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Improvisation- the Concept Practice Sessions

Practice Session 1

The objective: to learn how to recognize the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Analyze a transcription of an improvised solo.

1. Print this document (in color) and bring it to your piano or keyboard
2. Make sure you have blue, red, green and yellow colored pencils or markers.
3. Below is an excerpt from an improvised solo. Using your blue marker, color in the noteheads of
all of the chord tones on strong beats. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of the moment on
beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a chord tone.
4. Using your green marker, color in the noteheads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any
stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.
5. Using your red marker, color in the noteheads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios can be 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.
6. Using your yellow marker, color in the noteheads of all of the approach patterns. The most
typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or
double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four
Components of Melodic Construction lesson.
7. Self-Assessment.
a. Compare your answers with the answer key at the end of this document. Correct any
errors.
b. If you colored most of the patterns correctly, move on to the next practice session.
c. If you made several mistakes try it again; print out a fresh copy and color the notes in
again. If you were able to color the patterns a second time with few mistakes, move on
to the next practice session.
d. If you were unable to identify any of the patterns, review the lesson and re-take the
quizzes. Feel free to ask questions about anything that you don’t understand. Try it
again, and if you can identify the patterns with few errors then move on to the next
practice session. Otherwise, repeat this step until you can identify the patterns without
errors.

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Practice Session 2

The objective: to learn how to recognize the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Analyze a transcription of an improvised solo.

1. Below is an excerpt from an improvised solo. Using your blue marker, color in the noteheads of
all of the chord tones on strong beats. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of the moment on
beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a chord tone.
2. Using your green marker, color in the noteheads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any
stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.
3. Using your red marker, color in the noteheads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios can be 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.
4. Using your yellow marker, color in the noteheads of all of the approach patterns. The most
typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or
double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four
Components of Melodic Construction lesson.
5. Self-Assessment.
e. Compare your answers with the answer key at the end of this document. Correct any
errors.
f. If you colored most of the patterns correctly, move on to the next practice session.
g. If you made several mistakes try it again; print out a fresh copy and color the notes in
again. If you were able to color the patterns a second time with few mistakes, move on
to the next practice session.
h. If you were unable to identify any of the patterns, review the lesson and re-take the
quizzes. Feel free to ask questions about anything that you don’t understand. Try it
again, and if you can identify the patterns with few errors then move on to the next
practice session. Otherwise, repeat this step until you can identify the patterns without
errors.

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Practice Session 3

The objective: to learn how to recognize the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Analyze a transcription of an improvised solo.

1. On the following page is an excerpt from an improvised solo. Using your blue marker, color in
the noteheads of all of the chord tones on strong beats. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of the
moment on beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a
chord tone.
2. Using your green marker, color in the noteheads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any
stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.
3. Using your red marker, color in the noteheads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios can be 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.
4. Using your yellow marker, color in the noteheads of all of the approach patterns. The most
typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or
double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four
Components of Melodic Construction lesson.
5. Self-Assessment.
i. Compare your answers with the answer key at the end of this document. Correct any
errors.
j. If you colored most of the patterns correctly, move on to the next practice session.
k. If you made several mistakes try it again; print out a fresh copy and color the notes in
again. If you were able to color the patterns a second time with few mistakes, move on
to the next practice session.
l. If you were unable to identify any of the patterns, review the lesson and re-take the
quizzes. Feel free to ask questions about anything that you don’t understand. Try it
again, and if you can identify the patterns with few errors then move on to the next
practice session. Otherwise, repeat this step until you can identify the patterns without
errors.

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Practice Session 4

The objective: to learn how to recognize the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Analyze a transcription of an improvised solo.

1. On the following page is an excerpt from an improvised solo. Using your blue marker, color in
the noteheads of all of the chord tones on strong beats. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of the
moment on beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a
chord tone.
2. Using your green marker, color in the noteheads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any
stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.
3. Using your red marker, color in the noteheads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios can be 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.
4. Using your yellow marker, color in the noteheads of all of the approach patterns. The most
typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or
double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four
Components of Melodic Construction lesson.
5. Self-Assessment.
m. Compare your answers with the answer key at the end of this document. Correct any
errors.
n. If you colored most of the patterns correctly, move on to the next practice session.
o. If you made several mistakes try it again; print out a fresh copy and color the notes in
again. If you were able to color the patterns a second time with few mistakes, move on
to the next practice session.
p. If you were unable to identify any of the patterns, review the lesson and re-take the
quizzes. Feel free to ask questions about anything that you don’t understand. Try it
again, and if you can identify the patterns with few errors then move on to the next
practice session. Otherwise, repeat this step until you can identify the patterns without
errors.

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Practice Session 5

The objective: to learn how to recognize the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Play a transcribed solo.

1. On the last page of this document is the answer key to the previous 4 practice sessions. Play
the solo with the play-along track using your right hand and comp chords using your left hand.
Listen for the 4 components of melodic construction as you play them: chord tones on strong
beats, scale passages, arpeggios and approach patterns.
2. Perform self-assessment
q. If you played the solo correctly and in time with no mistakes, move on to the next
practice session.
r. If you played the solo correctly and in time with a few mistakes, try it again at a slower
tempo, say 60bpm. Once you can play it with no mistakes at 60bpm, increase it until
you can play it with no mistakes at 80bpm, then 100bpm, then move on to the next
practice session.
s. If you played the solo with several mistakes try it again at a slower tempo, say 60bpm.
Once you can play it with no mistakes, increase it until you can play it with no mistakes
at 80bpm, then 100bpm, then move on to the next practice session.
t. If you were unable to play the solo in time:
i. Try it again at a slower tempo, say 60bpm. Once you can play it with no mistakes
at 60bpm, increase it until you can play it with no mistakes at 80bpm, then
100bpm, then move on to the next practice session.
ii. Break the solo into 8 measure parts and work on them independently and play it
at a slow tempo, say 60bpm. You can edit the play-along track to play just the
section you are working on. Increase the tempo gradually as you get better and
put the sections together. Once you can play it with no mistakes at 60bpm,
increase it until you can play it with no mistakes at 80bpm, then 100bpm, then
move on to the next practice session.

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Practice Session 6

The objective: to learn the unique ways that players use the 4 components of melodic construction.

The task: Analyze a transcription of an improvised solo of your choosing.

1. Choose a transcription that you would like to analyze. There are thousands of books available of
transcriptions from virtually any player imaginable. (See the JazzPianoOnline.com store for a
sampling. Go to the “Further Listening/Reading” section of the lesson and click on the store
link). Alternatively, you can transcribe a solo of your own. See the “Solo Transcription with
Transcribe software” lesson for information on how to transcribe on your own.
2. Make a copy of the transcription so you won’t ruin the original copy. NOTE: you can create open
note heads using notation software like Sibelius or Finale. Both are available at the
JazzPianoOnline.com store. Go to the “further listening/reading section of the lesson and click
on the store link.
3. Mark the solo in the same way you did in these practice sessions. Using your blue marker, color
in the noteheads of all of the chord tones on strong beats. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of
the moment on beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a
chord tone.
4. Using your green marker, color in the noteheads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any
stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.
5. Using your red marker, color in the noteheads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios can be 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.
6. Using your yellow marker, color in the noteheads of all of the approach patterns. The most
typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or
double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four
Components of Melodic Construction lesson.
7. Certain players will be more difficult to analyze with this method than others. Early beboppers
will be the easiest as will the modern neoclassicists (benny green, for example). Miles Davis
doesn’t often play chord tones on strong beats. This is the fun of this activity: you can almost
get a quantitative snapshot of the in-ness or out-ness of a given player using this method of
analysis.

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Practice Session 1-4 Answer Key

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