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Music is based on harmony Harmony is based on chords and scales Melody and improvisation are based on chords and scales Accompaniment is based on chords and scales Chords are based on scales Scales are based on physics,mathematical principles and musical tradictions Musical tradictions are based on human perception,technology,economy,history,religion
SUMMARY
1. Keys
Key awareness Major Minor Scale harmonization
2.Chords
Major 7th Minor 7th Dominant 7th Half diminished 7th Diminished 7th Inversions Chord degrees
3.Other scales
Blues Whole tone Diminished Diminished/whole tone Pentatonic
4.Melody
Melody building Chordal notes Turning note Passing note Leaning note Delaying note Anticipated note Chromatic note Double leaning note Mixed note Wrong notes
5.Phrasing
Beginning of phrase Ending of phrase Imitation
6.Rhythm
Emphasizing offbeats and upbeats Syncopation Swing Polyrhythmics
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About improvisation
Intervals
Analysis of solos
Improvisation tips
Inside, outside
Free improvisation
Improvisation goals
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Home: jazz improvisation : pop blues | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation - harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP - FAQ | Introduction on the Art of Improvisation Jazz improvisation and music harmony : Summary q Piano improvisation technique : introduction
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"Improvisation means real time composing... Improvisation means composing new ideas...".
Music bases on harmony. Melody and improvisation base on chords and scales. Accompaniment base on chords and scales too.
Chords base on scales. Scales base on physic, mathematical principles and music traditions. Music traditions base on human perception, technology, economy, history, religion.
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Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary Music harmony concepts Scales, modes to improvise Blues improvisation Jazz melody and improvisation Swing jazz rhythm Jazz techniques : practice
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You need to know the following items to improvise and compose in a right and nice way: first you have to know all major and minor scales and relative keys and all chords in every keys. Then you must play all chord inversions and the building melody techniques. You have to practice so much so you can play right melodic lines with swing and without thinking about scales, rules, keys... Phrasing is the following step. You must learn to begin and finish melodic phrases from every point of measure. Ear training, transcribing, music harmony, transposing, voicing, harmonization are other important and fundamental techniques to learn jazz improvisation and composing. These techniques can give you the skill for express the music you have inside. Learning jazz improvisation is not simple. The theory and harmonic concepts you have to learn are few and easy to
understand but the fundamental concept is just one: to learn improvisation you have to play much and practice for a longtime! I used to compare improvisation with language. Improvisation is a language, you can express ideas, concepts and emotions and sometimes much deeper than language. So, as well as you have to study and practice a lot to learn English or French or Italian so you have to do the same with music improvisation. You do not need to understand difficult concepts but without doubts you must be patient. Here in this site I offer free resources to learn this art but be patient if my English is not perfect.
I have published also another site to learn music theory and harmony
Key awareness and chord chart Major key chords Minor scales chords Scale harmonizations
Chord charts
Major 7th Minor seventh Dominant 7th Half diminished seventh Diminished 7th Inversions Chord degrees
frequently associated with melodic improvisation as found in jazz, spontaneous real time variation in performance of tempo and dynamics within a classical performance may also be considered as improvisation. Musical improvisation is the spontaneous creative process of making music while it is being performed. To use a linguistic analogy, improvisation is like speaking or having a conversation as opposed to reciting a written text. Most improvisation is structured, with certain predetermined structures shaping the improvisation, such as the form of a song." (from Wikipedia)
Music scales
Blues scales Modes to improvise Diminished scales Diminished whole tone scales Pentatonic scales
Blues improvisation
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Melody building Music phrase Jazz improvisation phrase Wrong notes in music theory Beginning of phrase Ending of phrase Imitation
Polyrhythmic
General music practice Progressive drills Improvisation tips Greatest piano improvisors
If you have troubles to understand what I write, or any concepts I try to explain, send me an email. I suggest also to visit this site on piano jazz improvisation.
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Jazz piano tutorial videos In this section there are some live piano videos dedicated to jazz improvisation and music harmony. Now I am recording other live videos, and soon I will publish them. Piano videos for learning jazz improvisation Blues jazz video Pop piano improvisation video
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You can learn to improvise. If you know music harmony and you practice on your instrument one hour per day learning improvisation is easy. I think is one of the greatest, important Art. Remember to listen the greatest improvisers : Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Miles Davis and many, many others...
Home : jazz improvisation : pop blues | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation and harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP and FAQ | How to compose a melody Jazz melody and improvisation Jazz phrasing : imitation technique q Music phrasing q Music theory and mistakes
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or vocal pieces. I suggest you to learn every item to build melodic lines; they base on classic and jazz harmony and you can improvise or compose easily and correctly by knowing them. I want to specify that knowing and mastering harmonic techniques are not enough to create high artistic value music. Musician has to express emotions, ideas and messages to himself and to the public, besides playing in a right harmonic way. So an improviser needs:
Improvisation and music harmony : MIOP Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary q Music harmony concepts q Scales, modes to improvise q Blues improvisation q Jazz melody and improvisation q Swing jazz rhythm q Jazz techniques : practice
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When these three faculties are synchronized and in harmony, your improvisations, compositions and your music become magic and have a great emotional power.
Melody is the most powerful and beautiful item of music. It has symmetric, geometric and harmonic rules: Pay Attention: I mean 1th , 3th, 5th and seventh ( of a chord ) by "Chordal note" When you improvise or compose, you can use to build a melody these notes: generally they are chordal notes or notes that return on them. So the fundamental melodic concept is:
Melody is based on the Chord and on the Key in which it is. Here are the most used and important e rules or suggestions to build a melody.
Chordal notes Turning note Passing Leaning Delaying Anticipated Chromatic Mixed Double leaning tones
Test every item with your ears! Let me know what you think about!
In this video I improvise on a minor seventh chord using only chordal notes
2. Turning note : does not belong to chord but comes from a note of the chord and turn on it. ( T = Turning note)
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After a leaning note you have to play the chordal note close to it
After a delaying note you have to play the straight away below chordal note
The difference between leaning and delaying note is: the first one can go up or down to a chordal note while the second must go down to the straight away below chordal note!
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For example:
Passing note of a passing note (also chromatic ) =Pp Pass. note of a turning note (also ch. ) =Ptu Turning note of a turning n. (also chrom. ) =Tt Passing note of a delaying note (also chr.) =Pd And so on......
9. Double leaning tone ( =Ld ). This is a beautiful melodic embellishment and you can play it both in downbeat both upbeat
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Home: jazz improvisation : pop blues | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP - FAQ | How to compose a melody
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Jazz melody and improvisation Jazz phrasing : imitation technique Music phrasing Music theory and mistakes
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Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist Pop music videos Jazz piano, tutorial videos Pop blues jazz albums Jazz pianist music stores Improvisation : MIOP donation
Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary Music harmony concepts Scales, modes to improvise Blues improvisation Jazz melody and improvisation Swing jazz rhythm Jazz techniques : practice
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Music harmony and chord families Chord charts and keys Learn chord charts Major seventh Dominant chord chart Minor seventh chords Half diminished chords Diminished chord
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Every scale determines a key, that is a harmonic combination of tones based on that scale. So, F Major key uses the tones of F Major scale. E minor key uses the tones of E minor scales. I consider the Blues like a key: for example Bb Blues or Bb minor Blues are like a Major and Minor key type. You always have to know in which key you are playing in each moment. Modulation is a change of key.
Each scale or key has its own chords. They are build on each degree of the scale with harmonization by thirds. You can recognize key by Clef, chords, melody...
Transpose and play in all keys! Practice the analysis and recognition of chords, modulations and keys in classic music, jazz, pop songs... Recognize the chords and then the key they belong to.
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Remember:
Each chord has NOT its own scale. The scale of each chord depends by the key in which it is!
This concept is important but I have realized that not many musicians have understood its importance. For example, they play the D Dorian scale also on a Dmin7 that belongs to Bb key! In this way they do two terrible mistakes: E instead of Eb and B instead of Bb!
When you improvise on this song you have to use basically the C minor scale (when you are in C minor key) and Eb scale when you are in Eb key.
This is the key concept. But a melody and so an improvisation base above all on chord besides on key. In this page I explain how to build a melody during your improvisation and your composing.
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In this site I try to explain the rules and techniques to improvise music. However you need to practice and play on your instrument for a long time before you can easily express and play the music you want. I suggest you to listen great jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Bill Evans and many, many others. Ear training is very important to develop your art of improvisation. You do not need perfect pitch but you have to develop your hearing with transcriptions and recognizing notes and chords. Music harmony and theory is a fundamental basis to create and improvise music. The key concept is the most important base of musical harmony. It means: every song is based on a scale or key and it uses major or minor scale's notes. All the chords are built by harmonic superimposition of notes by third intervals above each scale's degree. The melody uses the notes of the scale but above all the chordal notes that is the first four chord's notes; finally the accompaniments also use chord's notes. Thanks to the harmony, the pleasure of the music comes out. So, knowing and playing well the major and minor scales (but not only!) is fundamental to improvise and compose music.
Home: jazz improvisation : pop blues | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP - FAQ | Chords and music harmony
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Music harmony, chord families Chord charts and keys Learn chord charts Major seventh Dominant chord chart Minor seventh chords Half diminished chords Diminished chord
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Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist Pop music videos Jazz piano, tutorial videos Pop blues jazz albums Jazz pianist music stores Improvisation : MIOP donation
Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary Music harmony concepts Scales, Modes to improvise Blues improvisation Jazz melody and improvisation Swing jazz rhythm Jazz techniques : practice
Here are the major and minor scales with their chords
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Pay attention to II degree ( half diminished ) and to VII degree ( diminished seventh ) ^ TOP
These chord charts are the harmonic base of classical, jazz and pop music. They derive, above all, from J. S. Bach but also other great classical composers. ^ TOP
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Home: jazz improvisation : pop blues | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation - harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP - FAQ | How to compose a melody Jazz melody and improvisation Jazz phrasing : imitation technique q Music phrasing q Music theory and mistakes
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Practice to begin and to end the phrase in every point of the measure B = Beginning tone E = Ending tone
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Ending of a phrase
Tone 1 phrasing 2
Action You have to begin a new You have begin the following phrase from that note
Rest and strong determination Tension, unbalance and suspension Rest and neutral A bit of tension and coloured tone A bit of tension and determination
Any style Jazz, Blues Any style Jazz, Pop Jazz, Blues Pop
No particular action Begin from that note and solve it to the tone below No particular action I suggest to begin the following phrase from that note No particular action
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Practise to end the phrase on the different tones of a chord and to make the action I propose.
Another example containing a wrong ending tone ( Tension is not solved or begun again).
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