Improv Practice – Melody & 2x Solo (Miyako)
This is me shedding! Trying to work with motivic development and contrapuntal movement.
Funky Enclosures & Approach Notes
In this lesson we’ll take 3 exercises in one key and get them totally under our fingers and then improvise with them—in a funky context!
Bob Sheds “There Will Never Be Another You” In 5/4 and Tells You What He’s Thinking on Each Chorus
Exposing my inner monologue as I shed this challenging version of the classic standard.
Applying a Flat 9, Flat 13 Lick to Three Standards
In this lesson, I’ll show you how to tackle the most important (and often least practiced) part of learning new vocabulary – application. We’ll apply the lick over three tunes – Autumn Leaves, Oleo, and There is No Greater Love.
Shedding “Stella by Starlight” – Building a Solo from Fundamental Elements to Melodic Shapes
A simple chord-scale exercise for memorizing tunes and examples of an improvisational approach to memorizing and playing over chord changes.
Solo Analysis: Bob Breaks Down His Approach to “Our Day Will Come”
Motifs, rhythmic approaches, bebop scales, and one of my FAVORITE go-to harmonic tricks.
Improvising a solo introduction—in front of people and cameras (Breaking down my a cappella intro to “Mulholland”)
We’ll cover what I’m thinking, doing, and how I prepared to improvise 100% solo in front of people, cameras, and microphones.
Call and Response – Find New Material While Developing Your Improvisational Phrasing
This improv exercise will help develop your phrasing and help you break free of the same old licks and streams of eighth notes you’re stuck using.
Snarky Puppy Lesson Roundup: 7 Lessons on Memorizing and Retaining Music, Improvising Over Modal and Non-traditional Progressions, and Developing Melodic Ideas
Learning (and retaining) music quickly, navigating non-traditional chord progressions and forms, and finding ways to expand your improvisations on modal and loop-based grooves, these are all things we do on a nightly basis with Snarky Puppy. I’m on tour with them and we just played Utrecht, NL—the city where we recorded “We Like It Here,” it seemed like a good opportunity to round up a few Snarky-related lessons, including one I made during that recording session.
Understanding the Architecture of Vocabulary: The Honeysuckle Rose Lick
Mapping out exactly how a lick is built helps you assimilate it faster and makes it easier to apply it in your improvisations.
Playing “Out” Doesn’t Have to be Theoretical: Solo Break Over Stitched Up with John Mayer
Focusing on rhythm and spending lots of time practicing triads helped me to create this cool solo break.
Use Simple Triads to Get Away from Root-Based Improvising
Guide tone lines and triads are a concrete way to sound good over any chord changes, especially difficult, non-functional harmony.
Using “Anthropology” (rhythm changes) as a launchpad for practicing improvisation [7 lessons]
There’s a pile of great material to unlock in this Charlie Parker classic (based on “Rhythm” Changes).
Deconstructing the Theory and Rhythm Behind “Outlier” by Snarky Puppy
Connect non-traditional chord changes using common tones, guide tones, and simplified scales.
Create a modern inside/outside sound using first inversion triads
An advanced concept, based on a simple device, to get you out and in again.
Modal Melodies: How to Find the Right Notes (and Play Them Creatively)
Using the Joe Henderson song “Black Narcissus” as an example, I cover practice strategies for mastering each chord, scale, and the tune as a whole.
Limitation Exercise: Improvising With Only 4 Notes
Imposing limitations on your improvising is an effective way to shield you from the overwhelm of what to practice.
Improvisational Technique: Fourths Moving in Various Intervals
The important thing we’re training ourselves for here is mental flexibility.
Sidestepping: Sliding out—and Back in—to a Chord
A short phrase moving chromatically through ii-V’s