iSpeak Jazz

Volume 1 The Basics

A Method for Authentic Jazz Improvisation

AudioBook
by Wayne McConnell

In dedication to the memory and music of James Williams and to every

student of the Jazz Tradition.
Keep the music in your head and your head outta the music!
James Williams

TableofContents

AudiobookTrackListings/MusicalExamples

Acknowledgments
HowtoUseThisAudiobook

Chapter1ComponentsofMelodicArchitecture
1.1ChapterIntroduction

1.1
HearingArpeggios
1.1xIntroduction
a. ThirdsandSevenths
b. ChordQuality
c. ChordExtensions
d. ChooseaNotetoStartOn

1.2
HearingScaleFragments
a. Introduction
b. WhatisaScaleFragment?
c. ScaleQuality
d. StartingNotes
e. ScalesinThirds

1.3
HearingChromaticNotes
a. Introduction
b. ChromaticNotesinArpeggios
c. RecognisingChromaticNotes

1.4
HearingChordExtensionsandAlterations
a. MajorChordExtensions
b. MajorChordAlterations
c. MinorChordExtensions
d. MinorChordAlterations
e. DominantChordExtensions
f. DominantChordAlterations

1.5ChapterSummary

Acknowledgments

Therearemanypeople,withoutwhomthisbookwouldntbepossible.Enormousthanksto
MikeGuestforhisendlesssupporttotheSchoolandmyselfovertheyears.Histechnical
wizardryforallthingsaudio/videoandgraphicshavemadethingsamuchbrighterandclearer
place.YourcontributionstotheJazzSchoolwillremainwithme,andthestudents,forever.
HugethanksfortheimmenselytalentedKateHoggwhosesaxophoneplayingonthisprojectis
exemplary.Thankyouforyourconstantstreamofideasandcreativity.Imveryproudtohave
youasatutoratBrightonJazzSchool.

ThankyouTheBrightonJazzScene.Toomanypeopletomentionbutthankyoutoeveryone
whocontributestotheamazingscenewehaveherefellowmusicians,supportiveaudience
members,theSussexJazzMagandtwowonderfulvenues:TheBrunswickinHoveandthe
VerdictJazzClub.

ThankyoutostudentsofBrightonJazzSchoolandtheUniversityofChichesterjazzissafe.
ThankyoutomycolleaguesattheUniversityofChichester,inparticular,NickReynoldswhose
energyforteachingknowsnolimits.

Forinspirationandguidance:JamesWilliams,MulgrewMiller,GeoffreyKeezer.JoeLocke,
AhmadJamal,AaronGoldberg,PhineasNewbornJr,andChristianMcBride.

SpecialthankstomyfamilyMum,Dadforallowingmetheopportunitytostudymusicandfor
constantencouragementandformyfirstkeyboardandpiano.

IdedicatethisbooktomybeautifulwifePrimforendlesssupportandlove.Yourcourage,
determinationandselflessnessneverceasetoamazeme.Thankyouforalwaysbeingthere.

HowtoUseThisAudiobook

WelcometoiSpeakJazzAMethodforAuthenticJazzImprovisation.Thisaudiobookismeant
tobeusedinasimilarwaytoaudiolanguagebookswhereyoulisten,copyandrepeat.Thereis
avastholeinjazzeducationorjazzlearning.Themostimportantaspectofitisgettinglostand
replacedwiththeoreticalconcepts.Iusedtothinkthatknowingmoretheorywouldallowmeto
bemoreexpressiveandachieveahigherlevelofproficiency.Overtheyears,Ihaverealised
thattheoryisnotthekeytothis.Theanswerissimple,it'sbeingabletohearmore.Thatreally
isit.Thereisnosecret.IfIlistentojazzthatinspiresmebeforeIplay,Iplaybetter.Thatin
itselfisenoughevidencetoknowthatthismusicisaboutvibeandspirit.Iwanttobeclear
though,itisessentialthatyouknowthefundamentalsofwesternmusicmajor,minor,dominant
chords,majorscales,melodic/harmonicminorscalesandalike.Italsorequiresyoutohave
somelevelofproficiencyonyourinstrument.Ifyouareabeginneronyourinstrument,Ihighly
recommendgettingsomeclassicallessonstolearnyourinstrument.Thematerialinthis
audiobookwillteachyouhowtoconstructmelodiesorlinesthatarerootedinauthenticity.Itwill
allbedonethroughlisteningandcopyingbecausetherereallyisnootherway.Thefirst
ChapterwillcoverhowtohearthebasiccomponentsthatmakeupjazzlinesandmustNOTbe
skipped.Thisiswherealotofthegroundworkisdone,itwillopenupyourearsandallowyou
tohearingreaterdetail.Chapter2willtakeyouthroughhowtohearandlearnasimplejazz
linethecorrectway.Thinkofitasawalkthroughasolidmethodologythatwillsetthe
precedencefortherestofthebook.Thefirstpartofthethirdchapterwillbeyourfirsttryat
learningalickonyourownandthesecondhalfwillshowyouhowtotransposeitintoall12
keys.Thefourthchapterwillcontainthreemorelinesincreasingincomplexityandaretobe
transposedintoall12keys.Anytransposingshouldbedonewithacombinationofarchitectural
knowledgeofthelineandbyear.Asyoureargetsbetter,youllbeabletorelymoreonyour
ear.Eventually,theideaisthatyoubypassalmostallthoughtprocessesfromyourleftbrain.
Inordertoachievethevibeandspiritdiscussedearlier,jazzmustbeapproachedfromaright
brain,gutinstinctperspective.Themoreyoucanhear,themoreyoucanletgoandthemore
youcanbefree.

Thisbookletcontainsadditionalmaterialthatbestrepresentsitselfasvisualaidsratherthan
spokenandisthereforeuselessunlessyouhavethemainaudio.PleasetaketheCDorhave
accesstotheaudiofileswhereveryougo.Remember,youcandoalotofpractisewithoutyour
instrument.Let'sgetstarted.

Chapter1ComponentsofMelodicArchitecture

Whenwehearthegreatplayersimprovise,wehearacombinationoftheuniquenessof
theirsoundandtheirinnermusicalworld.Howtheyconstructmelodyisaresultofwhat
musictheyhavebeeninfluencedby.Oneplayermightbemorebluesyandsoulfullike
StanleyTurrentineandanothermightbemorelyricalandspaciouslikePaulDesmond.
Whatcanbesaidthoughisthatallmusicalideasinjazzcontainarpeggios,fragments
ofscales,chromaticnotesandmoreadvancedthingslikespecificintervals(quartal),
exoticscalessuchasthediminished,alteredorwholetonescale.Thelattertwo
componentswillbeexploredinafurtherseriesofthisbook.Thisvolumeandchapter
willdealwithfirstthreeArpeggios,ScaleFragmentsandChromaticNotes.Mostjazz
booksstartbysayingthatthisscalegoeswiththischord.Onecannotarguethatthose
factsarecorrect.TheDDorianScalesoffersagoodsolutiontowhatnotesyoucan
useonaDm7chord,forexample.Theissuecomeswhenstudentstrytoimprovise
usingthatscale.Veryrarelydoyouhearthegreatplayersuseanentirescaleandyet
bookstellustopractisescalesupanddownreligiously.Nomatterhowmanytimesyou
playthescale,itwontmakeyouabetterimproviser.Scalesareimportantfortechnical
developmentbuttheyreallyshouldnotbeusedasthesolesolutiontoimprovisation,
especiallyasthealternativeoffersaquickerandmorenaturalmethodtoimprovising.
Ratherthanusingmusicaltheoryasabasisofimprovisation,wemustusethe
vocabularythatthegreatplayersleftbehindasthebasisofourowncreativity.The
truthis,musiciansandaudiencescantellthedifferencebetweensomeonewhouses
scalestoimprovisevssomeoneusingkey,historicalcomponents.Thelatterwillsound
moreauthentic,morejazz.

1.1HearingArpeggios
Anarpeggioissimplythenotesinachordplayedoneafteranother.Theycanascend
throughthechordordescend.

AscendingCmajorArpeggio(StraightFeel)
AscendingCMajorArpeggio(SwingFeel)
DescendingCmajorArpeggio(StraightFeel)
DescendingCmajorArpeggio(SwingFeel)

ThirdsandSevenths
Asyoulistentothearpeggios,listenoutforthe2ndand4thnotes.Thesenotesarethe
thirdsandseventhsofthechord.Thesetwonotesareveryimportantbecausetheytell
youifthechordismajor,minorordominant.Becauseultimatelywewanttobe
improvisingacrossthechordsinahorizontalfashion,youwillneedtobeableto

connectthirdsandseventhsthroughthechords.
Knowingwheretheyareonall
chordsisessential.
Wewillcomebacktothisarealateron.
ChordQuality
ChordQualityisatermusedtodescribewhetherachordismajor,minorordominant.Since
therearefivemaintypesofseventhchord,wecanhavearpeggiosofdifferentquality:Major,
Minor,Dominant,HalfDiminishedandFullyDiminished.Bylearningthesoundofthechord
qualities,notonlyareyouhearingthechordsbutyouarealsolearningshapesthatwillbe
usefulforimprovisation.

Cm7Arpeggio(StraightFeel)
Cm7Arpeggio(SwingFeel)
C7Arpeggio(StraightFeel)
C7Arpeggio(SwingFeel)
Cm7b5Arpeggio(StraightFeel)
Cm7b5Arpeggio(SwingFeel)
CdimArpeggio(StraightFeel)
CdimArpeggio(SwingFeel)

ChordExtensions

andAlterations
Onceyouarefamiliarwiththefivetypesofarpeggioinmostorallkeys,youcanstartto
addinsomechordextensions.Sofarourarpeggioshavestoppedonthe7th.Jazz
utilisesalotofupperextensions9ths,11ths,13thsandalterationsofthem#orb9,
#11,b13.Listentothefollowingmusicalexamplesandtrytoidentifywhateffectthe
extensionsandalterationshaveonthesoundofeacharpeggio.Atthisstage,donot
thinktoomuchaboutthemathematicsofitandconcentrateonthesound.Wewillbe
spendingagreatdealoftimeonExtensionsandAlterationslateron.

CmajorArpeggiotothe9th(StraightFeel)
CmajorArpeggiotothe9th(SwingFeel)
CmajorArpeggiotothe#11th(straightFeel)
CmajorArpeggiotothe#11th(SwingFeel)
CminorArpeggiotothe9th(StraightFeel)
CminorArpeggiotothe9th(SwingFeel)
CminorArpeggiotothe11th(StraightFeel)
CminorArpeggiotothe11th(SwingFeel)
C7arpeggiotothe9th(StraightFeel)
C7arpeggiotothe9th(SwingFeel)
C7arpeggiototheb9th(StraightFeel)
C7arpeggiototheb9th(SwingFeel)
C7arpeggiotothe#11th(StraightFeel)
C7arpeggiotothe#11th(SwingFeel)
C7Arpeggiotothe(incl#11)13th(StraightFeel)

C7Arpeggiotothe(incl#11)13th(SwingFeel)
C7Arpeggiototheb13(StraightFeel)
C7Arpeggiototheb13(SwingFeel)

StartingArpeggiosonDifferentNotes

Arpeggiosdonotalwayshavetostartontheroot,infact,theysoundgreatwhenthey
startontheseventh(asemitonebelowtheroot),itmakesitsoundlikethereisa
chromaticnoteorapickupnote.Listentoalltheexamplesnumeroustimessoyoucan
getthefeelofthearpeggiosstartingondifferentnotes.

CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe3rd(StraightFeel)
CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe3rd(SwingFeel)
CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe5th(StraightFeel)
CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe5th(SwingFeel)
CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe6th(StraightFeel)
CMajorArpeggiotothe9thstartingonthe6th(SwingFeel)
CMajorArpeggiowiththe9thstartingonthe7th(StraightFeel)
CMajorArpeggiowiththe9thstartingonthe7th(SwingFeel)
C7Arpeggiostartingontheb9(StraightFeel)
C7Arpeggiostartingontheb9(SwingFeel)

1.2HearingScaleFragments

AsIsaid,thereareplentyofbooksouttherethatdescribescaletheoryasthebeallandendall
forjazzimprovisation.Jazztheorybooksoftenuseitasastartingpoint.Thisisso
fundamentallywrongandputspeopleonthewrongpath.Greatmusicoccursnotfromknowing
scalesbutfromknowinghowtomakegoodmelodybyknowhowandwhentoresolvelines.It
istrue,scalesareimportant,theyareagoodfoundationoftechnicalskillandtheyshowyou
whatnotesyouhaveavailabletoyouonanygivenchord.ThatISusefulstuff.Butmany
studentsthinkthatiftheylearnscales,theywillbeabletoimprovisewithfluidityand
authenticity.Theyquicklyfindoutit'snotaseasyasthatandtheyendupdiscouraged.Letme
saythisITISVERYIMPORTANTTOKNOW,ATLEAST,YOURMAJORSCALES.Fromon
improvisationperspectiveitisimportanttorecognisescalefragments.Whenyoulistentothe
grandmastersplay,youllnoticeprettyquicklythattheyhardlyeverusecompletescales(unless
itisarunratherthanamelodicline).Theywillusepartsofthescale.Thissectionisallabout
hearingscalefragments.

Inthefollowingexamples,youwillhearscalefragmentsplayedonthesaxophone.Ascale
fragmentissimplyafragmentofthescale,itcouldbefournoteswhichiswhatyouwillhearin

theexamplesbuttrymakingupyourown.Justtobeonthesafeside,letsfirsthearascale:

Thechancesare,theCmajorscaleisprobablythefirstscaleyoulearntonyour
instrument.Thescalewillbeplayedinastraightfeelandswingfeelandyouyoualso
hearthescaledescendingtoo.

CMajorScale(StraightFeel)
CMajorScale(SwingFeel)

1.2aScaleandScaleFragments
Ascalefragmentiswhatitsaysonthetin,itsapartofthescale.Itcouldbebetween
threeorsevennotesandjustwitharpeggios,scalefragmentscantaketheshapeof
anychordquality:major,minoranddominant.Thefollowingexamplesarescale
fragmentsofCmajor.Thereisspaceleftintherecordingforyoutosingbackthe
fragmentsinacallandresponsefashion.

CMajorScaleFragmentsinSequenceAscendingandDescending(StraightFeel)
CMajorScaleFragmentsinSequenceAscendingandDescending(SwingFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)CallandResponsefromthe4th(SwingFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragmentsDescendingfromthe4th(StraightFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragmentsDescendingfromthe4th(SwingFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)CallandResponse(StraightFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)CallandResponse(SwingFeel)
CMajorScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)CallandResponsefromthe4th(Straight
Feel)

1.2bScaleFragmentQuality
Herearesomemorethatusedifferentqualitiesmajor,minoranddominant.

CDorianScale(StraightFeel)
CDorianScale(SwingFeel)
CDorianScaleFragmentsAscendinginSequence(StraightFeel)
CDorianScaleFragmentsAscendinginSequence(SwingFeel)
CDorianScaleFragmentsDescendinginSequence(StraightFeel)
CDorianScaleFragmentsDescendinginSequence(SwingFeel)
CMixolydianScale(StraightFeel)
CMixolydianScale(SwingFeel)
CMixolydianScaleFragmentsAscendinginSequence(StraightFeel)
CMixolydianScaleFragmentsAscendinginSequence(SwingFeel)
CMixolydianScaleFragmentsDescendinginSequence(StraightFeel)
CMixolydianScaleFragmentsDescendinginSequence(SwingFeel)

CMixolydianScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)Ascending(StraightFeel)
CMixolydianScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)Ascending(SwingFeel)
CMixolydianScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)Descending(StraightFeel)
CMixolydianScale4NoteFragments(Randomised)Descending(SwingFeel)

Youcanalsotrystartingondifferentnoteswithinanyscale.Usethisasajumpingoff
pointforyourowncreativity.

ScalesinThirds
Goodmelodyhasmelodicstructureandithasconnectivity.WhatdoImeanbyconnectivity?
Eachnoteinyourphrasemustbethereforareason,nothingcanbethrownaway,it'slike
speaking,thebestspeakersdoawaywithwaffleandareconciseandclear.Thatishowyou
wantyourimprovisationstobe.Thisiswhyyoucannotusetheorytocreatelinesbecause
theorydoesnotdealwithconnectivity.Goodconnectivityiswhenyoulistentoalineandthe
logicofitissostrongthatyoucansingthenextphrase(moreorless)beforeitisplayed.There
aremanywaysofdoingthisbuttostartwith,wewilllookatscalesorscalefragmentsinthirds.
Wewillcomebacktothesubjectofconnectivitylateron.Scalesinthirdsissimplyplayinga
scaleorscalefragmentskippinguptothenoteathirdup.It'sactuallyeasiertohearthanto
explainsohavealisten:

CMajorScalein3rds(StraightFeel)
CMajorScalein3rds(SwingFeel)

1.3HearingChromaticNotes
ChromaticNotesarenotjustrandomnotesthatcantbeaccountedfor.Theyarenotesthat
enhancethemelodiccomponentstopropelthemusicforward.Chromaticnotescanbeapplied
tobotharpeggiosandscalefragmentstomakethemmoreinteresting.Firstweneedtobeable
toidentifythesoundofthechromaticnotes.Achromaticnotewillsoundlikeanotethatisntin
thechord.Let'shavealistentothechromaticscaleasastartingpoint:

ChromaticScaleonC(StraightFeel)
ChromaticScaleonC(SwingFeel)

Thechromaticscaleonitsownisinstantlyrecognisable,ithasaladdertypesoundyouwould
rarelyhearitplayedinitsentirety.Itsuseinjazzisusuallymoresubtle.Letstryandheariton
anarpeggio.

CMajorArpeggiowithaChromaticnotebelowthe3rd(StraightFeel)
CMajorArpeggiowithaChromaticnotebelowthe3rd(SwingFeel)


Itisimportanttobeabletorecognisethatthisisstillanarpeggiowithafunnynoteoranote
thatdoesntreallybelongtothearpeggio.Thechromaticnoteaddsdepthtothearpeggio,it
breaksupthepredictabilityofthearpeggioandalsoaddstensionwhichresolvesonceyouget
backinsidethearpeggio.Trythisontheremainingnotesinthearpeggio(the5thand7th)and
thentryitonminoranddominantchords.

1.4HearingChordExtensionsandAlterations

Wearegoingtolearnhowtohearchordextensionsandalterations.Irememberatime
whenIwasvisitingJamesWilliamsinNYCandIwentuptohisofficeoverlooking
TimesSquaretofindhimlisteningtothevocalgroupTake6.Heproceededtoaskme
questionsdidyouhearthatsharp11,ohhhyeah,#9th,howaboutthatb13.I
rememberthinkingtomyself,wow,howamazingthathecanhearallofthatdetailin
realtime.Ithoughthehadsuperhumanpowers.Inmanywayshedidbutitispossible
togettothislevelofhearing.Now,muchlateron,Iamabletohearthesamethings
thathewasdescribing.

Dontbescaredoffbythemathematicsofchordextensions/alterations.Youcan
eventuallylearnthenumbers(#11,b13etc)butfirst,youmustbeabletorecognisehow
theysound.Ifyouapproachthisfromatheoreticalperspective,itseemsreallydifficult.
Ifyouapproachitinthewaythatwedothings,itllbenothingmorethananextension
ofhappyandsad.

Intheexamplesyouwillhearthechordonpianoandtheextensionoralterationonthe
piano.Encouragethemtolistenmultipletimesandtosingtheextensions/alterations.

Hereisavisualaidtohelpyourememberwhichextensionsandalterationsare
acceptableonwhichchords.N/Aindicatesenharmonicspelling,Ivechosenthemost
commonlynamedalterationsinallcases.

Extensions

6th

9th 11th

13th

Major7th

n/a

Minor7th

n/a

Dominant7th n/a

Alterations

b5

#5

#7

b9

#9

#11

b13

Major7th

n/a

Minor7th

n/a

Dominant7th n/a

n/a x

Weneedtobeabletoheartheeffectofalloftheseextensionsandalterationssothat
weknowwhenandwheretousethem.Itslikefinetuningarecipe,toomuchsalt,
garlic,chilioroilcanruinadish.Eachextensionandalterationcandrasticallychange
theflavorofthechordsoyouneedtofullyunderstandtheeffectofeachonetouse
themcreatively.Wewillgothrougheachchordtypewiththeacceptedextensions
followedbythealterations.

1.4aMajorChordExtensions
Thehumblemajorseventhchordisusuallyassociatedasbeingahappy,brightsound
butaddingalterationscanchangethisalbeitsubtly.Havealistentothefollowing
extensionsandmakeanoteofwhateachonedoestothechord.

Cmaj7chordonpianowithsaxplaying9th
UsuallyifyouseethechordsymbolCmaj7youwouldexpectthepianistorguitaristto
voiceitwitha9th.The9thisassumedbecauseweareplayingjazzwhichissupposed
tobeharmonicallyrich.
Cma6chordonpianowiththesaxplayingthe6th
The6thusuallyreplacesthe7thandthereforethechordsymbolisalteredtoCmaj6
fromCmaj7.

Youcancombinethe6thand9thtogetherandthatsoundslikethis:
Cmaj69chordonpianowiththesaxplaying6thandthe9th
CmajShimmeringchordonpianowiththe6thand9thonSax

Ultimately,whenweimprovise,wewanttohavethesenotesbothatourfingertipsand
inourmindsowecanhearthemwithoutplayingthemfirst.Youareabouttohearan

examplewherethesaxophoneplaysrandomnotesoftheextensionsand3rdsand
7ths.Seeifyoucanidentifythem.
Cmaj7ShimmeringChordwithsaxplaying6th9thand3rdand7th

1.4bMajorChordAlterations

#11th
Thefirstimportantalterationonamajorchordisthe#11th.The#11isusedbecause
thenatural11th(orthe4th)isahighlydissonantnote.Somepeoplecallitthe
avoidnotebutIthinkthatsabitharsh.Thereasonforthedissonanceisbecauseitis
asemitoneawayfromthe3rd.Asweknowthe3rdofanychordisaveryimportant
note.Inthiscase,itsoundsdissonantbecausethereisanothernoteattheclosest
proximitypossibleandthusproducingarepelledsound.Havealistentothe#11thona
majorchord.

Cmaj7#11chordonpiano#11onsax

#5th
Howtomakeyourmajorchordsdarkandangry?Addasharp5th.Usewithcaution
butenjoytheslightlyunnervingfeelingofplayingamajorseventhwithundertonesof
gnarl.

Cmaj7#5withsaxplaying#5

#11thand#5th
ForsometrulyinspiringsoundsreminiscentofOlivierMessiaen,hereswhathappens
whenyoucombinethe#11thand#5th.

Combiningthe#5and#11

Inthenextexampleyouwillhearasustained(shimmering)chordinthepianowiththe
saxophonealternatingbetweenthe#5thandthe#11th.

Cmaj7#5#11Shimmeringchordandthe#5and#11onSax

Nowlet'shearthiscombinationwiththesaxophoneaddingin3rdsand7ths.Hearhow
the3rdsand7thstamethe#5thandthe#11thsomewhat.

Cmaj7#5#11Shimmeringchordandthe#5,#11,3rdand7thonSax


Itsveryeasytocreatesomeverybeautifulmelodieswiththesenotes.Giveitago
yourself.

1.4cMinorChordExtensions

9th
The9thonallchordsaddsabitofdepthandrichnesstothechord(beitmajor,minoror
dominant).Havealistentoitandmakeupyourownmind.
Cm7ChordonPianowith9thplayedonSax

11th
Addinginthe11thtoaminorchordgivesitamorecontemporarysound.
Cm7ChordonPianowiththe11thplayedonSax

6th
Theminor6thchordusuallyreplacestheMinor7thchordandhasdarkersoundtoit.
The6thalsoreplacesthe7thhencechangingthechordsymbolto:Cm6.
Cm7chordonpianowiththe6thplayedonsax

CombinedExtensions
Letslistentoalloftheseextensionscombined
Cm7Shimmeringchordonpianowithsaxplayingthe6th,9thand11th

Nowletsaddinthe3rdsand7ths
Cmin7shimmeringsaxplaying6,9and11thplusthe3rdand7ths

1.4dMinorChordAlterations

b5
TheMinor7b5isalsocalledthehalfdiminishedchord.ThisisthefirstchordinaaIIVI
progressionbutmoreonthatlater.
Cm7b5Chordwithsaxplayingtheb5
Cm7b5ShimmeringChordwithsaxplayingtheb5
Cm7b5Shimmeringwithsaxplayingtheb5and3rdsand7ths

#7th

TheMinorMajorSound
Technicallythe
#7thbutwidelyknownastheminor/majorchord.Thischordoffersadark
andrichsound,greatforthelastchordinaminorkey.Havealisten,imagesofJames
Bondwillsoonfollow.


CmMaj7Chordwithsaxplayingthemajor7th
CmMaj7Shimmeringchordwithsaxplayingmaj7th

#7th+6thTheMinorMajor6th
Youcanaddevenmoredarknesstotheminormajorchordbyaddinginthe6th.You
canalsoswapthisaroundandplayamajor7thagainstaminor6thchord.Let'shear
thatfirst

Cm6Chordwiththesaxplayingthemaj7th

Nextyouwillhearaminormajorchordwiththe6thplayedonthesaxophone.

CminMaj7ShimmeringChordwiththesaxplayingthe6th

Combinations+3rd
Youwillnowhearallofthecombinationsplusthethird.
CmMaj6ShimmeringChordwithsaxplayingthemaj7and3rd
CmMaj6ShimmeringChordwithsaxplayingthemaj7maj6thand3rd

1.4eDominantChordExtensions
Dominantchordsarethemustalterableandusuallycontainextensionsasagiven.Wewillgo
throughalltheextensionsavailablefirst.

9thsand13ths
Again,addingthe9thisalmostexpectedtoaddabasiclevelofrichnessandthesamegoesfor
the13th.Addingthe13thgivesdominantchordsabitmorebite.Havealisten.

C7Chordwiththesaxplayingthe9th
C7Chordwiththesaxplaying13th
C7ShimmeringChordwithsaxplaying9thsand13ths

9thsand13ths+3rdsand7ths
Onceagain,addinginthe3rdsand7thswillgroundtheoverallsound.Asyoulistentothe
nextexample,tryandsingsomemelodieswiththenotesyouarehearing

C7ShimmeringChordwithsaxplaying9ths,13thsand3rdsand7ths

1.4fDominantChordAlterations
Sincedominantchordsarelikelittledoorsintootherareasoftonality,theycanholdalotofthe
tensionandthereforedissonance.Dissonanceisasubjectivewordandwhatsoundsdissonant

toonepersonwillsoundtotallyfinetoanother.Dontforgetthatdominantchordsusually
resolve(usuallyonthenextchord)soallofthetensiongetsdissipated.Giventhat,weareable
tobeefupdominantchordsmorethananyotherchordtype.Herearethealterationsinallof
theirglory.

b9
Theb9soundisusuallyassociatedwiththediminishedchord.Imnotgoingtogettooheavily
intothatnowaswewillbecoveringthisinanothervolume.Havealistentotoitandyoullsee
whatImeanaboutthediminishedsound.

C7b9ChordwithSaxplayingtheb9th
C7b9ShimmeringChordwithSaxplayingtheb9th
C7b9ShimmeringChordwithSaxplayingb9thand3rdsand7ths

#9
The#9soundisoftenassociatedwithabluesyorfunkysound.Guitaristsmight
recogniseitastheJimiHendrixchord.Injazzweassociatethe#9chordwiththe
alteredscale.Again,dontworryaboutthatnow,wellcoverthatlateron.

C7#9ChordwithSaxplayingthe#9
C7#9ShimmeringChordwithSaxplayingthe#9
C7#9ShimmeringChordwithSaxplayingthe#9and3rdsand7ths

#11
Thedominantchordwitha#11iscalledtheLydianDominant.Infact,Lydianisaword
usedtodescribeanykindof#11sound.

C7#11ChordwithSaxplayingthe#11
C7#11ShimmeringChordwiththeSaxplayingthe#11
C7#11ShimmeringChordwiththeSaxplayingthe#11,3rdsand7ths

b13
Thisalterationisassociatedwiththewholetonescale.Alotofpeopleassociatethisscalewith
thesoundofbeinghypnotisedorthatitisadreamysound.Havealistenforyourself.

C7b13ChordwithSaxplayingtheb13th
C7b13ShimmeringChordwiththeSaxplayingtheb13th
C7b13ShimmeringChordwiththeSaxplayingtheb13thandthe3rdsand7ths

TheAlteredSound
Thereisaspecialtypeofdominantchordinjazzcalledthealtereddominant.Itreferstoa
chordthathasacombinationofalterationsandgoeswiththealteredscale.Thescalecontains

allofthealterationscombined.Moreonthescalelaterbutfornow,havealistentoeachofthe
alterationsplayedoveranalteredchordinthepiano.

C7altShimmeringchordwithSaxplayingalloftheAlterations#
C7altShimmeringChordwithSaxplayingallAlterationsplusthe3rdsand7ths

1.5ChapterSummary
Congratulations,youhavemadeitthroughthefirstchapteroftheaudiobook.Itis
perhapsthemosttechnicalchapterofall.Hopefullynow,youunderstandwhyitisso
importanttobeabletoheartheindividualcomponentsbeforerushinginandattempting
todeciphertheline.Thischapterhashopefullysettheprecedencefortheremaining
chaptersinthebook.Wewillapproachnewconceptsinthiswaybreakingthemdown
intomanageable,bitesizedcomponentssothatwecanfullyunderstandthe
architecture.Itisimportantthatyoudontskipanyofthestepsandbesuretomaster
eachpartbeforemovingon.

Inthenextchapter,Illbeputtingyourlisteningskillstothetest.Illtakeyouthrough,
stepbystep,howtolistentoandidentifythecomponentsinanimprovisedjazzline.

ChapterTwoBeingaDetective

Howthatwehavemadeastartingettingfamiliarwiththebasiccomponentsofthejazzline,it's
timetoputyourearstothetest.Areyouabletohearhowajazzlineisconstructed.This
chapterisaboutmarryingupyourinstinctualandanalyticalskills.

Asyoumayalreadyknow,themostimportantchordprogressioninjazzistheIIVI.WhatIm
abouttosaynextisREALLYimportant,pleasedoNOTskipthisstep.BeforemovingonIwant
youtoletgoofeverythingIvejusttoldyou.Trustmeforamoment.ForgeteverythingIvejust
said,allthatcomplicatedstuff.Nowisthetimetojustlistenandenjoywhatyouareaboutto
hear.YouareabouttohearanauthenticjazzlineoveraIIVIprogressioninthekeyofC.We
aregoingtolistentoit5timeswithoutthinkingofanything,justrelaxandletthesoundsseepin.

IIVILineinthekeyofC

UnlockingyourInnerSynestheet
Listeninglikethiswithyouranalyticalearsturnedoffisreallyimportant.Itwillallow
yourempatheticsystemtoreacttothelineonanemotionallevel.Youareenjoyingthe
poetryofthemusicandnotworryingaboutwhatitisorhowitwascreated.Whyisthis
soimportant?Becauseitisthisstagethatputsthephraseintoyourlongtermmemory.
Thelinewillmakeyoufeelsomething.Dontworryifyouhavetolabouroveritbutfind
somethingwithinthemusicthattouchesyou.Cantthinkofanything?Startsimple?Is
ithappyorsad?Whatkindofhappyorsad?Expandonthat.Whatdoesitremindyou
of?
Somepeoplearenaturallysynestheticandareabletoexperiencecolour,sensations
andsometimesevensmellsortastesinresponsetomusic.Imyselfexperiencecolour
andtexturewhenIhearmusic.OvertheyearsIhavenaturallyusedthistomy
advantage.c.KeysarecertaincoloursandchordqualitiesaredifferenttexturesPitches
givemethesenseofcolourandrangealtersthematerialthatthecolourismadefrom.
ForexamplemiddleCismustardyellowandanoctaveabovemiddleCisapalermore
wateryversion.ThissoundscrazybutIbelieveanyonecanemulatehaving
synesthesia.IdonothaveachoiceoverwhatIfeelandseewhenIhearmusicthatis
perhapstheonlydifferencebetweensomeonewhoisbornwithitandsomeonewhois
not.Isntitfunnythatalmosteveryone,musicianornot,canidentifythedifference
betweenamajorchordandaminorchord.Wearetaughttointerpretthosesoundsas

happyandsad..Thisisaformofassociativesynesthesia.Youcantrainyourselftoa
moreadvancedlevelofthiswithouttoomucheffort.Itisaverynaturalthingforusto
do.Mostpeoplelovemusicbecauseittransportsthemtoanotherplace.Ittakesthem
backtoadistantmemoryoritpushesthemforwardintounchartedterritory.Eitherway,
allowingyourempatheticsystemorgutinstincttomakemusicalchoicesiswhatyou
NEEDtodo.Thatismytheoryaboutwhysometimeswehaveagreatgigand
sometimesanotsogreatone.Itseemstohavenothingtodowithhowwearefeeling
physicallybutithaseverythingtodowithhowmuchinvolvementouranalyticalmind
has.WhenIletgooftheneedtosoundgood(perhapsbecausethereissomeone
importantisintheaudience)Isuddenlyplaybetter.WhenImreallytiredandhavent
practicedforawhile,howisitthatitisusuallyonthoseoccasionsthatitfeelsreally
good?It'sallbecauseyourmindisoutofthewayandyourgutinstinctscanleadthe
way.Pleasedonotskipthisstepandmakesureyoulistentoeachphrase5times
withouttoomuchthinking.Onceyouhavedonethat,moveon.

EngagingYourAnalyticalMind
Wearenowgoingtolistentoitagain,5times(withgapsbetweeneachplayback)and
beforeeachplayback,Imgoingtoaskyouaquestion.

Hereisthequestionforthefirstplayback:

1)Canyouhearanyarpeggios?
Playback1
2)Canyouhearanyscalefragments?
Playback2
3)Canyouhearany3rdsand7ths?
Playback3
4)Canyouhearanychromaticnotes?
Playback4
5)Canyouaccuratelysingtheline?
Playback5

BeingaDetective
Youshouldhaveansweredyestoquestions13,notoquestionforandperhapseven
yestoquestion5.Ifyoucannotsingthelineaccurately,justkeeplisteningtoituntilyou
can.

Youvelistenedtothelineatleast10timesbythispoint.5timeswithoutengagingyour
analyticalmindand5timeswithmyquestions.Itissoimportanttocontinuedoingthis

withallofthelinesinthisaudiobook.Ifyoudontyouwillnotreapthebenefitsoffully
hearingeverything.YouneedtolistentoeachlineaMINIMUMof10times,themore
thebetter.Youhavetobelikeadetective,firstofalllookingatthebiggerpictureby
listeningtoit5timeswithoutthinkingthenyouarehominginonthedetailsArpeggios,
ScaleFragments,3rdsand7thsandChromaticNotes.Noticeyouvedoneallthis
withoutyourinstrument?Youvejustdone4minutesofexcellenteartraining,hopefully
withoutreallyrealisingit.Doingthisisgoingtomakeyouabettermusicianand
thereforeabetterimproviser.Themoreyoucanhear,themoreyoucanplay.

PlayingIt
Makesureyoucansingthelineaccuratelybeforemovingtothefinalstage.
NowIwantyoutofindthefirstnoteofthelineonyourinstrument,hereisthelineagain:
IIVILineinthekeyofC

FirstNote
Gotit?Dontworryifnot,hereiswhatthefirstnotesoundslike:

FirstnoteofLine

Takeasmuchtimeasyouneedtoworkoutthelineonyourinstrument,listeningback
tothephraseasmanytimesasyouneed.Hopefullywiththeworkyouhavedone,this
stagewonttakeaslongasyouthink.Ifitdoesthendontworry,itmeansyouare
improvingyourears!

PlayAlong
Onceyouthinkyouhaveit,tryplayingitalongwiththerecordingtoverifyyouhaveit
correct.

IIVILineinthekeyofC

Chapter3TheJazzSentence

Nowthatwehavemadeastartlearningthecomponentsandstructuresthatmakeup
basicjazzlines,wecanstarttolookathowtoputlinestogether.Thesecrettodoing
thisissimple.YouHAVEtolisten.Aswellasworkingthroughthisaudiobook,listento
theplayersthatyoulove,absorbtheirphrasingandsentencearticheture.Thischapter
willhelpyouhearandunderstandsomebasicjazzlanguagestructuressoyoucan
identifythemwhenyoulistentorecords.Itisallabouthelpingyoutohearand
thereforeunderstandmore.Thischapterwillusethemostcommonchordprogression
inJazz,theIIVI.IfyoudonotknowwhataIIVIis,pleaserefertotheaccompanying
booklet.

Thefollowinglineswillputtheindividualcomponentsstudiedintothebroaderpicture.
Wearenowgettingintothepoetryofmusic.Thisiswherethefunreallyhappensand
learningtheselinesmustbetreatedasspringboardsforyourowncreativityratherthan
stockphrasesthatyouwilluse.Youareabouttostartlearningfourjazzlineswhich
outlinespecificjazzlanguageconcepts.TheyallusecombinationsofArpeggios,Scale
FragmentsandChromaticNotes.Beforeyoustart,dontforgettolistentoeachline
initiallyfivetimeswithoutanalysingitandthenfivetimesaskingthesamequestionsasI
askedinChapter2.OnceyouhavemastereditinthekeyofC,proceedtothenextkey
untilalltwelvekeysaremastered.

Line1

Lineoneissimplebuteffective.Ithasabebopsoundtoitduetotheuseofarpeggios,
chromaticleadingnotesandscalefragments.Tryandreallyhearhowthelinebuilds
tensionandresolves.

KeyofC:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofF:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofBb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofEb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofAb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofDb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofGb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofB

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofE

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofA

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofD

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofG

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

Hereisthelinewrittenoutbutofcoursebynow,youshouldntreallyneedthis.Ifyou
like,usethenotationtoanalysethenotesagainstthechord.

Line2

Line2isabitmorecomplexanduses9thsandarpeggiosontheIIchordandtheb9,
b13and#9onthedominantchord.Thelinethenresolvesusinganencirclingpattern
onthemajorchord.Anencirclingpatternareaseriesofchromaticnotesthatleadyou
tothechordtone.Theredcirclesbelowindicatethetargetnotes.Thenoteseitherside
areencirclingnotes.

KeyofC:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofF:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofBb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofEb


SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofAb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofDb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofGb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofB

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofE

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofA


SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofD

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofG

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

Hereisthelinewrittenoutbutofcoursebynow,youshouldntreallyneedthis.Ifyou
like,usethenotationtoanalysethenotesagainstthechord.

Line3

Line3getsyoupractisingsomeimportantrhythmicdevicessuchastriplets.Itusesthe
minormajor(ormelodicminor)soundontheIIchordanditusesamoreexotic
approachonthedominantchordbywayofthealteredscale.Thelineresolvesinthe
sametripletfigurethroughthearpeggioofthechorduptothe#11th.

KeyofC:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofF:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofBb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofEb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofAb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofDb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofGb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofB

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofE

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofA

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofD

SaxophoneOnly

SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofG

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

Asusual,hereisthelinewrittenout:

Line4

Line4isthelongestlineoverthesequenceandusesahostofinterestingmaterial.We
introducetheuseofasemiquaverpickup,averycommonornamentationinjazz.
Thereisachromaticnoteonthedominantchordthatshiftsupusinganarpeggiotothe
b9and#9.Alsonotethatwhatisimportanthereisthatthisisanencirclingsetupwhich
leadstoanotherencirclingdeviceontheIchord.Thelineusesthepentatonicsoundon
theIchordtoresolvethetensioninamoremodernway.

KeyofC:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofF:

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack

BackingTrackOnly

KeyofBb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofEb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofAb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofDb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofGb

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofB

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack

BackingTrackOnly

KeyofE

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofA

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofD

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

KeyofG

SaxophoneOnly
SaxophoneandBackingTrack
BackingTrackOnly

Hereisthefinallinewrittenout:

ChapterSummary

Bythisstageyoushouldnowhaveasolidgraspofthecomponentsofthejazzlineand
thefourexamplesofstylisticlinesoverIIVIprogressionsinall12keys.Youshould
feelveryproudthatyouhavegotthisfar.Ifyoudontfeelproud,perhapsyouhavent
spentenoughtimeworkingonthem.Areallthekeysasfluentaseachother?Isthe
articulationeffortlessineachkey?Ifnot,regooveranyweakerareasbeforemoving
on.

Chapter4TheJazzStory

ThelinesthatyouhavejustabsorbedarenottobeslottedinwhenyouseeaIIVI.
Theyaresupposedtojustsitinyourmind.Itisthemelodicunderstandingthatis
important,notthelineitself.Inthischapterwewillexaminehowamastercanconstruct
asolothathasanarrativeaswellastheessentiallanguagecomponentsofwell
designedlines.

HankJonesisanextraordinarymusicalpoet,versedinthelanguageofjazzandyet
abletoforgehisownsounddrawingupontheblues,bebopandgospelmusic.Wewill
lookathissoloonNowstheTimefromTheJazzTrioofHankJones.Hissoloisthe
perfectexampleofplayingthroughthechangesanddevelopingideas.Hereallyhas
somethingtosayandhewillsayitwithutterpoiseandbeauty.Duetocopyrightissues,
Icannotplayyoutheoriginalversionsopleasegoandbuytherecordandlistentoit
manytimesbeforemovingon.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/thetrio/id537785260

PleasedomakesureyoucansingthefirsttwochorusesofHankssolobefore
proceeding.Asyoucanalreadyhear,Hankisusingagreatdealoftheconceptsthat
wehavecoveredinthebookthusfar:arpeggios,chromaticnotesandscalefragments.
Letslookatthesoloandanalysethekeypoints.Beforewegetintothedetails,listento
thesoloanotherfivetimeswhilefollowingitonthetranscriptionbelow.Thiswillhelp
youtogainavisualshapetothesolo.