Improvise and jam with anyone

There are two sides to this track, the "free" jam or improvisation, and more formal improvisation, like you'd find in jazz. We'll spend time exploring both so you'll be prepared.

We'll spend a little time on each, including a little bit of totally free improvising, but most of our focus on improvising over chord progressions, specifically Rhythm Changes, the Blues, and some jazz standards.

casual improvisation with unfamiliar musicians

I did a two-year honeymoon road trip with my wife, and on the second year, I vowed to play (trumpet) with any and every musician I encountered as long as they were up for it. From the parking lots in Maine to the beaches of Baja, I played with tons of musicians from all over the world, in all kinds of styles, and with varying degrees of "success," but it was all fun. What an education! 

Jumping in to jam with unfamiliar new friends, playing songs you probably don't know has some challenges. In this track we'll get you up to speed so you know what to do in settings like that, around the campfire, or wherever. ​

Here's what you'll learn in this part of the Improvising Track:

• Jam etiquette and other social considerations  
• Finding the key
• Choosing scales/chords/melodies to use while improvising
• Embracing "mistakes"
• Listening
• jam etiquette and considerations

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Improvising in jazz

How deep we go in this part depends on the level of the participants. I like to use Blues and Rhythm changes to solo over (tunes like In Walked Bud, etc.), with a jazz standard or three thrown in (these vary according to taste and demand), like Caravan, Blue Bossa, ​and other fun tunes you'll probably play in a jazz jam session. 

I'm open to learning any tune you'd like to do, in whatever key you prefer, but if so, let me know a week or two in advance so I can learn it! 

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Here's what we'll cover:

• Fear of improvising and overcoming or harnessing it
• Improvisation etiquette
• Chords and scales: 7th chords, chord extensions
• Moving melodically from chord to chord
• Developing musical ideas

• On-the-spot arrangements: intros and outros, tags, breaks, etc.
• How to practice improvising

• On-the-spot arrangements: intros and outros, tags, breaks, etc.