The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation

Chapter 1 Getting Started Everyone Can Improvise Training the Subconscious to Make Choices Beyond Rote Memory How to Use This Book Tips for Getting Started Reconsidering Beginning with the Blues Chapter 2 Basic Concepts: The Root Triad and Jazz Rhythms Chord Versus Scale Reading Jazz Chord Symbols Lesson Plan 1: Improvising on the Root Triad Rhythm Section Tips Lesson Plan 2: Adding Rhythm Teacher's Notes Why Start with the Root Triad? Choosing Chords to Begin With Adjusting Range Designing Rhythm Rhythm Section General Tips Piano: Basic Voicings Guitar: Basic Voicings Bass: Walking Bass Lines with Triad Pitches Drums: Basic Ride Cymbal Technique, Hi-Hat Usage, and Kicks Chapter 3 Adding the 2nd (1-2-3-5) Lesson Plan 3: Adding the 2nd Degree Lesson Plan 4: Building Longer 8th-Note Lines Teachers' Notes Other Possibilities on 1-2-3-5 Moving from Chord to Chord The Metronome in Rehearsal Tunes to Begin With More Advanced Rhythms (3/4 + 2/4) Chapter 4: Approaching Chord Tones from Below Lesson Plan 5: Approach Tones (Half-Step-Below) Teacher's Notes Upbeats and Anticipation Different Chord Qualities (Major) Rhythm Section Drums: Lightly Kicking the Upbeats Piano/Guitar: Approaching 3, 5 | 7, 9 Voicings from Below Chapter 5 Approaching Chord Tones from Above Lesson Plan 6: Approaching Chord Tones from a Scale Step Above Lesson Plan 7: 8th-Note Lines with Approach Tones Teacher's Notes Rhythm Section Bass: Adding Approach Tones to Bass Lines Chapter 6: Approaching Chord Tones by Two Notes Lesson Plan 8: Two-Note Approach Tones (Above/Below) Lesson Plan 9: Approaching Chord Tones from Two Notes Above or Two Notes Below Chapter 7: Approaching Chord Tones by Three or More Notes Lesson Plan 10: Approaching with Three Notes (Part 1) Lesson Plan 11: Approaching with Three Notes (Part 2) Lesson Plan 12: Approaching the 7th Teacher's Notes Approaching with Four or Five Notes Simplifying Three Note Approaches for Less Experienced Students Chapter 8: Improvising on the Entire Chord/Scale (Part 1) Lesson Plan 13: Diatonic Thirds Teacher's Notes Singing Tetrachords Adding Syncopation to Diatonic Thirds More Advanced Use of Thirds Descending Lines Rhythm Section Bass: Using Diatonic Thirds in Bass Lines Piano: Using Diatonic Thirds in Comping Chapter 9 Improvising on the Entire Chord/Scale (Part 2): Longer Lines and Harmonic Changes Lesson Plan 14: Creating Longer Lines with Thirds Lesson Plan 15: Moving from One Chord/Scale to Another Chapter 10 General Scale Skills: Triads, 7th Chords, and Other Intervals Lesson Plan 16: Triads and Other Structures Lesson Plan 17: Mixing It Up Teacher's Notes Organizing Other Structures in the Chord/Scale (7th-Chords, Intervals) Combining Lessons Chapter 11: Understanding Chord Symbols and Respelling Chords First, Chord Symbols What Is Respelling? How to Respell Examples of Respelling Extra Credit: Parallel Structures Teacher's Notes Respelling the Dominant Respelling the Altered Dominant Respelling the Half-Diminished Chord Respelling Lydian Rhythm Section Bass: Only Respell When Soloing Piano/Guitar: Voicing the Altered Dominant, When to Respell Chapter 12: The II-7 | V7 | Id7 (Part 1) - Using ♭7 to 3 to Move from Chord to Chord Lesson Plan 18: Hearing ♭7 to 3 on the II-7 | V7 | Id7 Lesson Plan 19: Using ♭7 to 3 to Improvise on a II-7 | V7 Lesson Plan 20: Using ♭7 to 3 to Improvise on a V7 | Id7 Lesson Plan 21: Using ♭7 to 3 to Improvise on a II-7 | V7 | Id7 Teacher's Notes Singing Backgrounds Tips for Building 8th-Note Lines Rhythm Section Piano/Guitar: Using Stepwise Motion Chapter 13 II-7 | V7 | I (Part 2): Melodic Arpeggios and Dominant Cycles Lesson Plan 22: Towards Improvising on a II-7 | V7 | Id7 Lesson Plan 23: Introducing ♯9 and ♭9 on the V7 Chord Lesson Plan 24: Dominant Cycles (Part 1) - 1-2-3-5 and 1-5-3-5 Lesson Plan 25: Dominant Cycles (Part 2) - 3-5-7-9 Arpeggios Lesson Plan 26: Dominant Cycles (Part 3) - Adding and Dropping Beats Lesson Plan 27: 3-5-7-9 + Approach Tones - Dropping and Adding Beats on a II-7 | V7 | Id7 Chapter 14: Playing the Blues (Part 1) Why We Didn't Start with the Blues What the Blues Means to Us Lesson Plan 28: Using Approach Tones to Hear the Harmonic Form of the Blues (Less Advanced) Lesson Plan 29: 1-2-3-5 on the Blues (Less Advanced) Teacher's Notes Harmonic Options on the Blues The Turnaround Rhythm Section Piano: An Example of Comping on the Blues Chapter 15: The Vocal Form of the Blues Lesson Plan 30: Introducing the Vocal Form of the Blues (Less Advanced) Lesson Plan 31: Instrumental Blues (Part 1 - Less Advanced) Lesson Plan 32: Instrumental Blues (Part 2 - Less Advanced) Lesson Plan 33: Instrumental Blues (Part 3 - More Advanced) List of Blues Tunes Teacher's Notes Rhythm Section Recommended Blues Tracks for Piano Chapter 16: A Guide to Transcribing (Learning by Ear) Getting Started Make It Their Own A Few Examples of Creative Practice Inspired by Transcribing Chapter 17: The Benefits of Play - Why We Teach Jazz A Word About a Word: Play The Effects of Jazz: Talking Points for Admin and Parents Appendix: Chord Symbols Index