If you’re a songwriter or a musician, you may have come across the term “harmony” before. But do you know what it means? Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes, creating chords that give a sense of structure and tonality to a piece of music. In jazz, harmony is the best tool... Continue Reading →
Target Notes Practice for Improvisation & Ear Training
One of the best ear training exercises you can do to learn jazz standards and improvisation is Target Notes. Imagine this melodic line over the progression: We could use our classification method to classify each note against their respective chord. But this would be a futile effort, since this line’s main purpose is to land on the b7 of the G7... Continue Reading →
The Bird Bebop Progressions Book in PDF format
After The Jazz Standard Progressions Book series was published it was only natural to take a closer look at the harmonic vocabulary used in Bebop repertoire. In the mid-1940s Bebop musicians revolutionized jazz with the use of complex harmonies, thrilling fast tempos and virtuosic instrumental technique. Charlie Parker, also known as “Bird”, would become... Continue Reading →