Description

Melodic embellishment is the use of tones outside of a chord to decorate and ornament chord tones. It is an essential and perhaps the most important component of improvised jazz melody. In their improvised solos, improvisers interpret chord progressions by playing notes that suggest, move around, point toward, highlight, or resolve to the notes of each chord. The tones that are used to embellish a chord, often referred to as non-chord tones, are generally more dissonant and less stable in relation to the chord tones being ornamented. The principle of tension and resolution, accordingly, is almost always involved. These studies are an attempt to acquaint the improviser with this principle and its application through the embellishment of a number of chords and progressions that regularly appear in jazz.

The Major Seventh Chord Embellishment PDF has 64 exercises that provide various patterns and exercises that decorate and ornament the major seventh chord. Purchase includes a MIDI file. To listen to page one of the exercises (the posted image), click here→

(8 Pages)