An Invitation to Improvise

Bronislaw Kaper’s “Invitation“ has fascinated jazz improvisers for decades. Few standards combine modal harmony, rapid key changes, unusual melodic intervals, and dramatic rhythmic possibilities quite like this one.

Rather than simply sharing a solo transcription, I’d like to offer ten improvisational strategies that will give you ideas you can apply to almost any tune. To listen to Craig’s improv on the changes to “Invitation,” click on this MP3 player:

Click here to view a transcription of Craig’s improv.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

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Sound Recognition, The Color of Dorian, and a Tribute to Gregg Sutton

I’ve been working on a simple but effective way for students to internalize the sound of the Dorian mode.

Below is a short 2-bar phrase. The goal is not just technique, but sound recognition—getting the color of Dorian into your ear and under your fingers.

Continue reading “Sound Recognition, The Color of Dorian, and a Tribute to Gregg Sutton” →

Phrygian Phlyng

The Phrygian Mode offers jazz improvisers and composers rich opportunities to express their unique personalities.

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Improvise on “Whisper Not”

Benny Golson is widely respected as a consummate saxophonist, composer, and arranger, and “Whisper Not” is among his finest pieces. While improvising over its changes is invigorating, it’s also a challenge! Click “continue reading” for some tips on how to effectively ad lib on “Whisper Not.”

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How Do You Hear?

“If you have a clear grasp of what you’re about to play, your notes will be skillfully executed, with conviction and authority. However, if your conception is muddled, your playing will be clumsy and unfocused.”

That astute observation by respected composer, recording artist, and educator Richard S. pretty well sums up my own goal as a teacher of improvisation.

Continue reading “How Do You Hear?” →

Blues on the Other Side

You can coax a lot of interesting new life out of a typical blues lick by playing it on the other side of the beat. This simple technique will breathe fresh vitality and variety into your playing without losing unity and coherence. Read on to learn how it’s done.

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Jazz Enclosures

There’s been a lot of buzz in the jazz literature lately about “enclosures.” That’s a 50 cent word with a meaning similar to the classical “Cambiata.” It’s generally a 3-note figure in which the first 2 notes lie above and below the final target note, a chord tone. A perfect example would be the first 5 notes of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” as shown below.

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The Tonic Dominant Seventh Chord

As you look through charts of blues tunes, you discover innumerable dominant sevenths serving as one chords (tonics). Music theoreticians explain: “Many blues melodies are in the Mixolydian Mode: They use a major scale, but with a lowered seventh degree. This is harmonized with a dominant seventh chord whose root is the tonic of the song. The lowered seventh degree is referred to as ‘the first blues note.’”

A far more succinct, accurate, and readily digestible explanation is: “The Mixolydian Mode begins and ends on SO,” so the scale is best described this way: Continue reading “The Tonic Dominant Seventh Chord” →

Learn to Improvise with “12 Keys to Improv”

Treble Clef Download

Download the treble clef pdf book and the 47 mp3 recordings

$10.50

Bass Clef Download

Download the bass clef pdf book and the 47 mp3 recordings

$10.50

UNFORTUNATELY, THE US POSTAL SERVICE DRASTICALLY INCREASED THE COST OF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING RECENTLY. IF YOU DESIRE THE PHYSICAL BOOK+USB DRIVE, PLEASE CONTACT ME TO DETERMINE THE COST OF SHIPPING TO YOUR COUNTRY. GIVEN THIS UNFORESEEN DISRUPTION, I SUGGEST YOU DOWNLOAD THE ZIP FILE INSTEAD. THAT WAY, YOU WILL HAVE INSTANT ACCESS TO THE MATERIAL WITH NO SHIPPING COST.

Treble clef physical book and USB drive

We’ll mail you the 100-page physical book (treble clef) and also the USB memory stick containing both the book as well as the 47 mp3 music recordings.

$30.50

Bass clef physical book and USB drive

We’ll mail you the 100-page physical book (bass clef) and also the USB memory stick containing both the book as well as the 47 mp3 music recordings.

$30.50

Many music students ask me, “How do I learn to improvise?” Well, it’s really two different questions, “the how” and “the what.”

The “how” question is called “ear training”: How do I learn to play a familiar tune like “Happy Birthday” in any key without looking at a chart? You can learn to play by ear just like hundreds of musicians using my earlier book, “New Ears Resolution.” Click here to order this revolutionary ear training method used by players all around the world.
     But the “what” question is much more personal. It boils down to: “Now that I know how to play by ear, what notes am I going to I choose?”
     The content of your improvised solos is totally dependent on the nature of your own unique musical personality. I never try to make my student sound like me. Instead, we work together to discover your individual musical personality already brimming inside you. It’s as unique to you as your favorite foods, films, friends, and fingerprint.
     My new book, “12 Keys to Improv,” can help you unearth the personal improvisational style lying dormant deep within your soul. These 47 short phrases are not boring, mindless exercises like so many methods. Not at all! Instead, they’re the kinds of melodic licks real artists play on actual gigs. And the appendix teaches you how to create your own riffs spontaneously.
     Playing through this material will strengthen your chops, but – more importantly – it will stimulate your creative imagination.
     Choose either the “treble” or “bass clef” edition, depending on your instrument. All of the 47 audio mp3 files plus the 100-page pdf book are contained on a convenient USB thumb drive. Or, If you prefer, you can also purchase the hundred-page physical book.
     Order “12 Keys to Improv” today, and begin your fascinating journey into the thrilling world of jazz improvisation !

Want to Learn to Improvise?

You can Learn to Improvise at the Dungeness Creative Music Workshop, Wednesday Afternoons from April 3-June 5, 12:30-2:30 PM. Register Today. Tuition is only $150 for this 20 hour workshop. Email craig@craigbuhler.com or check out this video for details.

A Harmonic Minor Workout

Pianist Dr. J. H. asked for a melodious exercise he could use to explore the harmonic minor scale in all 12 keys. The “harmonic minor scale” features the natural 6th degree FA along with the raised 7th degree. The raised 7th degree in a minor scale is the syllable known as “si” (pronounced “SEE”). It’s also referred to as “#SO” or “#7.” That scale is shown here:

Continue reading “A Harmonic Minor Workout” →

Improvise With The Blues Scale

Trombonist Cindy M. asked me to talk about how we use the blues scale to improvise. Comparing it to the major scale, you see the blues scale features three “blues notes,” notes Mozart would never use.

Click here to watch the video.

Continue reading “Improvise With The Blues Scale” →

I Dig This One !

Does improvising bring you joy? If you’re playing music you love, both you and your audience will be swept up in that transcendent joy. Here’s a topsy-turvy, tangled up, spaghetti-shaped, four-bar phrase that just tickles my spirit every time I play it. Hope you dig it too. Click here to watch the video.

Continue reading “I Dig This One !” →

Mode For Joe

Saxophonist Maria is improvising over Joe Henderson’s classic jazz standard “Recorda-Me.” I asked her whether she would use the Dorian or Aeolian mode over the first 4 bars.

As shown below, the Aeolian is the mode rooted on LA, so it uses a lowered 6^th degree. By contrast, the Dorian is rooted on RE, so it features a raised 6^th degree.

Continue reading “Mode For Joe” →

Fresh Out of Ideas

Tenor saxophonist Brooklyn brought a favorite tune to his lesson. As always, we typed the changes into Band in a Box, chose a tempo and a groove, and started blowing on the tune. But Brooklyn said he was having trouble coming up with fresh ideas to play over the changes.

Continue reading “Fresh Out of Ideas” →

Slippery Slope

For fans of Brazilian bossa nova jazz, here is a bright bossa composed and performed by tenor saxophonist Craig Buhler. In addition, if you have ever taken a terrible tumble, these ski slope stumble scenes will give you a chuckle and remind you that you’re not alone.

Below is a chart for B flat instruments you can view or download, in case you’d like to perform this song. (For charts in other keys or clefs, send me a comment listing your instrument, key, range, and preferred clef.) Continue reading “Slippery Slope” →

Applying Moveable DO Syllables to Jazz Standards

Introduction

Alto saxophonist Pascal wrote requesting assistance with assigning movable DO syllables onto several jazz standards. Before addressing each of these tunes, let’s talk about the reason we use movable DO syllables.

As jazz musicians who play melodies by ear (without charts) and improvise over their changes, we are not concerned with theory for its own sake, as are academicians. Instead, our primary goals are:

Continue reading “Applying Moveable DO Syllables to Jazz Standards” →

Fixed DO Versus Movable DO

Saxophonist Pascal writes:

“I was trained using ‘Fixed DO.’ In other words, if I am playing an E Major scale, I was taught to name the notes ‘MI, FA#, SO#, LA, TI, DO#, RE# MI’. Your book, “New Ears Resolution,” teaches me to think in terms of ‘Movable DO.’ What is your reason for preferring this method?”

Thank you for bringing this point up, Pascal. This is an extremely important question you have asked.

Continue reading “Fixed DO Versus Movable DO” →

Playing by Ear in Different Keys

Saxophonist Pascal asked an excellent question concerning how to play by ear in different keys:

“Regarding exercises involving arpeggios, inversions, or scales on saxophone: When using movable DO, should I think of each tonality as if it were C Major? For example, when I play in E major, do I think, “DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DO”? Is it as if there were only one Major scale on each starting key? This is a revelation for me!”

Good question, Pascal. A major scale has the same specific form, regardless of which note is chosen to be DO. Here is that form shown as a schematic and on the piano keyboard:

Continue reading “Playing by Ear in Different Keys” →

Have Fun with ii-V-I !

If your set list includes numbers from “The Great American Song Book,” then you’re going to wrestle with the ii-V-I progression in a bunch of keys. Here’s a winsome ii-V-I phrase to help strengthen your chops, develop your ear, and arouse your creative vocabulary as a improviser. Click here to watch the video.

Continue reading “Have Fun with ii-V-I !” →

Did the Key Change or What?

The unpredictable flow of shifting key centers can easily throw uninitiated players off balance, especially when jamming on unfamiliar tunes. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Continue reading “Did the Key Change or What?” →

Another Blues Scale

Click here to watch the video.

The blues idiom offered early twentieth century musicians a new way to share deep emotional feelings vigorously and honestly.

A hundred thirty years earlier, Mozart had reveled in the fresh, airy lightness of the major tonality which superseded stolid Renaissance modal forms around 1600.

Periodic innovations like these keep music vibrant and invigorating. Unfortunately, too many of today’s musicians bloat their playing with endless, unimaginative, repetitive blues licks. Sure, blues licks can add a funky edge, but overuse of these clichés leads to tiresome monotony.

(And so on, and so on….Well, you get the idea!)

Continue reading “Another Blues Scale” →

Mixolydian ?? I’m Mixed Up !

MIXOLYDIAN IM MIXED UP

This post defines the Mixolydian Mode and shows how you can use it in your music. Click here to watch the video.

Continue reading “Mixolydian ?? I’m Mixed Up !” →

Rhythm 2: Express Yourself!

Swinging rhythms are the foundation and heartbeat of great jazz. Our first “Rhythm” video was a primer on how to play jazz rhythms. Click here to watch it.

In this video, we’ll talk about how you can use rhythm to effectively express yourself: your thoughts, your feelings, your personality, your unique story.

Continue reading “Rhythm 2: Express Yourself!” →

Demystifying Motivic Development

ROLLINS Guitarist Patrick S. asked for some more examples of “motivic development” (MD). Whether you’re a composer, an improviser, or just looking to enliven your daily practice routine, MD techniques can stimulate your creativity and broaden your musical horizon. Beethoven elevated sonata form to new heights with MD, while Sonny Rollins used MD to revolutionize jazz improv far beyond “a bunch of memorized licks” and “sax players searching for the right note.”

Let’s take a look at six ways you can use MD to breathe new life into your music:

Change the Rhythm
Alter the “Feel”
Create Pitch Retrograde
Offset the Rhythmic Pattern
Fragment the Phrase
Sequence the Fragment

Continue reading “Demystifying Motivic Development” →

Rhythm in Your Bones!

If you (or your students) struggle with playing swinging jazz rhythm, this video will go a long way toward gearing up those important rhythm chops. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE RHYTHM VIDEO.

I feel so much more like I do now than I did when I first got here.*

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Jazz gigs seldom turn out exactly as we expect them to. Since jazz is, by definition, an improvised art, this should come as no surprise. It’s a maze which often thrills, sometimes shatters, and continually amazes us.

Let’s say, for example, that you arrive at the gig late, stressed, un-showered, and unready to perform. It’s at this point that a fan drops a hundred dollar bill in the tip jar, Herbie Hancock asks to sit in, and your first solo provokes a standing ovation. In your dreams, right?

The nature of jazz will, at times, lead to the unexpected, to exciting innovation, to surprise, to joyful discovery. …Occasionally, it leads nowhere. After all, life’s mazes do include blind alleys. Just the same, we “press on regardless” (as my father often preached on rainy hikes), in search of the perfect note, aye? Continue reading “I feel so much more like I do now than I did when I first got here.*” →

BLOW TILL YOU KNOW

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.

Are you struggling to develop a personal improvisatory style or to find your unique compositional voice? Well, you’re not alone! Many musicians grapple with these dilemmas.

Perhaps my own story will help you unearth your path to musical originality.

I started playing because I love the way music sounds, the way playing the horn feels, the exhilaration of working with a great band of like-minded musicians. A couple years later, I began writing songs, just so we’d have originals for gigs and recordings. I didn’t think twice about trying to be original. On the contrary, emulating the masters was satisfying. It seemed to legitimize and validate my work.

However, about 10 years into my career, I suddenly faced an existential crisis, when nagging questions like these began keeping me awake at night:

“Is this composition any good? Is it too long? Which sections are valid and which need to be scrapped? Should that note be a Bb or an F#? Do my solos stink? What right do I even have to compose music or play the horn, when there are so many musicians out there who are way better?”

Continue reading “BLOW TILL YOU KNOW” →

Chromatic Cro-Magnum P.I. (Practice Improv)

FINAL CHROMATIC Ever feel totally drained after a big gig with no steam left to practice, like a malnourished Cro-Magnon? That’s how I felt this morning, after last night’s intense concert backing up my friend presenting 14 of his complex original compositions.

What’s a person to do? Well, “one foot in front of the other,” as the old saying goes. Just start blowing long tones; dig the sound of the horn, experience the feeling of wind on reed, fingers on pearls.

Here’s what emerged after an hour or so; a little chromatic meander that caught my imagination. As harmonized in this sketch, it forms a Dorian setting reminiscent of “So What,” “Little Sunflower,” “Jeanine,” or “Invitation.” It could also have been harmonized as a ii-V progression in C major modulating to D minor.