Lester Young Solo
- Sing the solo with the recording. Email me the recording by Wednesday 3/5 at 8:00 PM
- Perform the solo memorized in class on or before Thursday 3/13
Two Compositions for Final Performance Friday 3/14 at 7:30 PM in Room 35
- 12 bar blues composition with one of the following forms:
Four-bar A B riff repeated three times
A, A, B (four bars each)
Improvise over 12-bar blues in C and B-flat.
- Melody and improvisation over a drone. The piece can be rubato or over a rhythmic groove.
Reflection Paper
Email to me by Thursday 3/20 at 8:00 PM
Write a short paper (at least two pages double-spaced) reflecting on your experience in the class. Discuss which concepts came naturally and which were more challenging. (Consider playing by ear, learning a swing feel, singing, thinking in scale degrees, transposition, composing riffs, improvisation over a blues, composing A B phrases, transcription, and performance in front of an audience.) Discuss any areas you are interested in exploring in the future and/or how they might inform your teaching.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Week Six
Assignment for 2/18
- Improvise with the riff rhythms and blues scales the keys of C and Bb along with the rhythm section practice tracks.
Major Blues Scale - 1, 2, b3, 3, 5, 6, 8
Minor Blues Scale - 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7, 8
- Compose three four-measure riffs with a question/answer structure. Be ready to play them in C and Bb. You can use the riff rhythms and blues scales as a starting point, but feel free to branch out from there.
Assignment for 2/20
- Choose one of your AB or AA'B phrases over a drone to expand into a longer composition. You can remove the pitch restriction and use a drone other than C if you wish. Be ready to perform your piece in class. Write down your piece (approximate rhythms are fine) if possible.
- Improvise with the riff rhythms and blues scales the keys of C and Bb along with the rhythm section practice tracks.
Major Blues Scale - 1, 2, b3, 3, 5, 6, 8
Minor Blues Scale - 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7, 8
- Compose three four-measure riffs with a question/answer structure. Be ready to play them in C and Bb. You can use the riff rhythms and blues scales as a starting point, but feel free to branch out from there.
Assignment for 2/20
- Choose one of your AB or AA'B phrases over a drone to expand into a longer composition. You can remove the pitch restriction and use a drone other than C if you wish. Be ready to perform your piece in class. Write down your piece (approximate rhythms are fine) if possible.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Week Five
Assignment for 2/11
- Improvise using the one- and two- measure riff rhythms from the handout along with the shuffle drum track (in the dropbox). The repeats are "open," so repeat a single rhythm over and over again until you are really grooving. Start on a single pitch and then add other notes once you are comfortable with the rhythm.
- Experiment with the "major blues scale" 1, 2, b3, 3, 5, 6, 8 in the keys of C and B-flat. You can play along with the drum grooves or blues rhythm section tracks.
Here's another great version of "All of Me" by Duke Ellington featuring Johnny Hodges. Check out Hodges's amazing triplets!
All of me Hodges:Ellington by boberwig
- Improvise using the one- and two- measure riff rhythms from the handout along with the shuffle drum track (in the dropbox). The repeats are "open," so repeat a single rhythm over and over again until you are really grooving. Start on a single pitch and then add other notes once you are comfortable with the rhythm.
- Experiment with the "major blues scale" 1, 2, b3, 3, 5, 6, 8 in the keys of C and B-flat. You can play along with the drum grooves or blues rhythm section tracks.
Here's another great version of "All of Me" by Duke Ellington featuring Johnny Hodges. Check out Hodges's amazing triplets!
All of me Hodges:Ellington by boberwig
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