Improvising in a Jazz style is the most challenging area of music in which to improvise. One reason is because Jazz music often modulates (a jargon word for changes key) and therefore, more than one scale is required in order to follow the key changes.

In these few lessons, Instead of using well known Jazz songs over which to play our solo lines, we’ll use a chord sequence that is used regularly in the world of Jazz.

There are a number of ways to begin Jazz improvisation but the method I intend to adopt here is with the use of arpeggios or chord notes sometimes called chord tones.

Understanding chord changes in a “number system” is fundamental to playing Jazz, and the II-V-I sequence is king of them all. In lesson one the chords will be analysed so that your improvisation, which is built upon the chord changes, can be applied to any key.