Search - :: Vol. 3, The II/V7/I Progression: A New Approach To Jazz Improvisation (Book & CD Set)

Good? Certainly. "New Approach"? Hardly

Fly By Light | Atlanta, Georgia | 12/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some highlights: The CD takes you through II-V-I progressions in all keys, major and minor. There are scales to look at, if you want to look at them when you start. There are some sample etudes. There is a long list of sample runs in D that start out simple and gradually grow in difficulty. Some of them have comments to explain the techniques used.



This set is a versatile tool - the CD tracks have a great band accomaniment that you can use to practice improvising on your own, learn some comping skills, practice your own comping, practice scales and chords, . . . Exercises are in Bass, Treble, Bb and Eb, so just about anyone that doesn't play F french horn can use them easily. The charts in the book are extensive. The set is as good as you care to make it.



I had a small customer service that the publisher remedied instantly and courteously. Bravo!



If I could change one thing, the exercises in D might be a little more musical and a little less "classroom". I wouldn't recommend playing many of them "as is" in a real setting. However, you aren't tied to those examples when using the CD, so it's not really a big issue. A CD with 12 tracks of ii-v-i, one in each key (major and minor) instead of just D, might be a nice addition for the beginner level, but it is also beneficial to jump around different keys as some of the exercises do.



Why four stars instead of five? I have a personal bias. Music books that "change your life" with minimal user effort get five stars from me. Music books that "change your life", but only with considerable effort on your part, get four. Call me lazy."