Jazz Improvisation

Basic Elements and Design LISTENING!! This is what will help you become a great soloist the fastest here is short list of jazz greats to go listen to:
Instrumentalists Duke Ellington (18991974), Louis Armstrong (19011971), Count Basie (19041984), Fats Waller (19041943), Sun Ra (1914-1993), Dizzy Gillespie (19171993), Thelonious Monk (19171982), Charlie Parker (19201955), Charlie Mingus (19221979), Oscar Peterson (19252007), Miles Davis (19261991), John Coltrane (19261967), Ornette Coleman (born 1930) Vocalists Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990)

Soloing Basic Ingredients

Common Scales (and there formulas): Blues Scale = 1, b3, 4, #4, 5, b7 Major Pentatonic Scale = 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Minor Pentatonic Scale = 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 (based on natural minor scale) Modes: Ionian Major Scale X Dorian Second Degree of Major Scale X Phrygian - Third Degree of Major Scale X Lydian - Fourth Degree of Major Scale X Mixolydian - Fifth Degree of Major Scale X Aeolian - Sixth Degree of Major Scale X Locrian - Seventh Degree of Major Scale X

Most Common Chord/Scale Relationship Information: X7 = Mixolydian Mode X-7 = Dorian Mode XMaj7 = Ionian Mode XMaj7#11 = Lydian Mode X-7b9 = Phrygian Mode Common Progressions:

BLUES PROGRESSION USE BLUES SCALE BASED ON I

I7 IV7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 17 17 V7 IV7 17 17

ii/V/I PROGRESSION USE MAJOR SCALE OF I FOR ALL THREE CHORDS

ii7 V7 IMaj7 = IMaj7

ex: Bb-7

Eb7#11 AbMaj7

You can use the Ab Major Scale to solo over all three chords

Composing a Solo
What are you trying to say dont say too much all at once Practice having a plan for each chorus Lyrical, Melodic, Rhythmic, Space, Leaps, Scalar etc Develop your chosen theme over a period of time Remind the listener of what you are trying to say