Motivic+Development+for+Beginning+Improvisers

This lesson is designed for beginning improvisers who have already reached some degree of comfort using the blues scale. The intent of the lesson is to give students several tools (repetition, sequence, and inversion) that will help them create a more sophisticated melodic structure in their solos. Since the intent of the lesson is to help students create their own music, and not to teach theory, the classical definitions of those techniques (repetition, sequence, and inversion) need not apply. For our purposes, sequence can be defined as "taking a musical idea or shape, and moving it to a different part of the instrument or scale" - it doesn't need to be an exact intervallic replica. Most students will not hear in terms of intervals, and won't think in terms of note names - instead they'll hear shapes. Approaching the concept in this manner will allow the students to implement it on their instrument much faster than if it is approached from a more theoretical perspective.

During the "around the room" activities, it is very effective to move around and give students individualized feedback on their solo, rather than giving universal feedback after everyone has played. If you have time, it can also be very effective to stop every few people and allow students to give each other feedback.

**Behavioral Learning Objectives:** Using the blues scale, students will be able to improvise within the blues form, and they will achieve motivic development (using repetition, sequence, inversion) within a 4-bar structure according to the satisfaction of the teacher.  **Materials:** Students will need their instruments. The teacher will need exemplary recordings of solos which utilize motivic development. Highly recommended are: Freddie Hubbard’s flugelhorn solo on “’Sho Nuff Did” (Mel Lewis and Friends), and Eric Harland’s drum solo on “Triumph” (SFJAZZ Collective: Third Annual Tour).  **Sequence of Activities:**  1. Define motive - a simple musical idea that an artist reuses and varies throughout his/her solo  2. Sing, or teach Freddie Hubbard's motive by rote, so students will identify it easily while listening  Listen to Freddie Hubbard solo - Sho' Nuff Did; students should raise their hand each time motive sounds  3. How can we use motives?  Teacher models repetition, sequence, inversion (while defining each for the students) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Keep things simple: <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">sequence - taking an idea, and moving it to a different part of your instrument, or of the scale <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">repetition - taking an idea and repeating it <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">inversion - taking an idea, and turning it upside down <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Assessment: After defining each, teacher should model each technique and ask students to identify them <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">4. Call and response (blues scale) - students repeat what the teacher plays <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">5. Call and response (blues scale) - students sequence what the teacher plays <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">6. Call and response (blues scale) - students invert what the teacher plays <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">7. Discuss Eric Harland's motive, so students will identify it easily while listening <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Listen to Eric Harland's solo - Triumph; students are encouraged to raise their hand each time <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Discuss how Eric Harland utilized motivic development on the drum set, rather than on an instrument <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">8. All students improvise at the same time, implementing repetition, sequence, or inversion <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">9. Go around the room - 4 bar solos using repetition (Assessment) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">10. Go around the room - 4 bar solos using sequence (Assessment) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">11. Go around the room - 4 bar solos using inversion (Assessment) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">12. Go around the room - 4 bar solos using any form of motivic development (Assessment) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">All assessment can be done through informal observation. With beginning improvisers (which this lesson is designed for), it is best to keep an encouraging, experimental environment, where students don't feel like they're being tested or graded. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> //Great lesson! Having students listen to the pros do what you're teaching is the best reinforcement out there, and thanks for listing specific examples and where to find them for everyone's use! I'd just insert that for those students not quite comfortable with the blues scale, having them start improving over a modal or other simple harmonic foundation using a only a single mode or major/minor scale instead can be equally beneficial. As most students are more familiar playing in Bb major/C dorian/Eb Lydian, starting in those modes might be beneficial for all students as the technique is more familiar (no chromatic alterations) and they can worry more about the motivic development and less about fingerings and technical issues on their instruments. Another approach for the younger beginners is to limit their other options in a solo (use only stepwise motion, play only a predeterminded rhythm, etc.) that way they don't have to worry about those other factors while soloing and can focus solely on the new concept. (Edited by Dave Sanderson)
 * Teacher**: Paul Krueger <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Subject/Grade **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">: High School Jazz Ensemble <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Concepts/Skills/Values **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">: Improvisation/Motivic Development <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Standards **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">: Play, Improvise, Listen, Evaluate <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">

Paul, this is an awesome lesson! I like that you are able to introduce many new concepts in one lesson that make sense together and don't confuse the students. I think your ideas on motives would be easy to transfer into the concert band setting, as well. The students could raise their hands each time they hear a motive, then they could look for spots where the motive is changed in some way, be it sequence, repetition, diminution, etc. I agree with Dave that with beginners, you could also try using something more familiar, like a Bb major scale until the students become more comfortable. However, I love that you used a variety of methods, strategies, and assessments to be sure that the students really understand the concept. April Buss//