Getting Started With Jazz Improvisation Handout 2012

For improvising with the major blues scale, I have students use a simple walking bass pattern (a broken major sixth chord with a minor seventh interval added on top - always playing qu[r]

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Far too many music educators avoid jazz improvisation because improvisation is too often perceived as unstructured, unorganized, lacking theory, content, form, or even meaning - but true improvisors have an uncanny knowledge of music theory, scales, chords, music structure, form and how to apply that knowledge to improvisation This enables them to change keys, change styles, embellish, arrange on the spot, and create or compose their own musical ideas, themes, melodies, and songs using music theory as their base

I do not consider myself an expert by any means and I am striving to learn as much as I can and improve my own understanding of improvisation In this handout, I will share some of what I have learned about Jazz Improvisation For more free handouts, worksheets, free music (arrangements and original compositions), and

a more detailed list of music resources for music educators (primarily piano teachers) music students

(primarily piano students) and parents, please visit musicmotivation.com.

(the essentials)

by Jerald M Simon (Music Mentor TM )

musicmotivation.com

♫ 1 - Swing Rhythm = 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & - Why not just write it out? (e.g 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a)

When jazz music is written out and played 1 & a 2 & a, etc., it sounds like a classical musician trying to play jazz music It sounds unnatural, too rigid and forced, and loses the jazz “feel” about the piece.

Swing the 8 ths or Typically you will see one or the other Both are telling the musician to play the eighth notes unevenly. Try the example below to get the feel of swinging eighth notes

The eighth notes are played unevenly The first eighth note is held longer than the second eighth note They follow a pattern of long - short - long - short - long - short - long - short It’s an easier way to notate the music

- otherwise the notation would be much more complicated and actually would not work (but you should still learn how to count and play those more challenging rhythms as well - you’ll get there) I tell students to think of, what I call, the

“Drunken Sailor” effect Everything is slurred and blended together To help you feel the swing rhythm, play

the blues pentascale below These are the first five notes of the C blues scale (C E F F G). 

♫ 3 - Grace Notes, Crushed Notes, and Hammerings (what’s the difference?):

♫ 2 - Blue Notes = (e.g E and B or the 3rd and 7th notes Anytime you flat a third or a seventh, you create blue notes Try playing a major third interval (C and E) but slide the third finger down from the E flat

Hammerings ( ) = “A technique of decorating chords and intervals with appoggiatura This technique was first used

by Blues and Country guitarists In the late Fifties hammering on the piano was made popular by country-pianist Floyd Cramer Hammerings make chord playing more relaxed and make things more melodic and playful ” - 1000 Keyboard Tips, Dreksler and Harle (published by Mel Bay).

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♫ 5 - Seventh Chords created from the C Major Scale (do in all keys) There are five main types of 7th

chords: major, dominant, minor, half-diminished and diminished There are several alterations of 7th

chords such as augmented seventh chords, that is, the 5th may be raised The 5th interval may be raised

or lowered as well as the 7th interval Major, minor, or dominant 7th chords may have the 4th suspended

♫ 4 - Chords to learn/know (in all keys and all inversions) This is no where near complete (there are many more)! (All of these exercises in this handout are in the “Cool Exercises for Cool Kids” series {volumes 1, 2, and 3} by Jerald M Simon)

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(the essentials)

by Jerald M Simon (Music Mentor TM )

musicmotivation.com

3

In every scale there are different modes (think of scales within scales) An easy way to understand a mode

is to think of it as a “mood” We can be in good moods and in bad moods When we play a song or piece in a different mode, a different mood is produced It could be a happy, sad, strange, peaceful, violent, tired, or thoughtful mood, but with music it all depends on the modes

To create the mode, you simply start on one of the notes and go until you play the same note an octave higher As an example, there are eight notes from C - C, D - D, E - E, F - F, G - G, A - A, and B - B All of these modes are played using the same sharps or flats in the given key signature (in this case it would be the key of C - no sharps of flats)

First let me teach you a simple phrase: “I Don’t Play Like My Aunt Louise!”

♫ 6 - Modes (do you know your modes?) I D P L M A L (I Don’t Play Like My Aunt Louise)

Whenever I teach modes to my piano students or at workshops, seminars, and music camps, I have piano

students learn and memorize the phrase above I have them repeat it five times You’ll be able to remember

this phrase once you’ve repeated it five times to yourself I have everyone pretend they have some aunt named Louise, who is a phenominal pianist and travels all over the world performing I then tell them to repeat the words, “I Don’t Play Like My Aunt Louise” After I know they have the phrase memorized, I explain the reason they don’t play like Aunt Louise is because they haven’t learned the modes yet As soon as they learn the modes they can be just as good - if not better than Aunt Louise

Notice how there are seven words and each word is capitalized If we take out those capitalized letters we have the first letters of the names of the modes It is a helpful acronym for: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian (the seven primary modes used in jazz improvisation)

There are three major modes (Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian) I tell my students to say “I Love Music” to

remember the major modes There are four minor modes (technically three minor modes - Dorian, Phrygian,

Aeolian, and one diminished mode - the Locrian mode) I tell my students to imagine they have a “Depressed

PAL” to remember the minor modes.

“I Don’t Play Like My Aunt Louise!”

= Memorize each of these for each of the modes!Once you have it memorized, it is the same for every key signature.

= Locrian = take the major 2 nd , major 3 rd , perfect 5 th , major 6 th , and major 7 th down a half step (e.g BCDEFGAB)

= the major scale (e.g CDEFGABC)

= take the major 3rd and major 7th down a half step (e.g DEFGABCD)

= take the major 2nd, major 3rd, major 6th, and major 7th down a half step (e.g EFGABCDE)

= take the perfect 4th up a half step (e.g FGABCDEF)

= take the major 7th down a half step (e.g GABCDEFG)

= take the major 3rd, major 6th, and major 7th down a half step (e.g ABCDEFGA)

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♫ 7 - Chord/Scale Compatibility (which chords go with which scales?)

Mode (built from scale degree)

MajorMinorMinorMajorDominantMinorHalf-diminishedQuality of 7th Chord

Try arranging Mary Had a Little Lamb; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Three Blind Mice; Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and other children’s songs in a modal jazz style The right hand will play the melody of the piece while the left hand will play seventh chords created from the major scale of the key signature of the piece (e.g

in the key of C Major we would play the seventh chords created from the C major scale) In the beginning, as long as one of the notes in the seventh chord played with the left hand matches the melody played with the right hand, you are okay Don’t look now, but you’re playing modal jazz

♫ 8 - Modal Improvisation (left hand plays seventh chords - right hand improvises on a melody using modes)

This is often referred to as “Modal Jazz”

same fingering on all 7 th chords

Phrygian(E - E)

Lydian(F - F)

Mixolydian(G - G)

Aeolian(A - A)

Locrian(B - B)

Ionian(C - C)

=

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



E7

V 2nd





D7

V 2nd



C7V 2nd

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On the previous page (page 5) I introduced the ii - V - I chord progression (following the circle of fourths)

In classical and traditional music we use the I - IV - V - V7 chord progression or a variation of it (with the

authentic, plagal, and complete cadences) We do so because these are the primary chords (since they are the

only major chords in the sequence of chords created from the major scale - Major, minor, minor, Major, Major,

Minor, Diminished, Major) The other chords are secondary chords (because they are minor with one diminished) In jazz music, the standard progression is ii - V - I (ii = minor seventh, V = dominant seven, I =

major seventh) As an example, in the key of C major, ii = D minor seventh, V = G seventh (dominant), and I

= C major seventh Play the ii - V - I chord progression on page 5 in all keys (notice how in jazz music we

follow the circle of fifths in a counter-clockwise motion - this is also known as the circle or cylce of fouths)

Jazz musicians and classical musicians do run in different circles

Here is an example of modal improvisation where I play a progression of ii - ii (dorian - dorian) Try this in

all keys If you’d like to try this in all keys but don’t know if you’re ready to play this without music yet, I do

have this available on my website as a free download in all keys at musicmotivation.com

♫ 10 - Walking Bass Lines (generally the left hand plays quarter notes and the right hand plays eighth notes).

Most of the time the right hand improvises using scales, modes, and chords

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On this page, I will give examples of left hand patterns that are found in several of the pieces from some

of my books I will explain the theory used to create each pattern and challenge the piano students (and their teachers) to play each example in every key (moving up chromatically in half steps, following the circle/cycle

of 5ths and the circle/cycle of 4ths) The theory used to create each of these patterns apply to all key signatures Once you understand how to create the pattern, you can duplicate it in every key Try it! Have fun with these

left hand patterns Visit musicmotivation.com for more music.

Barrel House Blues and Extended Barrel House Blues left hand patterns - from Boot Camp Boogie (”Cool Songs for Cool Kids volume 2” pg 8)

The simple barrel house blues left hand pattern is created by playing the perfect fifth interval (e.g C and G) followed by the major sixth interval (e.g C and A) over and over again The extended barrel house blues left hand pattern is created by playing the perfect fifth interval (e.g C and G) followed by the major sixth interval (e.g C and A) then the minor seventh interval (e.g C and B flat) followed by the major sixth interval (e.g C and A) again This pattern is also used in Locker Jam and Rock

‘n Rag (“Cool Songs for Cool Kids volume 1” pgs 17 and 18

     

The is a pattern of ascending/descending intervals - from The Spy Kid (”Cool Songs for Cool Kids volume 2” pg 10)

This left hand pattern is created by playing the perfect fifth interval (e.g C and G) followed by the augmented fifth interval (e.g C and G sharp) then the major sixth interval (e.g C and A) followed by a minor sixth interval (e.g C and A flat).

This is a simple walking bass patter (created from a broken C major sixth chord) - from Deck the Halls (”Jazzed about Christmas” pg 11)

This left hand pattern is from the arrangement of Hark the Herald Angels Sing (”Jazzed about Christmas” pg 12)

This is a walking bass pattern created from the C major sixth chord Simply break the C major sixth chord apart (broken) and play one note after another I used this left hand pattern in “Deck the Halls” on page

11 It is also used in “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” on page 9, but with a walking bass pattern created from the F major sixth chord

This is a simple walking bass patter (created from a broken C major sixth chord) - from Deck the Halls (”Jazzed about Christmas” pg 11)

         

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♫ 11 - Jazz Scales (Modes, Bebop Scales, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Symmetric, Diminished, Octatonic,

Whole Tone, Major Pentatonic (omits 4th and 7th), Minor pentatonic (begins on 6th), Blues (major/minor) Most frequently used jazz scales are the pentatonic and blues scales (in addition to the modes which are

used all the time) Blues Scales (major = variation of the pentatonic scale - C D D E G A C)

(minor = minor pentatonic scale plus flat 5th {sharp 4th} - C E F F G B C)   

The blues scale is created using the root/perfect first (e.g C), a minor 3rd or flat the 3rd (e.g E ), a perfect 4th(e.g F), an augmented 4th or sharp the 4th (e.g F ), a perfect 5th (e.g G), a minor 7th or flat the 7th (e.g B ) and ending with the tonic (e.g C) The C blues scale is C E F F G B C   







        1 2 3 4 1 3 4 (or 1 when doing more octaves)Once you feel comfortable playing this scale one octave try two,

three, and four octaves up and down the keyboard Then, for fun try playing the blues scale in every key moving up chromatically

in half steps.

Now, let’s look at the C major blues scale below The C major scale is a variation of the C pentatonic scale (where the

4 th and 7 th have been omitted - C D E G A C) This is a major blues scale because the top four notes (E G A C) create a

C major sixth chord in first inversion.

3

1 2 3 5

C Maj 6 th Chord (1 st Inversion)

3

1 3

3 5

On the next page I have included all of the minor blues scales (with fingering) in all keys I have not included the major blues scales

in all keys but it should be practiced in all keys as well Try improvising using the I (C major blues scale), IV (F major blues scale), and V (G major blues scale) For fun you can add a walking bass left hand pattern created from the C major sixth chord (broken apart) and adding the minor seventh interval on top (look at page 7 of this handout for a reminder of left hand patterns you can use).

3 3

4 2

5 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

       

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

5 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

same fingering for all blues pentascales (in all keys)

First five notes from the blues scale This can be referred to as a blues pentascale Try this in all keys.

=

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3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

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2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

    

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

2 2

3 1

1 3

2 2

3 1

4(1) 2(4)

3 1

    

2 2

1 3

3 1

2 2

1 4

    

1 4

2 2

3 1

1 3

2 2

3 1

4(1) 2(4)

3 1

    

2 2

1 3

3 1

2 2

1 4

1 3

2 2

3 1

4 3

1 1

2 2(4)

1 1

       

    

4 3

3 1

2 2

1 3

3 4

    

       

3 4

1 3

2 2

3 1

4 3

1 1

2 2(4)

1 1

       

    

4 3

3 1

2 2

1 3

3 4

1 3

2 2

3 1

4 3

1 1

2(3) 2(4)

1 1

     

4 3

3 1

2 2

1 3

3 4

     

3 4

1 3

2 2

3 1

4 3

1 1

2(3) 2(4)

1 1

     

4 3

3 1

2 2

1 3

3 4

1 1

3 3

1 1

2 4

3 3

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

1 1

3 3

1 1

2 4

3 3

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

A Flat (G Sharp) Blues Scale

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4 1

1 3

2 2

3 1

4(1) 2 3

3

2 1

1 2

4 3

3 4 2

4

2 3

3 2

4 1

1 3

2 2

3 1

4(1) 2 3

3

2 1

1 2

4 3

3 4 2

1 1

2 3

3 2

2(1) 1

3 2

2 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

2 3

3 2

2(1) 1

3 2

2 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

2 4

3 3

4 2

1 1

3 3

4(1) 1

3 3

1 1

4 2

3 3

2 4

1 5

    

C Blues Scale

Once you can play these in all keys (both hands - one octave) practice playing them in every key

signature 2 - 3 octaves up and down the piano with both hands You’ll get faster and it’s a lot of fun

Try it!

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