LearnJazzPiano.com archives: how to improvise over chromatic chord sequence

ronald1 -- 06/07/2006, 06:31:46 -- #27889

so how can you do this without making it sound like you're very obviously running over the chords you're playing (since no scale can fit over both EbMaj7 and EMaj7 for example).  Thanks

DaveB -- 06/07/2006, 08:14:06 -- #27889

You could look for common tones rather than scales - for example the root of Ebmaj is the same as the maj7 of Emaj. Depends on how fast the sequence is moving. Dave

albetan -- 06/07/2006, 10:50:45 -- #27889

Use pentatonic scales. Look for file  Pentatonic scales at Albetan's area.

7 -- 06/07/2006, 12:39:27 -- #27889

how can you do this without making it sound like you're very obviously running over the chords Obvious to who? Obvious to the audience? They don't know anything about the "under the hood" intricacies of making music. They just like it because it makes them feel good. Obvious to other Jazz musicians? If they're going to critique your style, they need to do it constructively with actual examples rather than than just giving Jazz's biggest insult "Man, you're doing nothing but running the scale". Obvious to your significant other? S/he has to listen to you play the same stuff all day every day, and it's become like living next to the train tracks - eventually it all just gets tuned out. Remember, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. The first thing to do is realize that every note and every string of notes has some kind of TENDENCY - let the notes tell you where they want to go and then let them do that. If you have trouble with that concept at first, just try singing lines over the progression - this will take you where you need to go with no fuss no muss. Also keep in mind that playing any repetitive rhythmic value for too long results in boredom (eg. playing straight eighths forever; non-stop triplets; or even a million sixteenth notes in a row). The rhythm needs to be broken up - some notes are meant to be long and some are meant to be short. Also don't forget to BREATHE in between phrases. Leave a pause at the end of your musical sentence, don't just go on and on and on never taking a break.

jmkarns -- 06/07/2006, 15:39:52 -- #27889

When I can get my significant other to pause from "Desperate Housewives" to say; "Oh, that sounded nice."  Then I know I am getting somewhere.

Jazz+ -- 03/21/2007, 11:32:13 -- #27889

ARPEGGIOS, then try the scales which will add the passing tones between the arpeggio chord tones.

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