Tag: standards

Piano day (2h)

Chord tones / Left hand / Comping

  • All inversions of 7th chords over standard: All Of Me in G, C
  • 1-5-10-7-1-3-5 LH + Shells over All Of Me in C

Scale studies

  • All Lydian scales

Interpretation

  • Elvis — Can’t Help Falling In Love (1-5-10 + extensions, inversions, voice leading)

Observations

Always build the interpretation up from simple block chords!

Bass day (1h 30m)

  • Scale studies
    • Scale dissection
      • Lydian pentatonic: R, #4, 5
      • Major blues: R, 2-b3-3, 6, 5
      • Minor blues: R, b3-4-#4, 5, 7
    • Cycling scale degrees
      • Minor blues: b3, 4, 5 (above), b3, 5, 4 (below)
  • Walking bass / chord tones
    • Voice leading / connecting inversions with passing tones (Phil Mann exercise) over All of Me in G

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Comping practice (“A Child is Born” by Thad Jones) — exercise from “Jazz Language” book by Dan Haerle
    • Playing a jazz standard from the Real Book (to walking bass + drums accompaniment) with roots / block arpeggios in LH & shell voicings in RH
    • Using 3-7-9, 7-3-6, 7-3-5 shells
    • Trying to follow the “minimum movement” principle
  • Improvisation (only left hand)
    • Cycling dominant 7th chords in 7-3-6 — 3-7-9
    • Cycling minor to dominant progression in 3-7-9 — 7-3-6

Bass day (1h 20m)

  • Chord tones
    • Harmonising Dorian scale with 7th chords — all inversions, playing to the click, with pauses between chords
      • D Dorian
      • A Dorian
      • E Dorian
  • Walking bass lines
    • II — V — I shapes recap (Scott’s Jazz Survival course)
    • Improv over Autumn Leaves in G-
    • Dominant 2-octave bass line around the cycle of 4ths