Creative Jazz Improvisation

Scott Reeves is Professor Emeritus at The City College of the City University of New York. Tom Walsh is Professor of Saxophone and Chair of the Department of Jazz Studies in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

PART 1: THE ART OF IMPROVISATION / 1. Practicing and Performing Jazz / PART 2: DIATONIC CHORDS AND THE MODES IN THE MAJOR SCALE / 2. Major Scales and Major 7th Chords / 3. Dorian Scales and Minor 7th Chords / 4. Mixolydian and Dominant Bebop Scales, and Dominant 7th Chords / 5. The ii V I Progression and Functional Harmony / 6. Locrian and Aeolian Scales, and the iiØ7 V7♭9 i Progression / 7. Lydian and Phrygian Scales, and Major 7♭5 Chords / PART 3: CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS, HARMONIC STRUCTURES, AND FORMS / 8. The Blues Scale, the Blues Form, and Chord Substitutions / 9. Sectional Forms and Rhythm Changes / 10. Harmonic Structures and Coltrane Substitutions / PART 4: ALTERED CHORDS, DIMINISHED MODES, WHOLE-TONE SCALES, AND HARMONIC MINOR AND MELODIC MINOR MODES / 11. Diminished Scales, Fully Diminished Chords, and Dominant 7♭9 Chords / 12. Whole-Tone Scales and Augmented Chords / 13. Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales, and Minor/Major 7th Chords / 14. Locrian #2 and Altered Scales, and Minor iiØ9 V7 ♯9♯5 i Progressions / 15. Lydian Augmented and Lydian Dominant Scales, and Major 7th ♯5 and Dominant 9th ♯11 Chords / PART 5: BEYOND FUNCTIONAL HARMONY / 16. Free Improvisation / 17. Pentatonic Scales / 18. Four-Note Groupings Derived from Pentatonic Scales / 19. Intervallic Improvisation / 20. Odd Meters / Appendix I: Intervals / Appendix II: Modes in the Major Scale / Appendix III: Modes in the Melodic Minor Scale / Appendix IV: Diatonic 7th Chords in Major Keys / Appendix V: Diatonic 7th Chords in Minor Keys / Appendix VI: Chords and Their Relationship to Scales / Appendix VII: Upper Structure or "Slash" Chords / Appendix VIII: Creativity and an Overview of Kenny Werner’s Effortless Mastery Method