ScaleStudies For JazzGuitar 44 daily warm-ups to build killer chops
By Rick Stone
Scale Studies for Jazz Guitar, Copyright © 2015 by Rick Stone/Jazz Guitar Lessons.com All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
For information contact; Rick Stone 12 Micieli Place Brooklyn, NY 11218 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.rickstone.com Website: www.jazzguitarlessons.com
Book and Cover design by Rick Stone/Jazzand Music
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------ 1 FIVE MAJOR SCALE STUDIES ------------------- 2 FIVE MELODIC MINOR SCALE STUDIES ------- 4 FIVE HARMONIC MINOR SCALE STUDIES ---- 6 FIVE HARMONIC MAJOR SCALE STUDIES ---- 8 DIMINISHED SCALE STUDIES ----------------- 10 WHOLE-TONE SCALE STUDIES --------------- 11 MAJOR PENTATONIC STUDIES --------------- 12 MINOR 69 PENTATONIC STUDIES ------------ 14 DOMINANT 7 PENTATONIC STUDIES -------- 16
DOMINANT 7(b9) PENTATONIC STUDIES --- 18 ABOUT THE AUTHOR --------------------------- 20
I n tr od uc ti on Most musicians agree upon the importance of understanding scales as a basis for building solid technique on your instrument. But many of the available books and methods contain examples that are a bit less than musical (and not much fun to play either!). This handbook of scales aims remedy that by giving you examples of lines that I play in my own daily scale practice. I advise using the following system of practice, which is based on Kenny Werner’s book Effortless Mastery. Kenny’s “Learning Diamond” illustrates four parameters; Effortless, Perfect, Fast, and The Whole Thing. The idea is that all playing should be effortless, but if you try to play “fast, perfect and the whole thing” too soon, it will definitely not be effortless. So when learning new material, you can systematically sacrifice one of the other parameters. This leaves you with three alternatives: 1) Play the Whole Thing, Perfect but not Fast! 2) Play Fast and Perfect but not The Whole Thing. 3) Play The Whole Thing Fast, but not Perfect. Each one of these methods brings its own rewards, and I suggest using all three in a cyclical manner in your practice. Try using the following method. 1) Play the example perfectly and very slowly at first, reading and saying the name of each note as you play it. Do this until you are comfortable with all the notes. 2) Play a 5-note group beginning on beat “one” and ending on beat “three.” (this can also be done with groups beginning on beat “three” and ending on beat “one” of the following measure). These exercises were composed in a somewhat “modular” way, so that the line continually lands on chord tones on the first and third beat, so you should feel each fivenote group as a complete and satisfying line. Play these modules perfectly and concentrate on giving them a compelling rhythmic feeling. 3) Play the whole example fast and don’t worry about the mistakes. Mistakes will probably happen, but playing perfectly is not what this part of your practice is about. This is more about getting a “feel” for the bigger picture. These examples were designed to be mostly scale-wise with some intervallic jumps. After you are familiar with the examples, feel free to change them, write your own, or improvise using them (try them with play-along recordings from Jamey Aebersold). Happy practicing! ~ Rick Stone Page 1
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F I V E Ma j o r s c a l e s tu d i e s
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F i v e Me l od i c Mi n or S c a l e S t ud i e s
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f i v e h a r m on i c mi n o r s c a l e s tud i e s
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f i v e h a r m on i c ma j o r s c a l e s tud i e s
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d i m i n i s h e d s c a l e s t ud i e s
P a g e 10
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w h o l e - ton e s c a l e s t ud i e s
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ma j or p e n ta t on i c s tu d i e s
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P a g e 13
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mi n or 6 9 p e n ta t on i c s t ud i e s
P a g e 14
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P a g e 15
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d o mi n a n t 7 p e n ta to n i c s t ud i e s
P a g e 16
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P a g e 17
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d o mi n a n t 7 ( b 9 ) p e n ta t on i c s t ud i e s
P a g e 18
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P a g e 19
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A b ou t th e A u th or “one of the finest straight-ahead jazz guitarists on the current NYC jazz scene.” – Robert Silverstein, MWE3.com From fresh interpretations of jazz standards to lyrically evocative originals, Brooklyn-based guitarist Rick Stone is an artist with a clear musical vision. His fluid, full-bodied sound pays homage to the great jazz masters of the past while maintaining a personal style with a contemporary edge. Rick is a respected teacher at Jazzmobile, BCM, Hofstra and other colleges and has recently launched the educational website jazzguitarlessons.com. His trio performs regularly at the Garage, the Bar Next Door and other NYC venues. Rick’s latest CD Fractals features his working trio with bassist Marco Panascia and drummer Tom Pollard. Says reviewer Dave Walker; ”This is no-nonsense jazz with a classic dark tone and killer chops.” Rick Stone began playing guitar at age nine in his hometown of Cleveland. He developed an early affinity for the blues, but it was in the mid-seventies that his passion for jazz was sparked after hearing a live performance of saxophonist Sonny Stitt. His musical quest led him to Berklee College of Music and then on to New York where he found a fertile and stimulating environment in Barry Harris’ Jazz Cultural Theatre. While studying with the legendary pianist, Rick honed his craft sitting in alongside veteran players like Tommy Flanagan, Lionel Hampton, Clarence “C” Sharpe, and Junior Cook. Then, under the tutelage of jazz masters Jimmy Heath, Ted Dunbar, Donald Byrd, Tony Purrone and Hal Galper, he earned his M.A. at Queens College. Soon Rick was leading all-star groups of his own with musicians like Kenny Barron, Eric Alexander, Vernel Fournier, Richard Wyands, Ralph Lalama, Dennis Irwin and Billy Hart in performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, The Smithsonian Institution, The Blue Note and Birdland. His recordings Blues For Nobody, Far East and Samba de Novembro have achieved wide critical acclaim. In the 90s Rick led a series of guitar duos at the Swing Street Café with guests including Peter Bernstein, Mark Elf, Roni Ben-Hur, Peter Leitch and Freddie Bryant, toured South America with his trio, and played regularly at Sette MoMA, followed by a five year stint with swing clarinetist Sol Yaged (2002-2007). A sought-after sideman, Rick has worked with Irene Reid, Ronny Whyte, Vince Giordano and Eric Person, and is featured on CD’s by Carol Sudhalter, Al Ashley (with Dave Leibman), Mary Ann Hurst, and Carol Leven. Rick has written for Just Jazz Guitar, Jazz Guitar Life, and several Mel Bay Publications. His clinics have won accolades at IAJE, MENC and numerous colleges and universities. He has received two IAJE Awards for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education and several NEA performance fellowships. P a g e 20
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