Ontimpr6. How to improvise music
At Soundfly.com one can take free courses that strive to improve one's musical knowledge and musical skills. Their improvisation course covers five improvisational tools and a handful of tips and strategies for using them. These tools include:
- Listening/Transcription
- Chord Tones
- Common Tones
- Rhythm
- Space
An accomplished jazz improviser (typically) should have knowledge and skills to manipulate and relate to all of the following.
- Knows all major scales and modes, so that if asked to play an Ab Major scale or to play in the Lydian mode of the Db Major scale, an accomplished jazz improviser can.
- Can play a Major scale beyond the standard root to root motion, such as can play an ascending F# Major scale in 3rds, or an A Major scale in diatonic 7th chords.
- Familar with the different types of minor scales and the Circle of Fifths, as in playing in a C# dorian scale, or an E melodic minor scale. Scales should be known in all keys. In the modern tonal system, there are 12 major keys and 12 minor keys.
Spell out an E half-diminished chord starting on the root.
What is the 7th of an Ab Major 7 chord?
Arpeggiate a B7 chord, ascending up to the 9th and descending to the root on your instrument.
Play an A dominant bebop scale.
Play an Ab major bebop scale.
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As you’re developing your musical approach, the bebop scale can be an effective tool for navigating V7 sounds and creating linear motion. Study how players like John Coltrane and Sonny Stitt utilize this scale in their lines.
What is the V7 chord in the key of B?
In the key of Eb, what is the ii chord?
D half-diminished is the viiØ chord of what key?
Based on the exercise above, what would a ii- V7 in F minor be?
What’s the b13 of A7?
What’s the b9 of C#7?
Play the E altered scale
Play an F melodic minor scale
Notice any similarities? How does F melodic minor relate to an E7 chord?
As an improviser, theory is vitally linked to technique. Knowing the key signature, practicing a few scales, or memorizing the chord progression isn’t going to cut it. Along with knowing a musical concept, you need to be able to play it.
The ii-V-I progression is a central part of the jazz standard repertoire and the first step to mastering this common progression is
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