Introduction
This workshop is based on the knowledge gained in the first workshop „Improvise easily with Magic Tones part 1“. To create an ideal link, here are the most important points for beginners:
Magic Tones are four carefully chosen tones that you can often play throughout the entire musical piece while improvising – without having to look after the harmonic connections. You only need an initial tone and are ready to start. First of all, it's enough to know the tonality. Then, you count up six tones from the basic tone in the respective tonality, et voilà, you have the initial tone for your Magic Tones.
Playalong "Island"
In this workshop, we will follow up with the piece „Island“ (same style as „Cantaloupe Island“). For the piece „Island“, we need three initial tones for the Magic tones instead of one – because of the complex harmonic sequences.
Exercise 1 – Magic Tones for the piece „Island“
In order to find the initial tone for the Magic Tones, you have to go up six tones from the basic key. Because the basic key in „Island“ is Ab major, the initial tone of the Magic Tones is f. So the Magic Tones are: f, ab, bb, c Information: Minor chords can always be played directly with the Magic Tones. In this case, the initial tone f of Fm7 (f minor 7) is also the initial tone for the Magic Tones f: f, ab, bb, c
Exercise 2 – Magic Tones for the piece „Island“
In the next chord (Db7), we have to start the Magic Tones with a different initial tone. When it's about a major chord with a small seventh, we need to go up five tones from the basic tone in order to find the initial tone of the Magic Tones. Information: The basic tone is Db. If I go up five tones in the Db scale, I will find the initial tone as and start my Magic Tones, which always have the same distance, with as. So: ab, b, db, eb
Exercise #3 – Magic Tones for the piece „Island“
For the next chord D minor 7 (Dm7), the determination of the initial tone of our Magic Tones is easy again. Because of the fact that minor chords can always be played directly with Magic Tones, the initial tone is d. So: d, f, g, a
„Island“ for the bass register
In the following, you will find the necessary information for the „Magic Tones“ for the bass voice.
Exercise 4 – Magic Tones for the piece „island“
In order to bring some motion into the play, there will be simple exercises with Magic Tones for the piece „Island“. The following practice is only illustrated for C major. For every other instrument, there is an additional task in this workshop, particularly to transfer the Magic Tones exercises on to your instrument or to the different initial tones.
Closing words
In the following, you can try again to create and play your own combinations, always keeping in mind that every tone constitutes a certain objective. I hope you improved your skills in improvising and are able to apply them in the next improvisation session. Unfortunately, also this JP workshop ends here but of course you can book it as a workshop, too. In the book, it continues with the song „Prince“ (Someday my Prince will come) in a three-four time.
And now have fun improvising...
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