Try These Dissonant Diminished Major 7th Voicings – TTT #31
These voicings were often used by arranger such as Nelson Riddle in the 1950’s. They feature a diminished chord with the major seventh in the voicing. Combine them in minor thirds for some spooky sounds! https://youtu.be/nTC81WihhX0 CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week you would […]
Skate Through This Vince Gurarldi Lick – TTT #30
We all reach for one album come Christmas time and it’s Vince Guaraldi’s famous “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. In this week’s TTT, we’ll take a look at the tune “Skating”, which contains a fantastic thirds line that can help us practice our technique, and give us some improvisational inspiration. Check it out! https://youtu.be/Gv3petrb9aA CLICK HERE […]
Check Out This Spicy Whole Tone Lick By Woody Shaw – TTT #29
Building a strong foundation for improvisation is important, but after, it’s time to throw in some spices. That’s where this whole tone lick by the great Woody Shaw would come in. Learn this whole tone lick to add some flavor to your improvisation. Here we go! https://youtu.be/Gxzcjk1bBQk CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have […]
Try These Stacked 4th Voicings For A Quartal Sound – TTT #28
Quartal voicings are a huge part of producing a modern jazz piano sound. If you don’t know them, and your goal is modern jazz, it’s time to learn them and add them to your repertoire! Here we go! https://youtu.be/417ugzAtW4o CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The […]
This 4ths Pattern Will Leave Your Head Spinning! – TTT #27
Jazz improvisers during the Post-Bop era of the late 1960’s began experimenting with interval-based language using 4ths. Musicians like this included Oliver Nelson, Woody Shaw, and Freddie Hubbard, to name a few. Try this pattern based on a combination of ascending and descending 4ths paired with major second intervals. It is sure to leave your […]
Do You Know the Joe Henderson Chord?! – TTT #26
Joe Henderson created a language of his own by creating melodies using arpeggios of unique chord shapes. This chord, known as the “Joe Henderson Chord,” became affiliated with his signature sound, and shows up many times in his compositions. Transpose it to all 12 keys! CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or […]
A Nasty Chord Melody from “Inner Urge” – TTT #25
Joe Henderson created a language of his own by running arpeggios of unique chord shapes up and down his horn. This lick from the last 4 measures of his tune “Inner Urge” is a classic example of one of Joe’s chord melodies. https://youtu.be/yhn5LpprzWY CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for […]
A 2-5-1 with a Major 7th Walkdown – TTT #24
We are always looking to come up with creative improv ideas over the 2-5-1 progression. Try this line which uses a walkdown from the major 7th of the 2 chord to create a compound melody. https://youtu.be/AdOTt13IB_c CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week you would […]
A Funky 13th Chord Voicing – TTT #23
Whether you’re playing music by Miles Davis, James Brown, or even Jimmy Hendrix, this chord voicing will work well over any funky comping sections. https://youtu.be/zs3stSR_jd4 CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week you would like us to do, please leave them in the comments down […]
This Advanced Diminished Lick is CRAZY! – TTT #22
Do you ever need to pull out a crazy lick to get someone’s attention during your solo? This one will surely get the job done! This is a lick which uses ascending first inversion major triads with an approach note. Give it a try! https://youtu.be/OIR2EnE7C3Y CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or […]
