Author: Jan

Je suis cool.

Piano day (1h 40m)

  • Technical
    • A Dozen A Day
      • “Stretching”
      • “Going Down Stairs”
      • “Flinging Arms”
      • “The Push-Up”
    • Oscar Peterson — Jazz Exercises
      • Exercise No. 1
      • Jazz Menuet No. 1
  • Jazz voicings
    • Cycling dominant to minor (+7 to m9)
    • Cycling dominant to minor (7b9 to m7)
  • Modal studies
    • Harmonising Mixolydian mode in all keys with shells (7-3-5 and 3-7-9)
  • Improvisation
    • Cycling minor blues scale in all keys over m7 shells (7-3-5)
      • One octave runs
      • Splitting runs between two octaves (b7, 1, b3 | (8va) 4, #4, 5, b7)

Bass day (1h)

  • Chord tones / Walking bass
    • Minor 7th chords around the cycle of 4ths in all inversions, permutation used: 1-3-7-5
    • Dominant 7th chords, same thing
    • Walking with inversions & permutations
      • A Beautiful Friendship in C

This week’s packed in terms of studio time, so keeping the practice sessions kinda short.

Bass day (1h 40m)

  • Chord tones / Walking bass
    • Major 7th chords around the cycle of 4ths in all inversions, permutation used: 1-3-7-5
    • Minor 7th chords around the cycle in root & first inversion, 1-3-7-5 permutation
    • Walking with inversions & permutations
      • A Beautiful Friendship in Eb
  • Pick
    • For Once In My Life (Jamerson, you’re crazy!)

Next time: 3 new permutations, do all minor inversions, continue with pick practice, run blues scales & pentatonics up and down the neck

Piano day (1h 30m)

(Back to practice after a 3-day travel.)

  • Improvisation
    • Minor blues scale in all keys (over m7 chords in 7-3-5 shells)
    • Major blue scale in all keys over dominant chords in shells
    • Alternating between major and minor blues (sounded like crap)
    • Major Bebop scale in all keys around the cycle of 4ths (tried over major and dominant)
  • Left hand
    • 2-octave stride patterns
      • Progression from “Just One of Those Things” (without right hand)
      • Harmonising C minor with 2-octave jumps (root → 1st inversion with added m6, i. e. 3-6-1)

Next time: harmonise a tune from the Real Book, play to the walking bass & drums track, do some voicings, search for & add technical exercises