Lesson Information Form

Lesson #: 3/3 Date of lesson: 11/21/2023

Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Transcribe short phrases from jazz solos, with the help of their peers and
teacher.
- Use transcribed phrases in their own improvised solos.
- Move transcribed phrases into other keys.
- Review:
- Improvise over a 12 bar blues using chord tones.
- Improvise over a 12 bar blues using the minor pentatonic scale.

Intro Activity (P/C/A)

- Pass out last week’s chord worksheet to anyone that doesn’t already have it
- Everyone plays one chorus on a blues, using the ideas that we talked about
previously.
- Minor Pentatonic
- Chord tones
- Ask: What are some good ways for us to gain more tools for improvisation?
- Key answer: taking ideas from recordings of musicians you enjoy.
- Explain transcribing:
- The process of learning a solo from a recording by ear.

Listening Activity: Billie’s Bounce (A)

- Before playing the recording, prompt students to listen for things they liked about
the solo they are about to hear, and be prepared to share.
- Also, make sure students are aware they will be listening to a 12-bar
blues.
- Listen to recording (head -> end of Bird’s solo)
- Have students share things that kept them engaged in the solo
- Start with an example to get students thinking
- Ask: Does anyone know who played this solo?
- Charlie Parker
- Saxophone player
- Revolutionized jazz by being the main pioneer of a style called bebop
- Nickname was “Bird”

Transcribe (P)
 - Work as a group on transcribing part of the first line in Bird’s solo
- Little by little- use the piano to play the line after listening to in on the
actual recording a few times
- Have students play the line a few times together

Transpose (P/A)
- “This line occurs on an F blues, but we have been playing in Bb. Does that make
it useless?”
- No, let’s move it into a different key.
- Play the line a few times in Bb on the piano, so that students hear it in that key.
- Give students one minute to try learning the line in Bb.
- After this, use the same process as in F to teach students the line in Bb.
- Play as a group a few times
- Use this as an opportunity to prepare them for the countoff in the next
activity.

Improvisation Activity (P/C)

- Where in the solo does this line take place?
- The very beginning.
- So, let’s practice this line by using it every time the beginning of the blues comes
around.
- Everyone takes a solo on a blues using their other two strategies.
- But! Start every chorus by playing the Charlie Parker line as a group.

Assessments: Informal assessment of student performance was used throughout

this lesson.

Materials:
- Blues Arpeggio Sheets (Concert, Bb, Eb, F, Bass Clef), previously passed out
- Have extra copies for students who lost theirs
- Notate the concert Bb minor pentatonic scale on the board for these instruments:
- C (concert), Bb, Eb, F, Bass Clef
- Piano
- Speakers and internet-capable device
- Bb blues backing track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIuET8GLujE
- Recording of Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce” https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FyhEVJ0achw

Class Groupings:
Full Group
Cite sources for recordings, books and any published materials used in this lesson.

JAZZ LICK DAILY Backing Tracks. “Blues in Bb Backing Track 120 bpm - FULL
BAND.” YouTube, 21 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIuET8GLujE

Parker, C. 1945. Billie’s Bounce. On Charlie Parker The Savoy Recordings. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyhEVJ0achw