Twelve Tunes for Linear, Diatonic Improvisation

Description

Twelve Tunes for Linear, Diatonic Improvisation
82 MB Zip file

by Eddie Lewis

Twelve Tunes, one for each major key. This is a book for beginning improvisers who are not beginners on their instruments. The book is in the style of Jamie Aebersold’s famous play along recordings and includes twelve accompaniment tracks. When I first envisioned the Twelve Tunes book project, I saw professional symphonic musicians using it as in introduction to improvisation.

The tunes vary in style. There are a small number of swing tunes and the rest are bossa nova, samba, rock, funk or reggae. There’s even one African 12/8 song.

The book is laid out like most play-along books. All the tunes in concert pitch, all the tunes in B flat, all the tunes in E flat and all the tunes in bass clef concert pitch. At the upper left corner of each tune there is a track listing. This is for the physical version of the book which is no longer available. The MP3s will have the track number and the tune’s title.

Also included in the zip file are the original Band in a Box files so you can change tempos, keys and styles if you have Band in a Box. It’s also nice to use the Band in a Box files if you would like to extend or shorten the number of choruses.

Tonalization Studies

In a sense, the Twelve Tunes book is part of the Tonalization Study method and the Tonalization Study scale books work as a nice prelude to the tunes. You can learn more about the Tonalization Studies at my blog by clicking on the following button:

To use the Tonalization Studies in conjunction with the Twelve Tunes, simply practice the Tonalization Studies in the same key as which tune you are working on. It is preferable to do the Tonalization Studies first, perhaps as a warmup to the tune.

Not a Big Seller

Like some of my other materials, the Twelve Tunes book is not a big seller because it’s something different. People are often afraid of what’s new and it takes a lot of marketing effort to get people interested. And alas, I am not a full time marketer. So we make this book available for those who know about it and want to use it. It works. It is a wonderful introduction to improvisation for advanced musicians. Just don’t expect a lot of people to even know about it.

How to Improvise Linearly

Linear, diatonic improvisation simply means that you source your note choices from the key, not from the chords. The chords are printed on the music, but to use the book properly, it is best to ignore them and play by ear. Most of the notes of the key will sound good (to varying degrees) anywhere on each of these diatonic tunes.

So, play the “head” the first time through. Then improvise for the number of solo choruses using only the key signature. Then optionally end with the “head” again. It’s as easy as that.

In the beginning you may be cautious and hesitant and this will make you sound like you are playing wrong notes. Ignore that and just keep going. Over time, you will begin to find the sweet spot on many of these tunes.

Key Requirements

I hope it is common sense that you need to have fluent control of the key signature of the tune you are trying to improvise over. If you pick a tune in a distant sharp key, like B for example, but you don’t have any skills nor experience in B, then your improvisation isn’t going to sound very good. Once again, I strongly recommend using the Tonalization Studies to develop those skills.