The Jazz Gym by Todd Johnson: Part 1 of the

Improvisers Workout Program | Melodic

Reps

By
Todd Johnson
Meet Todd Johnson
Hi Friends, my name is Todd Johnson and Im excited to have this opportunity
to work with you all here at Bass Musician Magazine.

Im a bass player and instructor from Los Angeles. Ive been blessed to have
worked with some of the worlds finest musicians like Mike Stern, Dave Weckl,
Poncho Sanchez, Mundell Lowe and Frank Gambale in addition to being a
member of the Ron Eschete trio since 1991.

As an instructor, Ive been on staff at B.I.T. (1991 1999) and Cal Arts (1997
2003) in addition to performing at clinics and festivals throughout the
country. Im currently adjunct faculty at The Masters College in Newhall, CA.

Its been my experience that the greatest bass players all have certain skills
in common. They are, in no particular order; technique, reading, bass line
creation, theory and improvisation. A working knowledge of these skills is a
must if you want play with the big boys.

The first of these skills well focus on in this column will be

improvising.
As an educator, the best way for me to teach you about improvisation is
through jazz. Please dont let the j word scare you. My goal is not
necessarily to turn you into jazz musicians. I would encourage you all to give
this a shot regardless of your musical background. Jazz is just the gym were
going to work out in. Fair enough?
Once you learn to play jazz then everything else will be a lot easier. Its like
having plenty of money in the bank. Youll never regret having a little extra
currency in your harmony account. A good friend of mine refers to this as
musical headroom. So, welcome to The Jazz Gym. Heres some simple
common sense solutions to get you started improvising.
Your first assignment is to download the song were going to learn.
Download the MP3 below, Autumn Leaves from the Miles Davis, Cannonball
Adderley cd Somethin Else and give it a serious listen. This version is a
classic and its played at a learnable tempo.

Too many people try to learn how to play jazz from a book with their eyes
without ever really listening to it. You wouldnt try to learn to speak Japanese
out of a book, would you? Of course you wouldnt. Youd use the book, but
youd also hang out with Japanese speaking people, watch Japanese TV and
basically immerse yourself in the language. Learning to improvise requires
the same thing. You have to listen to what youre tying to learn. Now, click
below for a quick preview of my Autumn Leaves video. It might give you
some ideas for later on.

Your second assignment is to learn the melody to Autumn

Leaves. Learn it by ear or from a chart, but learn it. The easiest way to
sound melodic is to learn melodies. It seems obvious, but as bass players we
dont do it. We spend most of our time practicing scales, arpeggios and bass
lines. The reason most bass solos sound like a doubled up bass line up an
octave is because thats what we practice!
Play the melody straight, without embellishments. Be sure to listen for the
holes. Basically, holes are where the rests are. Pay close attention to what
you hear in those holes. This will come in handy for our next assignment.

Practice playing the melody along with Miles. This may sound extreme, but
try playing the melody 100 times. Remember this is a language, so if you
have to stop and think about it too much you wont be an effective
communicator. This stuff needs to be internalized. The only way to achieve
this is through repetition.

Your third assignment is to practice playing the melody with

embellishments. I want you to start dressing up the melody. Start filling in
those holes we listened for in our second assignment. Play something simple
and build from there. Make sure that if you hear an idea and miss it, that you
go back and figure it out. Practice it a few times, then go back and play it in
context several times. Repetition is critical.
Improvising is often referred to as playing the melodies you hear in your
head. By going back and figuring them out, youll strengthen and develop
your ability to transcribe yourself. I realize this seems obvious, but if you
dont practice playing what you hear then youll never get good at it. Dont
make the mistake of just learning a scale and thinking youll be able to solo.
It doesnt work like that. Scales are great, but theyre just an alphabet. An
alphabet doesnt say anything by itself. You cant just learn the alphabet and
think well now Im going to learn a new language. We use combinations of
letters to form words and then sentences. Melodies are the words and
sentences that scales form.
FIGURE 1 shows you the chord progression and chord structures to the first
8 bars of Autumn Leaves. Here are some chord structure formula reminders;
All minor-seventh chords are (1 mi3 P5 mi7), all dominant-seventh chords are
(1 ma3 P5 mi7), all major-seventh chords are (1 ma3 P5 ma7) and all minor-
seven-flat 5 chords are (1 mi3 dim5 mi7). Ive provided some of the possible
fingerings. These will work fine, but I would encourage you to explore other
possibilities as well.
FIGURE 2 shows you the scales that fit the chords for our progression.
Except for the D and G Spanish-dominant scales, everything is a mode of the
Bb major scale.
So download and listen to Autumn Leaves, learn the melody, then practice
embellishing and filling in the holes around the melody. Study and memorize
figures one and two and next month Ill show you how to add this information
to our melodic workout.

Part 2 of the Improvisers Workout Program

| Chord Tone and Scale Reps

By
Todd Johnson
In our last training session (click here to view Part 1) we downloaded and
listened to Autumn Leaves, learned the melody, then practiced embellishing
and filling in the holes around the melody while using our ears to guide us.

In this session were going engage our brain a bit and add scales and chord
tones to our workout. This is an ideal opportunity to apply what youve
learned in the Theory Dominatrix column.

Realize that learning to improvise is essentially learning a language. Chord

tones and scales are the vowels and consonants that make up our musical
alphabet. We combine vowels and consonants to form words. We then
combine various words to form sentences melodies are the words and
sentences formed by chord tones and scales. But before we can speak, we
must first learn our alphabet.

FIGURE 1 shows you the chord progression and chord structures to the first
8 bars of Autumn Leaves. Here are some chord structure formula reminders;
All minor-seventh chords are built (1 b3 5 b7), all dominant-seventh chords
are (1 3 5 b7), all major-seventh chords are (1 3 5 7) and all minor-seven-flat
5 chords are (1 b3 b5 b7). Ive provided some of the possible fingerings.
These will work fine for now, but I would encourage you to explore other
possibilities as well.
Your first assignment is to memorize these chord tones as notes and
numbers. By that I mean, you need to know Cmin7 as C is the 1 (or root), Eb
is the b3 (or minor third), G is the 5 (or perfect fifth), Bb is the b7 (or minor
seventh), plus you need to know the fingerings that match the notes. This
information has to be internalized, so if you need to sing em and say em or
make flash cards, then do it.
FIGURE 2 shows you the scales that match up with the chords for our
progression. Except for the D and G Spanish-dominant scales, everything is a
mode of the Bb major scale. Understanding this greatly simplifies our
learning process. C Dorian is just a Bb major scale from C to C. F Mixolydian
is just a Bb major scale from F to F. Once weve learned the Bb major scale
then were _ of the way home. Now we only have the D and G Spanish
Dominant scales (1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 8) to learn and were in good shape.
Your next assignment is to memorize the scales that fit our chords. Just like
our first assignment, I want you to memorize these scales as letters and as
numbers. I realize this seems like a lot of memorization, but it will be
extremely useful with all of our future assignments.

The ideal way to practice these assignments is with a backing track. Im

providing a simple backing track you can practice with along with a
demonstration of exactly what I want you to do, so go
to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and get to work.
In the next issue well take a look at how to start turning our alphabet into
some simple words and phrases. Have fun and play slow!

Part 3 of the Improvisers Workout Program

| Talking and Listening
By
Todd Johnson

In our last training session (click here to view Part 2) we played, memorized
and internalized the eight scales and arpeggios that apply to our Autumn
Leaves workout progression. We learned that these scales and arpeggios
are the vowels and consonants that make up our melodic alphabet. Now that
we have a grasp of our musical alphabet, its time for us to begin forming
some simple melodic words.

Remember that learning to improvise is like learning to speak a new

language. You wouldnt start off trying to recite Shakespeare would you? Of
course not, youd start with some simple words like hello, goodbye, yes, no,
please and thank you. So with this in mind, lets get started.

In Figure 1 your assignment is to play the third of every chord as a half note
in the upper register of the bass. Reading the example is great, but the goal
is to be able to look at a chord symbol and know what the third (the fifth or
the seventh) is and be able to play it.

I dont know about you, but looking at a Cmi7 chord and playing anything
other than a C on the downbeat was incredibly difficult for me to learn. As
bass players were taught from day one to always play the root of the chord
on the downbeat. This is essential; maybe even sacred musical training for
playing the bass, but it doesnt lend itself to good melodic playing. So if
looking at looking at Cmi7 and playing an Eb is difficult for you, then
welcome to the club!

In Figure 2 your assignment is to play the 5th of every chord.

In Figure 3 your assignment is to play the 7th of every chord.

Once you get these notes under your hands, I want you to pay attention to
what were not playing. Notice that I have you playing a simple half note.
This means that there should be silence on beats 3 and 4. I want you to pay
special attention to what you hear on beats 3 and 4 because later on were
going to start filling in the blanks and playing what we hear on those beats.
This is part of learning to play what you hear. You have to learn to listen to
what youre hearing in these holes and spaces. Then and only then can you
can go about finding it. After all, you cant talk and listen at the same time.
This process will strengthen the signal from your ears to your hands and
eventually allow you to play what you hear.

So, go to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and check out the Jazz

Gym play alongs. First, play, memorize and internalize the exercises in
Figures 1, 2 and 3. Then, be sure to leave some space and pay special
attention to what youre hearing in the holes on beats 3 and 4. Do this and
youll be well on your way to adding some new words to your musical
vocabulary.
See you in the next issue. Have fun and play slow.
Part 4 of the Improvisers Workout Program
| Short Sentences

By
Todd Johnson

Welcome back to the Jazz Gym. In our last workout (click here to view Part 3)
we learned how to play the third, fifth or seventh of every chord from our
Autumn Leaves workout progression and in the process learned a few
basic, melodic words. We also practiced listening to what we hear in the
holes and spaces on beats three and four, basically learning to listen to what
we just played and formulating a response. Since improvising is
conversational in nature we want to become both good speakers and good
listeners.

This month were going to graduate from simple words to short sentences by
adding some scale sequences to our repertoire.

In Figure 1 your assignment is to play the 1 2 3 2 1 of each scale in the upper

register of the bass. Heres where the memorizing and internalizing of all
those scales starts to pay off. Ive provided fingerings, but feel free to use
your own. Just like in our previous workouts, reading the examples is great,
but the goal is to internalize this stuff to the point where you dont have to
think about it. Be sure to continue to pay attention and actively listen to
what you hear in the holes and spaces.

In Figure 2 your assignment is to play the 3 4 5 4 3 of every scale.

In Figure 3 your assignment is to play the 5 6 7 6 5 of every scale.

Notice that each of these scale sequences is just two chord tones with a
scale tone in between. Take a look at the tablature and youll notice that all
the examples are within a five fret range, so the fingerings are easy. If you
take a deeper look, youll notice that the first bar of Figure 1 (C D Eb D C) is
the 1 2 3 2 1 of Cmi7, but its also the 5 6 7 6 5 of F7 and the 3 4 5 4 3 of
Ami7b5. Take another look and youll also notice that the 1 2 3 2 1 of Bbma7
(Bb C D C Bb) is also the 5 6 7 6 5 of Ebma7 and the 3 4 5 4 3 of Gmi7. Dig a
little deeper and youll discover that several of these sequences have
multiple functions. Now isnt this convenient? Not only is this material
effective, but its also versatile. Your first extra credit assignment is to figure
out how many of these melodic sequences have more than one function, get
them under your hands and internalize them.

Hey, what would happen if you played these examples in reverse order (3 2 1
2 3, 5 4 3 4 5 or 7 6 5 6 7) or started them on beat two instead of beat one?
Consider this your second extra credit assignment.

So, your first priority is to play, memorize and internalize Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Next, figure out which ones have multiple melodic functions and get them
under your hands. Then when youre comfortable with that try playing them
in reverse order. Once you can do this then try playing these figures starting
on beat 2. This ought to give you plenty to do between now and our next
workout, so get to work! To see me demonstrate and develop these
assignments, go to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and check out
the Jazz Gym Melodic Scale Sequences video. While youre there, be sure to
practice with the Jazz Gym Play Along. Have fun and play slow.

The Jazz Gym: Part 5 of the Improvisers

Workout Program | Major II-V-I Vocabulary

By
Todd Johnson

Welcome back to the Jazz Gym. In out last workout we learned some simple
scale sequences over our Autumn Leaves progression in the upper register of
the bass. If you finished your extra credit assignments, then you know that
these melodic sequences have more than one function and sound great
forwards and backwards.

This month were going to expand our soloing concepts further and develop
some major II-V-I vocabulary. This will give us some solid melodic ideas we
can insert into any song that has a major II-V-I in it. When properly applied,
this kind of melodic vocabulary can really make our soloing sound mature,
edited and confident.
Were going to use the major II-V-I from the first four bars of our Autumn
Leaves practice progression for all of our examples. The good news is every
one of these examples can be played in one hand position. Put your middle
finger on a Bb on the 13th fret of the A string. Now play up and down a Bb
major scale a few times and youre good to go.

Figure 1 starts on the 3rd of the Cm7 chord, then goes down the scale and
connects to the 3rd of the F7 chord. It then goes up the 3 5 7 9 of the F7
arpeggio and resolves to the 5th of the Bbmaj7 chord, then back down the
scale resolving to the 3rd. Those thirds sound good, dont they?

Figure 2 starts on the 7th of the Cm7 chord. It then goes down the 7 5 3 1
of the arpeggio and back up, resolving to the 3rd of the F7 chord. Then it
goes back down the 9 7 5 and up the 7 9 3 of the F7 chord and resolves to
the 5th of the Bbmaj7 chord. Its easier than it sounds. Look closer and youll
notice that theres only one note difference between the first two bars and
thats the A and the Bb. Play it a few times and youll see what I mean.

Figure 3 starts with the 1 2 3 4 5 3 2 1 of Cm7. Next is a simple chromatic

line that eventually resolves to the 5th of the Bbmaj7 chord. My former B.I.T.
students will recognize this one.
Figure 4 is a good example of sequencing an idea over several chords. I
think youll like this one. Its simple and it sounds great.
In Figure 5 we start on beat 2, surround the F by a half step and end up on
the 7th of the Cm7 chord. Over F7, we surround the Eb by a half step, resolve
to the 3rd then use a scale tone to resolve to the 5th of the Bbmaj7 chord.
Next, we play the 5 6 5 4 3 6 5 of the Bbmaj7 chord, then leave at little
space and were in business.
In Figure 6 we start on the 3rd of the Cm7 chord then work our way up to
the third of the F7 chord using a G# to make everything come out on the
right beats. Then its back down the scale to the 3rd of the Bbmaj7 chord
where we finish with a bluesy sounding C# to D thats resolves nicely to the
root.
Your assignment is to play, memorize and internalize Figures 1 through 6.
Once you get these under your hands, be sure to go
to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and practice with the Jazz Gym
Play Along. Try playing these figures over the first four bars of our play along,
then make up your own or play one of our earlier assignments over the last
four bars.
For an extra credit assignment, try learning Figures 1 through 6 in all 12
keys. This will definitely keep you busy and out of trouble, so have fun and
play slow. Well see you next time.