Forum of the Saxes

musicalprodigy · Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 119

could any 1 tell me how to start really getting good at improvisation?

JPSaxMan · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 9:29 am Post subject:

Also learn your 12 major scales, the pentatonics of those scales, and learn the blues scales. That will help quite a bit Mr. Green

_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

CMelodyMan · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 9:38 am Post subject:

Yeahm that'll help too. Now if you're going to learn the blues and pentatonic scales, you only have to learn one or the other, because they're the same thing.

darby dylan · Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 63

you can learn verry well with jamey aebersold.
one thing who is great is listen a lot and sing with the cd to get some sort of a structure in your head

JPSaxMan · Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:

CMel,

Pentatonic scales and blues scales are NOT the same thing

In a pentatonic scale, you have 1-2-3-5-6-1...the scales lack the fourth and the seventh of each scale.

The blues scales are 1-b3-4-b7-1...they're different, so you need to learn BOTH for different settings to improvise with

Cool

_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

CMelodyMan · Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject:

Alright, let me rephrase this . If you learn all of the blues scales, then you don't need to learn any pentatonic scales!
Just as long as you know which pairs of scales contain the same notes as each other; you only need to learn one set of scales (either the blues scales or the pentatonic scales).
For example:The C blues scale contains the same notes as the Eb pentatonic scale.

JPSaxMan · Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:03 pm Post subject:

CMel,

How is this possible when the blues scales lack the second, sixth, and a few other notes and the third and seventh are flatted? No...they're not the same in any comparison Evil or Very Mad

_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

CMelodyMan · Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 6:05 am Post subject:

I'm probably the last person on Earth to talk about music theory and all that stuff, but it all checks out. For example: C Blues-C Eb F (F#) G Bb, Eb Pentatonic-Eb F (F#) G Bb C They contain the same notes,.

JPSaxMan · Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 8:49 am Post subject:

They might contain the same notes but that doesn't make them the same thing

ie:
G Pentatonic, G, A, B, D, E
C Pentatonic, C, D, E, G, A

Ok so they're not identical, but they contain most of the same notes. Does it make them the same thing? No...but do me a favor and spell out your theory like I just did so I can see what you're talking about Confused

??:...because now I'm curious.
_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

JPSaxMan · Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 8:50 am Post subject:

Ok CMel, I see what you're saying.

They might be the same thing note wise, but you must use each of them in a different key and setting. If you're in Eb, you can't use the C blues scale to compensate...or even if you could it depends on the nature Confused

??:

I'm going to have to talk to my instructor about this Confused

??:
_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

reisio · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 177 Location: Florida

Just play - literally - play around, be inventive. You don't need a sax, either, you can just scat.

Jacob · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:12 pm Post subject:

Guest · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 6:14 pm Post subject:

It's 1-b3-4-b5-5-b7-1