Not everyone does the holiday music thing, but this is not your average Jingle Bells....great arrangement by Kim Pensyl for his album Early Snowfall we recorded last summer with homage to Miles's TuTu album. Kim Pensyl-piano, Rusty Burge-vibes, Rick VanMatre-flute, Mike Sharfe-bass and John Taylor-drums.

In this clip I'm improvising with Pentatonics over "On Green Dolphin Street".

In addition to Pentatonics, there are some Upper Structure Triads (USTs) and Four Note Groupings (FNGs) in there. USTs and FNGS are two of the chapters in "The Complete Guide To Improvisation - Volume Two" that was just released.

The improvised solo in this clip was later transcribed by German vibist Volker Heuken.

To view and download Volker's transcription and the chart that lists the Pentatonics being used in this clip, click on the link below.

I decided that I would try posting some very very short etudes.

It's the conquering of material and ideas and technical things that make us play better and better. It's certainly not a half assed attempt at something that makes us better. I think half ass attempts at things help us be better half assed players. Great attempts at things no matter how big or how small make us great(er) players.

So this should be our goal right? To master something. I tell my students, if you come in with only 4 bars completed, they have to be played really really well!

I'm working with a great student. We are talking about trusting his ears and how to make the switch. I think that's a big thing with students. The eyes seem much safer, and in some ways they are. But for improvisational music the ears are much more fun!!
You need to make the switch and trust your ears. You need to play melodies from your eyes and forget about the music. It's hard but it's important.

Ok this is the B section to Green Dolphin Street. Can you hear it? If not play the tune on the vibes get it into your head then try again.

Fill in the chords. Study the harmony and the solo. can you see the flat 9s? all the altered notes?

Play in C and Eb (and other keys).

Record the chords and then play the line on top of the recording.

Do this in all keys. Can you see how this could really help you? Recording the chords and then playing the solo in every key! Yikes!

Put the chords in. Analyze the notes against the chords. Memorize it. Play it in at least C and Eb. try to do more keys! Work up the speed.

This way you're practicing a lot of things in the few bars that are here!

(Metronome on 2 and 4)

Here's the bridge of Green Dolphin Street. It's a shortude because I want you to master it. Play it in C and at least Eb.

Write in the changes.
Look at the notes and see where they are in the chord. i.e. #9 b5 etc.

I think this really sounds like the bridge. Can you hear that? So master just this and do something with it!

Improvising on Green Dolphin Street using the improv concept of Four Note Groupings (FNGs) which is a chapter in the just released The Complete Guide To Improvisation - Volume Two. The technique uses triads with a passing note as a means of generating lines. For major triads: 1, 2, 3 and 5. For minor triads: 1, 2, b3 and 5 or 1, b3, 4 and 5. In the clip, I'm playing the last 8 bars of the tune to set up the tune. The first chorus is a written out solo based on the Four Note Grouping concept.