Bass day (1h 45m)

  • Scale studies
    • Scale dissection
      • Minor blues: R, b3-4-#4, 5, 7 (recap)
      • Major bebop
        • R-5, b6-6, 7-R
        • 7-R (below), 4-5, b6-6 (above or below), 7-R (all chromatics) — COOL!
  • Walking bass / chord tones
    • Voice leading / connecting inversions with passing tones (Phil Mann exercise) over All of Me in G
  • Reading
    • Afro Blue
    • Afternoon in Paris
    • Airegin

Observations

Just found another very effective way of internalising a new scale. Instead of going up and down the neck, you can first figure out all chromatic intervals in it and them play only them, memorising their position relative to the root. Semitones are normally the simplest to memorise and visualise on fretboard (like, major 7 below — root), therefore there’s a big chance that you will get familiar with them really quickly, and afterwards it will be much easier to learn the rest of the scale. In the case of major bebop, the chromatics are: 7 below — root, M3 — 4, b6 —6 and 7 — R (above). I played them around the cycle of 4ths in all keys, sometimes playing b6-6 run below — because it is quicker to find — and must say that I’m definitely feeling much more confident with this scale!

Piano day (2h)

  • Improv + scale studies
    • 2-octave Lydian scales in all keys
      • Both hands
      • In harmonic thirds + 1-5 shells in LH
    • Major bebop scale in all keys (over major shells)
  • Jazz voicings
    • Dorian fourthy voicings: D thru Bb
  • Left hand + technique
    • Intervallic patterns
      • 1-5-10 — (5) — 1-5-10 descent: C thru B

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