Jazz-Rock Improvisation

In this unit, students will develop an understanding of the major and minor pentatonic scales and how to use these scales when improvising. Students will engage in improvisational techniques with tracks specifically designed for major and minor scales (in various appropriate chord progressions). Students will compose (using standard notation) various scale structures, riffs, and/or chord progressions (to present and share with the class).

In this unit, students will develop an understanding of the blues scale and how to use the scale in improvising. Students will engage in improvisational techniques with tracks specifically designed for the blues scale (i.e., blues chord progressions or 12-bar blues progressions) in the key of F in both slow and fast tempi.

In this unit, students will develop an understanding of the modal scales and how to use the modal scales in improvising. Students will engage in improvisational techniques with tracks specifically designed for modal scales (in various appropriate chord progressions) in slow, medium, and fast tempi. 

In this unit, students will develop an understanding of the minor pentatonic scale and how to use the scale in improvising. Students will engage in improvisational techniques with tracks specifically designed for the minor pentatonic scale (in various appropriate chord progressions) in the key of D minor in both medium swing and funk beat genres.