These resources can be reused. All I ask is that you acknowledge that they came from www.drkmusic.com
My Education
Clinics and Adjudications
Big Band Arrangements for Reduced or Unique Instrumentations (featured at Resonate 2016)
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Arranging Popular Music for the Jazz Band (featured at iInspire 2015)
| Arranging Popular Music for the Jazz Band |
Brevity and Variety in Brass Warm-ups (featured at the Brandon Jazz Festival and Resonate 2015)
| Brevity and Variety in Brass Warm-ups (all brass) |
| Brevity and Variety in Trombone Warm-Ups |
| Brevity and Variety in Trumpet Warm-ups |
Improvising: Chord Tones and Riffs based on them in the Blues
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Improvising: Chord Tones, Chord Scales and Keynotes in the Blues
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I try to keep it really simple when I improvise to free my mind and nurture my creativity: rhythmically, timbrally, etc. If there are a core set of notes (key notes) that outline the chord progression and also require little manipulation going to the next chord, I focus on these. I will "tweak" this set of notes as I find different ones that also outline the chord and create an easier transition to the following chord. Hopefully this hand-out will give you an idea as it spells out the chords, the typical scales that are played with them (descending) and then offers a set of key notes for you.
Improvising on "The Messenger" (2010) by Linkin Park
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I chose “The Messenger” for this task because it has a great melody and an easy chord progression. Actually, the chord progression is one that many bands have used to create hit songs and is joked about by the Australian band Axis of Awesome, as its sings its tribute to great “four-chord” songs.
To be a successful improviser, you have to know the melody “cold.” While there are great improvisers who use scales and chords as their material, only the melody makes the tune unique, as chord progressions are shared between rock songs and jazz songs alike. An audience loves to hear the melody, as they generally know it and can relate to it, so basing ideas off of this line is crucial for consistent soloing success. I would like to emphasize that yes, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre are underutilized tools in the improviser’s tool belt, but when linked to the melody, these characteristics become more potent.
So here is how you might use this improvisation sheet:
A. Insist that the students learn (memorize) the melody. It would be better if they learned the melody “by ear” but there may not be time (or the patience) for that. If you want to more forward but still want the students to have something memorized, start with only 4 or 8 bars of music.
B. The 1st step in improvising is interpreting the melody, which is, playing it a little differently than it is notated or than you remember it from the recording.
C. The 2nd step is to only play certain parts of the melody. Yes! You should encourage students to leave space in their improvisations. This allows them to listen to the rhythm section and it allows the rhythm section to respond to what the soloist has played. Now, performing bits of the melody is easy if you know it cold. If you do not, you may easily get lost, because the melody is not playing steadily in your head.
D. The 3rd step is to take bits of the melody and apply dynamics, repetition, and timbre changes, e.g., smooth sounds, harsh sounds, growls, whispers, etc.
E. In the hand-out, there are exercises 1-7:
1. Jazz players emphasize the importance of knowing and following the line or flow of guide tones, which are the 3rds and 7ths of chords. When chords are moving around the circle of 5ths (Dmin7 G7 Cmaj7), 3rds will move by step to the 7th of the next chord and vice versa. Since both the 3rd and 7th provide the characteristic sound for a chord, a player who can hit these “sweet” notes will really sound professional. It also helps to create a linear line as guide tones move by step. In exercise #1, it is a little different because this is a pop/rock tune. However, you can still move by step from the root of one chord to the 3rd of the next chord, as shown. This is also the movement of the melody.
2. In this exercise, I wanted to get rid of all the theory and just focus on rhythm, articulation, and dynamics. This might even be too much. Feel free to narrow the focus. Some of my best improvisation has been when the parameters have been narrow, e.g., you can only use two notes. It is amazing how imaginative students can be when their options are limited and they can truly relax and focus.
3. Using the chord itself is always an improvisational option. While you can play different patterns on the chord, I like to keep it simple and then adjust ever so slightly for the next chord. This repetition provides some continuity to the solo. Students rarely develop their solos ideas, and when they do, they do not explore it sufficiently.
4. This ties in with the idea of playing selections of the melody. While you may subtract part of the melody, you may also add your own “introduction” and “conjunction” and “conclusion.”
5. The pentatonic scale is the major scale, minus all the ½ steps, 1 2 3 5 6 8. This is a safe and open sound that can be played over these chord changes. While this provides the ability to “noodle,” students should be encouraged to remain rhythmically vigilant and aurally aware.
6. This just reminds the student that melodies, with the same chord progression, can be borrowed and used as improvisation material. There is a school of thought that jazz musicians need not practice “licks,” they just need to learn hundreds of great melodies. There is some logic to this.
7. This ties in with the improvisation technique K.I.S.S. Keep reinforcing to the students that when they are practicing improvisation, they should focus on one thing at a time. When it is time to perform, just enjoy!
I hope this helps and that the students enjoy learning a great melody by one of the “founders” of nu-metal.
To be a successful improviser, you have to know the melody “cold.” While there are great improvisers who use scales and chords as their material, only the melody makes the tune unique, as chord progressions are shared between rock songs and jazz songs alike. An audience loves to hear the melody, as they generally know it and can relate to it, so basing ideas off of this line is crucial for consistent soloing success. I would like to emphasize that yes, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre are underutilized tools in the improviser’s tool belt, but when linked to the melody, these characteristics become more potent.
So here is how you might use this improvisation sheet:
A. Insist that the students learn (memorize) the melody. It would be better if they learned the melody “by ear” but there may not be time (or the patience) for that. If you want to more forward but still want the students to have something memorized, start with only 4 or 8 bars of music.
B. The 1st step in improvising is interpreting the melody, which is, playing it a little differently than it is notated or than you remember it from the recording.
C. The 2nd step is to only play certain parts of the melody. Yes! You should encourage students to leave space in their improvisations. This allows them to listen to the rhythm section and it allows the rhythm section to respond to what the soloist has played. Now, performing bits of the melody is easy if you know it cold. If you do not, you may easily get lost, because the melody is not playing steadily in your head.
D. The 3rd step is to take bits of the melody and apply dynamics, repetition, and timbre changes, e.g., smooth sounds, harsh sounds, growls, whispers, etc.
E. In the hand-out, there are exercises 1-7:
1. Jazz players emphasize the importance of knowing and following the line or flow of guide tones, which are the 3rds and 7ths of chords. When chords are moving around the circle of 5ths (Dmin7 G7 Cmaj7), 3rds will move by step to the 7th of the next chord and vice versa. Since both the 3rd and 7th provide the characteristic sound for a chord, a player who can hit these “sweet” notes will really sound professional. It also helps to create a linear line as guide tones move by step. In exercise #1, it is a little different because this is a pop/rock tune. However, you can still move by step from the root of one chord to the 3rd of the next chord, as shown. This is also the movement of the melody.
2. In this exercise, I wanted to get rid of all the theory and just focus on rhythm, articulation, and dynamics. This might even be too much. Feel free to narrow the focus. Some of my best improvisation has been when the parameters have been narrow, e.g., you can only use two notes. It is amazing how imaginative students can be when their options are limited and they can truly relax and focus.
3. Using the chord itself is always an improvisational option. While you can play different patterns on the chord, I like to keep it simple and then adjust ever so slightly for the next chord. This repetition provides some continuity to the solo. Students rarely develop their solos ideas, and when they do, they do not explore it sufficiently.
4. This ties in with the idea of playing selections of the melody. While you may subtract part of the melody, you may also add your own “introduction” and “conjunction” and “conclusion.”
5. The pentatonic scale is the major scale, minus all the ½ steps, 1 2 3 5 6 8. This is a safe and open sound that can be played over these chord changes. While this provides the ability to “noodle,” students should be encouraged to remain rhythmically vigilant and aurally aware.
6. This just reminds the student that melodies, with the same chord progression, can be borrowed and used as improvisation material. There is a school of thought that jazz musicians need not practice “licks,” they just need to learn hundreds of great melodies. There is some logic to this.
7. This ties in with the improvisation technique K.I.S.S. Keep reinforcing to the students that when they are practicing improvisation, they should focus on one thing at a time. When it is time to perform, just enjoy!
I hope this helps and that the students enjoy learning a great melody by one of the “founders” of nu-metal.