How to Create Killer Jazz Solos With The Melody Development Exercise

[@aaronmoseley321]

I prefer to listen to people doing imrpov this way. It keeps a connection to the melody instead of taking off on some "random" set of licks or ideas that don't feel or sound like the original melody.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Absolutely Aaron, thanks for watching!

[@bwade8786]

Totally agree. It appeases the (Bb) popcorn eater, the non musician audience.

[@martincomesana6824]

@@bwade8786 yeap almost all of us. And that's great. Imagine doing music just for musicians

[@charlesporsbjer2416]

Gonna practice this on All Star right away!

[@erie9726]

there will never be another you! thank you for tips!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Good choice! My pleasure, thanks for watching.

[@dariam3106]

erie that’s the name of the song I’m trying to make a solo for lol

[@varsentz7476]

Hi! Just thought id update you about my audition. I tried this for my jazz audition during my solo part. I made first chair! Thank you so much for this video!

[@kale8133]

I'm gonna try doing this over lullaby of birdland. Definetly one of my favorites

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Great choice Cal!

[@chocolatte629]

I think I will try it over Blue Bossa. You chose a great tune with a simple tag to come back to. This an excercise I should been working on before. I'm excited to give a try.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome!

[@FyoungK]

Useful tip. Next one will be like "how to stop referencing melody"! )))

[@NicolleMosquera]

True thing :'''D

[@varsentz7476]

Going to do this on Solar - Miles davis for my jazz audition. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Right on! Happy practicing

[@TheDavidmachin]

Thanks, this was such a clear and accessible way to show how this works. And I liked at the end that you said maybe no need to overdo it. Great teaching!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to be of help, Dave, and thanks for watching!

[@chuckMU96]

Thanks for a great demonstration on incorporating the melody into improvisation. I often use this technique to introduce improvisation to my students in my Jazz Combo class, and I'm going to share your video with them as an illustration. They will be doing this with "Blue Monk" this week.

[@mystii4842]

I think someone who does this very well is the composer of Blue Bossa himself Kenny Dorham. He always does a great job embellishing and building on the head. Listen to his solo with Joe Henderson on "Page One".

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Definitely, you're right!

[@mbuso_cele_]

Will use Miles Davis Four as an exercise. Great lesson

[@nickkepics6379]

I currently have a house gig for my trio (guitar/bass/sax) every Thursday night. I think I’ll try this on “September in the Rain”, “The Good Life” and “Tenderly”.

[@michaelbautz9189]

Another great approach to improvising on a tune!

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Years ago my jazz guitar 🎸 teacher taught me Fly me to the Moon. I basically do something akin to this both on piano and guitar. Usually I start with a little chord melody..Then I may do some melodic playing around the 8th fret.Lots of chromatics etc. Quick note here...I had played.guiar on and off for 40+ years and had an aha moment. I had shown the Diatonic 7ths many timed..Cmaj7 Dmin7...Bmin7b5.. I played it in f3 fret..working off A string ..till I finished at Cmaj7 on E string 8th fret. Then on day I played from the 8th fret.and stayed totally with frets 7-10..Amazing difference.

[@michaeldilillo9902]

I will be working on this with Summertime,

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome Michael!

[@johnharvey2850]

After just passing grade 2 classical clarinet, I've had my very first jazz lesson . My first thing to learn is Jumpin at the Woodside. Trying to get my head around soloing!! This video has shed some light on things.. thanks, man 👍🏻

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to help!

[@marianelston9075]

Hi, I am practising like this the " Wednesday Blues", to day. Thanks for the explanations, great.

[@paragontim]

Great lesson and tips! I’m new to jazz guitar. I’ve been playing rock since the 80s. I’m going to use these tips on “All the Things You Are” and “How High the Moon.”

[@omgilovedischannel]

This is great! And absolutely amazing playing as well. Someday my prince will come. Thanks!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Johan, and great choice!

[@georgehiggins1320]

One thing I've just started thinking about a couple days ago is that a lot of tunes have Melodies that could be written as a lot of quarter notes. When that's the case, you can throw out beats 2 and 4, and just connect beats 1 and 3 with enclosures/scales/bebop language. I think it makes it sound like pre-bop or kind of swing era improvisation.

[@miguelmartins4703]

I'm going to try this on "Misty". Thanks for help!

[@kilbozjan8871]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@BrentDArnold]

I"m gonna apply this to Have You Met Miss Jones, which is the current song that I'm on in the Playbook course. :-) Love the KZbin content and really enjoy your online courses.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome, Brent! Happy to have you as a student and always glad to help!

[@davidfarlinger4088]

I'll try doing this with "I Love You" this week.

[@ukemaniak]

Great! Thanks!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks for watching Aline!

[@oscarmeyer5652]

I'll be trying this out on "There is no greater love"

[@Learnjazzstandards]

That's a great choice!

[@Skeu74]

very very nice. thank you!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@curtpiazza1688]

Great STUFF! I'm a jazz beginner....but I improvise pop songs on piano....but I'm working on "Fly Me to the Moon" progression..thanx!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Sounds great!

[@bwade8786]

Good stuff

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks for watching!

[@phretbord]

Great solo, I can see why most of my solos sound so weak. I appreciate the insight! ~Cheers!

[@jdromero35]

Thanks for the lesson. I prefer to hear the melody referenced in a solo, it's harder to do than playing over chord changes. "I'll see you in my dreams" for my first song. Best wishes

[@zurckoni]

good lesson. nice playing. thanks.

[@mirjamjanietz4179]

Night and day! :) thanks for structuring :)

[@dazzid]

this is a very enjoyable solo with a warm sound, well done! I want to hear now the full album

[@alehcicilio2594]

I am going to try it in Bye Bye Black Bird ☺️

[@russellbride]

Thanks!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thank you!

[@twominuteguitarlessons]

honestly ive been doing this without knowing its a thing , i thought its cheating 😅 i always do it with blues bossa since as u said its very clear straight forward melody , i am less successful with autumn leaves and least suscceful with misty and blue room , but i guess thats alot of work to do , thanks for the great advice 🙏😊

[@StarDarkAshes]

It was very clear that the first time was just the melody but when I’m having trouble distinguishing is between the second and third times, and what was the difference between those. Because to me, it both sounded like embellishments so it would be awesome if there was a video, that would clarify really the difference between the second and third time it was played. I’m sure if I Google it I can find someone kind of explaining the difference between an embellishment and an outlining.

[@tony3313]

Perdido. Great ideas, thanks.

[@japhney]

Tackling Solar this week.

[@SushiGabo]

thanks man! really useful

[@joaopedrogoncalves6505]

I’m trying this on either have you met miss jones or la vie en rose

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Great tunes to try this on!

[@alanblakeguitarist]

Nice playing man!

[@wilsonliberal5195]

Great.

[@michaeldyrda8241]

Afternoon in Paris

[@titasrutkauskas5093]

I think im going to try improvizing on Armstrongs la vie en rose...that should be interesting especialy playing on guitar

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Sounds like a good challenge Titas!

[@wicksp335]

Here goes, trying it on Girl Talk, lotsa changes but it helps keep in the spirit rather than rather random lines. Great advice, thanks!

[@wicksp335]

And it's working, thanks..!

[@gailford2743]

I'm going to try this with Coltrane's "Too Young To Go Steady" (well, Jimmy McHugh's song, but I heard it covered by the great Mr C, so it's his as far as I'm concerned!).

[@NicolleMosquera]

I'm defenetley trying this with All of me and It's alright with me.

[@user-cp7zt8wx8s]

How do you embellish? What scale(s) are you using?

[@oleschmoldt1229]

There will never be another you

[@JSDJerry]

How many minutes or hours of video are in the jazzstandardsplaybook.com when you purchase the whole set? I tend to learn better visually.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hi Jerry I can’t give you an exact count, but each video is roughly 15-20 min long, goes over the chords analysis and the “homework” assignment. The companion course is definitely a supplement to the book, not a replacement

[@Yoshinori76]

Summertime.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Nice choice!

[@paulmullen2620]

My solos always sound so stiff and disjointed. It's like you can hear me thinking of the chord progression as I go through the tune. Also my lines rarely have a jazzy sound to them. They come off very plain and sound more like exercises than music. Wish I could fix that.

[@eduardopuccini]

I'll try it with In A Sentimental Mood, but I have a doubt: when you say that I should change more and more the melody "after each chorus" you mean also "after the whole form"(if it is a long song)? I ask because the one I chose is relatively long.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome Eduardo!

[@eduardopuccini]

@@Learnjazzstandards Thanks, but could you answer my question, please?

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hi Eduardo, yes, when I say a chorus that means the entire form. Regardless of how long the form is, the concept is still the same. Or you can try it out on a song with a shorter form for starters

[@eduardopuccini]

@@Learnjazzstandards Great, thanks a lot for your videos, this one has been a game changer for me.

[@PatAutrey]

First time I've ever attempted this I'm going to do it on the song by Dionne Warwick what do you get when you fall in love

[@Vitsenko01]

I will do "Wave" by Jobim

[@Giddoni15]

Black Orpheus!

[@17stevedrew]

Sweet Georgia Brown

[@rafaellopessax]

Hey man, nice video, was working and researching on melody development, was this something you carefully practiced are wrote down throughout different stages of development for a while or you just came up with this solo? Did the Lee Konitz method helped you?

[@jeroengradener4505]

Blue Monk and Summertime

[@richardhecht2881]

All Of Me, and IT Could Happen to You

[@JSDJerry]

Currently, I'm working on "out of nowhere." Other than 'hunt and peck' re referencing, I look from the Strong tones of the original melody and make sure to hit them at the right, time. At this point, I am only 'surrounding' them with other notes that fit, often from the scale or some chromatic notes. But this really doesn't help me create a new melody 'on the spot' . As you said, it only references the original melody. Should I learn and practice to compose, i.e., create, a new melody first using the strong notes system?

[@AcadianaReptileCo]

All of me

[@AllenBethea]

Song for My Father

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Great choice Allen!

[@AntarblueGarneau]

You don't say what you are actually doing in terms of notes, rhythms etc. when you "embellish," "reference," the melody. I wanna be able to take a melody and put it thru a reliable process that will be a solo practice. You are only naming what you are doing "Embellishing," "referencing", etc. That is of no help That is characteristic of your lessons. That's why I don't follow you. eg why have a podcast on secondary dominants? Why do I need to know this if I can just solo thru secondary dominants like any other chord? It doesn't help me at all! Is it an analysis lesson? I wanna know a technique that I can use that will make kit easier, smoother to solo thru secondary dominants.

[@brycebuda4283]

malaguena arranged by michael sweeney

[@Stefantseng]

I'll try "Fly me to the moon"

[@isaacblake5533]

Gonna use this for it could happen to you, might get a solo in our Jazz 1's first concert☠

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Nice! Great standard to work this on.

[@Dobrovinskiy]

Lady Bird

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Great choice!

[@janymikeptz1156]

FYI, your jazzstandardsplaybook.com link isn't working.

[@dennisburton9446]

Fly Me to the Moon here

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Great choice Dennis!

[@GeNeRJaSoN]

Desafinado

[@Dannytyrellstudios]

Mambo.

[@kylekotula7266]

All the Things You Are :)

[@mayafaulhaber6388]

I'm gonna try it on Sleigh Ride for Christmas carols

[@simontoth9101]

black Orpheus

[@michaelmccrary7419]

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans

[@ClariHero]

Bill Evans Quiet Now

[@RockRabot007]

black orpheus

[@aydencrites5646]

WAP

[@alastairreid3773]

The chicken