Description
This lesson is on the famous standard “It Could Happen To You”. This is one of my favorite standards. The melody is very memorable.
I improvise through the changes and talk about different way to master and internalize these chords. I demonstrate the concepts of running the chords, randomly running the chords, linking the chord tones, playing over the key centers, using blues scales and playing melodically over the changes.
This lesson comes with a play along for “It Could Happen To You” .
I also include PDFs of the changes in Bb, Eb and C and demonstrate all the examples on the tenor saxophone. (31 Minute Video Lesson, PDFs, Play Along)
Steve Van Dam (verified owner) –
Just watched your lesson on improv over It Could Happen .
The whole point of that lesson is to avoid chasing the changes, and instead construct something melodic and lyrical.
I love that. I wish more people would stress that!! It seems like in modern jazz there’s so much emphasis on outlining every single change with modal and scalar runs, that people have forgotten that this stuff is supposed to sound pleasant and melodic!!
Maybe people are afraid that staying melodic and simply demonstrating which notes change, rather than mode over chord, is like simple, or unsophisticated or something. So the result is too many notes.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the skill of very fast runs glued to the changes, but it’s refreshing to hear someone stress lyricism.
Anyway, great lesson!
Steve Van Dam