A four week course on Improvisation for Novices
Time: Tuesday nights 7-8:30pm
Dates: 15, 22, 29 Sept. and 6th Oct
Please register here each week here for the Zoom meeting.
Just in case you need it, the meeting number is 815 0455 9312
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This course will give you opportunities to improvise in class. Some of this can be live (ish), most will be in your own privacy bubble, but we also ask that you submit homework each week. To get the best sound in Zoom, please select Original Sound. This document tells you how to do this – Optimising Zoom for Musicians
Join the Facebook Group (click here) to submit ‘homework’ and to participate in conversations about improvisation. We ask you to submit an improvisation on a song each week for comments by your peers.
Assumed Knowledge (what you should know already, or be ready to practice)
- String names
- Notes in the home position
What you’ll learn
- How to improvise using the pentatonic scales
- How to improvise using the Blues scales
- Recognising diatonic songs and how to use the circle of fifths (roughly)
- The acquisition of feel (getting better techniques for improvising)
- Learning the basics of improvising in Jazz songs
Repertoire for every week (please print these out and have them ready every week)
Ukulele major scales and chords
Chromatic notes on the ukulele (that means ALL notes on the neck)
Online Practice Resources
We have provided you with online material that contains video of us playing songs that you can improvise along to. Please use this site to practice and refine your improvising each week.
Week One: 15th Sept
Using the Pentatonic scales
- Learn to improvise using the pentatonic scales
- Recognise diatonic songs (songs that stay in one key)
- What is “feel”????? (timing, tempo, tone and fretting techniques)
- Decoding the circle of fifths
Repertoire for Week One
Please print or download all of these songs for our session.
Homework
Please record yourself doing an improvisation on a diatonic song (of your choice) and submit it to the Facebook Group where your fellow Zookulelians will give you constructive feedback.
Video from Week One to revisit
Week Two: 22 Sept 2020
Using the Blues Scales
- Review of the pentatonic scale and diatonic songs (songs that stay in one key)
- How to get more expression from your playing
- How to play your blues scales
- Learning and practicing fretting techniques
Please print this repertoire for week two (click on the links). You will probably already have some of these songs printed out.
Diatonic songs
Blues songs
Fretting exercises to help your expression (Finger Drill)
- (G string) 1234
- (C string) 1234
- (E string) 1234
- (A string) 1234
Homework
Please record yourself doing an improvisation on a blues song (of your choice) and submit it to the facebook group where people will give you some constructive feedback.
Please learn the melody of Sonny Moon for Two for week 3
Video from Week Two (from a previous course)
Week Three: 29th Sept
Call and Response in Blues and more techniques for improving expression
Melody is queen, so let’s change the rhythm first
Let’s do Sonny Moon for Two and change the rhythm of the melody to find a way to improvise on this piece. Then we will change the melody itself.
Call and Response in Blues
Check out how BB King sings something and then plays his guitar. It’s called call and response. It can be between two instruments, two musicians or just one person on vocals and guitar (uke even!)
Check out call and response when its between drums and keys.
So we are going to play a few blues songs encouraging you to response to the vocal or musical line.
Rock n Roll = The Blues (but faster)
Many roll n roll songs of the 50’s and 60s were just blues progression played faster! eg Blue Suede Shoes, Rock Around the Clock, Jailhouse Rock, Long Tall Sally! See this one from Little Richard
The Minor Blues (starting with a minor chord)
Q. What do I play? A. The same blues scale as the starting chord!
Repertoire for this week (please print but you also need your blues C and D scale)
Long Tall Sally – Little Richard
Minor Blues songs
Online Practice Resources go here!
We have provided you with online material that contains video of us playing songs that you can improvise along to. Please use this site to practice and refine your improvising each week.
Homework
Please record yourself doing an improvisation on a blues song of your choice and submit it to the facebook group where people will give you some constructive feedback.
Video from Week Three to revisit
to be uploaded
Week Four: 6th Oct
Get More rhythm in your playing and let’s start improvising on songs that have borrowed chords from other keys
- A rhythm drill (use only 3 different notes)
- Review hammers and pull offs
- Songs with “chords borrowed from other keys” secondary dominants or minor chord substitutes: what do you do???
- Use the chromatic scale
- Use the notes from the chords for your improvisation (arpeggiate the borrowed chord)
1. Rhythm drill
To get more rhythm into your playing, use only three different notes for your improv and the only thing you can change is the rhythm.
See Sam Lemann does this really well. Check this out!
2. Review hammers and pull offs.
In the home work pieces this is what is mostly missing from everyones’ playing. So we will practice these some more.
3. Songs with chords from other keys.
Remember that diatonic songs you can just use the pentatonic scale of the root to improvise. But some songs have chords borrowed from other keys so that this approach doesn’t always work.
Eg I’ll be Your Baby Tonight C D7 F G (the D7 is borrowed from another key). This song is mostly in C except for the D7.
eg. Blue Darling this song has a minor chord substitution, otherwise it pretty much stays in F until the modulation (to G).
Eg Creep G B7 C Cm (the B7 is borrowed from another key and the Cm is a minor chord substitution so out of key too).
Chromatic scale works really well for improv cause you are leaving or approaching the right note all the time. Called the passing tone. Louis Prima “hey guys there are only 12 notes”
Also use the chord tones of the borrowed chord, particularly the alterations and extensions (the extra numbers); that is just arpeggiate the borrowed chord.
Video from Week Four to revisit
to be uploaded
Homework
Please record yourself doing an improvisation on a song that has chords from other keys and submit it to the facebook group where people will give you some constructive feedback.