Mixo

Piano day (1h)

  • Jazz voicings
    • Recap: cycling all maj7 shells (base 7-3-5, base 3-7-9)
    • Recap: cycling all m7 shells (base 7-3-5, base 3-7-9)
    • Recap: cycling all 7 shells (base 7-3-5, base 3-7-9)
    • Cycling all dominant sus4 / polychords
    • Recap: minor to dominant in two formats
  • Modal studies
    • Voice leading patterns in Dorian (A — B voicings)
    • Voice leading patterns in Mixolydian

Bass day (1h 20m)

  • Extensions
    • Recap m/M 6ths in all keys
  • Modal studies
    • Dorian runs in all keys
      • Focus on b3 & b7
      • Focus on M6
      • Combine + add P5 & P4
    • Mixo runs in all keys
      • Focus on ♮3 & b7
      • Focus on M6
      • Combine + add P5 & P4
  • Chord tones / walking bass
    • All inversions over standard (Worth the Wait) ascending, descending, octave above & below, add 6ths & 4ths occasionally

Piano day (1h)

  • Improvisation
    • Chromatic progressions (“Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players” by Dan Haerle)
      • Mixolydian scales over dominant 7th chords in shells in all keys
      • Dorian scales over minor 7th chords in shells in all keys
    • Melodies (reading a couple of examples from book II of “Jazz Improvisation”)
      • Repetition
      • Transposition
      • Exercise 1: dominant run around the cycle of 4ths
      • Exercise 2: Dorian run around the cycle of 4ths
      • Motive inversion
    • Recap Lydian pentatonic & minor blues scale in all keys

Piano day (2h)

  • Technical
    • Hanon
      • Book 1: 5, 6, 7 + 8
  • Improvisation + Modal studies
    • Haerle — Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players, ex. 3 & 4
      • Mixo scales in all keys (improv over shell chords w/ voice leading) around the cycle of 4ths
      • Dorian scales in all keys over minor shells
  • Jazz voicings
    • Major + minor ii — V — Is over IVs with 7th chord arpeggios in the LH (all keys)
    • Major + minor ii — V — Is over IVs with octave stride bass patterns in the LH (all keys)

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Technical
    • Hanon
      • Book 1: 5, 6, 7
      • Book 2: 26
  • Modal studies + left hand
    • 2-octave arpeggios + voice leading in F Mixo
  • Comping
    • Worth The Wait using A—B voicings in RH and walking bass based on 7th chord arpeggios in LH
  • Aeolian scales in all keys over minor shells around the cycle of 4ths

Next time: recap some jazz voicings, repeat harmonisation and review harmonic minor modes

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Technical
    • A Dozen A Day
      • “Stretching” — in C, F and Bb
      • “Flinging Arms” in all keys
    • Hanon
      • No. 26 (full)
  • Modal studies + left hand
    • 2-octave Mixo 7th arpeggios in LH, voice leading with shells in RH, e. g. (KILLER EXERCISE!!!)
      • I7 arpeggio going to ii arpeggio with I7 chord in 7-3-5 (A) voicing going to ii chord in 7-3-5 voicing (A)
      • I7 arpeggio going to IV△7 arpeggio with I7 chord in 7-3-5 (A) voicing going to IV△ chord in 3-7-9 voicing (B)
      • Repeat with all movements (I7 — ii7, I7 — iii⌀, etc.)
    • Harmonising Dorian mode with 7-3-5 shells (in all keys)

Observations

Just as Rick Beato says — any practice should be musical, never boring. Yes, you do need to spend some time just playing arpeggios, but after you’re somewhat familiar with them, you should immediately start introducing musical context, otherwise you’ll either be stuck or just eventually grow tired of perfecting your 2-octave runs and forget about them. Combining 2-octave arpeggios with voice leading and A-B voicings did the trick for me! The moment I felt the thought “Oh, those boring Mixolydian arpeggios—” creeping in, I knew I needed to change something. So I did, and it was a success, I literally couldn’t stop playing these combinations (although they sounded like crap at first). So yeah — whenever you can, add context. Even if your academic self tell you “it’s too early”. Sum hooligan advice here! :D