I decided to offer a free video lesson on my book Mastering Altered Pentatonics for everyone. I have sold many of these books and really want to make sure that everyone is getting the most they can out of them. You can consider this an “overview” lesson on the various pentatonics covered in the book although I don’t go through the 30 pentatonic patterns in the book. (I have more detailed lessons in my Neffmusic store). I cover tips on the best way to use the book as well as demonstrating the various pentatonics so you can hear how they sound with a background track. Here is a description of the book:
Any serious fan of jazz has at one time or another heard a solo where the line being played made them turn towards the soloist with a look of concern. “Where were they going with this line?” “What are they thinking?” “Do they know they are playing the wrong notes?” If you have been in that seat looking at the soloist you know there is a moment where you feel some nervousness and anxiety. “Those notes are not right!” we think. Then the soloist masterfully weaves the crazy line he was just playing into sweet consonance and harmony. Our nervousness and anxiety melts away and we feel at peace with the world. Yet our heart is still pounding with excitement as if we just got off the world’s biggest roller coaster.
Mastering Altered Pentatonics-Digital PDF Book 14.99
Mastering Altered Pentatonics-Printed Version 29.99
The great players of jazz have learned the fine art of weaving in and out of a tonality whenever they please. It has the same affect on us listeners as riding a roller coaster or watching a tightrope walker performing sixty stories above the street. Those who have ears that perceive what is going on recognize the intricate balance of dissonance and consonance being played with by the soloist. Once we recognize it we are enthralled and unable to look away.
In “Mastering Altered Pentatonics”, we are taking the most benign of scales, the pentatonic scale, through the ringer. We are working on mastering it using twenty-nine scale patterns that we then alter to create new and fresh sounds that are far from benign. At times, they sound almost dangerous in their tension and dissonance. By practicing these altered pentatonic patterns and weaving in and out of them we are practicing the fine art of balancing our lines between consonance and dissonance while we improvise. The more adept we become at this balancing act the more exciting and entertaining our lines and solos will become. Inside, we will take the pentatonic scale through eleven alterations. Each one having it’s own sound and flavor. Join me in discovering a new way to approach thinking and playing while improvising that will lead you to discover new and fresh sounding lines. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have enjoyed working on it.
By practicing these altered pentatonic patterns and weaving in and out of them we are practicing the fine art of balancing our lines between consonance and dissonance. The more adept we become at this balancing act the more exciting and entertaining our lines and solos will become.
Inside, we will take the pentatonic scale through eleven alterations. Each one having it’s own sound and flavor. The book is 368 pages long and in all 12 keys. It comes with a 49 minute overview video lesson of the book where I talk about and demonstrate the concepts from the book on the tenor saxophone.
Join me in discovering a new way to approach thinking and playing your lines that will lead you to discover new and fresh sounding lines. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have enjoyed working on it. Steve
Mastering Altered Pentatonics-Digital PDF Book 14.99
Mastering Altered Pentatonics-Printed Version 29.99
Mastering Altered Pentatonics Free Overview Lesson
I hope you enjoy the lesson and find it useful. There are 600+ more lessons in my Neffmusic store on a variety of subjects to check out. If you have a question on anything in the lesson feel free to email me or send a message and I will do my best to answer your questions. If this lesson stirs your curiosity in my Mastering Altered Pentatonics book, you can purchase one below as a PDF you download or a printed version that will be shipped to you. Thanks, Steve
As a fan and multiple purchaser I only have the single complaint that your mix is unbalanced – the backing tracks are difficult to hear and relate to your great, instructive, but overpowering horn lines
I agree with Rick. I always import the lesson into my DAW (ProTools or Audacity), Normalize, then Compress at a ratio of 09:01to squash the stiffer peaks and Normalize again (or not). Then Compress again at a ratio of 08:01. The music is still too quite in relation to the saxophone, but it’s some help. At least it balances the volume between the spoken word and the saxophone. If Steve could record the background music on a separate track and then remix it before mastering the session, I think it would be a great help.
Thanks Randy and Rick. I’ll look more into improving the balance. I appreciate the input. I’m not big on all the technical recording jargon but will see if I can figure some of this out to make it better. I have Audacity so can experiment with that. Steve
DO YOU HAVE A HARD COPY OF THIS MASTERING PENTS ive bought product before on pdf the are cumbersome.. I prefer you hard copy from lulu
Morgan, Yes, here is the link. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/neff64
In the future you can find the printed books on my site under store and then click on printed books on the drop down menu. Steve
Great info Steve. It’s always a pleasure to hear you talk and describe how practice and think. One pentatonic I really like and work on is: 1 2 3m 5 6 (ie Dm: D E F A B). I think it’s been called the ‘Coltrane Pentatonic’ by some. Similar to your #2. The 9th and 6th add a nice tone colour.