Bert Ligon

bligon@mozart.sc.edu

PRACTICING JAZZ
How to prepare for improvisation (defined as "To do or perform (something)
without prior preparation or practice")

At all stages add to your vocabulary from transcribed excerpts.

Analyze the excerpts/determine applications/change, develop

3. Blues scale ideas

Major

A section of Rhythm Changes

3rds/Outline No.
1 Outline No. 3

Bluesy/Triadic

B section of Rhythm Changes

Outline No. 2 Outline No. 3
 Sequence from above:
Outline No. 2 Outline No. 3

A section of Rhythm Changes

Minor Blues Idea:

KOKO idea follows GTs Diatonic triads

Bert Ligon

bligon@mozart.sc.edu

[Return to Jazz Transcriptions page]

Thoughts on Practicing Jazz

You have to practice improvisation, let no one kid you about it!
Art Tatum

Jazz is not just. "Well, man this is what I feel like playing." It's a very
structured thing that comes down from a tradition and requires a lot
of thought and study
Wynton Marsalis

From Men at Work, George Will

"I see things that I have conjured in my imagination and in my
memory and mind over a long period of time. Then it all just pours
out." a combination of muscle memory and cultural literacy.
Van Gogh

From Men at Work, George Will

"Instincts" are actually the result of an accumulation of baseball
information. They are uses of information as the basis of decision
makingas game situations develop.
Tony LaRussa, baseball manager
(Replace "baseball" with "music", and "game" with "improvisational
performance")

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a

habit.
Aristotle

An artist has to be like a whale, swimming with his mouth open,

until he finds what he needs.
Romare Beardon

Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the

uninhibited energy of the child with it apparent opposite and enemy,
the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.
Norman Podhoretz

Paint what you know, not what you Play what you hear, not what you
see. know.
Picasso Miles Davis

You have to know 400 notes that you can play, then pick the right
four.
Miles Davis

It isn't where you came from, it's where you're going that counts.
Ella Fitzgerald

There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places.
Miles Davis

It's not the note you play that's the wrong note it's the note you
play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.
Miles Davis

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up
someplace else.
Yogi Berra

We start out playing by ear, learning everything we can, and finally

ending up playing by ear again.
Lee Konitz

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something.

Pablo Picasso

It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play.

Dizzy Gillespie

Plan practice room activities after thinking about these things:

Jazz involves improvising playing what you feel, playing what you
hear.

Jazz musicians improvise over standard harmonic progressions.

Jazz musicians should be able to hear standard harmonic

progressions.

Melodies move in two ways: steps or leaps.

Musicians who improvise should be familiar with steps (scales) and

leaps (arpeggios) on their instruments.

Standard harmonic progressions are made up of individual chords.

Jazz improvisers should be familiar with the sound of each

individual chord.

Individual chords do not occur by themselves in standard harmonic

progressions.

Chords in standard harmonic progressions occur in common

sequences usually in or pointing to traditional key centers.

Jazz improvisers should be familiar with those key centers, should

hear and be able to play what specifically connects these individual
chords in common progressions.
 Improvisation, as spontaneous composition is more than just playing
in the right key and connecting the chords in a common
progression.

Composition involves developing ideas. A partial list of devices that

could be applied to rhythmic or pitched musical ideas would
include: repetition and sequencing, fragmentation,
embellishment/ornamentation, augmentation/diminution,
inversion/retrograde/retrograde inversion, displacement, mode or
color changes.

In order to compose spontaneously, an improviser must

have practicied compositional devices in addition to understanding
the connection of chords in common progressions.

An improvisation takes place over time and may have an emotional

or dramatic curve.

Jazz improvisers should consider the elements that create the

architecture of an improvisation and learn what musical devices and
musical decisions affect the outcome.

Bert Ligon

bligon@mozart.sc.edu
PRACTICING PHILOSOPHY (lecture)

The following is basically (with some edits) the lecture I gave at the Jamey Aebersold
Summer Workshop in Louisville, Kentucky at the end of my one day visit there in
July, 2005. There is a two set DVD available through Caris Music (David Liebman
Teaches and Plays) with this lecture in addition to another on saxophone expressive
techniques. It also includes a concert featuring Rufus Reid, Dave Hazeltine, John
Riley and Steve Davis. But for those who want a freebie, heres the rap on practicing.
Of course some of this material appears elsewhere in my writings over the years, but it
is always good to revisit it every so often.

NOW WHAT?

The purpose of coming to a workshop like this is to learn, to improve in the pursuit of
this particular music. If at the end of five days, you are not completely confused,
something is wrong. If you are not slightly frustrated, something is really
wrong.now what? The nature of the week is intense, more than what could ever be
absorbed. This is not just learning facts and repeating them. This must be applied to
your instrument. Without reinforcement it has no meaning. There are too many books
in the music store that all say the same thing. The knowledge has been told, there are
only so many ways to say the same thing.

You must try to see through the forest. Make a list on paper of the things you learned
this week. This should be about ten or twenty pages, from very complex to very
simple. Do this while it is fresh in your mind. Separate this list into categories-ranging
from the five year plan to what you may be able to accomplish in a few concentrated
hours in the next week or two so that they become natural, without having to think
about it. Look at in an objective way; what can I get right now?

In English, we have the conditional tense which doesnt exist in many other
languages. Conditional is should, would, couldits all about doing, IF, IF, IF. You
dont want to be in the conditional sense in regard to your practicing. You know what
it is; just look at the list and find three to five things you can do on the next month.
Dont worry about what you cant do. Its the old clich again: the glass half empty or
half full analogy---well it is half full in this case. Thats the way to get something of
value out of this week.

RITUAL

Some of the material demands rote practicing, day after day until it is part of you.
Scales, learning tunes, transcribing, they are time consuming. The most important
thing about practicing is ritual. All religions that try to inculcate someone into their
beliefs have as a basic past of what they do entwined in ritual. Theres a reason for
this, because when you do something enough times, it starts to take hold. If you are
going to learn something new on your instrument, it must be done every day for a
certain amount of time. I cant tell you what the time is unless you came directly to
me. Thats what your teachers job is, to prioritize and to tell you how long to work on
a particular technique. Until its done every day, you are wasting time. When you
cram for a test, you dont remember anything after. It hasnt been absorbed enough.

Be realistic, eight hours a day is probably not going to happen, not necessarily
because of your desire, but life in general takes over. You have to look at your
schedule realistically whether you are forty five years old or ten. If youre serious
about what you have to do, then you realistically have x amount of time. Not just
holidays, not the weekend, not waiting till the house is empty. Ask yourself what
you can realistically do Monday through Saturday with my life the way it is (Lets be
optimistic about it and say we have four to six hours a day.) If you can stick to at least
two to three hours a day, for a minimum of six days a week, then you have a shot.
(The other day go out in the woods!!) If you can stay with that you are on your way to
good practicing. Some things take 6-9 months depending upon the difficulty of what
you are trying to learn and your personal abilities in relation to that; but if it is just a
new scale, then maybe a few weeks, etc. If you put your time in, it WILL happen.

ORGANIZING TIME
The next thing is quite important, about priorities-how to organize your time with no
distractions. The ideal scene: no one can hear you, not your mother, not your brother,
not your friend, not your lady---nobody should hear you practicing. You can say I
dont care but the vibe is in the air and it affects you. If you cant be alone do the best
you can. This is your time, its a meditation. Its work, its real work which means a
lot of mental calories and it has to be done without distraction.

OBJECTIVITY
One of my teachers (Charles Lloyd) said to me (paraphrased): Youre not being
objective; youre getting TOO into it all the time. Youre over the top. You should be
practicing but you think you are performing. Ill bet you stand in front of the mirror
and see how pretty you look with that shiny horn! Theres no emotion about
practicingobjectivity, not subjectivity. There shouldnt be: Yes, this is good; no,
this is bad. You should feel nothing! Its practice-save the emotion for the bandstand
and when you want to impress someone. When you are practicing theres nobody
there but you and the night and the music (great tune). Theres no opinion about it.
If you do it like that, you are going to gain a lot from practicing. This is not fun-its
work-just do it. Have fun when you go out and play. When someone says you sound
good, there will be a feeling of joy and accomplishment that is real and right to feel.
Not because your practice went good or bad-be objective!

JOURNAL
Keep a practice journal; short notes on what needs work, the metronome setting, etc.
This will be great reinforcement when you look back. And it will remind you of things
you mightve forgotten. Ways to check your own progress-be you own teacher. The
only thing a teacher should do besides motivation is give you a program and check its
progress. Its up to you to do it in a critical, objective fashion-every day with a
schedule and cognizant of your weaknesses and strengths. You all know what your
weakest points are. Be specific; is it time problems, what do you mean-do you drag;
do you rush; is it stilted or choppy, etc? You have to define in your minds eye what
the problem is so you can tackle it heads on. The teacher can help direct exercises to
help the SPECIFIC situation. Put this at the top of your listgo for your weaknesses
first. Forget the conditional tense; what you can do now that will make you better in
the short term, followed by the long term.

SELF REINFORCEMENT
Reward yourself by listening to how you played six months ago. YOU ARE
BETTER!! At least in those things you were practicing. Anything you study will have
to get better, unless you are brain dead!! Especially if you are a novice, things change
rapidly. Six months to a year is greatyouve got to be better and again its the glass
half empty /half full. Instead of Ill never be good enough; he is better; she is so
good; Im notI cant, etc., you will feel positive for a change. Of course there are

some things you may not be able to accomplish now or ever maybe, but there are a lot
you can. Look at the pictures of the great cats around you on the wall here in the hall.
They are not there just for fun-these are guys who did what I am saying.

GENIUS OR WORK?
In my opinion the only pure genius in music was Mozart. He was different from day
one, he had it hooked up. EVERYBODY ELSE WORKED THEIR ASS OFF!!
EVERYBODY!! Bird worked, Trane worked, Bill Evans worked, even Miles in his
way worked-I can tell you that. Of course each person has their own way of practicing
and their own goals but it is not about genius or incredible talent only (of course you
have to have some degree of that). Its about commitmentI can do this, I can get
better, I can be at least as good as that guy over there. Everybody in this room can get
better. If you really wish to get better, whether you are a professional, an aspiring
student or play for a hobby. Whichever way, it is the same. Whatever level you are on,
it doesnt matter; you can be better than you think if you put time in and are serious
about it. Its how you organize your time that is crucial.

RELAX BUT PRACTICE, DONT PLAY

There is nothing wrong with putting the ax down once in awhile. Its cool and
necessary. When you go back it is fresh again. Thats a stage that can go on for a few
weeks even. Take it in stride. Maybe you are expecting too much and being too
critical. Maybe you are scattering your energy over many hours rather than focusing.
One good hour is better than four with ho focus. (Of course, if this slump goes on
too long, you have a motivation problem and maybe should become a plumber!!)

I teach Doctoral students and ask them what they practiced yesterday. They say this or
that book, patterns, etc., and then they just played. What do they mean by played?
That isnt practice, thats playing. OK, once you get the basics down (scales, chords,
licks, etc.) what do you do? More tunes? You see jazz is not like classical where the
agenda is obvious: learn this piece until it is perfect and then on to the next. You got
every marking of nuance to follow, tempos, everything. Learn what is on the page and
then MAYBE you can be yourself in the interpretationbut of course only at the
highest level. I envy these guys-they have it all mapped out. In the case of jazz, how
do you measure how well you know your scales? Because they are played fast in your
woodshed? Or because you can run them on a chord change in a tune? We dont
have the same discrete measurements that they have in classical so it is imperative that
you are objective and use your time wisely. Be realistic and not so hard on yourself
that you create a minefield. But of course be vigilant.

THE REAL DEAL-PRACTICING PLAYING

So how do you practice playing? Well, you cant-it is a misnomer. Sure, you can learn
tunes and play through the stuff, but you cant practice the feeling of interacting and
spontaneity and all the things that go into a typical jazz performance. There is a period
to play and not to play. Sometimes I have guys who are always looking for sessions to
strut their stuff. But maybe they should be doing heavy practicing instead of hanging
out late. Get up at 9 a.m. and do all the boring rote stuff till 12. Take a break, do some
business and do more before another break for dinner. Do some listening or light
composing at night and go to bed at a reasonable time so you can do the same routine
the next days. Dont go out and jam at this stage-you are not ready. But next year, get
out of the house and hit the streets. Get some gigs, etc. Theres a time and place for
everything-use good judgment and seek the advice of people who really know the
process.

RECOGNITION OF THE PROBLEM IS ALL

Analyzing is great. In fact, half the problem is defining the problem. If you define it,
you already have most of the solution!! Let say you are practicing a pattern the same
way over and over again. Sit down and write five variations using space, different
articulations, augmentation, neighboring tones, syncopation, etc. Since the caveman,
we have been doing theme and variations even with three notes. Your job is to make it
interesting so you are not stuck into rote, mechanical responses. Check it out: You
come up against a problem which frustrates you. The fact that you noticed it (or a
teacher/peer pointed it out-either way) is half the battle. Now, with objectivity and
common sense you figure a way to improve the situation. Not magic-not even
inspiration-just perspiration!! This is the auto didactic route; you are solving the
problem yourself and gain confidence by doing that repeatedly. It may not be the
answer to life, but you did it YOURSELF and that is crucial. Theme and variations
in twelve keysdamn, you are good for three weeks!!

AWAY FROM THE WOODSHED

There are many things you can do away from your instrument, even using the pitch
pipe for ear training while walking around. Or singing rhythms in eight bar phrases.
Do ear training with the radio. Most of all read about music and art. What made
Beethoven tick or Louis Armstrong or Picasso or Miles? There are insights ready to be
grabbed if you read and think about it. Their situation and yours are not as far apart as
it seems, given time and place differences. Read stuff that isnt music. Get your mind
going-be able to analyze, dissect, organize and fantasize. In the end, your message
isnt going to be what you know or think you know. It will be about your life and
experiences. So get busy.

Later and peace!!

ARTM 142 (Fall 2003)

New North Music Room: T & Th 11:40-12:55
Professor Jos Bowen

Jazz Theory & Improvisation

Syllabus

If you are able to free yourself through expression in music, it must be jazz.
And even the greatest players are only fortunate enough to experience that
freedom for a couple of minutes at a time. Jazz is the only music in the
Western world in which the most risk yields the greatest results.
Keith Jarrett

Contact Information
Professor Jos Bowen
Office: New North Performing Arts Suite (old UIS area)
Office Phone: 202-687-0969 (direct)
Email: bowenja2@muohio.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:30 and by appointment

You do not need an appointment to see me. I am in the office when I am not
teaching most Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. There should also be time
after class most days to answer questions. However, if you want more than a
minute, try an appointment; I go to lots of meetings, but you can always call
me in the office or email me. You can call me at home if it can't wait, but
please remember that I have a family. Please try not to call before 9am or
after 9pm. (Remember, I'm a musician.) Home Phone: 703 749 0130. Call
me, I will always make time for you.

Course Aims and Objectives

(1) In this course, you will learn how jazz (and lots of pop music) works. You
will become familiar with the basic rhythmic, harmonic, melodic and formal
conventions of jazz. You need NO previous experience other than facility on
an instrument and an understanding of scales (or ARTM 141).

(2) You will also learn the basic scale, key and chord theory, which is
applicable to all Western music. You should leave this course with an
understanding of how chords and scales work and the ability to manipulate
them in real time.

(3) At the end of the course you should be able to identify some of the
different instruments and the different types of ensembles used in jazz and
pop music.

(4) This is a theory course (and not a repertoire or history course), but you
should still learn a bit of new music. The styles of jazz and pop are as varied
as they are in all of classical music; some of it you will like and some you will
hate. Just as you wouldn't assume that anyone who likes Brit Pop likes
Heavy Metal, don't assume that everyone who likes ?jazz? will like both
Woody Herman and Ornette Coleman. Hopefully, this course will give you
some tools to appreciate, analyze and critique a variety of new music on its
own terms.

(5) The most important aim is to allow you to improvise jazz in a variety of
settings and styles.

Class Format

Lecture/Drill 11:40-12:55 Tuesday and Thursday NN MR

Lab/Jams 10:15-11:30 Tuesday OR Thursday OR TBA NN MR

During the first few weeks you'll be placed into groups so that you'll get more
playing time. We'll probably set up one group on Tuesday and one group on
Thursday. Everyone will need to come to all lectures and to one combo
session per week.

Schedule of Topics

Week 1, August, 28: Introduction

 Background
Intervals and Scales
Swing Rhythms
Drills:
a) Interval Review
b) Swing Rhythms
c) Reeves CD, Tracks 2 & 3
Reading:
Reeves CB: pages 3-17, 279-286 or Reeves CJI pages 1-24, 305-306
(Note we are using the 2nd edition of this book titled Creative Beginnings
(CB) but the 3rd edition is called Creative Jazz Improvisation (CJI). Last
year they ran out of the CB and so some folks had to use CJI. I am leaving
both numbers, just in case you got the wrong edition.)
Further Study (optional):
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 3-12)
Listen to Stan Getz

Week 2, September 2 & 4: Theory in Real Time

Circle of Fifths as Geography
Playing and Thinking Scales
Special Session: Piano Scale Fingering
Drills:
a) Keys and Degrees
b) Multi-octave scales through all keys
c) Reeves CD, Tracks 2, 3 & 4
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 4 (pages 21-39) and pages 286-291
or ReevesCJI: Chapter 4 (pages 31-43)
Further Reading (optional):
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 95-102)

Week 3, September 9 & 11: Basic Harmony

Practice Test: Circle of Fifths
Basic Harmony I: The Four Triads
Diatonic Triads
Harmony in Real Time
Drills:
a) Diatonic Progressions in all Keys (at the piano)
b) Diatonic progressions with inversions in all keys (at the piano)
c) Add Left Hand Roots (for pianists)
d) Swing multioctave scales through all keys
e) Reeves CD, Track 5
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 5 (pages 40-60)
or ReevesCJI: Chapter 5 (pages 44-57)
Week 4, September 16 & 18: Seventh Chords
Timed Test: Circle of Fifths (10 points) September 16
Basic Harmony II: Seventh Chords
Practice Chord Test
Special Session: Bass Lines
Drills:
a) Diatonic Seventh Progressions in Triads (at the piano)
b) Swing multioctave scales through all keys
c) Reeves CD, Track 6
Further Study (for pianists especially)
d) Diatonic Seventh Progressions with Inversions
e) Add Roots in Left Hand
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 6 (pages 61-80) or CJI: Chapter 6 (pages 58-70)

Week 5, September 23 & 25: ii-V-I

Timed Test: Chord Analysis (10 points) September 23
Functional Harmony
Special Session: LH Piano Voicing (3rd and 7ths)
Drills:
a) Diatonic Seventh Progressions in Triads (at the piano)
b) Oral Analysis
c) Running the Changes
d) Running the Changes with Swing
e) Reeves CD, Track 6
Further Study (for pianists especially)
f) use 3rd and 7th only in LH
g) or use 3rd and 7th in RH and bass notes in LH
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 7 (p. 81-112) and 292-303 or CJI: Ch 7 (p. 71-94)
Further Reading (optional):
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 15-23)

Week 6, September 30: Bobby McFerrin in the House

October 2: Jazz and Pop Sounds
Timed Test: Tune Analysis (10 points) October 2
Individual Instruments (Trumpets, Trombones, Saxes, Guitars)
Jazz and Pop Ensembles
Listening to Jazz: Aesthetics

Week 7, October 7 & 9 Consolidation & Rhythm

Practice Habits & Speed
Head Arrangements & Idiomatic Rhythmic Patterns
Practice Test: Tune Analysis
Drills:
 a) Oral Analysis, Running the Changes & Swing
b) Rhythmic Patterns
c) Reeves CD, Track 7
Further Reading (optional):
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 246-256)

Week 8 October 14 & 16: Moving to Melody

Moving to Melody: Chord Tones and Weighted Scales
New Melodies for Old Tunes
Special Session: LH Piano Voicing (5th and 7ths) & Basic Rhythms
Drills:
a) Weighted Scales
b) Rhythmic Patterns with Chord Tones
c) Reeves CD, Tracks 2-7
Further Study:
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 113-170)

Week 9, October 21 & 23: Tune Structures and Review

32 Bar AABA Tunes (Start Compositions)
Special Session: Two-Hand Comping
Drills: (keep doing this after the midterm!)
a) Oral Tune Analysis
b) Running the Changes (Multioctave Scales)
c) Running the Changes -- Add Swing
d) Rhythmic Patterns
e) Piano & Guitar Play all Chords
f) Piano Practice Voicing Drills (3rd and 7th in L.H.)
g) Chord Tone Drills (Swing)
h) Rhythmic Patterns with Chord Tones
i) Weighted Scales I (stop on chord tones)
j) Weighted Scales II (chord tones with filler)
k) Repeat e-j for both tunes and ii-V-I drills
l) Reeves CD, Tracks 2-7

Week 10, October 28 & 30: Midterm

Midterm Performed Assessment: Running the Changes & Swing (20
points)
Reading:
Reeves: Review Chapter 4-7 (same in Reeves CJI)
Make sure you have read and understand all of this.
Continue with Reeves tracks 11-14.
After this exam, you will be expected to have MASTERED all of the material
up to now.
Week 11, November 4 & 6: Blue Notes and The Blues
Blue Notes and 9 Note Scales
DRAFT Composition Due in Class (2 points) November 6
Drills:
a) Weighted Scales with Blue Notes
b) Rhythmic Patterns with Chord Tones & Blue Notes
c) Hearing the Blues
Further Reading (optional):
ReevesCB: Chapter 11 (pages 191-224)
ReevesCJI Chapter 8 (pages 95-109)
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 246-256)

Week 12, November 11: The Blues

No Class November 13
Blues Progression & ?Blues Scales?
Drills:
a) Weighted Scales with Chord Tones & Blue Notes
b) Swing Rhythmic Patterns
c) Hearing the Blues
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 8 (pages 115-135)
or ReevesCJI Chapter 10 (pages 125-149)
Further Study:
Listen to all of the Blues forms on SCCJ
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 219-236)

Week 13, November 18: Rhythm Changes

November 20: Bobby McFerrin -- Composing
Rhythm Changes
Special Session: Piano Short Chords
Drills:
a) Rhythm Changes
b) Consolidated Scales and Rhythms
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 9 (pages 136-160)
or ReevesCJI: Chapter 11 (pages 150-162)
Further Study:
Kernfeld, What to Listen for in Jazz (pages 39-73)
Mark Levine, Jazz Theory (pages 237-244)

Week 14, November 25: Altered Chords and Scales

Composition Due Tuesday November 25 in Class (18 points)
Dominant Alterations
Substitution, Addition & Octatonics
Special Session: Altered Voicings
Drill:
a) Weighted Scales with Blue Notes & Altered Scales
b) Rhythmic Patterns with Chord Tones & Blue Notes
Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 10 (pages 161-190) or CJI: Ch 9 (pages 110-124)

Week 15, December 2 & 4: More Altered Scales and Modes

Altered Major and Minor Chords
Other Scales & Modes
Further Reading:
ReevesCB: Chapter 12 (pages 225-245) and Chapter 13 (pages 246-278)
ReevesCJI: Chapter 19 (pages 256-274) and Chapter 14 (pages182-195)
Note: Reeves CJI includes two more chapters (17 and 18) on altered scales,
Final: Graded Concert Performance (30 points)
Friday December 5, 1:15 pm McNeir
Note: This syllabus has been altered based upon my experience at Georetown
in the last few years, where I have had to slow down and take out some
material. If this is a more experienced class, we can always add more topics!

Other Possible Topics:

Licks & Listening
Pentatonics
Other Voicings
Diminshed Chords and Scales
Free Jazz and Other Conceptual Approaches

Course Materials:

1. Jazz Theory Text with CD

Scott D. Reeves, Creative Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz
Improvisation (Prentice Hall, 1997) $56 USED (WITH CD)
Prentice Hall are scum. I thought this book was overpriced at $58, and I've
just seen that they jacked up the price to $78! (When I first chose it, it was
the ONE book in my pile of stuff that didn't have a price on it, but it was the
best.) The problem is that the drills are the CD are really good and the tunes
and charts are useful too. There is a copy in the library and I will go over all
of the theory in class. If most of this looks totally familiar, then you might
save a little money and just buy 2.a and 3a below. (Note that on this CD,
unlike most, the drills are sensible and not too fast!) This book and 2a below
are our basic texts.

2. Fake Book
I'll pass out some tunes, but you will need to have a book of tunes before you
know it.
a. The Real Easy Book: Tunes for Beginning Improvisers (Sher Music Co,
2003)
This was compiled from materials we used at Stanford by one of my former
students there. It is cheap and has good stuff. But note: It comes in the
KEYS of C, B flat, E flat, and Bass Clef: GET THE PROPER KEY FOR YOUR
INSTRUMENT! (This is easier to do in the bookstore and more confusing in
the online bookstore, but probably easier using one of the many good jazz
web sites like www.jazzbooks.com

b. The Ultimate Jazz FakeBook compiled by Herb Wong (Hal Leonard,

1988) ($40)
The bigger Sher books (below) are probably better quality (they often give
you more information like bass lines and second horn lines) but you'd need
to buy all four volumes ($160) to get the standards in this one book. This is
probably the best value for a first gig book.

c. The New Real Book Vol. 2 (Sher Music Co.) ($38) KEYS of C, Bb or Eb
This has fewer standards and more pop and fusion jazz. The Standards Real
Book from Sher, doesn't yet come in different keys and I think this volume
has the best spread of jazz tunes from the other three volumes of their New
Real Books. They are all good, but if you all have the same one, it will be
easier on gigs.

3. Play-Along CD and Book Sets (optional)

The CD in the Reeves book will get you started, but you'll probably want to
practice a wider range of material pretty soon. There are a wide range of
Jamie Aebersold Play-Along CDs in the library, but you'll probably also want
to buy at least one of these. These (in order) are the four sets we'll probably
use most often, but you can wait to buy them as they are at different levels.
You'll know in a couple of weeks which will be the most useful for you. D is
in the bookstore.

a. Jamie Aebersold Book and CD set Vol. 44 Autumn Leaves ($14)

b. Jamie Aebersold Book and CD set Vol. 75 Coutdown to Giant Steps ($22)
c. Jamie Aebersold Book and CD set Vol. 25 All-Time Standards ($22)
d. Jamie Aebersold Book and CD set Vol. 70 Killer Joe ($14)

4. Supplemental Reference Texts (very optional)

a. Mark Levine, The Jazz Theory Book (Sher Music Co., 1995) $38
This is the best book on the market. It has much more stuff than we can
cover in a semester and it goes very quickly through the basics. We'll dip into
this book from time to time, but it gives you most of what you ever need to
know to be a jazz professional.

b. Mark Levine, The Jazz Piano Book (Sher Music Co.,1989) $28
This was Mark's first book and it isn't as good or a thorough as the later
book above, but it is orientated towards piano players. So if you are looking
for voicings, this is the best place to start.

5. Music Paper (Any will do, but you'll eventually need some.)

6. Jazz CDs (optional)

In order to be a jazz player you need to listen; you are what you hear. There
is plenty of stuff in the library, but if you want to start building your
collection, you can do no better than start with:

a. Ken Burns Jazz Collection (5 CDs)

With the Smithsonian collection out of print, this is the best and cheapest
way to get started hearing a variety of jazz sounds. It is available everywhere
and if you are relatively new to jazz, you should own this.

b. Stan Getz: Any CD but start with Anniversary (EMARCY 838 769-2)
Stan the Man is awesome partly because he makes so much melody with so
few ?out? notes, shakes, and honks. By the middle of the course of you will
understand most of Stan's harmonic language and so he is a great role
model. In other words, you can go further out if you want, but you don't have
to; perfecting what you learn here will be enough.

How to Study for this Course

Georgetown currently employs a 5+5 semester system. Most of your courses
are 3 units like this one. In general, we assume that means 3 hours of class
time and 6 hours out of class per week, but Georgetown uses ?50 minute
hours? so you have 150 minutes of class time and 300 minutes of study time
to give 7.5 hours/class/week. That's well under a 40-hour week, which is
pretty good and explains how a former roommate of mine made it to the pub
by 6 every day.

I will try to assign you 4 hours of out-of-class work per week (that gives you
at least an extra hour to sleep). I'll build in time for your exam review and
projects as we go along, so do not get behind or you will suffer. Especially in
a course like this one where understanding is not enough, you need to be able
to DO it easily before we move on. The aim of the course is to enable you to
SPEAK JAZZ in real time. ALL DRILLS ARE CUMULATIVE! If you have
not mastered the material from the previous week, let me know, as you will
not be able to move ahead in most cases.

Most of your work will be with your instrument. You do not have to practice
much everyday, but a little bit of review every day will really make a huge
difference by the end of the course. We should have new practice facilities in
the Library soon, but we'll have to wait and see. Good luck!

Assessment:
Timed Written Exams (3x10)
Circle of Fifths Test 10
Chord Analysis 10
Tune Analysis 10
Midterm Performed Assessment 20
Draft Composition 2
Composition 18
Final Performance 30

You also need to get out and hear some live jazz; go to at least three concerts.
We'll also organize at least one off-campus visit to a jam session in the city.

Most of you have probably not taken too many courses where most of the
grade is based upon performance and new skills. While obviously the more
experienced players have some advantage, most of your grade will be based
on how well you master the material we cover in this course. Even with no
previous experience of jazz you should be able to get an ?A.? Here are details
of the assessments.

Timed Written Exams) 30 points

You will be given a practice run for each of these tests, which will be in the
exact form of the actual test. Ideally, we would test all of these skills orally
and in a practical situation, but this is much faster: each test will take only a
few minutes. You already know much of the information on which you will
be tested. In order to make this information useful to you, however, you
need to know it instantly. While some of what makes this jazz or pop theory
is usage (conventions like using 6th or 7th chords), it is speed which turns
theory into practice. Here are samples of all of the tests:
(a) Timed Test 1: Circle of Fifths: Given in class Tuesday, September 16 (10
points)

There will be 20 questions like this and you will have 2 minutes.

1. How many sharps in the key of E? _________

In order, they are___________________________

2. Going from the key of Ab to the key of F,

add/subtract ____ flats/sharps. In order they are______________.
(b) Timed Test 2: Chord Analysis: Given in class Tuesday, September 23 (10
points)

1. How do you spell:

Dm7= __________ (Sample Answer: D,F,A,C)

Eflat7__________ F#Maj.7______

2. Provide function and keys for these chords:

Amaj7 = I in A (ex.) Em7____ Dmaj7___

3. Answer:
iii in G= ____ IV in E= ____ vi in Bflat= ____

(c) Timed Test 3: Tune Analysis: Given in class Tuesday, October 2 (10
points)
Analyze the following progressions with keys followed by Roman numeral
chords. Group chords together if they are in the same key. Indicate (below)
the two most common tones for sustained melody notes and slur together
any common pitches.

Example: Ebm7 Ab7 CM7 = Db: ii V C: I

1. FM7 Am7 D7 Gm7 C7 Am7 D7 Cm7 F7 BbM7 Abm7 Db7 GbM7 Em7 A7
F: I G: ii V F:

Midterm Performed Assessment 20 points

Given in class: Tuesday October 28 and 30

This is really an excuse to give you some individual attention and make sure
that everyone understands the basic concepts. We'll look at a new tune and
I'll ask you to analyze it and then to ?run the changes? with me. You will
need to be able to play a complete chorus in time playing in the correct key.
A long series of swing eights is acceptable, but extra points will be given for
stopping on chord tones and using idiomatic rhythms. We will practice this
exam in class, but here is the actual grade sheet so you will know what is
coming.
Midterm Performance October 28 & 30 (20 Points) NAME

1. Oral Analysis of Changes (5 points)

Slow and one chord at a time (1 point)
One chord at a time, but faster and with mistakes (2 points)
Fast but with mistakes (3 points)
One mistake (4 points)
Fast, Key plus Chord, no mistakes (5 points)

2a. (HORN PLAYERS ONLY) Play the Head (5 points)

Stay in the correct bar (1 point)
+most of the notes (2 points)
+most of the rhythms (3 points)
All of the notes and rhythms (4 points)
+ Swing and idiomatic shifts (5 points)

2b. (PIANO, GUITAR & BASS PLAYERS) Play the chords or bass line (5
points)
(Piano players should use 3rd and 7th voicings. Root position chords = -1.)
Mostly correct notes, but very slow (1 point)
Mostly correct, but a little slow (2 points)
` In time, but with mistakes (3 points)
Chords (or bass line) in time with no mistakes (4 points)
+ Idiomatic rhythms (5 points)
(guitar and piano=chords off the beat; bass = smooth lines with accent on 2
and 4)

3. Scales through Keys with Swing (right hand only for piano) (5 points)
Correct Keys, but not smooth or too slow (1 point)
+ In time, smooth (no return to roots), but poor swing (2 points)
+With good swing (3 points)
+With good change of directions and no stopping (4 points)
+Speed (5 points)

4. Solo over changes (5 points + 1 bonus option)

Correct Keys, but not smooth or too slow (1 point)
+In time, smooth (no return to roots), and good swing (2 points)
+Stopping and Jumping between Chord Tones (3 points)
+Speed and Good Rhythm (4 points)
+Melodic Ideas which Return or Develop (5 points)
Piano players can gain 1 extra point by playing LH chords while soloing.
Other players can gain 1 extra point from fabulous use of weighted scales.
18-21 = A
16-17 = B
14-15 = C
12-13 = D
11 = Fail
Combo Assignment Preferences:

Composition 20 points
Draft due in class: Tuesday, November 6 (2 points)
Final project due in class Tuesday, November 25 (18 points)

The basic assignment is to produce a lead sheet composition (probably not a

blues). The composition does not need to be ?arranged? with backgrounds
etc., although you might want to consider a coda. (Extra points will be given
for easy to understand and play ?extras.?) You should though, consider
harmonized horn parts if you are using multiple horns. The score must be
neat and come with transposed parts ready for performance. We will
perform all of the pieces! Your parts should look like the lead sheets in the
Sher music books. You do not need to provide a separate drum or bass part,
but if you have specific instructions and these clutter-up the score, then you
should provide separate rhythm or individual parts.

We'll discuss all of the options in class. If none of this makes sense now, that
is OK. You'll understand all of this by November.

Grading
I use a system of roughly equal thirds: a third for content (what you have to
say), a third for writing (how you say it) and a third for presentation (taken
broadly to include citations, proper use of quotations, typos etc.) You have
probably had the 50/50 grade with half for content and half for
writing/grammar. Research suggests that we all are more swayed by layout
and presentation than we want to be. (There have been lots of experiments
that demonstrate that the same words consistently get a lower grade when
poorly presented.) Again as in show business, for better or worse, people
judge you by how you walk, look, smile and shake, before you even open your
mouth. Your work is your calling card, and I'm trying to be more transparent
by using equal thirds. (In the old days, you literally presented your calling
card to a butler, who took it in to the Lord or Lady of the house, who then
decided if you were to be allowed in. Today, power is still displayed by the
number of secretaries and how long you have to wait. Writing styles differ in
different industries, but your written work is still your calling card.) These
three things, provocative content, clear writing and clean presentation, are
intertwined, but if you pay attention to all three, you will always do well.
These three things are basically preserved in the grading for this
composition.
Content (Creativity/Originality) 6 points
Execution (Mistakes, Keys, Transpositions) 6 points
Score Presentation (Neatness, Ease of Use) 6 points

Composing
Don't get hung up on ?composing.? Start by doodling, but write some of it
down. Great composition comes not from great ideas but from polishing
your ideas. Just gather some stuff (melodies, rhythms whatever) and then
try varying them and keep working until something makes sense. Don't
sabotage yourself, just have fun.

Final Exam Performance 30 points

Friday, December 5, McNeir, 1:15 pm

This will be our final performance. Try to do some original compositions if

you can. Each combo will perform several tunes, but members will be
assessed largely as individuals. Bring your friends! Interaction with the
audience is crucial. It will be much easier if every is screaming their head off
for you!

Grading:
Execution (Basic Concept, Rhythm, Mistakes) 12 points
Creativity/Originality 6 points
Presentation (Deportment, Image, Program) 6 points
(You will largely share this grade in your group as well.)
Group (Ensemble Preparation, Listening) 6 points

This will apply (with slight modification) for rhythm section players as well.
I'll gather a few pros to fill out the groups and to help with the grading. This
will be the most fun you ever had at a final, guaranteed!

Bowen: Course Policies

1. Attendance is mandatory at Georgetown and this course will be impossible

if you don't attend. Departmental policy mandates that repeated absence will
result in the loss of one cumulative grade (four absences) or even a failing
grade for the semester (six absences). Please see me if youmust miss more
than two classes.

2. Any work not submitted will receive a zero grade.

3. Deadlines are firm, so plan ahead. THERE WILL BE NO LATE WORK OR

MAKE-UPS except as allowed by University rules for extreme illness,
conflicts with other scheduled exams, and religious holidays. (Travel
arrangements or work schedules are not sufficient reason to reschedule
exams.) Late work or make-ups are allowed only with prior notice: you have
lots of ways to contact me and you should do so early; special arrangements
require advance planning. (I'll also be suspicious if you join a religion on
Thursday with a holiday on Friday!)

4. You are expected to know, understand and follow the guidelines in the
University's Undergraduate Honor System.

5. I can't read your mind. (I may look like a Vulcan, but I'm not.) I (and I
hope most of your other instructors) crave your feedback. If something is not
working, let's change it. I can't do anything to fix your complaint if I don't
know about it; PLEASE TELL ME! You do NOT need an appointment to
stop by at office hours!!

6. Laptops and tape recorders are OK, but you won't need them in this
course.