Practice session: permutations and more Gershwin studies

Scale studies

• All Lydian scales
• All Ionian scales
• Scale dissection: Ab Lydian over Ab∆7 moving arpeggios in groups of two
• Scale dissection: F# Dorian over F#m7 moving arpeggios in groups of three
• Scale dissection #2: F# Dorian in groups of three over F#m7 regrouped arpeggios
• Scale dissection #3: F# Dorian in groups of three over all F#m7 inversions in 1-3-5-7 permutations (several slow passes, but couldn’t really play it fluently)

Left hand

• Gershwin reversed stride bass (#14 from Jazz Piano: The Left Hand)
  • Original chord progression (dominant descent over the cycle of 4ths from F#, in fact 🤓)
  • Minor variation
    • Only reversed stride in 3-7 → R | 7-10 → R pattern
    • Reversed stride + broken 10ths + block triads up the octave (sounds super dope 🔥)
• Descending 10ths in a free jam: focus on 10-5 movement

Improvisation

• Major blues scale around the cycle (quick recap)

Session timing: 2h 30m

Observations

Variations are great! It definitely is much more inspiring an empowering than simply learning the piece from sheet music and finally reading it without any errors. Understanding the logic behind the particular composition and the techniques that are used in it — and then being able to freely play your variation of it in which one can still recognise the original — this is extremely satisfying.