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How to practice improvising over progressions


Virgman

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Posted

This is a simple but effective way to practice over chord changes. It's low tech.

 

I use it to practice jazz but it can work for all types pretty much.

 

Now, I'm assuming you know arpeggios, the major scale or pentatonics. I'm not getting into that.

 

This is just a way to practice playing over chords.

 

Using the song "All Things You Are" for this example. In key of Ab.

 

The first 8 bars are:

 

Fm7 - Bbm7 - Eb7 - AbM7

 

DbM7 - G7 - CM7 - CM7

 

Now get some 3x5 index cards.

 

Make up cards like so. On one side of each card write two consecutive chords. Why two? Just because it's easier to work with.

 

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. No reason other than that but it's a good reason! You could put three chords on a card like 2-5-1 for example but it has to make sense.

 

Card 1: Fm7 - Bbm7

 

Card 2: Eb7 - AbM7

 

Card 3: DbM7 - G7

 

Card 4: CM7 - CM7

 

On the back of each card you write the arpeggio or scale name you would play over the chords.

 

You need to understand this part already. If you don't know arps or scales go back to school! I ain't teaching you here! :cop::cry:

 

You'll end up with a deck of cards with all the progressions. Go through the deck every day. Using the arp/scale on the back of the card create a small lick in your genre (jazz, blues, whatever) over each chord keeping in mind that the two small licks you write should flow in some relatively comfortable way into each other.

 

The licks can't be too large, they have to fit into the bar. Each chord is a bar right? Four quarter notes, eight 8th notes, etc.

 

If you don't know any licks go find some on the internet or transcribe some, check out tabs. Best is to make up your own!

 

Do you have to write down the licks? You could but if you practice enough they will get in your head so I don't. Sometimes I come up with a new lick. Very, very exciting. Very.

 

"Bueller? Bueller...?"

ferris-bueller-3-300x294.jpg

 

Here's an example using Card 1. The chord progression is Fm7 - Bbm7. Thats easy. The arps/scales are the same:

 

**Fm7***************** **Bbm7***********

-8-----------------------------------------------------

--------8--9--11--9--8---------9-------------9--------

----10-------------------10-------10------------10----

---------------------------------------11--8----------

------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------

 

Here's an example using Card 2. The progression is Eb7 - AbM7. Some possible arps are Eb7 - Cm7 (Cm7 subs for AbM7):

 

**Eb7***************** **AbM7 (Cm7 lick)***********

------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------8--11-------

-------------11--9--8------------------8---------8---

-8--10--11-------------11------9--10---------------8-----------

------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------

 

Make up two-chord sequence cards for the chords in your song. If it's a jazz tune you'll notice there are certain progressions in many songs, so they repeat over and over. Bingo!

 

Make up the cards in many different keys. You could take "All Things" and make cards in a bunch of keys. How many keys are there? Well, there's the house key, the car key, the gym locker key...

 

Practice each card in a couple locations on the fretboard, for example you could have licks at the 4th fret (Ab on 4th fret low E index finger) and the 8th fret Ab on 11th fret A string pinkie).

 

What I'm showing you here is not what to practice, but how to practice it.

 

By doing this you will memorize what to play. When you see two chords you will be able to play over them. :thu:

 

Your new ideas will translate when you really play.

 

If you like this idea give $2 to the kid collecting money for his little league team at your supermarket next time. You'll feel good about it.

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Posted

It's best to act stupid. Works for me.

 

It's a proven fact that all famous jazzers are uneducated and know nothing about music theory.

 

Like Stan Getz and Miles Davis. Real dummies. Frank Gambale is another really dumb musician along with Pat Martino.

 

Pat Metheny has an IQ of 90. John Scofield got a 39 on his SAT.

 

Just about all good musicians are really stupid. They just play random notes.

 

Buckethead is an exception. He's really smart.

 

buckethead.jpg

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Posted

Feck that veggie crap.

 

Meat makes you strong man.

 

Arnold ate meat. That's how he got big.

 

Stay away from drugs though! Be natural like Arnold.

 

arnold.jpg

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Posted

I
:love:
the Virgman

 

This reminds me...

 

Virgman thanks for posting that Shreddy Eddy youtube video. Im a suck ass sloppy player, and Ed's video helped me realize that my pick hand is really pathetic. Been working on it and things are looking up.

 

I :love: the Virgman x 2

 

Sorry for the hijack

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