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, scales, and chord progressions that regularly appear in jazz. Purchase Includes MIDI files. To see a page from the book (p. 65) click here. To listen to this page click here.
(175 pages).
John Hastings (verified owner) –
I knew that this book and audio package was incredible but have hesitated to write a review for selfish reasons. I didn’t want the competition to know about it. But I changed my mind because I decided that I would like for others to know about the rare, pure joy that is available to musicians thanks to Bob Hinz. I believe that the book’s description and any sample page or pages will let you know if the book (with midi audio tracks for everything in the book) is for you or not, but what you probably can’t know is how stunningly gorgeous the midi tracks sound. As soon as I heard them, I thought of Mozart. For jazzers, don’t let that last sentence throw you. There are two sets of midi files: one set in straight time, and the other in swing time. If you want to hear what I mean about Mozart, an example of his music that I’m reminded of through Bob Hinz’s work is “Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545 ‘Sonata facile’: I. Allegro.” The Improviser’s Guide To Melodic Embellishment is a work of art. Pass it on.