learning to improvise progress

[William Cingolani]

Thanks again sxpoet. I’m digging up Johnny’s Killer Blues and Improve course and I’ll be working with those courses for a few days or weeks.

[Anonymous]

you’re very welcome William!
The blues course that i’m being taught, i’m keeping an open mind,
basicaly thrown myself at the mercy of my teacher, and just seeing
what i’ll get out of it, or what he can pass on to me. So in someways
its academic, in other ways its a journey which i don’t know where
it will take me? could be useful or could be a complete waste of time.
Either way i’m exploring it to see what happens eventually.

Currently spending 75% of my time on the blues, and the other 25% doing the normal stuff i was doing before (as i’ve been advised not
to neglect the other stuff).

For me the hardest part at the moment is nailing the numbered degrees of the G, C and D major scales and the basic blues scale in G.
i’ve got to be able to play the key of any numbered degree without having to think about it.

The only way i can do it is to put the sax down, sit down and mentally
visualise where all the sax keys are in relation to the numbered degrees of each scale. Then i find i can pick the sax up and play 12345321 quite
easily or any combination. This helps when he sticks the backing track on
on shouts out various numbers in each of the bars if he’s trying to guide me through some improvisation if i run out of ideas.

In his world he knows all the relations between the various numbered degrees, so as things progress in his teaching thats the language i have to be versed in. So most of the exercises are aimed at ingraining these
various numbered degrees – so you could just add lots more similar variations – the practice nails.

I’ve got some more new stuff to add, which i haven’t even started on yet,
which is more into improvising at a low level with no theory involved.
But hope it inspires you to tackle Johnny’s courses!

[Anonymous]

@William – the only problem with my sheets, is you need a 12 bar blues backing track in G to go with them.
The sheets are for Alto, so it would be in chords G7/C7/G7/G7 + C7/C7/G7/G7 + D/C/G&C/G&D.
The track i’m using, i’m not sure if i could share it or not. I’d have to find out.

[Anonymous]

that should be
G7/C7/G7/G7 + C7/C7/G7/G7 + D7/C7/G7&C7/G7&D7

[Author]

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