Oscar – In addition to all of your pentascales and triad exercises, try arranging the chords from ‘Hey Jude’ in a way that makes sense according to the voice leading principles we discussed. You can also practice the blues improvisation concepts we have worked on over Mary Ann by Ray Charles.
Avril – Today we discussed chromatic lower neighbours and enclosures of chord tones in jazz improvisation. Try these ideas on simple tunes like Autumn Leaves and When the Saints Go Marching In. Explore, and let me know what you discover. Remember that enclosures can look different depending on whether the next note up in the scale is a half step or a whole step above.
Julie – You have a lot to work on in terms of repertoire and technique, but this week, focus on rhythm. First, put your metronome on at 60 beats per minute and try to clap every 3rd 16th note. Then, come up with your own rhythms using the 16th note grid. Write them out and show me next week.
Kristin – Continue notating your piece in D major. As an extra challenge, try to figure out the additive metre used for the song Bulgarian Bulge by Don Ellis.