ss95 chris potter bebop fundamentals B-7bS E79 a cr ° retede > . - = Tae Pein’: eo —! —_ 3 fa orc aaj ‘This comes from a Chris Potter masterclass on YouTube at UCLA. Here, Chris demonstrates how the foundation of his improvisation is rooted in bebop. He plays this half chorus of If | Should Lose You to show his ability to play in a very straight-ahead bebop style. He explains how it is important to be able to play in a way where you can very clearly hear the sound of the changes in each line that he plays. This gives him the freedom to play what he wants, and become more abstract or motivic, without losing the clarity of the harmony or the strong sense of form,ss96 major arpeggio technique exercise i pen ee . . a “te Litt This is an example of an exercise that | like to work on after I have already done a basic warm-up on my instrument. Here I'm working with major triads moving down in half-steps. | don’t think I've ever played this exact exercise before today, but | think that finding new things like this to practice is a great way to keep your fingers and mind engaged. if we play the same things in our routine for too long, our practicing can become stagnant and less productive. | would try working on this really slowly at first, trying to play with a beautiful sound and phrasing. Then, bump the tempo up while maintaining a smooth connection between notes.ss97 G7 bebop line variations GT @ Gr o SS GT tele @ eee & shires tithe-pie ters : a In my opinion, this type of exercise is one of the most fun and useful ways to improve and develop your ability to improvise. Here, I'm taking an initial bebop line, then finding ways to change the line to create a new phrase. In each case, I'm keeping the beginning of the line the same, then finding a different route towards a resolution, Being able to do this in the moment, with a live band, will free up what you hear, what you play, and your ability to gel more with the band. You could also choose to keep the ending of the line, and change the beginning, or any other variation that you can come up with!ss98 major triad sound exercise Here is another great exercise to help you become one with your instrument. | think of this particular line as an “exposure of flaws.” But, if | have the courage to look straight in the mirror of my own playing without a judgmental view, then | have the ability to make big strides. The two main goals here are to play each line smoothly and evenly, and also not to let the sound of any individual note waver. | would also like to play the entire line relaxed, without feeling like | am ever straining. The slower | practice this, the more difficulty these goals become, but the more | improve!ss99 D7—>Ab7—>Gmqj line Dra b Guna Here is a fun way to get a side slip or altered sound into your playing. This concept works really well anytime you have a 5-1 resolution. I'm starting by clearly playing the sound of the 5 chord, then moving into an inverted triad of the tritone sub chord (here that is Ab7), then resolving back down to the 1 chord (G major). Once you know the basic line, you'll have the freedom to change the phrasing, rhythm, or placement of the resolution. Try this with whatever tune you're working on, and have fun!