Meet Todd Johnson
Welcome back to the Jazz Gym. In our last workout (
click here to view Part 3)
we learned how to play the third, fifth or seventh of every chord from
our "Autumn Leaves" workout progression and in the process learned a
few basic, melodic words. We also practiced listening to what we hear
in the holes and spaces on beats three and four, basically learning to
listen to what we just played and formulating a response. Since
improvising is conversational in nature we want to become both good
speakers and good listeners.
This month were going to graduate from simple words to short sentences by adding some scale sequences to our repertoire.
In Figure 1 your assignment is to play the 1 2 3 2 1 of each scale in
the upper register of the bass. Here's where the memorizing and
internalizing of all those scales starts to pay off. I've provided
fingerings, but feel free to use your own. Just like in our previous
workouts, reading the examples is great, but the goal is to internalize
this stuff to the point where you don't have to think about it. Be sure
to continue to pay attention and actively listen to what you hear in
the holes and spaces.
In Figure 2 your assignment is to play the 3 4 5 4 3 of every scale.
In Figure 3 your assignment is to play the 5 6 7 6 5 of every scale.
Before moving forward, please click on the Download below:
