Tag: Dorian

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.)

Piano day (2h)

  • 12-bar blues in LH & blues scale runs in RH — 1h
    • C-
    • F- (2 octaves ↑, 2 octaves ↓, 1 octave ↑, 1 octave ↓ x 2 + fills)
  • Harmonising Dorian scale with 7th chords (pattern: i — VII, i — viº, i — v, etc.) at 64bpm around the circle of 5ths starting on D (easy mode)
  • Cycle progressions with shell voicings (Dan Haerle book, skills 37a & 37b — Minor to Dominant) — with click at 72bpm

Observations

Inventing own exercises is cool! (E. g. blues pentatonic scale runs starting on different notes in RH played to the standard blues progression in LH). It helps to stay in the musical context while doing some stuff that’s often considered boring (such as learning new scales). I learned it from Rick Beato: he recommends not just playing the scale or arpeggio, but always put it in the musical context, because otherwise it’s just a scale or arpeggio you’ve learned. True that!

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Comping polychordal exercise / Blues in C from Dan Haerle book (skill 73a)
    • Tried to play with original fourthy  voicings in RH, but it was too overwhelming combined with LH voicings
    • In time at 84bpm with block voicings in RH
  • Harmonising Dorian scale (pattern: i — VII, i — viº, i — v, etc.) at 72bpm
  • Diminished arpeggios recap (only Cº7 shapes)

Observations

Things NOT to do: try to change routine in the middle of a practice session. Because polychordal exercise was exhausting, I thought why wouldn’t I play me some diminished arpeggios, started to do that, realised that fingering was screwed up I haven’t practised them for a while, started looking for my fingering chart, got even more frustrated, kinda lost the fun. So, no throwing in unplanned things when already playing!

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Polytchordal voicings from Dan Haerle book (skill 61a) — in time, 92bpm, from memory
  • Cycle progressions w/ shell voicings: Dominant to Major (skill 38a) — without click, then with click at 92bpm
  • Dorian scales in all keys, in similar motion
  • Harmonisation of Dorian scale with 7th chords, all keys, without click, then with click at 70bpm (pattern: i — VII, i — viº, i — v, etc.)
  • Dorian ii7 — v7 — i7 around the cycle of 4ths, 70 bpm
  • Attempted to run i — ii — bIII▵7 — IV7… in all keys at 70bpm, but it was a bit too fast for this pattern

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Polychordal blues voicings (that sounds fancy doesn’t it!) from Dan Haerle book (Skill 61a, analysis + playing out of time)
  • Dorian scales round the circle of 5ths starting on D — start on C and run through cycle of 4ths next time
  • A couple of Hanon exercises at 70bpm just for the hell of it — play diminished arpeggios for technique next time