BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
7090 / 18210 · Workshop 53 — “C Jam Blues”: Minimal Material, Maximum Swing, Space, Repetition, and Making Two Notes Carry an Entire Chorus← prev⊞ allnext →

53.87A practical improvisation hierarchy

When practicing a tune:

  1. improvise with 1 note
  2. then 2 notes
  3. then 3 chord tones
  4. pentatonic
  5. blues scale
  6. guide tones
  7. full harmonic vocabulary
  8. chromaticism

Do not always begin at level 7.

The lower levels train actual phrasing.