directed learner; able to find resources

3. Feedback and Assessment

Assessment will be forward-looking students are asked to imagine real situations relating to the topic and whether they could use the knowledge presented in those situations. Assignments: a. Are realistic b. Require judgement and innovation and use knowledge and skills to complete c. Explore and work with knowledge within the discipline, not simply restating information d. Replicate context where adults are tested in the workplace e. Assess ability to perform complex task f. Allow opportunities to practice, consult resources and get feedback

Criteria
1. Rehearsing Working constructively with others Allowing expression of all ideas before deciding Using time efficiently 2. Improvisation Melody creation Listening Comping 3. Arranging Use of arranging technique Use of creative thinking Collaborative skills Performance quality

4. Course Structure and Overall Scheme of Learning Activities

These activities do not include rehearsal, performance, and coaching which will be part of each class. This list of activities is arranged according to the criteria above. Following will be the sequence in which it will occur during the term.

1. Rehearsing
1. Ongoing throughout course Student bands are asked to demonstrate their first rehearsal in front of the class. They are presented with a piece and they are to work through the rehearsal process. Each group is given a limited time period and instructed to set goals for that time period. Students observers and teacher take notes on what they see and report observations at the end of the process. The first time through the process is not assessed formally (ie. not graded). The following standards are with increasing rigour each subsequent time through the process. Standards for assessment 5. Able to achieve stated goal for rehearsal in optimum time (quicker than stated time) while constructively sharing ideas 4. Able to achieve stated goal in stated time while constructively sharing ideas 3. Able to achieve stated goal using more than stated time while constructively sharing ideas 2. Able to achieve stated goal using more than stated time 1. Unable to achieve stated goal; unable to constructively share ideas

2. Improvisation
1. Arpeggios I: Triad construction and relationship to a lead sheet with 7th chords (ie. how do triads relate to 7th chords) In-class: lecture and handout triad construction and improvisation Out-of class: assigned reading and exercise writing triads for 8 bar progression; students learn exercise on their instrument and play in class In-class: 1. quiz; building triads mark quiz and review in class 2. students use triad exercise to improvise with rhythm section; discuss results Standards for assessment 5. Able to both perform exercise flawlessly and improvise effectively* on its structure

4. Able to perform exercise flawlessly and improvise adequately on its structure 3. Performs exercise with some mistakes and improvises adequately on its structure 2. Performs exercise with many mistakes; improvisation demonstrates inadequate understanding 1. Unable to perform exercise or improvise adequately *Effective improvisation is defined as having coherent ideas/motifs and phrases (defined by balanced use of notes and rests), use of repetition. Expectations in this area rise as the class proceeds. 2. Arpeggios II: 7th chord construction As above with 7th chords Standards for assessment 5. Able to both perform exercise flawlessly and improvise effectively on its structure 4. Able to perform exercise flawlessly and improvise adequately on its structure 3. Performs exercise with some mistakes and improvises adequately on its structure 2. Performs exercise with many mistakes; improvisation demonstrates inadequate understanding 1. Unable to perform exercise or improvise adequately 3. Guide tones and targeting In-class: discussion and playing of triads and 7th chords focusing on the relative importance of each chord tone, using 3 and 7 as targets for phrase endings Out-of-class: students learn 16 bar progression, defining the guide tones of each chord In-class: students play assignments and are asked to improvise with the focus placed on ending their phrases on written guide tones Standards for assessment 5. Able to accurately play chosen chord tones at the end of one and two bar phrases; must be able to do this at least 90% of the time 4. Able to accurately play chosen chord tones at the end of one and two bar phrases; able to do this at least 80% of the time 3. Able to accurately play chosen chord tones at the end of one and two bar phrases; able to do this at least 60% of the time 2. Able to accurately play chosen chord tones at the end of one and two bar phrases; able to do this at least 40% of the time 1. Able to accurately play chosen chord tones at the end of one and two bar phrases; able to do this at least 20% of the time 4. The Major Scale

In-class: lecture and handout major scale and melodic construction Out-of-class: create melody on 8 bar jazz progression using the major scale Play constructed melody and improvise in class; discuss results Standards for assessment 5. Able to both perform exercise flawlessly and improvise effectively using the major scale; must play diatonically 4. Able to both perform exercise flawlessly and improvise adequately using the major scale; must play diatonically 3. Performs exercise with some mistakes and improvises adequately on its structure 2. Performs exercise with many mistakes; improvisation demonstrates inadequate understanding 1. Unable to perform exercise or improvise adequately 5. Motif construction I - melody In-class: lecture and handout melodic motifs, variation Out-of-class: create 2 to 4 note motif with variations and use it in class on 16 bar jazz progression Standards for assessment 5. Demonstrates excellent understanding of concept and is able to use invented motifs effectively in improvisation 4. Demonstrates good understanding of concept and is able to use invented motifs effectively in improvisation 3. Demonstrates adequate understanding of concept but has difficulty using invented motifs in improvisation 2. Demonstrates some understanding of concept but is unable to use invented motifs adequately in improvisation 1. Little understanding of concept, unable to use invented motifs in improvisation 6. Motif construction II rhythm In-class: lecture and handout rhythmic motifs and variation Out-of-class: create rhythmic motif with variations and use it in class on 12 bar jazz progression Standards for assessment 5. Demonstrates excellent understanding of concept and is able to use invented motifs effectively in improvisation 4. Demonstrates good understanding of concept and is able to use invented motifs effectively in improvisation

3. Demonstrates adequate understanding of concept but has difficulty using invented motifs in improvisation 2. Demonstrates some understanding of concept but is unable to use invented motifs adequately in improvisation 1. Little understanding of concept, unable to use invented motifs in improvisation 7. Sequences In-class: explanation and demonstration of sequences Out-of-class: reading assignment and writing of sequences In-class: performance of sequences in assigned bands, and discussion of sequences Standards for assessment 5. Demonstrates excellent understanding of concept and is able to use sequences effectively in improvisation 4. Demonstrates good understanding of concept and is able to use sequences effectively in improvisation 3. Demonstrates adequate understanding of concept but has difficulty using sequences in improvisation 2. Demonstrates some understanding of concept but is unable to use sequences adequately in improvisation 1. Little understanding of concept, unable to use sequences in improvisation 8. Roman Numeral Analysis In class: lecture and handout Out-of-class reading and assignment In-class marking and discussion of assignment Standards for assessment determined by assignment

The following three listening exercises are self-assessed in class. They are not part of a final mark. 9. Listening I In-class activity: pass the idea form a line of players; first player plays and idea, second player mimic first player, third player mimics second player, etc. First player must remember initial idea and play it after all have played . 10. Listening II

In-class: Form duos; one player improvises, the other accompanies a simple progression. Instructor randomly asks improviser to stop and play back the last five notes he/she has played Continue exercise with assigned groups

11. Listening III In-class: Using a simple progression, each band improvises rhythmic motifs, listening to each other, and playing back what they hear. Do same with simple melodic motifs. 12. Comping I As above, but players assume roles of soloist and accompanists. The activity focuses on accompanists supporting the soloist, drawing inspiration from the soloist for what they play This is done in the context of the piece that theyre working on Standards for assessment 5. Able to support soloist with strong sense of pulse and high quality of response 4. Able to support soloist with strong sense of pulse and medium quality of response 3. Medium sense of pulse and medium quality of response 2. Sense of pulse or quality of response is weak 1. Both sense of pulse and quality of response are weak 13. Comping II Accompanists focus on providing the soloist with ideas. Soloist must demonstrate use of the ideas provided by accompanist Assessment based on quality of response Standards for assessment 5. Effectively demonstrates ability to listen to and respond consistently to accompanist when the accompanist provides obvious ideas 4. Demonstrates ability to listen to and respond to accompanist 80% of the time 3. Demonstrates ability to listen to and respond to accompanist 60% of the time 2. Demonstrates ability to listen to and respond to accompanist 40% of the time 1. Demonstrates ability to listen to and respond to accompanist 20% of the time

3. Arrangement
14. Intros and outros In-class: lecture/discussion/creation of intros and outros Out-of-class: reading on intros and outros; compose intro and outro for assigned jazz piece In-class group activity: review and discuss ideas; create new intro and outro Standards for assessment this is an in-class workshop involving selfassessment. It is not part of a final mark. 15. Reharmonization I In-class: introduce simple chord reharmonization iii or vi for ; I for iii or vi. Out-of-class assignment: reharmonize jazz piece that the group is working on In-class: perform reharmonizations Standards for assessment based on assignment 16. Reharmonization II In-class: introduce tritone substitution Out-of-class assignment: reharmonize jazz piece that the group is working on chosen jazz piece In-class: perform reharmonizations Standards for assessment based on assignment 17. Reharmonization III In-class: introduce backcycling Out-of-class assignment: reharmonize jazz piece that the group is working on In-class: perform reharmonizations Standards for assessment based on assignment .

18. Feel/style I - Latin In-class: discuss, demonstrate, and listen/analyse bossa and samba; bands play non-latin tune as a latin tune

Standards for assessment 5. Able to accurately play four assigned rhythms with proper feel and to vary them in performance 4. Able to accurately play four assigned rhythms with proper feel 3. Able to accurately play three of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 2. Able to accurately play two of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 1. Able to accurately play one of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 19. Feel/style II - Funk In-class: discuss, demonstrate, and listen/analyse funk; bands play non-funk tune as a funk tune Out-of-class: create funk rhythms based on variations of 16th note rhythms Standards for assessment 5. Able to accurately play assigned 16th note rhythm exercise with proper feel and to vary them in performance 4. Able to accurately play assigned 16th note rhythm exercise with proper feel 3. Able to accurately play 80% of 16th note rhythm exercise three of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 2. Able to accurately play 60% of 16th note rhythm exercise three of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 1. Able to accurately play 40% of 16th note rhythm exercise three of four assigned rhythms with proper feel 20. Feel/style III - Swing In-class: discuss, demonstrate, and listen/analyse swing; bands play non-swing tune as a swing tune 21. Feel/style IV Straight 8th Rock In-class: discuss, demonstrate, and listen/analyse rock; bands play non-rock tune as a rock tune Swing and straight 8th rock are assessed in-class as a class activity. Discussion centers of overall feel rather than easily defined technical ability as in latin and funk.

This balances consideration of the more ambiguous idea of feel in music with more precise ideas concerning use of rhythmic patterns.

Jazz History Presented as a series of readings and short quizzes on the different eras of jazz history. Given the nature of the course, this is not intended to be comprehensive, but to simply give students a basic overview of jazz history Listening tests Students are tested three times per term. They are asked to listen to a number of pieces associated with a particular style of jazz and to identify chosen pieces played in class.

5. Integration of the four primary components

Are there presumptions about student knowledge that are not valid? Is the structure of the course consistent with my beliefs and values about teaching? Are there any conflicts between student goals and teacher goals?

6. Teaching Strategy
The teaching strategy for this course is largely determined by the type of course that it is. Since the course necessarily involves performance in small bands, the strategy becomes one of a team-based approach. The team-based approach requires that the team work through a sequence of activities. The majority of assignments are designed with this approach in mind.

7. Grading System
Individual Activities a. Arrangement b. Improvisation 60 (6 assignments worth 10 each) 100 (10 assignments worth 10 each)

Listening tests History quizzes Rehearsal workshops

60 (6 tests worth 10 each) 20 (4 tests worth 5 each) 60 (participation: 10 each) 300