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JAZZ IMPROVISATION : Correspondence lessons by mail |
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The teaching of jazz improvisation is not a simple task since it ultimately requires that we first introduce students to a distinctive musical language whose intricate vocabulary is not always properly understood. It is essential that students learn to listen, transcribe and analyze improvisations of the great improvisers in order to internalize the words, phrases and inherent rhythms (swing, articulation, accents) of this phenomenal art form. Learning to improvise requires skill in creatively manipulating and combining the extensive vocabulary that has developed and crystallized in the last century through the contributions of the great master improvisers such as Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, etc.. Therefore, this section of the web-site presents some fundamental words and phrases of the jazz vocabulary that I have transcribed and re-articulated for use in a pedagogical context for my students. As you will observe, each of the following musical exercises and etudes focuses on the mastery of particular word or phrase of the jazz language. What TESTIMONIALS : What guitar players, students and teachers are saying about the lessons : "..........The lessons are truly revolutionizing the way I approach my soloing, and the way my inner ear is developing............... Makes me wish I could visit Canada and study with you full time..........." Colin Blakely "..........This stuff is the most interesting treatment of Bebop I have ever seen........I think it would be the best book on bebop on the market as your theories come from real phrases rather than from abstract principles............." Dan Adler "..........All of a sudden the language was there.............To date, it is the single biggest breakthrough that I have had............." Ed Fennell "............The jazz improv studies you outlined were terrific..............They are some of the most melodic lines I have heard in a long time..........." Mark Randolph "............It is without question the clearest and most useful article on why phrases are formed in the bop language I've ever read............." Denis Markell "............It has accelerated my playing way beyond my expectations.........it has taken my playing to new levels............" Wilson Miller "............YOUR stuff is helping bridge the gap to actually play the music and have it sound authentic........" Steve "............Reno De Stefano's article have been appearing in the magazine for quite some time, and I think he's really onto something........there really is a system to it........... " Steven Rosenberg " ..............I followed with great interest your terrific lessons published by Just Jazz Guitar...........it's really revolutionary in its simplicity..........." Giorgio Regali
"................I'm glad there is a musician/educator that can go to the heart of the language without superfluous abstractions, yet at the same time not sacrificing crucial knowledge...............the jazz community is in want of such enlightening work.......Add my voice to the numerous thanks you have already received for such a marvelous work." Emanuel David "................I think the articles are just fantastic. I hope you get the opportunity to compile the information into several volumes............." Troy Wheelerroyy voice to the numerous thanks you have already received for such a marvelous work. Also, please heed the voices that .........." The material is great...........Lot's of great examples. They are filled with pertinent and useful information.......Great Stuff....... I like the way you present the material in small pieces (like words) then connect it (like sentences).......I really enjoy your contribution to JJG and find them very valuable..........." Dave Illig
............" never has a music educator had so much impact on me as you have..........I have been assimilating your lessons for the last 2 weeks and the results are great........" Emmanuel Pontes,
Brazilian Musician ............" Your articles in Just Jazz Guitar are great and your web site is an oasis for admirers Wes and Raney......" Tad Schaefer
............" I got through the first lesson and I love it, it makes more sense than any other bebop system........." Nakarin
Teerapenun ..............." Your systematic and logical approach towards creating lines is most enlightening. Thank you for providing this valuable resource for us loyal JJG subscribers.................." Larry Mazzocco ...................." Your material is far and above anything I've seen for jazz......................." Gary
Oberwanowicz '.......................I'm a jazz guitarist from Chicago and also do a lot of teaching, and your lessons are a must for my students. I preach a lot about vocabulary, and your lessons really drive that nail home for them. I wish I would have thought of doing it like that myself.......................... Brian Wood I ................................I absolutely love your articles in JJG-- the formulaic approach to solos has sparked both the right and left sides of my brain!!! The logic you present has increased my love for jazz immeasurably..........................The antecedent - consequent system is BY FAR the most intuitive, formulaic approach to jazz that I've ever come across............Many Thanks. Kenneth A. Kempinski ................................Great articles in Just Jazz Guitar...................... Your phrases are the real deal. All the Bebop greats use these concepts. Keep up the great work................ Pete Walshak Hi Reno, Rob McDougle ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the "Antecedent-Consequent System" of Improvisation ? Those of you who have followed my lessons in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine in the last four years most probably understand that the "Antecedent-Consequent System" of improvisation developed out of a pedagogical need to structure a progressive method that would enable students to assimilate and internalize essential components of the jazz language. In the following lessons you will notice that the motifs (the words of jazz) have been presented by genres or families (that is the, "3 to b9", "#5, 3, #9, b9", "#5, b7, #9, b9", "3, #11, #9, b9" "b9, #9, 1, b7", "#9, b9, 1, b7", etc.) This approach can be compared to the study of grammar and syntax, where the subject in a sentence can be equated to an "antecedent" motif in music. The verb in grammar is considered the "consequent" motif in improvisation, that is, the area where tension is built and then released through a specific resolution. In grammar the subject always precedes the action, the verb. Similarly, in this system of improvisation the various antecedent motifs always precede the consequent motifs (adorned with tensions or alterations- #9, b9, #5, #11) that are subsequently resolved to the tonic chord. In language words are combined in many different ways, through different rules of grammar and syntax, to create multifarious possibilities of sentences that are the basis of a discourse shared and understood by many. Similarly, the antecedent-consequent system offers its users hundreds of possibilities for creating jazz phrases where the basic components are "words" that characterize the jazz vocabulary. In these correspondence lessons we will illustrate important rules governing the construction of the most interesting jazz phrases. Just as various rules of grammar and syntax govern the movement from subject to verb to complement in a sentence structure, various resolutions (the building blocks of all tonal music, be it classical or jazz) connect antecedent-consequent phrases. In grade school we were called to systematically learn individual words and their proper sounds and pronunciations before using and mastering them in complete sentences. Consequently, mastering small motifs and their individual sounds is also a fundamental goal of the antecedent-consequent system. The student first learns to isolate and hear a distinctive motif like "#9, b9, 1 b7" in various contexts with many different antecedents motifs, before moving to another consequent sound like (#5-3#9-b9) or (3-#11-#9-b9). This has an immediate impact on the ear and accelerates the process of internalizing the various sounds of jazz. This is effective because the student is only required to hear and memorize one four-note motif at a time, and this impacts more forcefully on the brain and the inner ear. This system has also proven to be most successful in my jazz ear-training classes at the University of Montreal. What About Modes? There has been a developing discourse in the history of jazz pedagogy that over-emphasizes the study of modes for use in jazz improvisation. This is partly because some have confused the study of jazz theory with the study of jazz vocabulary. The study and application of modes is absolutely necessary in understanding jazz theory, harmony and composition. It is also crucial in comprehending the various interrelationships between modes and the different harmonic systems (major, melodic minor, harmonic minor, etc.) and the chords derived from such systems. The modes are the alphabet of the jazz harmonic systems. However, if we continue our analogy with language and its grammar and syntax, modes seem to correspond to the primary level of language structure, that is, the alphabet. Words are made up of different letters of the alphabet and acquire meaning for the listener only when letters are structured into familiar sounds. Similarly, modes are a series of notes that have not yet been structured into a meaningful musical vocabulary. Parker, Gillespie, Raney, Montgomery, and others rarely thought in terms of modes. They were already thinking in terms of precise words that had aesthetic and harmonic meaning to well-informed listeners. The alphabet is undoubtedly an essential component of a language, however it is not the language, since many different languages share similar alphabetical systems (for example, English, French and Italian). While modes have important underlying harmonic and theoretical applications, they are primary structures that do not carry aesthetic meaning that corresponds to the sound of jazz. In his verbal development a child learns his very first words, its distinctive sounds and subsequent meanings, aurally, even before he learns to read or spell. Isn't it interesting to realize that he actually learns the alphabet only after he learns how to communicate with words? Jazz is also an aural tradition and requires that we use a similar approach, that is, learn the vocabulary aurally from records through transcription and memorization. The child then begins a long process of learning to combine these words (and their distinctive sounds) into varying possibilities and begins to form interesting sentences that carry potential meaning. The antecedent-consequent system works in much the same way. It enables one to form complete II-V7-I phrases by diligently combining the individual antecedent-consequent motifs that have already been internalized through repetition. However, in this process the concept of modes is secondary, what matters is the on-going process of learning one word at a time (through transcription), and then applying the different combinations of words (antecedent-consequent) that have particular aesthetic meaning to the jazz connoisseur. Correspondence Lessons by Mail The Antecedent-Consequent System of Improvisation is an innovative correspondence program for the jazz guitarist and jazz improviser. It features a series of extremely detailed lessons designed to help the student understand and systematically develop jazz vocabulary to be used in improvisation, composition or arranging. The lessons are mailed directly to your home address without delay. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The lessons are progressive and very structured Written documentation, standard musical notation and tablature are provided with each lesson Each lesson is packed with at least 2-4 weeks worth of homework The fee is $35(USD) / $35(CND) per lesson. (( Please specify the lesson and order it on line by credit card or send your cheque or money order to : Prof. Reno De Stefano, Ph.D. University of Montreal 18 Benoit Kirkland, Québec H9H-5H6 Canada Please include your e-mail, phone number and address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 1 : Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part 1 -The Jazz Language -b7 to 3 resolution Ex.1 -Antecedent Motifs (b7 to 3) Ex.2 -3 to b9 Consequent Motifs Ex.3 -Antecedent-Consequent Phrases Ex.4 -Antecedent-Consequent Etude Ex.5 -Bird Blues Etude __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 2 : Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part 2 -The Jazz Vocabulary Ex.1 -Minor 7(b5) Antecedent Motifs Ex.2 -Minor (3 to b9) Antecedent-Consequent Phrases Ex.3 -Consequent Motif (3-#11-#9-b9) Ex.4 -Minor Antecedent Consequent Phrases (3-#11-#9-b9) Ex.5 -Mixed Antecedent-Consequent Etude Ex.6 -Consequent Motif (3-#5-#9-b9) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 3 : Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part 3 Ex.1 -Consequent Motif (dominant 7#5) Ex.2 -Consequent Motif (#5-3-#9-b9) Ex.3 -Consequent Motif (#5-b7-#9-b9) Ex.4 -Etude (7#5), (#5-3-#9-b9), (#5-b7-#9-b9) Ex.5 -Etude (3-#11-#9-b9), (#5-3-#9-b9) Ex.6 -Etude (#5-b7-#9-b9), (#5-#9-b9) _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 4 : The Bebop Leap Motif Ex.1 -The Bebop Leap : The Five Derivatives a) Minor Ascent b) Chromatic Ascent c) Neighbor Note d) Appogiatura e) Diminished Ascent Ex.2 -Bebop Leap Etude Ex.3 -Bebop Leap : Antecedent Consequent Phrases Ex.4 -Dominant Seventh Consequent Phrase Ex.5 -Extending The Bebop Leap -Pedagogical Approach _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 5 : Composite Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part I Ex.1 -Antecedents Motifs on Dm7 Ex.2 -Combining Antecedents Motifs A & B Ex.3 -Extending the (3 to b9) Motif Ex.4 -Composite Antecedent-Consequent Phrases _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 6 : Altered Dominant Consequent Phrases Ex.1 -Altered Dominant Consequent Motifs - The 5 Types of Resolution Ex.2 -Extending the (3 to b9) Motif _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 7 : Composite Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part II Ex.1 -Recapitulation : Altered Dominant Consequent Motifs -Combining Antecedent-Consequent Phrases _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 8 : The V7 of iii Motif, Antecedent-Consequent Phrases Ex.1 -V7 of III Antecedent Motifs and Consequent Motifs - Measures 1 to 6 - Measures 7 to 14 - Measures 15 to 30 Ex.1 -V7 of III Antecedent Motifs-Consequent Phrases Ex.2 -V7 of III Etude _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 9 : Wes Montgomery Lines : Applying The Antecedent-Consequent System -Transcription - Wes Montgomery Lines - Dm7-Antecedent Phrases & G7- Consequent Phrases - Voice leading & Connectors - Combining Montgomery Antecedent-Consequent Phrases - (#5-b9-1-b7), (3 to b9), (#9-b9) & Bebop Leap Consequent Motifs - (b7 to 3) & (b9 to 5) Resolution to the I Chord --Cmaj7 - Particularities of The G7 Consequent Phrase - Practice Tips - Music Examples : 11 pages of Wes Montgomery Antecedent-Consequent Phrases - Original Wes Montgomery Lines - Original Wes Montgomery Lines Transposed - Wes Montgomery's Approach to Rhythm, Part 1 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 10 : Improvising with #11 and #5 Consequent Phrases __ - Various #11 Antecedent Motifs Ex.1 Three Types of #11 Consequent Phrases (#11-3-1b7), (#11-b9-1-b7), (#11-3-#9-b9) -- (6 full pages) Ex.2 EBird Blues Etude : with #11 antecedent-consequent phrasesird Blues Etude.2 Ex.3 Three Types of #5 Consequent Phrases (#5-3-b9-b7), (#5-b9-1-b7), (#5-#4-#9-b9) -- (5 full pages) Ex.4 Bird Blues Etude : with #5 antecedent-consequent phrases Lesson 8 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 11 : Jazz Ear Training - Melodic Dictation with Antecedent-Consequent Phrases _ - This lesson includes 26 modulating melodies based on the Antecedent-Consequent System taught in lessons 1 through 10.e - It Includes a CD recorded with Band-in-a-Box music program. Each melody is played five times at moderate speed (quarter-note at 65). They are recorded on piano with 8-measure fragments modulating through various keys. - The complete progressions from which you transcribe the melodies are given with the starting note. - The melodic dictations progressively get more complex : for example, melodies #1 through #3 include only (3 to b9) motifs, whereas melody #9 includes (3 to b9), (3-#11-#9-b9), (3-#5-#9-b9), (dom7#5), (#5-3-b9-b7) motifs, etc. - The melodies may also be practiced on the instrument and used in performance as improvisation etudes to gain fluency of the jazz vocabulary. - Please note that tablature is not included in this lesson.- (this lesson is $35)HE MELODIES son 1 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 12 : Altered-Dominant Seventh Lines with #5 Motifs Ex.1 Altered Consequent Motifs (b7-3 resolution) (2 pages) Ex.1b A Series of #5 Consequent Motifs Ex.2 Composite Altered -Dominant Consequent Phrases (5 full pages) ______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 13 : The Bebop Dominant Scale & Its Components, Part 1 & 2 Ex.1 The Bebop Dominant Scale & Its Components, Part I - Applying the Antecedent-Consequent System Ex.2 Bebop Scale & Components: Creating Lines
The Bebop Dominant Scale & Its Components, Part 2 Ex.1 Bebop Lines: Chromatic Ornamentation Ex.2 Blues Etude _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 14 : The Bebop Dominant Scale & Consequent Motifs Ex.1 The 4 Different Families of Consequent Motifs Ex.2 Combining The Bebop Scale and Consequent Motifs (12 pages of II-V-I phrases) Ex.3. Bird Blues : Applying Bebop Scale Components & Antecedent-Consequent Motifs_____
_______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 15 : a) Cry Me A River & Gone But Not Forgotten Licks b) Pentatonic Motifs & Side-Slipping Part 1 : Ex.1 The "Cry Me A River" Lick Ex.1 The "Gone But Not Forgotten" Lick Ex.2 & Ex.3 Etudes Part 2 : Ex.1 Pentatonics & Side-Slip #1 EX.2 Pentatonics & Side-Slip #2 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 16 : Jazz Vocabulary: II-V7 Antecedent-Consequent Phrases, Part I & II In this lesson the student explores jazz etudes and applies the vocabulary and voice-leading concepts learned in the previous 15 lessons. There is an explanatory text with a measure-by-measure analysis of the jazz etudes. The lesson is 12 pages long, it includes text and musical examples. It is a perfect way to practice II-V7 melodic lines. Tab notation is also included. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 17 : Jazz
Lines : The Minor Third Relationship.
(NEW) - The minor third relationship explores the 4 different harmonic routes that frequently lead to the I chord. - In past lessons we have explored various elements of the jazz vocabulary and their use in jazz improvisation. In this installment we illustrate how this same vocabulary can be used to compose good jazz melodies. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Lessons 1 to 8 : $170 (save 15%) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lessons
9 to 17
:
$195 (save 17%)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Lessons
1 to 17
: $340
(save 17%)
Other Important Study Materials by Reno De Stefano Wes Montgomery's Improvisational Style -- (book) (NEW) - $69.00 This definite study on Wes Montogomery's Improvisational Style focuses on his most fertile recording period (The Riverside Years : 1959-63). This 360 pages Spiral-bound book explores Wes Montgomery's : a) Apprenticeship and influences, b) The Riverside Recording Sessions, c) Improvisational approach to melody, harmony, rhythm and form, d) Sound : Thumb technique, octaves, dynamics, sonoric intensity , block chords. e) Reception and impact, etc. The study also includes over 80 pages of transcribed solos including : Whisper Not, Ecaroh, Satin Doll, Missile Blues, Airegin, Four On Six, West Coast Blues, Mean To Me, Au Privave, Movin' Along, Something Like Bags, Blue Roz, Full House, Blue n' Boogie, Cariba, Pretty Blue, Freddie The Freeloader.
______________________________________________________________________________________ Here is a brief preview of «some of the music» in the antecedent-consequent lessons. Several pages of text with analysis are included with all lessons. (all files are in pdf format) 1.
Digital and Scalar Patterns (Bird Blues)
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