This is a rather involved question, which I hope will give someone a
bit of a challenge and help me a great deal if answered!

I'm an aspiring tenor sax player, who has hit something of a brick
wall of late (musically speaking), and needs a bit of help with the
theory of jazz behind improvisation, and managing his sax-practice
regime.

So far, I have approached improvisation using the following attitude
"improvisation is the superimposition of a melody over chord
progressions, taking the melody notes from scales and patterns often
related to the progression".

Here is an example: C major 7 chord = C major scale OR A minor
(melodic or harmonic, depending), aspects of E minor, F major 7 (b5)
and so on... Drawing a melody from these chords, will provide a
pleasant tune (all being well). Some of these fit better than others,
and especially when changing from C to F or G as the next chord.

This has now been further complicated by the introduction of (#5),
whole tone and diminshed riffs into my playing. I love playing
diminshed riffs, and want to use them more in a psudo-Mike-Brecker
style.

Here's the tricky bit: playing a "nice friendly" tune is boring, at
least for the improviser. I hear a friend playing piano solos, where
he strays wildly from the main "chord", only to return back making it
sound phenomenal - some of the stuff is chromatic, some modal... All
beyond me at the moment, since I can see how to create the context for
these "wrong" notes to fit into.

So here are the challenges:

Where can I find a reference giving information about phrases,
patterns and so forth that leads into and through chord changes,
including chromatic and more difficult ones?

How do I move from improvisation that keeps to safe chords, to
chromatic, diminished, atonal phrases and riffs?

Is there some reference which can take every chord and list its
contexts - i.e.: Into C Major goes easily: x,y,z ;via x you can put
in: a,b,c; or take this route:x,a,p,q, back to C Major.

Can you take one/all of the tunes in my question and use it as an
example for the previous question?

Thanks a lot,

Charlie

charles7691 --

One barrier to getting your question answered adequately here is that
you have asked for information and explanations that would be the
equivalent of at least a couple of weeks of college-level course work
in jazz theory.  And, it's a little hard to know just what two weeks
of that theory course would be the most useful to you.

Since you seem to be an especially eager to learn, I suggest that your
best bet, short of enrolling in an undergraduate-level theory course,
might be to become familiar with the kind of materials you might use
in such a course.

I have done a little looking around, and the best reference I have
found is this very detailed information about a course at Georgetown
University that is called "Jazz Theory & Improvisation":

http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/AMT/music/courses/142home.html


Besides a detailed syllabus of the course, the information includes a
list of course materials.   The basic text for this course, which I
have also seen mentioned on other sites, is this one:

"Scott D. Reeves, Creative Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz
Improvisation (Prentice Hall, 1997)."

The other promising text is apparently a more comprehensive and
advanced treatment of the subject:

"Mark Levine, The Jazz Theory Book (Sher Music Co., 1995) $38 
This is the best book on the market.  It has much more stuff than we
can cover in a semester and it goes very quickly through the basics. 
We'll dip into this book from time to time, but it gives you most of
what you ever need to know to be a jazz professional."


These texts are not cheap, but I suspect that one or the other or both
would suit your purposes, especially if you intend to pursue your
interest in playing jazz in a serious way.


markj-ga

Greetings,

I took some Theory Classes in college, and I consider myself a musician as well. 
It took a LOT of effort and disipline, but I finally made myself learn
theory. Here's some tips n' tricks. Of course, I mostly play Rock and
Classical, but perhaps I'll give you something new to chew on.

1. For the basics, you don't need an instructor. Get this book, "The
Practice of Harmony". It has lots of exercises and is very easy to
understand (note: you can get it cheaply used):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0131826603/qid=1113893387/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-3794805-3244905?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

2. Get a keyboard, preferably an 88-key weighted one. They can be dirt
cheap through ebay, especially if you just get a MIDI controller and
plug it into your 'puter. It's OK if you've never touched a piano
before. It will help immensely in working out harmonies in
part-writing. In addition, you can easily record and loop backing
chords and practice over them.

3. It's as much about feeling as theory. Nothing's more boring than a
"technically perfect" musician ;). Branch out into lots of kinds of
music -- you'll find inspiration in the stanges of places. If you like
jazz, then you probably like clever melodies and harmonies. I suggest
checking out Blue Oyster Cult's "Secret Treaties", Emerson, Lake, and
Palmer's "Tarkus", Steely Dan's "Royal Scam", and the Allman Brothers'
"Live at Fillmore East". The last three bands use many jazz techniques
in their improv work, but manage to "keep it fresh". The Allmans have
an amazing jazz/blues fusion that is envigorating.

4. Check out the software "band in a box". It's very neat, you can
arrange chord melodies and then choose an "AI Soloist" to emulate the
style of an artist as he solos over it. The former is a very cool
thing, and the latter can give you interesting inspirations. And
sometimes it's so accurate, it's funny.


Have fun! And remember: too much "technique" and "theory" pretty much
makes you only a "player's musician". (ref: yngwie malmsteen, pat
martino). But especially in Jazz: if it sounds right...it usually is!
And if it soudns weird, even better.  In improv, you don't always have
to know where you're going or how you'll get there...just how to get
back ;)

not to ignore your question but yes theory is important.  but many
great jazz soloist didnt know any theory, jazz is supposed to be an
entirely aural tradition.  That is not the case often though.  If
you'd like to play more chromatic or out solos just start listening to
more chromatic or out music.  You'll playing will soon adapt with your
ears in both small and large ways.