Improvisation - The Concept Practice Sessions PDF

SUBJECT: ANCIENT HISTORY GRADE LEVEL: 6-8

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Improvisation- The Concept Practice Sessions

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IMPROVISATION & LICKS IMPROVISATION - THE CONCEPT PRACTICE SESSIONS

Practice Session 1 Play the Lesson Introduction Transcription Objective To inform your intuition and develop your musical instincts by playing the transcription and imitating the recorded performance.

Task Listen to the source recording and play the transcription as written.

Procedure 1. Listen to the introduction (chapter 1) of this lesson or the source recording of this transcription, “Tenor Conclave,” from Hank

Mobley’s album of the same name.

2. As you listen, read along with the music notation below. Pay attention to the details of the performance. Listen for phrasing, articulation, rhythmic feel and the overall expressive inflection.

3. Play the transcription with the included accompaniment. The playalong lasts for eight choruses.

4. Comp the chords in your left hand while you are playing the scales in your right hand. Choose the voicing technique that you are most comfortable with. This can be root position chords with or without voiceleading and/or inversions, rootless voicings with or without inversions. Ideally you should play the chords using voice-led rootless voicings with added tension. To learn how to do this watch the Rootless Voicings with Added Tension series of lessons. You may also read the comping voicings included on the second staff of the transcription.

5. Imitate the elements of the recorded performance that you noted from step 2.

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Transcription of Hank Mobley Soloing Over “Tenor Conclave” from his Album “Tenor Conclave” 1/4












Self Assessment 1. Record your performance and compare it to the lesson intro.

2. How does your recording compare and contrast with the lesson intro recording with respect to phrasing, articulation, rhythmic feel and the overall expressive inflection?

3. Record your playing multiple times and listen to them again several days later. Letting time pass between recording the solo and listening to it can give you perspective on your playing that is more objective than when you are in the midst of making the recording.



Practice Session 2 Melodic Analysis Objective To learn to recognize the four components of melodic construction.

Task Analyze a transcription of Hank Mobley’s solo over “Tenor Conclave” for the four components of melodic construction: chord tones, arpeggios, chordscale fragments and approach patterns.

Procedure 1. Print this document (in color) and bring it to your piano or keyboard.

2. Make sure you have blue, red, green and yellow colored pencils or markers.

3. On the following pages you will find a transcription of three choruses of Hank Mobely’s solo over the tune “Tenor Conclave.” The solo is written with open note heads. Using your blue marker, color in the note heads of all of the chord tones. Look for 1, 3, 5 or 7 of the chord of the moment on beats 1 or 3 of each measure. NOTE: Not every note on a strong beat will be a chord tone.

4. Using your yellow marker, color in the note heads of all of the approach patterns. The most typical approach patterns are single or double chromatic from below, scale from above or double chromatic from above. For more information on these components see the Four Components of Melodic Construction and Improv Drill: Approach Patterns lessons.

5. Using your green marker, color in the note heads of all of the scale passages. Scales can be any stepwise pattern of notes, usually one of the major or minor scales or modes.

6. Using your red marker, color in the note heads of all of the arpeggios. Arpeggios move by skip and can be 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 of the chord of the moment.



“Tenor Conclave” Transcription with Open Noteheads 1/2

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“Tenor Conclave” Transcription with Open Noteheads 2/2



Self Assessment 1. Compare your answers with the answer key below. Correct any errors.

2. If you colored most of the patterns correctly, move on to the next practice session.

3. If you made several mistakes try it again; print out a fresh copy and color the notes in again. If you were able to color the patterns a second time with few mistakes, move on to the next practice session.

4. If you were unable to identify any of the patterns, review the lesson. Feel free to ask questions about anything that you don’t understand. Try it again, and if you can identify the patterns with few errors then move on to the next practice session. Otherwise, repeat this step until you can identify the patterns without errors.



Answer key to Hank Mobley note coloring exercise from above.

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Next Steps Continue to develop your skill with this concept by transcribing solos of your own choice and analyzing them for the four components of melodic construction.


Documents

Improvisation - The Concept Practice Sessions PDF