Piano day (2h)

Modal studies
- Modes of Melodic minor (all modes in C, without click, just getting familiar)
- Harmonisation
  - Melodic minor (1st mode)
  - Dorian b2 (2nd mode)
- Mixing / borrowing
  - Mixing Dorian with Dorian b2 (in the parent key of C)
    - i7 — IV7 / i7 — IV7 — bIImaj7+5
Imporvisation
- Minor Bebop scale over Dorian progression with b2 (IVmaj7 — i7)
- Exotic scale study
  - Lydian pentatonic (in C)
  - Mela Vagadhisvari (Minor Bebop without passing tone, in fact — it’s just the name that makes it sound fancy 😆)

Observations

Next time, I need to equally geek out on bass 🤓

Piano day (1h 50m)

Modal studies
- Harmonising Harmonic minor (as if it was not already harmonic enough — IT’S NOT FUNNY DAD — I know — okay let’s change the topic)
  - Hm1 (key of C), shells 7-5-3, 3-7-9, 7-3-6
  - Hm3 (key of C), shells 7-5-3, 3-7-9, 7-3-6
  - Improv with “blanket scale” over Hm3 (A Harm. minor over 3rd mode of C)
Left hand
- Stride patterns: recap 2-octave jumps with 7-1-3 and 1-3-7 kind of stuff
- Rolling tenths
Jazz voicings
- Voice leading patterns (A — B, A — A, etc.) while switching between different scale degrees (Dan Haerle, “The Jazz Language”, Chapter 7)

Observations

I must say I’m finally starting to like Harmonic minor. It was really weird at the very beginning, because of the rather unique chord qualities: minor / major 7th, augmented major 7th and fully diminished, not to mention two m7b5’s. It’s a really harsh sound, and while the scale itself is beautiful, the modes that it produces sound at first kinda ugly. But that’s where the power of modal approach comes in. Just because you don’t like minor / major 7th chord as your I (the Roman numeral, lol), doesn’t mean it sucks. It simply means you should try and start on another degree and see if you will like the new progression. I decided to start on III, which makes the 3rd mode of Harmonic minor. I like the sound of augmented major 7 chord, and I like how it falls into the pure minor IV (i. e. II in the 3rd mode). Now we’re talking! Instead of unsure and a bit intoxicated Cm/M7 to Dm7b5, I have beautiful, complex and fragile, unexpected and really otherworldly Cmaj7#5 to Dm7. Wow! So yeah. That’s how you get to love the stuff that makes you feel uncomfortable at first.

Piano day (2h)

Jazz voicings
- +7 to m9 (dominant to minor)
- 7b9 to m7 (dominant to minor)
Imporvisation
- Minor & major blues scale recap in all keys
Modal studies
- Harmonising Lydian scale in all keys with shell voicings (7-3-5)
Left hand + reading
- “Just One Of Those Things”
  - Stride pattern
  - Breaking down voicings used in the left hand (octave bass + shells)

Piano day (2h)

Improvisation
- Studies in D Dorian
  - ii — v — i in shells in LH
  - Improvisation with “blanket scale” (D Dorian)
  - Try all chord scales for each degree (Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian and Hm4 for minor), i. e. E Aeol, E Dor, E Phryg and E Hm4 for E-, A Aeol, A Dor, A Phryg and A Hm4 for A-, etc.
  - Try keeping same modal color over the whole progression (only Aeol / only Phryg / only Dor)
  - Try mixing with blanket scale (sounded weird but definitely playable)
  - Mix Hm4 with minor blues (only a few notes’ difference)
Jazz voicings
- m7 → 7
- 7 → maj7
- 7 → m7
- Fourthy modal voicings (D Dorian, G Dorian)

Observations

Mixing chord scales with key scale is definitely a wonderful framework for improvisation. I learned it from Rich Brown, as he was combining Aeolian and Phrygian over a minor chord to produce cool chromaticisms. It’s not always guaranteed to get great results, but it definitely helps a lot in terms of expanding your vocabulary. For example, I would’ve never thought of combing minor and harmonic minor mode 4 over a minor chord unless I forced myself to try it (which I did), and it actually sounded AWESOME! So yeah, Hm4 over Dorian ii chord — try it, folks.