Melodic Jazz Soloing

Today, you'll get right into the thick of it by jamming over a II-V-I progression with Rosie. You'll get acquainted with melodic soloing via two easy-to-grasp concepts: licks and improvisation. True melodic magic is achieved by combining both approaches into something only you could conceive of.

‍Days 2. Major scale – Fretboard focus

The major scale?! Boring right? Wrong! It's the center of the Western music theory universe, and you need to know it better than Facebook knows your internet browsing habits. Rosie will guide you through scales, arpeggios, patterns, and a lick to show you how to get the most out of this staple skill. Then, you'll jam out with here over a backing track.

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Day 3. Minor scale – Fretboard focus

Today, we'll take our fretboard focus onto another tonality – C minor. This material is the minor mirror of Day 2 – you’ll notice how your preparation and exercises walk a similar, although darker-sounding, path. As always, you'll crystallize your new melodic learnings with a tasty interactive jam.

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Day 4. Dominant scale – Fretboard focus

Today you’ll get some perspective on the last of the big three tonal centers – the dominant sound. This funky and soulful tonality is an improvisational must-know. Used in neo-soul, blues, jam bands, avant-jazz, funk, & more, this vocabulary is going to serve you far beyond the world of jazz guitar.

Day 5. Minor pentatonic – Singing, hearing, playing

The next three days are about bridging the gap between what your ears are hearing and what your hands are playing by singing. Comfort is key here. You don’t need to be a star singer – the goal is to merge your hearing & playing skills. We'll kick things off with minor pentatonic sounds.

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Day 6. Major pentatonic – Singing, hearing, playing

Today, you’ll build up your melodic confidence by singing, hearing, and playing some major tonalities so you can internalize the sweetly-melancholic major 7th sounds. There's a huge advantage to being able to come up with melodic ideas away from your instrument. Before you know it, these three steps will feel like second nature.

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Day 7. Dominant – Singing, hearing, playing

Calling all melodic masterminds. Only one more sound world to cover with this intuitive singing, hearing, and playing process – dominant and suspended tonalities. Covering all these different tonalites in isolation is great for developing your ear. It’ll help you get in touch with your vocal range and how it relates to the guitar while expanding your overall tonal awareness.