Practicing Jazz Improvisation: Exercise #1 by Lot2Learn

The MIDI file of my playing on this video as well as the backing track I used and a PDF Notation file of my solo are available on my web site at One of the exercises I enjoy, is to practice improvising over a set of chord changes that do not correspond to a particular song. This helps me accomplish two main goals: 1. It makes me create solo lines that connect the changes and tell a coherent story without having a melody to refer to. This tests my spontaneous composition and improvisational skills to create a melodically coherent and interesting set of connecting phrases. 2. This exercise also helps me practice the never-ending cycle of tension and resolve, which I feel is a crucial element in my approach to improvisation. I call this particular exercise “It Never Ends“, because the chord progression seems to cycle on forever. I use this practice exercise with various tempos and styles (Bossa, swing, funk, etc.) with each style eliciting an ent