Jazz Method_update

54 Pages·2015·2 MB·English

�1
Introductory Remarks
The purpose of this text was always to simplify and clarify the process of jazz improvisation. The
Part 1
process of improvising, as it’s usually presented, is “involved,” to say the least. Most of the
methods I’ve come across have been infinitely valuable to me and I owe a huge debt of
gratitude to the Jerry Cokers, Bert Ligons, and Jamey Aebersolds of the world.
But here’s the thing: I’m a slow learner. I’m lucky that I had an ear for jazz and became a
voracious Blisteenetr atnde corlle cItomr of pCDrs aondv reciosrdas int miyo tenena gTe ahnd radoultu yeagrs. h Bu t without
that complete immersion, I would have been screwed.
Intelligent Voice Leading
I’ve been fortunate enough to have some outstanding teachers over the years, but truthfully, I
was fully able to absorb everything they presented. I’m not sure why, but it just seemed so
overwhelming. Actually, I do know why. There’s an overwhelming amount of information
related to the process of jazz improvisation.
Originally, this project was simply a compilation of exercises. Patterns, licks, and outlines in a
bunch of keys that asked students to actually write the exercises themselves, hoping that the
Ti-Do
process of putting pencil to paper would help them stick.
It didn’t really work.
Fa-Mi
For most students, the stuff I wrote seemed like a bunch of exercises without much
explanation. In essence, that’s all it was. It was student frustration and a general lack of
progress that was the sign that this wasn’t the way to go.
Le-Sol
I was not actively trying to find a solution to this issue, but during one lesson, I tried something
and it all clicked.
What is the one chord progression that appears in nearly every song ever written?
Dominant to Tonic. V to I.
(and that’s more or less all you need to know)
Why is it such a powerful progression?
Tension tones and voice leading.
The key to strengthening your improvisation skills boils down to this:
Ti-Do. Fa-Mi. Le-Sol.
�1
Preface Part 1: The Major Scale Chart
Comfort in all keys is important for improvisers. The chart below helps younger players get all
of the major keys under their fingers. Once all of the scales below are effortless, it generally
doesn’t take long to master the minor scales. After all, they are often the same (or similar)
scales starting on different notes. 

Playing from the note letters is somehow less intimidating than seeing a key signature with 7
sharps in it. The practice book has a blank grid for students to fill out on there own. Here we
go:
Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (1)
C D E F G A B C
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
D E F# G A B C# D
Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
E F# G# A B C# D# E
F G A Bb C D E F
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
G A B C D E F# G
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
A B C# D E F# G# A
Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb
Order of Flats: B, E, A, D, G, C, F Number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Flats F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb
Order of Sharps: F, C, G, D, A, E, B
Sharps G D A E B F# C#
�2
Preface Part 2: Chord Templates (triads and seventh chords)
Knowing which note “letters” go into creating 3 note (triads) and 4 note (seventh) chords is
incredible helpful for the young improviser. It also becomes really important when building
chords in which lots of flats or sharps (or double flats/sharps) may entice students to build a
chord incorrectly from a theoretical point of view. This chart should make everything clear.
No matter what alterations are made to each note (C#, Cb, C###), the 3 or 4 “letters” never
change. Flats and sharps will be necessary if the chord tones are outside of the key signature,
but the LETTERS DON’T CHANGE! The reason for this is that the chords we will be using
now are all built in thirds. Even though Bb and A# share the same pitch (enharmonic), they are
different notes. Scroll to the bottom for a nerd note.*
including three notes in your chord creates a TRIAD
Root (1) Third (3) Fifth (5) Seventh (7)
C E G B
D F A C
E G B D
F A C E
G B D F
A C E G
B D F A
including four notes in your chord creates a SEVENTH CHORD
That’s it. Any chord beginning with an A will be A-C-E or A-C-E-G. It doesn’t matter if the root
is A# or Ab, fully Diminished or Minor 7/flat 5. It’s always the same. Memorizing the
configurations above will make your life infinitely easier when learning chords, arpeggios, and
patterns. Get to work!
*So playing Db, Fb, Abb would sound the same as playing Db, E, G, the second configuration is technically not built
in thirds. E to G is a minor third, but Eb to E is an augmented second (aurally, these intervals are equivalent). Nerd
note over.*
�3
Part 1: Voice Leading Basics
First, let’s look at a C major scale.
In this text, we will use numbers as well as traditional solfege syllables.

The Tonic triad is made up of three tones in the above scale: Do (1), Mi (3), and Sol (5). In
conventional music theory, we represent the Tonic triad with the Roman Numeral “I.”
In most situations in jazz, the Tonic triad is extended to include (at least) the major 7th, or Ti (7),
but for now, let’s stick with the major triad. We’ll explore the Major 7th chord soon.
The Dominant 7th chord is made up of four tones in the above scale: Sol (5), Ti (7), Re (2), and
Fa (4). In conventional music theory, we represent the Dominant 7th chord with the Roman
Numeral V or V7. The Dominant can appear as a triad with Sol (5), Ti (7), and Re (2) only, but in
most jazz applications, Fa (4) is added.
�4
Tension and Release
The key to playing a convincing improvised solo is connecting chords seamlessly. By utilizing/
exploiting several key voice leading tendencies, a player can instantly sound confident in his or
her ability to “make the changes.”
Voice leading “works” due to the concept of tension and release. When played, the Tonic
chord (I) has a finality to it. A Tonic chord often begins or ends a phrase, but each tone in the
chord is content to stay where it is.
Dominant 7th chords (or triads) are another story. Three of the four tones in the Dominant
chord need to resolve. More often than not, the Dominant chord will resolve to a Tonic chord.
Two of these tendencies are particularly strong.
G7 chord C(cid:791) triad
F- Fa (4) G- Sol (5)
Let’s look at the notes in a C major triad and the
D- Re (2) E- Mi (3)
notes in a G7 chord.
B- Ti (7) C - Do (1)
G- Sol (5)

G7 chord C(cid:791) triad
Voice leading generally works best when tones in
one chord move to a tone in the next chord that
F- Fa (4) G- Sol (5)
are close by. Generally, the closer the notes, the
smoother the voice leading. Using the chord
D- Re (2) E- Mi (3)
tones of Tonic and Dominant, we find two half
step intervals. These are our strongest voice
B- Ti (7) C - Do (1)
leading tendencies. Ti in G7 goes to Do in C(cid:791).
Fa in n G7 goes to Mi in C(cid:791)
G- Sol (5)
Re in G7 also goes well to Do in C(cid:791), but since
that is a whole step, it’s not as strong as Ti to Do. Sol in G7 would go to G in C(cid:791), so from a
improviser’s perspective, it probably offers the least interest. That’s not to say it can’t be used
effectively, but for our purposes here, we will disregard for the moment and revisit Sol (5)
shortly.
�5
Here are the same tendencies in the key of C major in notation:
The most straightforward method of using this voice leading is to have the last note in your Dominant
phrase be one of the two tones listed above (Ti or Fa) and have the first note be one of the
resolution notes (Do or Mi, respectively) when the Tonic hits.
Exercise 1
This is a 4-bar passage that repeats as many times as you need. The most important
consideration is resolving the FINAL NOTE in measure 4 (which should be Ti or Fa) effectively
to the first note of the Tonic chord in measure 1.
Important note: while you can certainly end your Tonic phrase (end of m2) on Mi or Do, then move to
Fe or Ti, respectively, it is not nearly as important to do so in this situation as it is when moving from
Dominant to Tonic (m4 to m1). Chord tones in Tonic don’t need to resolve anywhere, but notes in the
Dominant chord do. Using the above tendencies when going FROM Tonic to Dominant is still a good
practice, however, and moving smoothly from a chord tone in I to a chord tone in V is generally
desirable, just not AS important as when moving from V-I.
Important note 2: Rhythm. Creating idiomatic and convincing jazz rhythm on the fly is one of the most
challenging aspects of improvisation, especially for younger players who may have listened to much jazz
yet. At this point, just do you best and listen to as much jazz as you can. Later in this book, there is a
great exercise for getting your mental rhythmic library sounding a little more natural and confident.
�6
The Flat 9: the key to everything
Many players are comfortable recognizing the voice leading tendencies above, especially if
they have studied basic music theory. I am a firm believe that the key to convincing jazz
improvisation lies in a third voice leading tendency.

If we add an additional chord tone a third above Fa (4), we would have a G9 chord instead of a
G7, with the 9th being La (6). This chord is very useful, but it is common to alter the Dominant
7th chord when it precedes a Tonic chord to create additional tension before the resolution.
One of the most common alterations is the lower the 9th (La) to the flat 9, changing La (6) to
Le (b6).
Remember that somewhat boring Sol (5) to Sol (5) G7b9 chord
when moving from Dominant to Tonic? Well, do C(cid:791) triad
you see what we have now? A half step above Ab- Le (b6)
Sol in the Dominant which resolves beautifully G- Sol (5)
down a half step when we move V-I. F- Fa (4)
E- Mi (3)
The diagram to the right shows the three strongest D- Re (2)
voice leading tendencies when moving from C - Do (1)
Dominant to Tonic. B- Ti (7)
Review G- Sol (5)
When navigating from Dominant to Tonic, it is
�7
important to choose one of the three voice-leading tendencies listed below
- Ti ➤ Do
- Fa ➤ Mi
- Le ➤ Sol
Be sure the last note you play in the Dominant bar is Ti, Fa, or Le, and the first note you play in
the Tonic bar is Do, Mi, or Sol (respectively)
Exercise 2
Using the same progression from the previous exercise, incorporate the new voice leading by
ending m4 with Le and beginning m1 with Sol.
Once you feel comfortable with Le to Sol, bring back the other two voice leading tendencies
and try to utilize a different one for each repetition of the form.
Dominant to Minor Tonic Chords
The examples above all include a major Tonic. All of the principles above, however,
can and should be applied to minor keys as well. Take a look at the chart below. The
only change that occurs is Mi becomes Me (a half step lower than Mi). Since it’s
diaTonic to the key, we will use 3 (and not ↓3).

G7b9 chord
C- triad The Dominant chord is almost always a
Ab- Le (b6) Dominant 7th chord with alterations (b9, #9,
G- Sol (5) etc.). Our leading tone (7) remains Ti, as it
F- Fa (4) would in harmonic or Melodic Minor. The use of
E- Me (3) natural minor with “te” (half step below Ti) is
D- Re (2) generally reserved for “modal” playing.
C - Do (1)
B- Ti (7)
In minor keys, the b9 becomes more common,
because the added tension is more useful now
G- Sol (5)
that Fa moves to Me instead of Mi. This is now a
whole step, not a half step, so the “pull” is note
quite as strong as in major.
�8
Part 2: The Fully Diminished 7th Chord
I’m not sure why this chord is not covered sooner in most methods. Once you understand the
fully Diminished 7th chord, you essentially have 3 chords/patterns to master before you can
improvise comfortably in all 24 keys (30, counting enharmonic key signatures).
Think I’m exaggerating? Check this out.
When moving from Dominant (V7) to Tonic (I), we determined that the movement of Sol to Sol
(5-5) is the least interesting voice leading that we have.
G7 chord C(cid:791) triad

F- Fa (4) G- Sol (5)

D- Re (2) E- Mi (3)
B- Ti (7) C - Do (1)
G- Sol (5)

So…let’s get rid of Sol in the G7 chord, and put the flat 9 back in.
G7b9 chord
OK.
Ab- Le (b6)
So, if you have taken any theory prior to now, you should be able to
identify the chord you have after you remove the root on the Dominant F- Fa (4)
chord. It is still a seventh chord (4 notes), but it is made up entirely of
stacked intervals of a minor third. D- Re (2)
What we now have is the fully Diminished 7th chord (viio7). In this B- Ti (7)
particular example, we are looking at a Bo7.
G- Sol (5)
Bo7 chord
Since we have already determined that Ti-Do, Fa-Mi,
Le-Sol, and to some extent, Re-Do, are our strongest voice leading
Ab- Le (b6)
tendencies. It stands to reason that moving viio7-I is going to be extremely
satisfying from a voice leading perspective. Often times, the viio7 can stand
F- Fa (4)
in for a Dominant chord because so many of the notes are the same. 

D- Re (2)
B- Ti (7)
�9
Inversions (or lack thereof)
If we rearrange chord tones, we get something called inversions.

Whether or not you are familiar with specific intervals, you can see visually that there is more
space between chord tones in certain inversions of the C major triad above.
But what about when we move one of the chord tones of the original fully Diminished 7th
chord?
Well, the notes are in a different order, but the intervals are all still minor thirds. As noted
above, we can’t use the note “B” here, because we must stick with the D-F-A-C configuration.
Let’s try it again.
Same story here. The double flat on top is irritating, but it keeps the F-A-C-E configuration
intact. You’re fingers won’t care or notice the difference, I promise. Here’s one more on the
next page.