Tag: Blues scale

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Improvisation
    • Minor pentatonics in all keys (cycling over m7 chords)
    • Major pentatonics in all keys (cycling over maj7 chords)
    • Superimposing pentatonics (in all keys around the cycle)
      • VII over I, vi over i
      • V over I, v over i
      • iii over I, III over i
    • Minor blues scale improv in all keys broken in 2 octaves
  • Modal studies
    • Dorian 7th arpeggios (asc / desc) in C, F & Bb
    • Dorian 7th arpeggios + shells (7-3-5 over asc, 3-7-(#)9 over desc)

Piano day (2h)

  • Technical
    • A Dozen A Day
      • “Stretching”
      • “Going Down Stairs”
      • “Flinging Arms” in all keys
      • “The Push-Up”
  • Modal studies + left hand
    • 2-octave Mixolydian 7th chord arpeggios in broken 4ths (C7 — Fm7 — BbM7 — EbM7 — Am7b5 — Dm7 — Gm7 — BbM7 — EbM7 — Am7b5 — Dm7 — Gm7 — C7) — LH and RH
    • Harmonising Dorian scale with shells & stride patterns
    • Voice leading, A — B voicings in C Dorian (i — ii: stay in A, i — III: A to B or stay, i — IV7: A to B, i — v: A to B, etc.)
  • Jazz voicings
    • Recap minor to dominant
    • Recap (augmented) dominant to minor
  • Improvisation
    • Major blues scale over dominant chord in all keys
    • Minor blues scale over minor chord in all keys

Bass day (1h)

  • Soloing
    • Free improv (focus on avoiding roots) over Worth The Wait
  • Improv + piano catch-up
    • Minor blues scale in all keys around the neck over dominant chords around the cycle of 4ths
  • Major 7th chords around the cycle of 4ths in all inversions, permutation used: 1-3-7-5

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)

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