Friday, January 18, 2008

Jam on it.


Here are some free play-alongs from Hal Crook, one of the best teachers at Berklee. Hal Crook is a trombonist and a guru in jazz improvisation. Take a glance at the funny picture of him in his early years. His class at Berklee is always full and for good reason. On this website, he has recorded play-alongs, with alternate "heads" (melodies) for popular jazz standards. Additionally, he's highlighted in his heads the "guide tone" notes that outline the chord changes below the melody. Always remember, the thirds and the sevenths characterize the chord, so that when you move from one chord to the next, you should try and hit those changes in notes (the "chord changes"). If you do that, you are "guiding" the listener through the changes, hence the name "guide tone lines." It sounds complicated right? Try it, I think you'll find it's not as hard as you think. Click on the link HERE.

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Keep it clean, Buster Brown!