Jazz improvisation lesson 2 playing over changes

http://www.MartinFabricius.eu An exercise that will enable you to improvise freely over chord changes.

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• martin
• fabricius
• vibraphone
• jazz
• improvisation
• lesson
• playing
• over
• changes
• solo
• vibrafon

[BranBranRey]

great insight! I tried something like this on guitar once, but never really got it to where it's second nature, which I feel is essential to actually using it to improve my improvising. I will on mallets though now. thanks!

[martinfabricius]

Oops, the Bb Major pentatonic scale is Bb C D F G... not Bb C D Eb F,- sorry about that.

-M

[kfrancis1992]

Thank you very much for the lesson. If you'd like to post any more lessons about playing Autumn Leaves (I figure it'd be a good tune to start my way into playing jazz), I'm watching. :)

[TomasTrulsson]

Fede ting og sager!!

[martinfabricius]

The exercise above will really help you play the chords where ever you are in your solo instead of always starting with the root . You can use it on any progression. That being said, it's still just an exercise. Think of it as practicing Karate. You practice kicks and punches, but if you ever should find your self in a situation where you need it, you'll probably forget all about it and just act. Forgetting al about what you have learned and just act/play is the final test:0)

[dinadanna]

You're such an angel to share this info w/me. I will definitely ck out the bk by Dan Haerle's, and practise all the above that you mentioned. I'm thinking I have to figure out a way to practise these chords/scales where it won't sound to amarturist/boring when I'm using them over chord changes. Like the way you sound in your vid, sounds really smooth and connected. so Is that how you run the chords/scales into the next one? and will this method fit over standard chord progressions? Thanks

[martinfabricius]

continued...

PS: If you need some more theory about chords and scales, I can recommend Dan Haerle's "The language of jazz"

[martinfabricius]

continued...

A good advice would to listen to others playing solo over the same song - perhaps even transcribing what they play.

You can also compose a solo/melody. Composing is improvisation in slow motion and with the ability to go back and erase:0)

Whatever you do, have fun with it and no fear. Remember, if somethings sounds really bad,- you're lucky that you can hear it, so smile:0)

I hope this was helpful to you.

All the best

Martin

[martinfabricius]

Here's a few pointers:

1) Memorize the melody.

2) Memorize the chords, play them as chords and arpeggios.

3) Analyze it to figure out what scales will work

Now that you KNOW the song, make up your own alternative melodies:0)

On this particular tune, you can come along way with the C Major Pentatonic scale. Play C,D,E,G and A. And make up your own melodies with these notes. (The versions of the song here on youtube are mostly in Bb Major, the notes being Bb,C,D,Eb and F.)

[dinadanna]

You seem to be a very good teacher.  I'm working on this spiritual hymn call "old rugged cross" in C maj. In terms of improvising, how will I go about aproching this tune, cuz I don't know the first thing to do after playing the melody. Please help, and give me some advice. Thanks, I'll appreciate it.