This book includes lead sheets in C, B-flat, and E-flat featuring chord progressions of standard jazz songs. The CD includes play-along tracks with chord voicings, and bass lines are played on an acoustic midi grand piano. Also includes MIDI files for computer sequenced work stations. Reharmonizations and rhythmic displacement of original chords included.

This book covers topics such as comping rhythms, left hand comping, trombone voicings, bepop comping, and open voicings. With an introduction, transcriptions, interviews, and appendix. The CDs contain example and play-along tracks.

The leading textbook in jazz improvisation, Creative Jazz Improvisation, Fifth Edition represents a compendium of knowledge and practice resources for the university classroom, suitable for all musicians looking to develop and sharpen their soloing skills. Logically organized and guided by a philosophy that encourages creativity, this book presents practical advice beyond the theoretical, featuring exercises in twelve keys, ear training and keyboard drills, a comprehensive catalog of relevant songs to learn, and a wide range of solo transcriptions, each transposed for C, Bb, Eb, and bass clef instruments. Chapters highlight discussions of jazz theory - covering topics such as major scale modes, forms, chord substitutions, melodic minor modes, diminished and whole-tone modes, pentatonic scales, intervallic improvisation, free improvisation, and more - while featuring updated content throughout on the nuts and bolts of learning to improvise. New to the Fifth Edition: Co-author Tom Walsh Additional solo transcriptions featuring the work of female and Latino jazz artists A new chapter, “Odd Meters” A robust companion website featuring additional exercises, ear training, play-along tracks, tunes, call and response tracks, keyboard voicings, and transcriptions, alongside Spotify and YouTube links to many of the featured solos Rooted in an understanding that there is no one right way to learn jazz, Creative Jazz Improvisation, Fifth Edition explores the means and methods for developing one’s jazz vocabulary and improvisational techniques.

Pianists are the main sources of inspiration for new developments in jazz guitarcomping. Yet guitarists have been slow to develop a comping vocabulary withharmonic sophistication, subtle voiceleading, and rhythmic flexibility on the level of the best contemporary pianists. This book seeks to remedy the situation by articulating a comping vocabulary in the context of six of the most often playedtunes in jazz: 12-bar blues, rhythm changes, minor blues, a modal tune, and a couple of standards. The comps are written out in notation and tablature and include rhythms with forward motion, chords built in fourth intervals, parallel constant structure voicings, polychords, slash chords, etc. The focus is ondeveloping a contemporary approach to rhythm, phrasing, chord voicings, voiceleading, chord substitution, and reharmonization. A play-along online audiorecording of the guitar comps with bass and drums helps get the sounds and rhythms in your ear. The theory of how the comping concepts are applied to the music is explained, with ideas on how to use them creatively. Includes access toonline audio.

Introduction.Modes are often at first understood in relation to a parent scale. While this can be helpful as a starting point and for developing muscle memory, in practice it doesn't always point the player to the right chord tones in relation to the sound. In other words, it doesn't help make the changes.To use modes to make the changes, one must be able to relate the scale shape to a chord voicing - a chord voicing that outlines the essential few tones in a sea of seven notes. These voicings can vary depending on the amount of color desired. The color desired is dependent on musical style/genre, and whether or not the chord is functional in a progression or static in its modality.These essential tones are not always 1,3,5,7 (tertian harmony - stacked in 3rds).While most chords in jazz and improv-based music are expressed in one of four tertian-voicing archetypes (Major, Minor, Dominant, or Diminished) - this is a false tetrachotomy. There are more than four.To capture some other sounds that many composers intend, especially in compositions written in the last 50 years (and in Classical music, 150 years) one must add a few other archetypes. While those indicated in this book are not exhaustive, they will open your ears to other ways of expressing harmony while still staying true to the key center.While exploring other ways to voice the modes, keep in mind that these are not just for comping and soloing. Feel free to use them as a starting point for composition and reharmonization. The use of "pivot voicings" instead of just pivot chords can open up your understanding of harmonic relationships in multiple ways. Enjoy exploring.-NoelP. S. This book is way more fun if you use a looper pedal.Second edition notes: Typo corrections, clarifications, TAB added to all edudesThird edition notes: Additional etudes, expanded modal subs section, added blues chapterMore more info, charts, videos, and free web app: http: //noeljohnston.com/voicingmodes.ph

This well-organized book combines all of the techniques that jazz musicians practice into a comprehensive whole. It covers practice patterns and scales in all keys and tempos, transcribing solos of master improvisers, learning the jazz repertoire, and playing with other musicians. Chapter topics include how to practice, creatively improvise, and teach improvisation; major innovators; important contributors; women in jazz; chord substitutions; scales; and form. Each chapter also contains theory and ear exercises.