Diminished Patterns: The Secret to Epic Sax Solos

[@bryandickerson5365]

After all these years this is the clearest, most straight ahead explanation of a “modern” improv concept I’ve ever seen - very nicely done! Some of these shapes reminded me a bit of George Coleman!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! 👍🏼

[@alexpavchinski]

These are some great patterns for serious study, an inside look into modern diminished applications, and very well explained and illustrated, thanks Joel!

[@marksaxcain]

One of the best explanations on how to use the diminished scale without sounding "old" or obvious that I've come across. Many thanks. I just subscribed!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼🎷

[@JCloyd-ys1fm]

I’m not a sax player, but can’t wait to try some of these ideas on the guitar. Thank you!

[@JoelPurnell]

No problem!

[@coreychandler2016]

There is so much information in this lesson, I will need years to unpack it all. Love those sounds. Joel, you make it look so easy!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks Corey! Hope you’re well. Joel. 👍🏼

[@jdrosborough]

This is really outstanding. So much to learn from and expand on!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 👍🏼

[@lucjazz55]

I'm a jazz pianist .... I found your lesson very interesting ... I think it's valid for all instruments ... let's get practicing :)

[@charlesswanson8664]

What a great and succinct lesson. You’ve framed perfectly something I’ve been trying to put together by myself but never making it come together. Such a great way to bridge melodic concepts.

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Best wishes. Joel.

[@giancarlo.porroporro7345]

Top teaching,very clear axplanations.Grazie!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@chriswright2553]

Here’s something I use, and love the sound of. Triad pairs from the scale. E.g. for your example: [A,Cm]. You can make all sorts of interesting patterns with this, such as using four notes from each triad. Change direction, arpeggiate them, break them up, et cetera

[@JoelPurnell]

Yes, there’s a great selection of triad pairs in the diminished scale. A/Cm - A/Eb - A/Ebm - A/Co - Ao/Bo etc. 👍🏼

[@donl9571]

And here I thought I came up with the pattern at 6:50 on my own! You are incredibly smooth playing it!

[@marccontet7480]

This is clearly the Brecker sound. Your tone really sounds similar too. This is a very interesting lesson but requires a lot of work to get it down. Practice is key!

[@McGillMusicSaxSchool]

You’ll get there! Thanks for watching 👍🎷

[@kormosjano64]

Really great ideas! Thanks

[@JoelPurnell]

No problem!

[@scruffyleon7383]

Fascinating! I know what I will be practicing and thinking of for the next 12 months.

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! Let us know how you get on! Best wishes. Joel. 👍🏼

[@ekesamuel8795]

This is an amazing boatload of resource to keep me busy for the better part of a whole year. Thank you fam.

[@JoelPurnell]

No problem! 👍🏼

[@OzouneSundalyah]

Loving this Sir SSO! Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@JoelPurnell]

No problem! 👍🏼

[@JeanWJoseph]

The Z-cell and the chromatic movements were the easiest to remember for me so I think they would be the one I implement the soonest. I transcribed them all and worked them out into the trumpet range and will be working on getting them all under my fingers. Thanks for this breakdown. I will definitely be on the lookout for swore implementations of the Dim scale.

[@JoelPurnell]

Great! The Z-cell one is a great sound. 👍🏼🎺

[@mz8134]

Most definitely, very cool! Yet another superb video! Thanks!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks for watching! 👍🏼

[@briandenigan9832]

Hey Joel. I'm really enjoying all of your content. You are an excellent teacher and player. I'm pretty sure all of us...no matter our level of playing...are getting tons of musical benefits from all of your expertise. Thank you. Cheers, mate!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! Very kind! Best wishes. Joel. 👍🏼

[@UrcadeLima]

Amazing ! You are meant to be a teacher 🎉

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@ernestdenov3599]

I know and use the pattern that has the chromatic scale contained within, but I discovered some cool and unknown (to me) diminished patterns, thanks to you! One pattern that I don't think was mentioned utilizes the two diminished 7th chords in the scale, alternating them like this: C, Eb, Gb, A, D, F, Ab, B. Of course you can use the triads instead of the 7th chords. What would jazz be without diminished scales?!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! There are infinite patterns available in every scale, the gift that keeps giving! Best wishes. Joel. 👍🏼

[@jonniejlo]

Love...your...tone. So good.

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks!! 👍🏼

[@Adamswelltroddenpathways]

Pepper Adams was another diminished pattern master

[@balouofthejungle4305]

I dont have a teacher for jazz i learn by myself and it was hard to reach to this kind of sound. Thanks to you i will now be able to 🎉

[@JoelPurnell]

Great to hear!! 👍🏼

[@rextrumpet]

Fantastic analysis, thank you!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@eustiquiocespedes2095]

Gracias desde Republica Dominicana muy instructivo y util

[@JoelPurnell]

ningún problema! 👍🏼

[@raseshgandhi6702]

Very lovely information

[@miltonfelix3839]

Just what I need, thanks you❤

[@McGillMusicSaxSchool]

You're welcome 😊

[@Luhunzecher]

Ensinou a escala, como usar a escala e colocou no contexto da época. Perfeito.

[@JoelPurnell]

Obrigado! 👍🏼

[@Radjammin]

Impressive, zero dislikes.

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks!

[@giorgiodelamora3126]

I love all your content and videos!!!!!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@dylankubilus1422]

Incredible vid

[@samdunnguitar]

Hey Joel, long time no see! Great lesson.

[@JoelPurnell]

Cheers Sam!! Great to hear from you! Hope you’re well. Joel. 👍🏼

[@vhollund]

Great lesson Also for a guitarist 🎸

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks!

[@miau7720]

❤Ačlū Klaipėda

[@jhwilly3098]

WOW OMG

[@JoelPurnell]

Glad you enjoyed it! 👍🏼

[@agostinorizzotto1543]

Yes very nice

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@agostinorizzotto1543]

@@JoelPurnell hello I’m a amateur and I don’t play in a band I want to keep playing but what would be the priority!! I do long tones , scales , arpeggios, and tunes on daly routine? And do you do a 1 too 1 lesson?

[@McGillMusicSaxSchool]

@@agostinorizzotto1543 Sounds like you’re practicing all the right stuff, so just keep at it! There’s thousands of lessons with organised practice plans inside Sax School Online to keep you on track, and you can even enrol on our Accelerator and Flex plans to get personal 121 video exchange lessons with Joel or one of our other great tutors. Just head over to the website to check it out!

[@nickkeung]

Love this lesson. I also wanna know which stand you use when you are playing the Tenor sax. It seems quite good to have a playing stand.

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! It’s a stand I built myself many years ago after a back injury, so not commercially available unfortunately. However, there’s a very similar design that we reviewed a year or so back. Best wishes. Joel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4DQf4uloLl3lZIsi=6mZjOHy1Rx5dF7gM

[@alej3795]

great

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! 👍🏼

[@kinoglaz777]

Absolutely amazing! Thanks a lot. May I ask you what mouthpiece are you using? I can't tell if it's a Dukoff of what?

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! It’s an Otto Link 7* 👍🏼

[@EdPithey]

05:38 shows that Bb is not selected. Yet the performance examples that then follow include Bb. Am I misunderstanding? Surely someone else would have mentioned this already if there was truly a discrepancy. 🤔

[@JoelPurnell]

Hi. Yes, you are correct. It’s a ‘typo’. Should be the F# crossed out not the Bb. However, the concept is the same. Now you’ve discovered another one to try.. Hidden bonus! Best wishes. Joel.

[@midi1529]

Do you start over each chord? I hae to go back and look

[@JoelPurnell]

I'm just using the diminished ideas over the dominant chord. 👍🏼

[@SteveGloverMusic219]

Thanks for this really clear explanation Joel, I've always struggled trying to hear what this 'out' sound is made up of. I just have one question and excuse me if you covered it. When you use the octatonic scales over the V7 chord what is the guidance for the scale version? if the chord is C7, then do you start on the octatonic scale a tone below (i.e., Bb). Or is the nature of the scale such that it doesn't matter? Thanks, this lessons has really made a difference to my music making.

[@geeemm7519]

Personally I use the half/whole scale on the root of a V7 to retain the major 3rd and the b7. That also gives me the b9, #9, and b5. This is the first time I've seen these patterns. This is great!

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks. Yes, generally the one that fits best on a dom7 chord is the WH starting on the 3rd / 5th / b7 / b9, or the HW starting on the 1 / #9 / #11 / 13. However, it’s important to realise that all the these options result in exactly the same series of notes, the same octatonic scale. There’s only actually 3 unique octatonic structures available based on this symmetrical intervallic sequence, so rather then getting bogged down in the naming protocols I just think of a green, blue or red diminished scale and then apply those colours to various chord types where they could be used. Hope that helps! Joel.

[@JoelPurnell]

@@geeemm7519Thanks! 👍🏼

[@SteveGloverMusic219]

@@JoelPurnell thanks Joel, that helps a lot, and I like the idea of the colours, anything which keeps it simple is good for me! Off to the shed it is then, cheers!

[@PhilFogle]

Hi, what sort of stand to you use to support your tenor?

[@JoelPurnell]

Something I just built myself many years ago! 👍🏼

[@lukejuras8024]

I'm still confused: do I use a C half-whole diminished scale or a C whole-half diminished scale over a C7 chord (V7 in the key of F)? It looks like half-whole is the right answer but I'm still not sure.

[@JoelPurnell]

It depends where you consider the scale to ‘start’ in relation to the chord. If you want to look at it starting from the root of C7, then yes, HW. Personally I find it more useful thinking of it starting on the 3rd of C7 in which case it’s WH. Either way you end up with the same notes! Try not to have a specific ‘centre of gravity’ locked in you head when improvising with any scale or you’ll struggle expanding your ideas. Learn the scalic shape full range and then use it to play towards good targets (generally any of the chord tones). Hope that helps! 👍🏼

[@inflatedear7131]

Great lesson. Great sound also. What setup are you using?

[@JoelPurnell]

Thanks! MkVI OL7* 👍🏼

[@marceli155]

You playing wrong notes ! my friend