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You are here: Home / Jazz Lessons / Practice Habits / Improv Toolbox for Funky Grooves-Lesson 1-Minor
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Improv Toolbox for Funky Grooves-Lesson 1-Minor

Improv Toolbox for Funky Grooves-Lesson 1-Minor

$9.99

Category: Practice Habits Tags: funky grooves, improvisation, practice habits, saxophone, video lessons
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Description

Improv Toolbox for Funky Grooves is a series of lessons on all the concepts and tools you can use when you  practice  playing along with funky music. This is one my favorite ways to practice because as I am improvising, I am working on varied concepts and tools that allow me to play interesting solos.

In lesson 1, I give you a list of 22 tunes from a iTunes playlist I have that cover 11 minor keys. I do not include these songs because they are copyrighted but if you take a listen to them on iTunes and like this style of music you can download them yourself to practice with. In the playlist I also include the blues scales that work over each song in concert key.In this lesson, we start with the basics of knowing the keys and blues scales that go with a song. I talk about resolutions as well as practicing the blues scale to these grooves in a melodic way. I also talk about the importance of rhythmic variation and articulation while improvising.

I demonstrate all the concepts on the soprano sax with a variety of drum and guitar loops so you can hear the concepts I am teaching about. Future lessons in the series will deal with adding other elements and tools to the funky tracks like bebop scales, approach note lines, pentatonics, altered scales, triad pairs, chromatic lines and other improvisational concepts. I think you will get a lot out of this series of lessons. (33 Minute Video Lesson, PDF Playlist of Funky Grooves in 11 Minor Keys)

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Testimonials

1 2 3 4 5
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony
1 2 3 4 5
I have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig
1 2 3 4 5
Your major diatonic patterns book is great. I”m studying the first twenty patterns (first twenty pages) each day with different articulation each day and slowly increasing the tempo each week or so.  There is a noticeable improvement in finger coordination across all keys and its amazing how much more secure I feel on the difficult keys when attempting to play pieces with 5+ flats/sharps. I’m able to sort out the fingerings for these pieces now much more quickly than before, often in one or two … Read more
Geoff
1 2 3 4 5
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron
1 2 3 4 5

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude
1 2 3 4 5
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith
1 2 3 4 5
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano
1 2 3 4 5

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc
1 2 3 4 5
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
1 2 3 4 5
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane
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