Tag: Blues scale

Piano day (1h 40m)

  • Dominant chords in chromatic progression in 3-7-9 voicings (Lesson 13 from “Jazz Piano Improvisation for Keyboard Players”)
  • Blues progressions (Lesson 11 from the same book)
    • I — IV — V in Bb
    • 12-bar major blues in Bb
    • Only LH patterns this time
  • II — V — Is in major and parallel minor with no pauses in 3-7-9 / 3-7-5 around the circle of 5ths (my favourite exercise so far)

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • ii — V — I’s in major keys in shell voicings (7-3-5 — 3-7-9 — 7-3-5) through the cycle of 4th  (Dan Haerle, skill 40) — 45m
    • With click at 80bpm quarters
  • Blues pentatonic scale + soloing — 45m
    • 12-bar blues in LH (7th chords), scale runs & patterns in RH — C-, F-, A#-, D#-, G#-, C#-
    • Just scale with both hands — C- — D#-

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Blues pentatonic scale in RH over 12-bar blues chord progression in LH: C-, F-, Bb-, D#-, G#- — 30m
    • 1 — 6, 1 — 5, 1 — 4, 1 — 3
    • 2-octave scale | 1-octave scale 8va | % | 1st pattern | % | 2-octave scale backwards
  • ii — V — I’s in major keys in shell voicings (7-3-5 — 3-7-9 — 7-3-5) through the cycle of 4th  (Dan Haerle, skill 40) — 40m
    • Slowly without click
    • With click at 80bpm quarters
  • Scales — 20m
    • All Phrygian scales around the circle of 5ths starting on E at 82bpm
    • All Dorian scales around the circle of 5ths starting on D at 82bpm

Observations

Applying Rich Brown’s idea from yesterday’s Q & A where he showed how he makes pentatonic scale practice less boring by playing interesting patterns, like doubling up some notes or playing additional scale degrees. It works! Otherwise taking 12-bar blues around the whole cycle could be pretty boring!

Piano day

  • Mostly rehearsing my material

Additional evening practice (40m)

  • Blues pentatonic scale in RH over 12-bar blues chord progression in LH: C-, F-, Bb-, D#-, G#-
    • 1 — 6, 1 — 5, 1 — 4, 1 — 3
    • Intervals
    • Improvisation

Observations

If you didn’t really have time for standard routine in the normal practice time (morning for me) — making up for it later, even for 20-30m, is super helpful, because it allows for continuous progress, without skipping a day.

Piano day (1h 25m)

  • Blues pentatonic scale in C-, F- and Bb- in RH over 12-bar blues chord progression in LH — 30m
    • 2-octave runs
    • 1 — 6, 1 — 5, 1 — 4, 1 — 3
    • Intervals
    • Improvisation
  • Dorian scales around the circle of 5ths (starting on D) — 20m
    • At 60bpm with stops after each key
    • Same without stopping
  • Phrygian scales around the circle of 5ths (starting on D) — 20m
    • At 60bpm with stops after each key
    • Same without stopping
  • Harmonising Phrygian scale with 7th chords (pattern: i7 — bII▵7, i7 — bIII7, i7 — iv7 etc.) — E to C# — 15m

Observations

Took some notes on mode relationships to ease #’s / b’s memorisation (e. g. Phryigian sharp keys are -1# from Aeolian, etc.)