Shed These Minor Chords Ascending In 3rds – TTT #34
Modal Jazz of the 1960’s often had minor 7th chords played for extended measures. Later on, composers like Woody Shaw would transpose these chords in intervals of major and minor 3rds. Try shedding this minor melody in ascending 3rds, and transpose it for an added challenge! https://youtu.be/x1d83x9CWDc CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have […]
This Is The Diminished Bebop Vocabulary You NEED! – TTT #33
Bebop vocabulary is an essential part of jazz improvisation today. All the greatest bebop players knew how to used diminished chord language, especially over dominant seventh chords. Here is an example of bebop language over a 2-5-1 progression. Watch out for that diminished line in the second measure! https://youtu.be/yoiUN_cu9Qw CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If […]
Use This Chromatic 3rds Pattern For An “Out” Sound – TTT #32
By practicing chromatic or interval-based melodies, you are expanding your harmonic pallete. This will not only give you more ideas of chormatic lines to play, but also train your fingers to play more difficult passages. Give it a shot! https://youtu.be/AWq4RTUT9lU CLICK HERE FOR THE NOTATION If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of […]
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 […]
