July 6, 7, 13 and 14  
​
​NWDC Campus.  Room 103

​Instructor:  Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal

The concept of jazz improvisation

Why jazz improvisation follows chord progressions, parameters and rules (free jazz is an exception)
Parallel concepts between Jazz and the classical concept of "theme and variations".

Why jazz players are so good at music theory

  • Jazz players are very similar to "real-time" composers
  • Improvising requires knowing the rules of the road
  • All members of the group know the rules and sound coherent

Sources for jazz charts:

You can find charts or simply transcribe a song directly form a recording.
  • Charts: "The Real Book" and other "fake-books"

Practicing jazz piano. What else is there?

  • Technical routine.  Scales, altered scales, arpeggios, broken and block chords, inversions in every key
  • Chord progressions.  Especially the 2-5-1
  • Written pieces in jazz language
  • Building repertory and analyzing new tunes
  • Reharmonizing tunes
  • Transcriptions from records (or Youtube videos)
  • Playing with others, or practicing with a virtual combo
  • Listening, lots and lots of listening to music

Listening to jazz

  • Learning the sound and language of jazz
  • Learn to follow a tune, and follow the progress of an improvisation that is playing over the chord changes
  • Educate your ear to learn vocabulary for your improvisations
  • If you need some pointers, here are some jazz pianists to listen:
  • Oscar Peterson
  • Bill Evans
  • Keith Jarrett
  • Hank Jones
  • Chick Corea
  • Brad Meldhau
  • Herbie Hancock
  • McCoy Tyner
  • Art Tatum

If you need to review music theory, here are some resources:

​Levine offers the following theory courses:
​
Music Theory for Adults - Basics 
http://apm.activecommunities.com/levineschool/Activity_Search/29056
Music Theory for Adults - Intermediate 
http://apm.activecommunities.com/levineschool/Activity_Search/29063
Jazz Theory Online - this is for students who have completed intermediate general theory:
http://apm.activecommunities.com/levineschool/Activity_Search/29122

Levine offers summer sessions, but class has already started. It is an online asynchronous class, with periodic check-ins with the instructor, so if they registered for the summer course, they would have missed one of the check-ins but there is still time to complete the course. 

Music Theory for Adults - Basics - Summer 
http://apm.activecommunities.com/levineschool/Activity_Search/28604
Music Theory for Adults - Intermediate - Summer
http://apm.activecommunities.com/levineschool/Activity_Search/28605

Other resources:

Great jazz teachers that have fantastic courses on Youtube for you to study on your own:

Peter Martin and Adam Mannes
"Open Studio"
https://www.youtube.com/c/OpenStudioJazz

Noah Kellman
https://www.youtube.com/c/NoahKellman
You can also see some of the written jazz arrangements I have made and placed on Youtube:​
https://www.youtube.com/c/GabrielRuizBernal/videos

Building chords.  Triads and Four-note chords

Introduction to triads:  
  • Major and minor 3-note chords in 12-keys and inversions
​​Introduction to chord intervals: Major and minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major and minor 7th
Introduction to four-note chords: 7th chords
  • Major/Major - Major/minor - minor/Major - minor/minor in all 12-keys and inversions
Reduction of chords for the left hand in 12-keys:
  • Close voicing: 3rd and 7th
  • Open voicing: 1 and 7th​
exercise_on_3_and_4-note_chords_-_full_score.pdf
File Size: 18 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Best placement of LH chords on the keyboard

Best area for the LH chords is around and below middle-C (the tenor area of the piano), so you still have space for your RH melody
Clicking on the images will enlarge them to full page
Major and minor triads
Interval reference chart
Four-note chords
Reduction of chords: 3rd and 7th

Chord symbols
C7        C Major + minor 7th (also known as Dominant 7th)
        4-note chord    C - E - G - Bb

CMaj7    C Major + Major 7th
        4-note chord    C - E - G - B

Cm7    C minor + minor 7th
        4-note chord    C - Eb - G - Bb

CmMaj7    C minor + Major 7th (very rare)
        4-note chord    C - Eb - G - B

Introduction to improvisation

Introduction to improvisation over a given chord:
  • Introduction to swing
  • Always think of rhythm.  Use small note groups
  • Chord outlining in root position. Practice in 12-keys
  • Chord outlining in different inversions. Practice in 12-keys​
  • Linking broken chords up and down the keyboard with timing 
  • Chord outlining with passing notes
  • Improvisation by creating a variation of the melody
  • Learning how to match basic scales with basic chords:
    • Major chord+ Major7th = (Build a Major scale)
    • Major chord + minor7th = (Build a Major scale with minor 7th)
    • minor chord + minor 7th = (Build a Major scale with minor 3rd and minor 7th)

Outlining+Passing notes+Scales using "How High the Moon" as reference

Avoid switching chords on the root
HOW HIGH outline and passing notes
File Size: 53 kb
File Type: pdf
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HOW HIGH analysis reference
File Size: 492 kb
File Type: pdf
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Outlining exercises using Blues-C as reference

Root position oulining. LH 1 - 7th reduction
OUTLINE EXERCISE -ROOT- blues structure
File Size: 56 kb
File Type: pdf
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First inversion
OUTLINE EXERCISE -INVERSION1- blues structure
File Size: 56 kb
File Type: pdf
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Second inversion
OUTLINE EXERCISE -INVERSION2- blues structure
File Size: 57 kb
File Type: pdf
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The Blues

  • Learning the "Blues scale" in 12-keys or basic keys C, F, G. Bb, Eb
  • Learning the 12-bar Blues chord progression in different keys
  • Play Blues in different keys. iRealPro
  • Extended Blues.  Play using chords from "Departure from Logic" and iRealPro
  • The 2-5-1 in the Blues
OUTLINE EXERCISE -ROOT- blues structure
File Size: 56 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Blues in the key of G

"Blues in Grb": G Major
​Plus transcription of a solo
BLUES IN Grb score and SOLO transcription
File Size: 122 kb
File Type: pdf
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The 12-Bar Blues.  Simple structure

Clicking on the images will enlarge them to full page

Blues fitting the simple structure: "Perfect Fit"

perfect_fit_-blues_in_c-.pdf
File Size: 53 kb
File Type: pdf
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More complex Blues structure

COMPLEX BLUES STRUCTURE Roman and C
File Size: 38 kb
File Type: pdf
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Blues fitting the complex structure: "Departure from Logic"

DEPARTURE LOGIC simple and extended blues CHART
File Size: 634 kb
File Type: pdf
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DEPARTURE LOGIC. RH improvisation guides CHART
File Size: 476 kb
File Type: pdf
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Learning tunes

Preparing a "tune".  Mapping the territory:
  • Learning the melody
  • Learning the chords with the LH
  • Improvising on the chords
  • Improvising by playing a close variation of the melody

Introduction to diminished 5th chords.
The 2-5-1 chord progression:​
"How High the Moon" and "Autumn Leaves"

Building diminished-5 chords
Tunes for practice.  In the key of C
all_of_me__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 137 kb
File Type: pdf
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dont_get_around__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 258 kb
File Type: pdf
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i_could_write_a_book__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 236 kb
File Type: pdf
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my_romance__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 397 kb
File Type: pdf
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a_train__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 146 kb
File Type: pdf
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satin_doll__simplified_chords_.pdf
File Size: 681 kb
File Type: pdf
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How High the Moon

how_high_the_moon_-g-.pdf
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: pdf
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how_high_the_moon_-g-_analysis.pdf
File Size: 492 kb
File Type: pdf
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Autumn Leaves

AUTUMN LEAVES chart
File Size: 463 kb
File Type: pdf
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AUTUMN LEAVES analysis
File Size: 2152 kb
File Type: pdf
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AUTUMN LEAVES chord outlining exercise -root-
File Size: 52 kb
File Type: pdf
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AUTUMN LEAVES chord outlining -linking-
File Size: 60 kb
File Type: pdf
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Sight-reading from a chart

  • NEXT CLASS: sight-reading using one the of the charts in C

Exercise to practice the 2-5-1 chord progression

Learning the chords for the ii7 - V7 - I
  • Chord leading.  Dominant 7ths. The V7 to I
  • Building Secondary Dominants to create smooth transitions
  • Learning the chord progression 2-5-1 in some of the basic keys: C, G, D, F​
  • Learning about the extended chord progressions
Graphic for basic LH chord voicing for 2-5-1
the_2_-_5_-_1_chord_progression.pdf
File Size: 33 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Arranging a theme in jazz style

Taking a simple theme, such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", learning tools to make it sound like a jazz arrangement.
  • Reharmonization: alternate chords and chord progressions
  • Walking bass
  • Chords on the RH
  • LH bass+chord // RH melody
  • Improvisation
twinkle_exercise_in_harmonization.pdf
File Size: 55 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Other examples of melody reharmonization

Transcription of a jazz solo

As part of your jazz practice, you will transcribe part or a whole solo, directly from a recording, and learn it by memory to the point of playing along with the recording no slower than 75% the original tempo.
  • Listen to the piano solo and the trumpet solo.
  • Choose one of the two solos.
  • Using the Youtube video, which you can slow it down if you need to, start transcribing the solo by ear and learning it.  Do what you can.
  • You do not have to write it down, just learn it by memory
  • Learn it so that you can play it along the recording, first slowly, and gradually faster and faster.

Miles Davis: Freddie Freeloader

Transcription of the piano solo starting at 00:45
Transcription of the trumpet solo starting at 02:13

And of course...

You can also listen to the jazz piano arrangements I have made.  They can be found at:
https://www.gabrielruizbernal.com/jazz-arrangements.html

Or directly at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/GabrielRuizBernal/videos