About this course: Learn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo. While many people are fans of jazz and understand that musicians are often “making up” the notes they are playing during a performance, most people—often including musicians, themselves, who are beginning to learn improvising—aren’t clear about what exact processes take place to enable this to happen. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of modern improvisation and how to go about mastering the different musical and mental skills involved. Course author Gary Burton codifies a sought-after approach to improvisation that has been at the core of Berklee College of Music's curriculum for decades. Students who complete this course will know what to practice and how to practice the various aspects of improvising, in addition to understanding how the improviser spontaneously communicates to the listeners through their musical creations.
Created by: Berklee
Taught by: Gary Burton
| Level | Intermediate |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study, 3-6 hours/week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Chinese (Simplified) |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome to Jazz Improvisation
Welcome to the course! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.
3 videos, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Welcome to Jazz Improvisation
- Practice Quiz: What Are Your Goals?
- Reading: Connect on Facebook and Join the Weekly Twitter Chats
- Reading: Meet Your Teaching Assistant
- Reading: Getting to Know You
- Video: How this Course Works
- Video: Learning Music Online
- Reading: How to Record Yourself for Assignments
- Reading: Learner Support
- Reading: Peer Review Assignments
- Reading: Course Certificates
Improvisation as a Language
Since everybody who is taking this course starts from a different place in terms of their experience as an improviser, it's important at first to cover some basic material. We'll begin our journey by exploring the language used by jazz improvisors. Improvisation is analogous to language in many ways. With music, we become fluent when the vocabulary (scales and chords) and grammar (harmonic progressions) are assimilated into conversational content or story (melodic themes and structure) and we no longer have to consciously think about them while we play.
4 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Improvisation Study
- Video: The Relationship Between Spoken Language & Music
- Reading: Spoken Language and Improvised Music
- Video: Story-Telling
- Video: Creating Your Assignment
- Discussion Prompt: Improvisation as a Language
- LTI Item: Peer Learning Exercise: Improvisation as a Language
Graded: SELF ASSESSMENT: Improvisation as a Language
WEEK 2
The Improviser's Vocabulary
In this lesson, we'll explore the improviser's lingo. We'll identify the most common chord scales and the type of harmony they relate to including major, minor, and dominant 7.
6 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: The Improviser's Vocabulary
- Video: Learning Scales
- Video: 10 Most Important Scales
- Video: The Modes
- Video: Dominant 7 Scale Choices
- Video: Using Chord Scales
- Reading: The 7 Modes from Brightest to Darkest
- Reading: 3 Additional Scales
- Practice Quiz: Identify the Scale
- Discussion Prompt: Understanding Others' Vocabulary
- LTI Item: Peer Learning Exercise: Expanding Your Vocabulary
Graded: SELF ASSESSMENT: Understanding Others' Vocabulary
WEEK 3
Making Scale Choices in Real Time
Improvisers must be able to quickly recall chord scales and be able to play around on them fluently. This becomes important when choosing which chord scale to use on a given harmony—another thing we must be able to determine immediately. When a new tune is put in front of you at a session or a rehearsal, there isn't time to take the music home and spend an hour or two working out the correct scales. Improvisers need a quick, mostly intuitive way of making these scale choices in real time as the tune is being played. This week, we'll explore my method for making these quick musical decisions.
7 videos, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Choosing a Chord Scale
- Video: Finding the Correct Major Scale
- Video: Chord Scale Method
- Video: Finding the Correct Minor Chord Scale
- Video: Minor Examples
- Video: Finding the Correct Dominant Chord Scale
- Practice Quiz: Scale Choices
- Video: Creating Your Assignment
- Discussion Prompt: 500 Miles High
- LTI Item: Peer Learning Exercise: Finding the Right Scale
Graded: SELF ASSESSMENT: 500 Miles High
WEEK 4
Harmony for Improvisers
It is important for an improviser to clearly imply the harmonies when improvising. It is not enough to just play correct notes on each chord. In this lesson we'll examine how the improviser helps the harmonies move. Part of the improviser's job is to help the listener follow the changes as the chords move from one to another.
5 videos, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Harmonic Motion
- Video: Guide-Tones
- Video: Using Guide-Tone Lines
- Video: Harmonic Motion
- Practice Quiz: Harmony
- Video: Creating Your Assignment
- Discussion Prompt: Memories of Tomorrow
- LTI Item: Peer Learning Exercise: Improvising with Guide Tones
Graded: SELF ASSESSMENT: Memories of Tomorrow
WEEK 5
Theme and Variation
This week we will discuss how the improviser develops melodic themes in a solo. As mentioned in week 1, there are natural comparisons between speech and improvising that illustrate how this functions. The most common technique for telling a musical story that engages the listener for the duration of your solo is by using a traditional concept called theme and variation. That is, you introduce a theme—a musical phrase—then repeat it, making variations on it to develop an interesting storyline. A good solo is like an explanation, or a good story. The explanation or story is the content of improvisation.
8 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Lesson 5 Learning Targets
- Video: Theme
- Video: The Unfolding of a Story
- Video: Three Characteristics of Melodic Form
- Video: Variation
- Video: Musical Sentences
- Video: Analyzing Songs
- Practice Quiz: Theme and Variation
- Video: Conclusion
- Video: Creating Your Assignment
- Reading: Course Evaluation
Graded: Peer Learning Exercise: Theme and Variation
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
Berklee
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online.
Ratings and Reviews
excelent course
Awesome class! Gary is the real deal. His depth of understanding on the subject is rich and the way the course is organized is well-thought-out. I do wish the improv assignments were graded directly by the instructor and not TA's or peers, however.
Excellent course with the aclaimed Musician Gary Burton ,very good study material with clear concepts, tips etc. Superb for those who begin to want to develop and/or improve their jazz improvisation level.
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KX
Overall an informative, interesting, and well-presented course. However, as a newcomer to jazz (classical background), it took me a while to figure out how to apply the concepts and sound good. I particularly would've liked some demonstrations/ analysis of these improv techniques over real music. Also, the peer learning aspect could be improved since the quality of peer evaluations was sometimes inconsistent. Other than that, my musicianship improved and I would recommend this course.