"The Bare Minimum Melody" David Beecroft

uses at least 1 chord tone and 1 naturally occurring semitone*

C ma7
& ww w w w w w
ww w w w
Semitone
Semitone

& w w w w w w w w
3
When semitones lead to chord tones they resolve tension When semitones lead away from chord tones they create tension

& w w w w w w
w w w w
5
When semitones are also chord tones they do not create or resolve harmonic tension

Why practice chords arpeggios and naturally occurring semitones together?

Learning to improvise (invent melodies) over harmony is not just a technique exercise, it is a creative exercise as well.
There is no mystery with practicing. As you practice, so shall you play. Keeping this in mind, you can then understand the following:
Melodic playing is a dynamic and creative process, Practicing technique is mechanical and static. The usual approach is to break down
the art of improvising into its separate parts (i.e. scales, approach notes, chords etc.) and while this may be a valid scientific approach
that improves technique, it kills creativity and musical joy. It makes you better at non melodic playing. Aside from it being deadly boring,
if you practice robotic and mechanical thinking/playing, you will most probably become very good at playing that way.
You will never develop a feeling for what makes a melody sound melodic.

Playing tones separated by a tone or greater interval creates A FEELING OF AMBIGUITY, incorporating naturally occurring semitones
creates A FEELING OF CERTAINTY and SECURITY for both the player and the listener. Resolving non chord tones to chord tones through
the use of a naturally occurring semitone creates a feeling of release or relaxation. Doing the opposite by moving away from a chord tone
by a naturally occurring semitone has the effect of creatiing tension. Becoming adept in the application of Ambiguity-Certainty and
Tension-Release makes you a MASTER OF EMOTIONAL STORY TELLING. After all, isn't that what improvisation really is?

Practicing improvising over a sequence of chords requires that you know the key the chords are derived from. You must know whether
the CHORDS are DIATONICALLY OCCURRING, in A NEW KEY, TEMPORARY V7's, or TEMPORARY CHROMATIC EXCEPTIONS.

To understand this concept in concrete terms, the two following examples show how you might add naturally occurring semitones
to a sequence of arpeggiated chords. Notice that in any given key there are only two semitone pairs.

Arpeggiated chords in the key of C:

œ
A mi7 D mi7 œ œ # Eœ ma
G7 C ma7 F ma7 B7 7

œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ # œ œ #œ œ w
&œœœ œ œ
7

© *Semitone = Halbtone
2 "The Bare Minimum Melody

Chord tones AND naturally occuring diatonic semitones:

A mi7 D mi7 G7 C ma7 F ma7 B7
œ #œ œ œ œ
E ma7
&œœœœ œœœœ œœœœ œœ˙ œ œ œ #œ œ #œ #œ œ œ #œ
œ
15 VI-7 II-7 V7 I∆7 IV∆7 V7 I∆7
Key of C Key of E

Here are some simple melodic examples that, (when played and sung), will help you internalize the feeling of
certainty and security as well as tension/release that naturally occurring semitones foster.
Learning to hear these phrases will connect you melodically to the harmony.
Play the root and then the phrase, repeat.
Learn them by TRANSPOSING them into other keys.
Learn them by SINGING them.
CHECK with your HORN to determine if you are correct in your singing and thinking.

œœœœœ Œ
C ma7 D mi7 E mi7
& w œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ w
w
23 I∆7 II-7 III-7

œœœ œ
F ma7(#11) G7 A mi7
œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ w œ Œ
&w w
29 IV∆7 V7 VI-7
Ñ9
B mi7(Ñ5) E 7ê Ñ13 ë
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&w œ Œ w œ œ #œ
35 VII-7b5 V7b9b13 (HM5) of VI-

I have written out one chorus examples of making "Bare Minimum Melodies" on the two songs
we will be focusing upon. Practice these pieces and try to sing the phrases to understand
the concept and get it under your fingers.
In music, thinking is nice but DOING IS UNDERSTANDING.

Write out choruses of your own using this concept.

When you are comfortable and know the chords plus related semitones, begin to slowly
improvise/practice using this concept.