Fifty Ways use a Playalong CD 
(More thought-provoking goodies from Bruce Clarke)

Today's fledgling improvisers (particularly those that play guitar) are a fortunate lot in that they have access to the 'best-ever' teaching and practice materials.  How many actually make the most of what's on offer by approaching these materials systematically?  Many would-be improvisers can be likened to a person flying from Australia to the UK - the trip is an annoyance, just something to be tolerated until they reach their destination.  The quicker it's over the better!  Making the trip by bicycle might be more rewarding - this would offer the journeyman the ultimate experience; the opportunity to take time to discover, study and maybe even come to understand how everything fits together -- how it's all interrelated.  He might even reap the full reward by discovering the magic of the little things that make the trip worthwhile -- wondrous things that can be easily overlooked when we travel too fast.

Preparatory improvisational studies are much the same: God is in the details!  Impatience is the student's greatest enemy!  Select a favourite standard from one of the highly professional productions that are currently available and let's give it the 'Full Guitar Workshop' treatment.....

1.
 Memorize the correct melody line.
2.
 Play the melody line with the track.
3.
 Sing the melody line wordlessly until it is totally internalized.
4.
 Memorize the lyrics.
5.
 Sing along with the track until the lyrics are properly internalized.
6.
 Play and sing the melody simultaneously.
7.
 Think of the lyrics while playing the melody.
8.
 Write a harmony part (maybe a third above or below the melody).
9.
 Memorise, play and sing the harmony part with the track.
10.
 Play the harmony while singing the melody line.
11.
 Play the melody while singing the harmony part.
12.
 Search out the guide tone line.
13.
 Play the guide tone line with the track.
14.
 Sing the melody while playing the guide tone line.
15.
 Sing the guide tone line while playing the melody.
16.
 If possible, record each of the above over the track.
17.
 Play rhythm with the track until the harmonic content is completely memorised.
18.
 Turn out the piano and match the bottom line of your chord choices to the bass.
19.
 Incorporate the guide tone line into your chordal movement.
20.
 Revoice your chords with the guide tone line upon the second string.
21.
 Repeat excercise #20 with the guide tone line upon the third string.
22.
 Rework excercise #20 with a fourth string guide tone line.
23.
 Sustain or comp chords (as in #21, #22, and #23) over bass and drums.
24.
 Reintroduce piano and repeat #23 (either keep out of the pianist's way or match his contributions).
25.
 Create half-note melodic continuities through the changes.
26.
 Create quarter note melodic continuities through the changes.
27.
 Create eighth note melodic continuities mixing scales and arpeggios in equal proportions.
28.
 Bring melodic elements into the eighth note melodic continuity stream.
29.
 Sing simple improvised phrases against the backing track.
30.
 Transfer those phrases to the guitar to play and record them with the track.
31.
 Write (or plan out) two, three and four harmonisations of the tune.
32.
 Write appropriate backing riffs or patterns for the choruses which will be given over to improvisation.
33.
 Record #31 and #32 over the backing track
34.
 Analyse the piano part. Does it employ extensions and colour tones?
35.
 If so, try to incorporate them into your own harmonic densities.
36.

Analyse the intervallic structure of the main theme.
  (eg:- The main theme of 'Ipanema' consists of Major 3rds & Minor 2nds.
The main theme of 'All The Things' consists of 4ths.
The main theme of 'I Got Rhythm' is pentatonic)
37.
 Create an improvisation that highlights those structural devices.
38.
 Repeat the above excercise with the bridge (or B) section.
39.
 Create an improvisation around the guide tone line.
40.
 Create an improvisation built on ascending tetrachords.
41.
 Create an improvisation built on descending tetrachords.
42.
 Create an improvisation using a different pentatonic scale for each chord.
43.
 Create an improvisation that emphasises the 3rds and 7ths.
44.
 Create an improvisation that avoids the 3rds and 7ths.
45.
 Create an improvisation the highlights each chord's colour tones.
46.
 Create an improvisation - restricting your resources to one fingerboard position.
47.
 Create an improvisation with wide intervallic skips.
48.
 Create an improvisation with a minimum of notes.
49.
 Create an improvisation out of repetitious phrases or melodic cells.
50.
 Write a new melody over the changes and repeat all of the above.

Now - take a deep breath, close the book or shut down the computer - and keeping all that you've learnt from the above excercises in mind....

LET YOURSELF GO AND PLAY WHAT YOU FEEL!

 If the Guitar Workshop line of thinking stimulates your neurons and you'd like further info:

Contact us direct at guitarworkshop@swiftdsl.com.au

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