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9/

Jazz Piano Etudes For The Improvisation Student

Book I-Maj or Keys Over Rhythm Changes

By Rob Mullins © 2003 Rob Mullins Publishing Company (BMI) All rights reserved.

333 Washington #107 Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

http://planetmullins.com

Cover art credit to Thomas Haney Front cover an “The Room”

by Thomas Haney ThomasHaney.com Used by permission of the artist

TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I

1.

Important Information

Preface-Why I Wrote This Book

1

I

2.

About the Chord Progressions

3.

How to Practice the Etudes

I

4.

Performance Ideas

2

Part 11

Rhythm Changes and Jazz Notation

2

1.

Reading Jazz Notation

2

2.

George Gershwin’s Rythym Changes

2-3

3.

Rhythm Changes Simple Version Standard Notation Chart

4-5

4.

Rhythm Changes Simple Version Roman Numerals Chart

6-7

5.

How the Advanced Changes Came About

8

6.

Rhythm Changes Advanced Version Standard Notation Chart

9-10

7.

Rhythm Changes Advanced Version Roman Numerals Chart

11-12

8.

Etude In C Written in Fakebook Style

13-14

9.

Etude in C Written in Roman Numeral Style Chart

15-17

Part III

The

12 Major Etudes

19

I.

C Major

20

2.

Db Major

23

3.

D Major

26

4.

Eb Major

29

5.

E Maj or

6.

F Major

7.

Gb Major

32

_

35 38

8.

G Major

41

9.

Ab Major

44

10. A Major

:3

ll. Bb Major

53

12. B Major

Final Notes

5 5

Part I 1.

Important Information

Why I Wrote This Book

Too little information is available showing jazz students how to play good melodies and

how to create good improvisations.

Not many great improvisers explain what they are

doing well, and not many transcriptionists are great players over chord changes. To help bridge this gap, this book of 12 melodic etudes was something I created for my students.‘ Many of my students sounded good in band situations after learning the voicing concepts in my jazz chord voicing book, but few of them could sit down and blaze off a right hand line that was convincing sounding. Most of them tried classical arpeggios or some sort of

disorganized noodling on their iirst attempts with little success. In the bebop tradition of jazz greats such as Dizzy and Charlie Parker, these etudes

provide vocabulary for improvisers and will help any student who struggles with the

phrasing of jazz melody. 2.

About the Chord Progressions

The Chord Progression on which all these Etudes are based is called “rhythm” changes

which are the chords to the famous George Gershwin song “I Got Rhythm.”

Many jam

tunes are based on these chord changes and rhythm changes are one of the iirst things a

jazz student should confront when learning jazz.

'

Rhythm changes in roman numeral and regular chord notation formats are shown in the next section of the book. Please study it carefully so you know what the chord

progressions are about. 3.

'

How to Practice the Etudes

Hands alone and hands together approach works for these Etudes very well. Be sure to

practice slowly with a metronome or one of my DRUM GROOVE CD’s so that your time stays on track. After getting the right hand melody up to 100 bpm or so, you should be able to play both hands together without much problem. Don’t get discouraged if you

have trouble at first, these things can take time Be sure that you are using .“

Classical/straight 8"“

swinging” eighth notes when you play the right hand part.

notes will sound awful.

Try to commit as much of the Etude to

memory as you go as possible so you can focus on the rhythm and swing. After some hard work, you will be sounding like a genius as my students often do.

Ifyou can get a bass player to play with you, that is the best possible scenario-a good bass Player playing what you are doing with your left hand will reinforce what you are

doing and your ears will let you know if you are doing it right. A professional sounding tempo range is h-om 152-208 bpm.

4.

Performance Ideas

One of the cooler things about the etudes is that you “gluéztthgénygnfg P53133011; are

based

around rhythm

changes.

If you

get

a

o

COPY

the

the melody over the baseline in the etude, you can use

(term for jazz solo section) and then repeat the melody to

Etude

as

the

second

“

CHORUS

”

I Got Rhythm

33$: :nd.

That will give you three times through the chords Winch rs enough to 801111

professional jazz arrangement.

.

d

You can also use the Etude melodies as the HEAD (jazz term for melo

t'

)

Y sec 1°”

d an

then improvise over the rhythm changes for as many CHORUSES as you like_, then return to the Etude melody as the final section of the song. Be sure to keep the baselme gorng

under your improv so you know where you are.

Part II 1.

Rhythm Changes and Jazz Notation

Reading Jazz Notation

If you come from a classical background and are just learning about jazz,

you should

know that jazz music is not written down the same way as classical music. Classical music has every single note written out with tons of markings and detailed information. Jazz music, since playing by ear is so important, is much more of an interpretative art

form, and it requires the musician to have some understanding of it for filling in the blanks. Jazz music in its normal form as it appears in the REAL BOOK and other “fake” books

does not look even like standard sheet music.

As long as the chord symbols

(also called

“changes”) appear along with the melody line, that is sufficient for the professional jazz musician to create their own part for performance purposes. A typical jazz “lead sheet” has no words on it but just shows the melody

line and the chords over the melody line.

Since this is a book for piano players, you will see a treble clef and a bass clef in the notations with the bass hne written out for your lett hand and the melod

written out for

the right hand with the chord symbols appear between the staffs. This isythe typical

jazz chord chart and the standard look to a roman numeral chart If .

.

ou ha ve

no

understanding of roman numeral chord theory, it will be essential fgr you to gain

understanding of rt at some time so you Will easily be able to transpose a series of chord

5’39“

([jcuewdeg

an

"

“Cleo” by Sonny Rollins.

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:5.

.

V D 7‘

we

In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, many jazz musiciairs took to

playing the theme song to a then current TV cartoon show called “The Flintstones” because the chords were rhythm changes which everyone already knew, and the melody made audiences laugh and feel some rapport with the stage performers. Shown on the next two charts are the “Classic” or “Simple” rhythm changes ala the

original song by George Gershwin. 3.

George Gershwin’s “Rhythm Changes” Standard Notation-see chart

4.

George Gershwin’s “Rhythm Changes”

see

chart

Roman Numeral Notation-

Rhythm Changes-Standard Chord Symbols Basic Chord Progression ala Gershwrn

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5.

How the Advanced Changes Calm? Abou ”

1

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g $1231 $11,132::er chord ifyou are is

chord was 0mm mplaced by the bVlI7 8m: V situation. If all of this seems over yam

thinking ofthe IV as the H in a tempomry head at this

in

don’t we

derstand all of this stuff, and if

. It takes a little time to 1m

.

.

you can’t 1:111:35an any 03, but can read the notes off the page, you W111 still get a lot

of useiill information

out of the Etudes while you hunt down a g°°d private “330113 in

your area to explain more about chord theory to you.

VERY IMPORTANT-Study carefully the followrng two chord charts so that you know what the harmonies are for the 12 Etudes coming up. The chord progressions for F116

.

Etudes are the SAME for all of the Etudes with small VARIATIONS that are mdrcated In

parentheses on the following charts. Included also in this section is a copy of the C Major Etude written in fakebook style which is the style youwill be encountering most otten in

future professional performance situations. The C Major Etude With Roman Numeral Chords is also included

6.

Rhythm Changes Advanced Version Standard Notationsee

7.

chart

Rhythm Changes Advanced Version Roman Numerals-see chart

8.

C Major Etude in Fakebook Style Notation-see chart

9.

C Major Etude with Roman Numeral Chord Notation-see chart

ythm Changes-Standard Chord Symbols

Eldvanced-this is the one for the Etudes C

Franc

4

7

Am7

Dm7

G7

Em7

rob mullins (bmi)

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17

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C Major Etude

.

Fakebook Style Notation

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C Maj or Etude

Roman Numeral Chord Symbols

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STUDY TIP: Play through both the Gerswhin simple versions and the advanced versions without the melody several times in the key of the Etude you are gorng to Work on so

that you are familiar with the

sound of the

chords before you

melodies in the Etudes. Play the chords in both hands,

start trying to Play the

play the root of the chords m the

bass with your left hand while playing the chord in your right hand, and finally play the chord in your left hand. This will get you basic familiarity With the chords used In the

Etudes.

18

Part III

The 12 Major Etudes

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Part IV

Final Notes

These Etudes were created to help you get a better understanding ofjazz melody and how it works over chord changes. I do hope they are helpful to you. Once you have them .

down,

you can do the best possible thing-play them With other people! Good luck With

your music!

Rob Mullins

LA, CA November 2003

P110.

1

MPORTANT

SET

OF

CHORDS

03 ALL MUSICIANS OF RINTED B(AMPLES

TO

weak

ON

FOR

DEVELOPING

USABLE‘

IMPROVISATIONALSKI

ALLGEN-RES JAZZ NOTATION STYLES ARE EXPLAINED IN

OF HOW JAZZ MUSIC LOOKS AND WHAT THE VARIATIONS ANE. ROMAN UMEERAL MW '

'HORD NOTATION :STANDARD CHORD SYMBOL NOTATION

AND F KEB

ROB MULLINS

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