BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
703 / 18210 · Module 16 — Improvisation from Chord Tones: How to Stop “Running Scales”← prev⊞ allnext →

16.12Don't use chromaticism randomly

Bad strategy:

“Jazz uses lots of black keys, so I'll add random black keys.”

Better:

“I want to land on E, so I'll approach it from F and E♭.”

The chromatic note has a purpose.

This is the same principle we've seen in harmony:

chromatic notes sound convincing when they lead somewhere.