CLASSICAL & JAZZ IMPROVISATION STEP-BY-STEP BRIAN CHUNG, PRESENTER

FOUR STAGES OF IMPROVISATION: 1. REDISCOVERY 2. VOCABULARY 3. GRAMMAR 4. COMMUNICATION

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF IMPROVISATION: 1. EVERYONE IMPROVISES. 2. START SIMPLY, GROW GRADUALLY. 3. TRANSPOSE EVERYTHING. 4. WHEN IN DOUBT, CHART A PATH AND GO! 5. BRING TO BEAR WHAT’S ALREADY THERE. 6. HARMONY DICTATES THE BEST NOTES TO PLAY. 7. NO WRONG NOTES IN IMPROVISATION.

SCALE CHOICE GUIDELINES: 1. WHAT IS THE PRIMARY TONAL FOCUS OF THE PASSAGE?

• DOES THE WAY THE PASSAGE BEGINS AND ENDS SUGGEST TONAL FOCUS? • DOES THE KEY SIGNATURE INDICATE A PARTICULAR TONAL FOCUS? • ARE THERE HARMONIC RESOLUTIONS THAT INDICATE TONAL FOCUS?

2. IS THERE A SCALE BASED ON THE TONAL FOCUS THAT CAN GENERALLY ACCOMMODATE ALL CHORDS IN THE PASSAGE?

3. IF THERE SEEMS TO BE NO CLEAR TONAL FOCUS: • WILL THE SCALE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRST CHORD IN THE PASSAGE WORK

WELL WITH THE SUBSEQUENT CHORDS? • ARE THERE ANY INTERRELATED CHORDS THAT INDICATE A HARMONIC

EMPHASIS?

TWO SKILLS OF IMPROVISATION: 1. Finding the best notes to play. 2. Knowing what to do with those notes.

LEARNING CLASSICAL & JAZZ IMPROVISATION STEP-BY-STEP, PAGE 2

Principles used in this presentation were based on Improvisation at the Piano, by Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond, published by Alfred Publishing. For additional information on this topic or to download lesson plans, please visit: www.brianchung.net/improv-landing-page.

STYLISTIC DIFFERENCES: CLASSICAL: I THINK I CAN (STRAIGHT EIGHTH) JAZZ: I CAN DO IT (TRIPLET FEEL)

LEFT HAND PATTERNS

! SIX NOTE SOJOURN:

!

VOCABULARY THE FOUR MAGIC SCALES (IN THE KEY OF C): MAJOR: C D E F G A B MIXOLYDIAN: C D E F G A Bb (Lowered 7th)

DORIAN: C D Eb F G A Bb (Lowered 3rd/7th)

BLUES: C Eb F F# G Bb (Six notes)

LEARNING CLASSICAL & JAZZ IMPROVISATION STEP-BY-STEP, PAGE 3

SCALE/CHORD PAIRINGS: Principles used in this presentation were based on Improvisation at the Piano, by Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond, published by Alfred Publishing. For additional information on this topic or to download lesson plans, please visit: www.brianchung.net/improv-landing-page.

MAJOR: ALWAYS WORKS WITH MAJOR 7TH CHORDS MIXOLYDIAN: ALWAYS WORKS WITH DOMINANT 7TH CHORDS DORIAN: ALWAYS WORKS WITH MINOR 7TH CHORDS BLUES: WORKS WITH DOMINANT 7TH, MINOR 7TH AND BLUES

WAYS TO LEARN THE MAGIC SCALES: 1. PRACTICE SCALES BASED ON THE ROOT NOTE 2. PRACTICE SCALES BASED ON THE SCALE FAMILY (KEY SIGNATURE) 3. PRACTICE BLUES SCALE OVER BLUES PROGRESSION

“ONE FLAT” SCALE FAMILY (KEY OF F):

! MAJOR: F G A Bb C D E F G A Bb C MIXOLYDIAN: C D E F G A Bb C DORIAN: G A Bb C D E F G - MIXOLYDIAN SCALE STARTS ON THE 5TH TONE OF THE SCALE - DORIAN SCALE STARTS ON THE 2ND TONE OF THE SCALE

GRAMMAR THE “ii-V-I” PROGRESSION: - FOUND IN ALL GENRES OF MUSIC - MINOR ii CHORD, DOMINANT V CHORD, MAJOR TONIC CHORD - LEARN TO “SEE” THIS PROGRESSION (REPRESENTS SHORTHAND) - ALWAYS WORKS WITH THE NOTES OF THE TONIC CHORD

LEARNING CLASSICAL & JAZZ IMPROVISATION STEP-BY-STEP, PAGE 4

INTERNALIZING MIXOLYDIAN AND DORIAN SCALES:

Principles used in this presentation were based on Improvisation at the Piano, by Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond, published by Alfred Publishing. For additional information on this topic or to download lesson plans, please visit: www.brianchung.net/improv-landing-page.

! SKILLS TO PRACTICE:

• SCALES IN ANY DIRECTION • SKIPPING (3RD AND 4TH INTERVALS) • JUMPING (PERFECT 5THS OR MORE) • SKIPPING/JUMPING IN THIRDS (OR IN TRIAD INVERSIONS) • UPPER & LOWER NEIGHBORS (VERY IMPORTANT IN JAZZ) • REPETITION • COMBINE WITH OCTAVE ROOT AND FIFTH • REMEMBER DYNAMICS, DURATION, TONE AND SILENCE

ii-V-I VOICINGS IN KEY OF F (FROM “JAZZ IMPROVISATION, BK 4” BY JOHN MEHEGAN)

Principles used in this presentation were based on Improvisation at the Piano, by Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond, published by Alfred Publishing. For additional information on this topic or to download lesson plans, please visit: www.brianchung.net/improv-landing-page.