Author: Jan

Je suis cool.

Piano day (1h 40m)

  • Improvisation (Dan Haerle — Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players)
    • Lesson 12: Cycling progressions of 5ths
      • Dominant chords around the cycle of 4ths in 7-3-5 & 3-7-9 voicings + corresponding Mixo scales with RH
      • Minor to dominant around the cycle + Dorian & Mixo scales in RH

Piano day (1h 40m)

  • Improvisation (Dan Haerle — Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players)
    • Lesson 11: Blues progressions
      • F blues scale over 3 classic progressions (I — IV — V, 12-bar major and minor), shell voicings with LH
      • F blues scale + passing Mixo, Dor & H. M. scales over same progressions
      • C blues scale + passing modal scales over same progression in C
      • All scales used in progressions separately with both hands in 2 octaves

Observations

Just as I expected: running the scale and then immediately using it is the best way to make this process NOT boring. Just running scales is cool, but it only helps internalise the fingerings and does not really make them just pop out when you need them in the middle of the chord progression.

Bass reading (30m)

Reading a random contrabass etude just because I had some time for it 😄

Bass day (1h 30m)

  • Walking bass
    • Practice with Nashville number notation (several random keys over Mixolydian and Dorian progression)
      • Focus on chormatic transitions avoiding the root (e. g. to the 3rd or to the 5th of the following chord)
  • Chord tones (Phil Mann)
    • Major 7th chord arpeggios in all inversions consequently, chromatically up and down the neck
    • Practice 7th chord inversions over a standard in Nashville notation (focus on 2nd inversion, up and down + improv)

Piano day (2h)

  • Improvisation (Dan Haerle — Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players)
    • Lesson 11: Blues progressions
      • C blues scale over 3 classic progressions (I — IV — V, 12-bar major and minor), shell voicings with LH
      • C blues scale + corresponding Dorian / Mixo / Harmonic minor scales over the same three (with click)
      • F blues scale + passing scales over same progressions in the key of F

Observations

Next time, make sure to run through all Harmonic minor, Mixo and Dorian scales with right hand prior to improvising. Also play some exercises from “Jazz Piano Voicing Skills” book, maybe try improvising over them.

Bass day (1h 40m)

  • Chord tones (Phil Mann)
    • Walking bass practice with Nashville number notation (keys of C — Ab around the cycle of 4ths)
    • 7th chord inversions (1st and 2nd) with 2 different fingerings up and down, not looking at the neck
    • Practice 7th chord inversions over a standard in Nashville notation (1st and 2nd, up and down + improv)
  • Pick + reading practice
    • Learning a part (What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye)