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Born in 1967, Matt Otto began playing piano at 3 and saxophone at 9, at 15 he began playing local jazz gigs on alto sax. After attended Indiana University, Berklee School of Music, and receiving his B.A. From The New School for Social Research (Mannes Jazz), he graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a Masters in fine arts. Matt has recorded 6 Cd's as a leader and appeared on over 20 Cd's as a side man. He has played with Anthony Wilson, Gregory Hutchinson, Ben Monder, Larry Goldings, Steve Cardenas, Ben Street and many others. Now Matt works as a side man in Kansas City, teaches privately and records and gigs with his original quartet. Visit mattotto.org or mattotto.net for further information.
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Copyright 2010 by the author of this book: Matt Otto. Matt Otto retains sole copyright to his contributions to this book. The Blurb-provided layout designs and graphic elements are copyright Blurb Inc., 2009. This book was created using the Blurb creative publishing service. The book author retains sole copyright to his or her contributions to this book.
Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 Harmonic Major
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This is a book of melodic phrases derived from the harmonic major scale. Harmonic major is comprised of a major scale (Ionian) with a b13 (or a b6 degree). In C major this is spelled as follows: C, D, E, F, G, Ab, B, C Each melody is displayed beneath a chord symbol which represents one suitable harmonic context for the example. Each chapter covers a different use of harmonic major. Throughout the book there are many suggestions for both variations an practice approaches. Chapters line up back to back to save space and paper. I encourage you to use this as a workbook. Most pages have some blank staff paper where you can add melodic material, voicings or any ideas that come to mind during practice. By writing down these ideas and working on them, you can begin to develop your own melodic vocabulary which can help you find a unique musical voice. Visit mattotto.org for free PDF and video lessons and other material for creative improvisation.
~Enjoy!
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~Table of Contents~
Introduction
~Page~
4
Chapter 1:
Modes and Chords
5
Chapter 2:
Arpeggiated Voicings
12
Chapter 3:
Rhythmic Displacement
13
Chapter 4:
ii-7 - V7 - I (Major)
14
Chapter 5:
V7 - i (Minor)
18
Chapter 6:
Melodic Sequence
22
Chapter 7:
Random Intervals
27
Chapter 8:
Diatonic Cycles
29
Chapter 9:
Triad Pairs
35
Chapter 1o:
Combination
38
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~Introduction
The melodies in this book are designed to help you hear specifically within the world of harmonic major. The melodies found throughout the book are derived exclusively from this harmonic palette. The 7 modes of harmonic major outline these basic harmonic contexts: 1. Major 7 b13 (like Major 7 #5 but with the natural 5 as well) 2. Minor 7 b5 (with a natural 9 and natural 13) 3. Dominant 7 b9 #9 b13 (with a natural 5th) 4. Minor Major 7 #11 5. Dominant 7 b9 (with a natural 11 and natural 13) 6. Major 7 #5, #9, #11 (with a natural 13) 7. Diminished (with a b9) In C harmonic Major the following major triads occur: C major, E major, G major The following minor triads occur: E minor, F minor The following augmented triads occur: E aug, Ab aug, C aug The following diminished triads occur: B dim, D dim , F dim, Ab dim
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Let's take a look at each of the primary chords found in harmonic major. These are short melodic examples that outline the first mode of harmonic major: C major b13 (with natural 11 and natural 5). If your 're playing a single note instrument I recommend working on this material over a pedal or drone or at the piano so you can hear the harmonic context for the melodies. At the very least, play one of the "shell voicing's" (root, 3rd, 7th) found in the first 4 measures. This will help prepare your ear with the harmonic context for the melody. If a melody appeals to your ear, put it through the 12 keys. Once you begin to hear harmonic major in this context (I maj 7 b13), try witting, singing, memorizing and performing your own material through the keys.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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The second mode of harmonic major is a -7b5 sound. Unique to this mode is the inclusion of natural 9 and a natural 13. Notice that the major scale derivative (locrian) contains a b9 and b13, while the melodic minor derivative (the 6th mode) contains natural 9 and b13. Again, it is useful to play these melodies at the piano or over a drone to help hear their harmonic context. This mode brings a subtle change to the sound of -7b5 so play the material as slowly as possible while still hearing the overall phrase. Singing the melodies will help you strengthen your ear internalize the music as wel.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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The 3rd mode of harmonic major is another subtle sound. It is a dominant chord with a b9, #9, b13 and natural 5th. Let's compare this mode to several other dominant modes. Diminished (half whole) contains b9, #9, and natural 13 and #11. The 7th mode of melodic minor (altered, super locrian or diminished whole tone) contains b9, #9 and b13 and #11. The 5th mode of melodic minor (9b13) contains natural 9, b13, natural 5th and natural 11. The 5th mode of harmonic minor (7b9,b13), contains b9, b13 natural 5th and natural 11. As you can see this mode gives us a unique group of notes and has no 11th degree.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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The fourth mode of harmonic major is a beautiful sounding minor-major 9 chord with a #11. This mode gives you some nice melodic material which works well as a creative substitution for the i chord in minor. The C maj or G maj triad work well over F or Ab in the bass when constructing voicings, as does E minor triad over F minor triad with the D natural in passing. These melodies outline this sound fairly clearly. Remember all these melodies have multiple contexts (all 12 chromatic pitches as possible roots), so experiment with different bass notes, especially the ones from outside the tonal center.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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The 5th mode of harmonic major is another dominant 7th sound. This functions as a dominant b9 substitute and gives you the b9 and b13 of diminished (half whole) but with a natural 11 and no #9. Although you can play your modes as scales through all the keys, transposing and working with actual melodic material from the onset, will not only help develop usable vocabulary right away, but will also outline the harmonic sound of the modes in a much clearer fashion.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Possibly the most dissident of the harmonic major modes (partially due to the absents of a perfect 5th above the root), the b6 mode outlines a Major 7th chord with a #5, #11, #9 and natural 13th. This is a bold substitute for a Major I chord and voicings similar to those used in the fourth mode (-/ maj #11) work well here. If using this mode as a substitute for a Major I chord, it's good to notice that your most consonant notes are the root, 3rd, #11, natural 13 and major 7th.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 1: Modes and Chords Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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The last mode of the harmonic major scale it a diminished sound. It is similar to the diminished scale (whole half) but with no maj 7th and a flatted 9. These melodies outline this sound and can be used over most diminished chords found in functional harmonic contexts. Again, if you are playing a single note instrument and aren't working at piano or over a drone, play one of the "shell voicings" found in the first 4 bars to help your ear hear the harmonic context before playing the melody. Revisiting the voicing between each 2 bar phrase will help you keep the context in your ear.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 2: Voicing Arpeggio Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Arpeggiating a harmonic voicing is creative way to find melodic material that clearly outlines a chord without sounding cliche. Here are four simple voicings for each of the common chords found in harmonic major. Each voicing should fit within the range of most instruments. Try playing each voicing at piano and than find an interesting way of arpeggiating each voicing on your primary instrument. On the next page are examples of similar arpeggiated voicings with rhythmic displacement.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 3: Rhythm Displaced Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Adding rhythmic displacement when working on all the material in this book is recommended. Displacing any melodic line by one eight note in either direction is a simple example of this. Another variation is to play the melody in all triplets and then experiment by displacing the starting note by 1 or 2 triplets in either direction. Some of the material will sound great in some displacements and not so good in others, use your ear to determine what is working and what is not. The following are seven arpeggiated voicing melodies, each played once on the down beat and again, displaced by one eight note, on the upbeat, this should illustrate the basic concept of rhythmic displacement.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 4: ii-V-I Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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These melodies will fit over ii-7(b5) - V7(b9) - I Maj in C major. You can play through all of them back to back, to help saccharate your ear with the harmonic major sound. Keep in mind all of these melodies have the potential of working nicely with any of the chords found in harmonic major. Try playing each 2 bar melody in isolation and work them through all the keys. Remember to stay relaxed, play slowly (with a metronome) and listen carefully. Always try to focus on hearing each phrase as one thing (horizontal awareness), while playing slowly enough to hear the note by note information (vertical awareness).
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 4: ii-V-I Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Try playing each of these phrases over a drone or pedal point. You can set the drone or pedal to any of the notes from the harmonic major scale to hear how these melodies sound in different harmonic contexts. Visit mattotto.org to download free tambura drones if you don't have the means to create your own. Take frequent breaks when practicing to allow your mind to digest the material and to let your physical body rejuvenate. Good posture will help to maximize nervous system function, find the "sweet spot" where you're sitting up straight but are extremely relaxed.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 4: ii-V-I Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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After you feel comfortable with the sound, the note choice and feeling of harmonic major in one key, try playing "random" intervals from the 7 notes slowly. Try to focus on rhythm and playing in deliberate phrases. An digital timer is a good tool to help remind you to rest and slow your pace. Try to break at least every 15 minutes to stand, stretch and drink water. This discipline will go along way towards helping you stay healthy, relaxed and focused.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 4: ii-V-I Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 5: V7 - i (minor) Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This next group of melodies work nicely over a V7 altered dominant to a i minor/ major 7 (#11). The melodies found over the G7alt will all come from Eb harmonic major, while the melodies over the C-/Maj(#11) will come from G harmonic major. By playing these melodies in varied mixed rhythms, (triplets quarter notes etc.), the material should become easier to improvise with.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 5: V7 - i (minor) Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Taking some of the phrases that you connect with in this book and applying them to chord progressions you enjoy improvising over can help you begin to incorporate some of the new material into your melodic vocabulary.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 5: V7 - i (minor) Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Harmonic Major can be used to create many functional chords which work as nice substitutes for standard harmonic material. Practice using these sounds where you might use more generic colors, over progressions found in the standard repertoire.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 5: V7 - i (minor) Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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After memorizing one phrase in this key, try putting it through all 12 keys. Once you start feeling comfortable with this material, try to write your own melodies using these basic concepts, or edit the note choice of any given phrase to suite your ear.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 6: Melodic Sequence
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The following studies are melodic sequences that contain cycle motion that stays within the harmonic major scale. This first melody arpeggiates each chord of the harmonic major scale and ascends and than descends by step. This melody should help you hear the harmonies contained within the scale. The phrase is arranged in triplets grouped in eight. This creates an "over the barline" effect and can be applied in principal and in variation to all the material in this book. Lean these sequential melodies in all the keys and you will have a good starting point for the exploration of harmonic major.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 6: Melodic Sequence
These second two examples move in diatonic fourths or the cycle of diatonic 4ths. Often times, isolating a 3-5 note group from an exercise like this and learning to sing that short phrase will help to internalize the sound. Singing is always the litmus test for what is deeply heard. Often times we can recognize sounds but cannot sing them back accurately. This is a good sign that such a melody or sound is not heard deeply enough yet. Once you can sing an idea or phrase with little effort, that sound has been adequately mastered.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 6: Melodic Sequence
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This first melody ascends by diatonic step through the most common harmonies found in the scale. You can also come up with many different harmonies by grouping notes in fourths, or by voicing triads over different bass notes. These are all common ways of "harmonizing" a scale. This second melody descends by diatonic step. These sequences are grouped in 7 and could be played in 4/4, 5/4 or any other meter to create and "over the barline" rhythmic effect.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 6: Melodic Sequence
This melodic sequence also ascends than descends by step. Singing this material is invaluable and will develop your ear much faster and more completely than merely playing through and memorizing each phrase. Also, working on each bar in isolation, so you can focus more completely on the whole phrase and not just the individual notes will help you to bring the melodies to life.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 6: Melodic Sequence
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Often times a triad embellished with step wise motion will create a strong melody. These two sequences reflect this underlying concept. The first melody encloses the 5th degree of each chord before arpeggiating the triad. The second melody utilizes a passing tone and lower neighbor tone to embellish the triad. An infinite amount of melodic material can be created using this basic idea.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 7: Random Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Playing "random" intervals is nearly impossible since the human mind naturally tries to organize sound. Also, both muscle memory and what is "heard" in the minds ear, seems repetitive and finite. The following exercises are created using a true random number generator. The only editing was to remove repeated notes in the same octave. In this first example the notes have been generated within a two octave range. Try playing these "melodies" slowly over different drones, they're sure to expand your ear and help break down muscle memory habits.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 7: Random Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This etude adds 3 more notes to the random generator. The beauty of incorporating randomness into a 7 note structure is that new material comes to light; ideas that may have never occurred to you that still sound interesting and melodic. Nearly any 3-5 notes from this random etude could create a good melody especially after adding rhythmic variation and harmonic context. Singing these intervallic lines should prove challenging.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
Diatonic cycles can be useful in exploring scales. This cycle "wheel" (clockwise), creates ascending diatonic 2nds, or diatonic 7ths (when octave displacement is used to leap down). The same cycle reversed (counter-clockwise), creates descending diatonic steps or diatonic 7ths (for ascending leaps). Either way, the order of notes will always be the same in any cycle wheel. Leaps beyond an octave (like a 9th or more), are also fine.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
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This cycle (clockwise) ascends by diatonic 3rd (or 10ths) or leaps down by diatonic 6th and creates very strong melodic contours as every group of 3 notes creates a triad, and every group of 4 notes, a 7th chord and so on. This same cycle reversed (counter-clockwise) will be covered on the next page. Adding rhythmic variation and space to these melodies can help bring them to life. Learning these cycle motion melodies in all keys and all scale types could be a life time of work.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
This cycle (clockwise) creates melodies that descend by diatonic 3rd (or 10ths) or ascend by diatonic 6th. This is also a very melodic diatonic cycle, since every 3 notes creates a triad. The melodies become more intervallic when two or more ascending leaps of a 6th are executed back to back. Once you feel comfortable with the restraints of the cycle, try improvising your own melodies slowly, you can use the cycle graphic to the right to help remind you of the correct order of notes.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
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This Cycle wheel creates melodies that ascend by fourth or descend by 5th. With the absence of 2nds and 3rds, this cycle leads to some angular intervallic melodies. Keep in mind that this is raw material based on the simple concept of diatonic cycle motion. By changing the cycle motion mid stream, and adding rhythmic variation, there are infinite melodic possibilities just within harmonic major.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
This last cycle will produce melodies that ascend by diatonic 5th or descend by diatonic 4th. Playing all these diatonic cycle motion melodies over each of the chords found in harmonic major (and/or any other chord you'd like to use), will help you find your favorite harmonic context(s) for the material. Write down these ideas and work them through the keys. This will help you develop an original melodic vocabulary.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 8: Diatonic Cycles
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Once you're comfortable improvising from a diatonic cycle "wheel", you can begin combining 2 or more cycle motions into one larger wheel. Here are some examples of double cycle motion wheels. You can combine as many cycles as you want within a wheel. By improvising the rhythms and octave displacement while maintain a strict adherence to the note choice as dictated by the wheel, you can explore a wide variety of new melodic possibilities in and organized and focused way. This can be a great way to discover new melodies, train your ear and develop an original melodic vocabulary.
This first diatonic cycle wheel creates diatonic 2nds or 7ths and 3rds or 6ths.
This third wheel creates 4ths or 5ths and 7ths or 9ths. 34
This second wheel produces diatonic 4ths or 5ths and 3rds or 6ths.
This last wheel produces 3rd or 6ths and 5ths or 4ths. Try making your own wheels.
Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 9: Triad Pairs Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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Triad pairs have become a popular tool in improvisation. By alternating between two triads in all inversions you can create an interesting line of intervallic melodic material. This chapter will look at a few of the triad pairs found within harmonic major. You can try these triad pairs over any of the chords derived from harmonic major or over any other suitable chord. This first triad pair uses F minor and E minor triads. The first example utilizes spread triads, the second,closed triads.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 9: Triad Pairs Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This next triad pair uses the C augmented triad and the G major triad. The first example only uses 2 notes from one of the triads to help disguise the underlying two triad structure. The second example does the same thing, this time only using two notes from each of the two triads. The final 6 bars outlines both complete triads. Experiment using more or less notes from each triad. This will lead to interesting rhythmic groupings and less predictability in the melodic contour.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 9: Triad Pairs Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This triad pair exercise uses the C major triad and the D diminished triad throughout. The first 5 bars only uses 2 notes from each triad, where as the rest of the etude uses all three notes from each triad. To be clear, the first 2 notes come from a C major triad, the second 2 notes form the D diminished triad, and so on. By working on these triad pairs over a drone, you can begin to find the pairs that sound best to your ear over specific types or qualities of chords.
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 10: Combination Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This exercise combines several of the concepts talked about earlier in this book. The first four notes of this melody come from a diatonic cycle motion wheel, the second 6 notes come from triad pairs. The diatonic cycle is also applied bar to bar (which ascends by step and than descends by step).
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Modern Jazz Vocabulary ~ Vol. 1 ~ Chapter 10: Combination Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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This last exercise combines an arpeggiated voicing with melodic sequence. The phrase is also rhythmically displaced in three different triplet configurations and the melody moves in diatonic fourths every 3 bars. By combining these different concepts for melodic development you can create melodies that inspire you, original material which you can practice for a lifetime.
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Visit mattotto.org to download free PFD and video lessons and CD's.
Buyer: Sergey Babaylov (
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A creative introduction to the harmonic major scale and its use in developing an original language for improvisation. Several tools for unique melodic and harmonic construction are covered in this book, including:
Melodic Sequences, Random Intervals, Triad Pairs, Modes and Chords, Combinations, Rhythmic Displacement, Cycle Motion Wheels, and more.
