Chapin ~ Sunday Combo

Mr. Chapin’s Sunday Evening Combo ~ 7-9 pm

Current Assignments for Concerts:

Below are some steps to follow each day on each of our 3 tunes. Work on the tune that’s hardest for your first.

Listening:

• Listen to the head (melody) and one solo for each of our tunes to get ideas

• Listen to the tune while you watch the music and follow the chords
• Review the improv notes you’ve selected for each chord–your approach to the tune
• Practice improvising with a backing track

Road Map

• Memorize the Road Map for each tune

Listening Links:

Walkin’

• Miles Davis
• Lucky Thompson’s solo transcription
• Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham
• Sonny Stitt
• JJ Johnson Quintet

Night Dreamer

• Wayne Shorter · Lee Morgan · Reginald Workman · Elvin Jones
• Kurt Elling
• Eric Croissant Quintet

Groovin’ High

• Dizzy Gillespie (tp) Charlie Parker (as) John Lewis (p) Al McKibbon (b) and Joe Harris (d)
• Cannonball Adderley and Milt Jackson
• Art Pepper

Backing Tracks: 

• Walkin’
• Night Dreamer
• Groovin’ High

Past Assignments

Week 4:

Week 3:

• Practice sliding into the 3rds of each chord from a half step above (or a whole step above if targeting a minor 7th)
• Practice sliding into the 7th of each chord
• Mix and match targeting 7ths and 3rd through the tune
• When ready, use the backing tracks to practice improvising
• Notes on the head—give shape to the dotted half notes, use dynamics

• Work out the blues scale for the first chord and practice soloing over the 2-bar phrase
• Practice sliding into the 3rd of the V chord of the ii-V progression (measures 14 and 15 of the head)
• Practice the two dominant scales to play over the two 7sus chords
• Use the backing track to learn the tune’s form and begin improvising

• Find places where you can apply the 3rd targeting we’ve been working on
• Find all of the ii-V’s and ii-V-I’s in the tune
• Figure out the scales and chord tones for the chords
• Listen to the tune to learn the melody and form

Week 2:

Listen to all of the tunes (with your music in front of you) (see listening links below)

• Be able to sing the melody

• • Walkin‘
    • Review 1st 4 notes
    • Review blues scale
    • Figure out scales and chord tones for every chord in the tune
    • Find the #11 for each chord
  • Practice improvising over Walkin’
  • Plan your improvising approach to Night Dreamer
    • Figure out blues notes or chord tones (or both) for the 2-measure repeating chord progression
    • Figure out the scales and chords for the ii-V in the middle
    • Practice the dominant (mixolydian) scales for the 2 sus chords