Chordal Approach to Jazz Improvisation

Chordal Approach to Jazz Improvisation

Learn to improvise, outlining melodically the chord changes of a jazz tune.

In this comprehensive and truly interactive course you will learn to melodically outline the chord changes of jazz tunes in your improvisation.

Counting more than 20 years of teaching experience in one of Europe leading music institutions, Jasper organized a thorough series of lesson that will reinforce your basic skills as improviser.

Videos: 1.5 hours

Skill Level: Intermediate

Backing Tracks: 5 Backing tracks especially recorded for this course

Language: English

Get personal video feedback every week and earn a certificate from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam: Visit the Course page!

How it works:

The course is a series of related video lessons, each structured around a specific topic or topics. By the end of this course, you will have developed a strong sense of direction in your daily study routine.

Weekly video lessons
after joining the course, you will be able to view a new video lesson weekly. Each video lesson consists of:

Examples that musically define the sound of the topic you are studying in each video

A study routine section in which we first discuss how to study the specific topic of each lesson. We will then play several exercises specially written to show you how to structure your daily study routine

Assignments that will help you consolidate and practice what you have learned in each video.

Weekly assignments
After each lesson, you will be asked to study, practice and then video record yourself playing an assignment which may consist of several exercises. When ready, you submit the video of your assignment. The process of having to record yourself every week, significantly helps to internalise the material discussed in this course - quickly and naturally.

Weekly feedback: This function is only available in the "course" mode.

Certificate: This function is only available in the "course" mode.

Content of this course:

Some of the topics you will study are:

Learning the melody of a song - Outlining the harmony of a song using triads - How to connect the triads of a song melodically and how to construct simple and effective guide lines - Melodic permutations of a triad - Adding the 7th and the 9th to a triad - Create longer lines in your improvisation - Using some basic Jazz Rhythms in your lines - The use of triplets - Approaching the chord tones diatonically and chromatically - The use of the 12345 melodic pattern through the changes - Melodic permutations of the 1 2 3 4 5 pattern - The dominant 7 altered chord - Miscellaneous concepts.

Lesson 1 - Triads, four notes chords, 9 and 11 arpeggios
In this lesson Jasper will show how to learn the melody of a song, outline the harmony of a song using triads, connectthe triads of a song melodically and construct simple and effective guidelines. We will look at different melodic permutations of a triad and start adding the 7th and the 9th to a triad.
 
Lesson 2 - Triplet figures, approach notes and playing longer phrases
In this lesson we will implement the use of triplets and approach the chord tones diatonically and chromatically. During the lesson you will play transcriptions and exercises explore creatively the single and double approach notes, mixing triplet figures and approach notes variations.
 
Lesson 3 - Alterations: b9 b13
This lesson will deal with 2-5-1 progressions, dominant 7th chords, integrating b9 and b13 and applying the alternations and combinations on different chords and chord sequences.
 
Lesson 4 - Five-notes patterns and scales
In this lesson Jasper will explore the rhythmical and melodic possibility of playing melodies being limitted to 5 notes. We will explore the 12345 melodic patterns through the changes and look at melodic permutations of the 1 2 3 4 5 patterns.