41-42 42 nd Street, Suite 1-O Sunnyside, NY 11104 (646) 320-3617 russ@russnolan.com.russnolan.com NOTES TO AZZ IMPROVISATION CLINIC Copyright Rhinoceruss Music 2005 1. ust like English, Spanish, German, French, Latin, etc., azz is a language. Did your parents sit you don one day hen you ere a toddler and say, OK, Son/Daughter, no e are going to teach you English? NO! We all learned by listening to it since e ere born, ell before e understood hat e ere hearing. We could speak it before e kne hat e ere saying and before e could rite it. 2. azz is the same ay you just start listening to it, and then gradually figure out hat it is you are actually listening too. With the Internet at your disposal, along ith your local library, you have more educational resources available than any azz Great ever had. Visit itunes, YouTube, and other sites and search for azz. Many sites have free donloads as ell. Many jazz radio stations have streaming audio on their ebsites so that you could listen to music from anyhere! Search for your favorite jazz musician. If you don t have one, search for your instrument and add azz in front of it. This ill bring you to a number of sites azz fan ebsites, jazz artist ebsites, and places to purchase azz CDs. 3. One of the best azz Education ebsites is amey Aebersold s company.jazzbooks.com. In my clinics, I made mention of a free handbook he offers entitled The azz Handbook. You can get to this eb page by clicking on the Free azz section on the homepage or type the direct page--.jazzbooks.com/miva/jazz_handbook.htm. You can donload the entire book in Acrobat Reader/.pdf form. It has everything you need to get started or improve azz Listening Lists, azz Scales, Blues Progressions, etc. Also, David Baker s Ho to Play Bebop, (Vols. 1,2, &3) is essential in learning to apply the Bebop Scale. Of course, this should be used in conjunction ith private lessons ith a qualified jazz teacher. 4. Start imitating the jazz language (as you imitated your parents to learn to speak) by playing along ith jazz recordings. Don t orry about playing the right notes your ear ill eventually tell you hat feels right. The important thing is to learn hat it FEELS like to play the music and learn the mechanics by trial
and error. If you ant to start learning solos, start ith players like Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, and Chet Baker. These legends are knon for playing beautifully simple and melodic solos. Listen to it so many times that you can sing along ith it. THEN start to figure out the notes and play along ith it. Don t orry about being able to rite it don that is secondary. Ask your teacher for help. 5. Improvisation is just Composition sped up and Composition is just Improvisation sloed don. They are the same, just at different speeds. It s like talking to someone instead of riting them a letter. One you do in real time, the other you sit don and think about and edit your thoughts. Every melody or harmony part you play in a Big Band or Small Group chart as first someone s improvised idea. They ere just riting it don composing. You are learning ho to improvise by playing parts because your ear remembers ho the lines fit over the music. It s all the same thing starting ith a melody and then developing it over the course of the music Theme and Variation. 6. One last concept regarding azz as a Language. Do you enjoy listening to someone ho speaks in a monotone, or at one volume, carries on ith run-on sentences, or jumps from topic to topic ithout finishing any of them? Probably not! Then don t do it ith the azz language. Why do e enjoy reading books or going to movies? If they are good, it s because they tell a good story, right? Telling a Story in azz doesn t mean you have to play a ton of notes and have brilliant technique on your instrument. A good solo is one that communicates to the audience that you love playing and it s shon through passion, good time feel, good rhythm, and melodic development. Feel free to email me any questions russ@russnolan.com
Russ Nolan Improvisation Clinic Copyright--Rhinoceruss Music 2017 C Instruments--Bass Clef 5? b b B 7? b b F Blues--3rds and 7ths (Note the movements beteen chords) B 7 b b b B 7 Optional: D7(b9) b b # Russ Nolan 9 G-7? b C7 b C7 F Blues Scale? b b n b 13 Building a Melodic Blues Line From the F Blues Scale Note by Note 14 First 2 Notes? b Œ b Œ b 18 First 3 Notes? b Œ b b. b Ó First 4 Notes? b b n 22 b n b b Ó b n b
2 First 5 Notes? b b n n 26 b b n. b b. 30 All 6 Notes? b b n. b b n b - n b b No play 2 to 6 Note Lines going Don the Scale--Make up your on! That's Improvising! b? b 34 Bebop Scale--Has both major 7th and dominant (flat) 7th B 7 b? b b b b 37 Using the Bebop Scale over G Blues B 7 B 7 D7(b9) D7b9 Bebop? b b b b b b # b 41 G-7 C7? n b C7 b b n 45 Use C7 Bebop over these to bars--ii (to) Chord to V (five) Chord b
2 Pentatonic Scales (Five Notes) to use over the entire Blues Form 3 49? b F Blues Scale ithout the B natural --OR-- F minor/ab Major Pentatonic b b F Blues Scale ithout the Bb b n b 4 Ab Major/F minor Pentatonic 51? b 4 8 Pentatonic Shapes to Practice from erry Bergonzi's book Inside Improvisation Vol. 2 - Pentatonics b b bb b b b bb 55? b b b bb b b b b bb b 59? b b b b b b b b b b 63? b bb b b b b b b b b Dominant and Tritone Substitution Pentatonics C-6/ Pentatonic? b b 67 n B Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from F) # # # # C7 G-6/C7 Pentatonic C7 F# Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from C)? b # # # # # 69
Russ Nolan Improvisation Clinic Copyright--Rhinoceruss Music 2017 Bb Instruments--Treble Clef 5 & # G7 n G Blues--3rds and 7ths (Note the movements beteen chords) C7 b & # C7 C7 G7 Optional: E7(b9) b b n # G7 n G7 n Russ Nolan & #A-7 D7 G7 n 9 D7 13 & # G Blues Scale b # n Building a Melodic Blues Line From the G Blues Scale Note by Note 14 & # First 2 Notes Œ j b Œ j b j 18 & # First 3 Notes Œ b j b. j b Ó 22 & # First 4 Notes j b # n # n b Ó j b # n
2 26 & # First 5 Notes j b # # n b #. n b. j 30 & # All 6 Notes j b #. n j b # n- # n b No play 2 to 6 Note Lines going Don the Scale--Make up your on! That's Improvising! G7 Bebop Scale--Has both major 7th and dominant (flat) 7th 34 & # n & # G7 C7 G7 G7 n b n n 37 41 Using the Bebop Scale over G Blues & # C7 C7 G7 E7(b9) E7b9 Bebop b n n b n # n Use D7 Bebop over these to bars--ii (to) Chord to V (five) Chord A-7 45 & # D7 # n G7 n D7 # n
49 & # 2 Pentatonic Scales (Five Notes) to use over the entire Blues Form G Blues Scale ithout the C# --OR-- G minor/bb Major Pentatonic b n G Blues Scale ithout the C natural b # n 3 4 Bb Major/G minor Pentatonic 51 & # 4 8 Pentatonic Shapes to Practice from erry Bergonzi's book Inside Improvisation Vol. 2 - Pentatonics n b bn b n b nb 55 & # n b nb b b n b bn b 59 & # b n b b n b n n b 63 & # nb n b b n b b n b Dominant and Tritone Substitution Pentatonics 67 & # G7 D-6/G7 Pentatonic n C# Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from F) G7 # # # # # 69 & #D7 A-6/D7 Pentatonic D7 # b Ab Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from D) b b n
Russ Nolan Improvisation Clinic Copyright--Rhinoceruss Music 2017 C Instruments--Treble Clef 5 &b b F Blues--3rds and 7ths (Note the movements beteen chords) B 7 b B 7 B 7 Optional: D7(b9) & b b b b # b b Russ Nolan G-7 C7 & b b 9 C7 13 & b F Blues Scale b n b Building a Melodic Blues Line From the F Blues Scale Note by Note 14 First 2 Notes & b Œ j b Œ j b j j 18 &b First 3 Notes Œ b j b. j b Ó 22 First 4 Notes & b j b n b n b b Ó j b n b
2 26 First 5 Notes & b j b n n b b n. b b. j 30 &b All 6 Notes j b n. b j b n b - n b b No play 2 to 6 Note Lines going Don the Scale--Make up your on! That's Improvising! Bebop Scale--Has both major 7th and dominant (flat) 7th 34 & b b B 7 & b b b b b 37 Using the Bebop Scale over G Blues 41 B 7 B 7 D7(b9) D7b9 Bebop &b b b b b b # b 45 &b G-7 n Use C7 Bebop over these to bars--ii (to) Chord to V (five) Chord b C7 C7 b n b
49 &b 2 Pentatonic Scales (Five Notes) to use over the entire Blues Form F Blues Scale ithout the B natural --OR-- F minor/ab Major Pentatonic b b F Blues Scale ithout the Bb b n b 3 4 F minor Pentatonic/Ab Major 51 &b 4 8 Pentatonic Shapes to Practice from erry Bergonzi's book Inside Improvisation Vol. 2 - Pentatonics b b bb b b b bb 55 & b b b bb b b b b bb b 59 & b b b b b b b b b b 63 & b bb b b b b b b b b Dominant and Tritone Substitution Pentatonics 67 &b C-6/ Pentatonic b n B Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from F) # # # # 69 F# Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from C) C7 G-6/C7 Pentatonic C7 & b # # # # #
Russ Nolan Improvisation Clinic Copyright--Rhinoceruss Music 2017 Eb Instruments--Treble Clef 5 & # D7 # n D Blues--3rds and 7ths (Note the movements beteen chords) G7 n & # G7 G7 D7 Optional: B7(b9) # n n n # D7 n D7 n Russ Nolan & # E-7 # 9 A7 D7 n A7 13 D Blues Scale n # n Building a Melodic Blues Line From the D Blues Scale Note by Note 14 First 2 Notes Œ n Œ n 18 First 3 Notes Œ n n n Ó 22 First 4 Notes n # n # n n Ó n # n
2 26 First 5 Notes n # # n n #. n n. 30 All 6 Notes n #. n n # n - # n n No play 2 to 6 Note Lines going Don the Scale--Make up your on! That's Improvising! D7 Bebop Scale--Has both major 7th and dominant (flat) 7th 34 n Using the Bebop Scale over D Blues & # D7 # n 37 G7 D7 D7 n n n & # G7 G7 D7 B7(b9) B7b9 Bebop # n n n n b n # n 41 E-7 & # A7 D7 # # n n 45 Use A7 Bebop over these to bars--ii (to) Chord to V (five) Chord A7 # n
49 2 Pentatonic Scales (Five Notes) to use over the entire Blues Form D Blues Scale ithout the G# --OR-- D minor/f Major Pentatonic n n D Blues Scale ithout the G natural n # n 3 4 F Major/D minor Pentatonic 51 4 55 8 Pentatonic Shapes to Practice from erry Bergonzi's book Inside Improvisation Vol. 2 - Pentatonics n n nn n n n nn n n n nn n n n nn n 59 n n n n n n n n n 63 nn n n n n n n n n Dominant and Tritone Substitution Pentatonics 67 D7 A-6/D7 Pentatonic n D7 b Ab Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from D) b n b n & # A7 E-6/A7 Pentatonic A7 # # b 69 Eb Major Pentatonic--Tritone(minor 5th from A) n b n