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Mastering Altered Pentatonics (Digital PDF Book)

Mastering Altered Pentatonics (Digital PDF Book)

Rated 4.67 out of 5 based on 3 customer ratings
(3 customer reviews)

$26.98 Original price was: $26.98.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.

Category: Jazz Books (PDF Downloads) Tags: altered pentatonics, jazz improvisation, jazz method, modern improv, steve neff
  • Description
  • Reviews (3)

Description

Limited Time Only

Purchase my “Mastering Altered Pentatonics” digital PDF book and get a free lesson included on Creating Modern Lines with Altered Pentatonic Variations-Lesson 1 (11.99 value for free)

The “Creating Modern Lines from Altered Pentatonic Variations-Lesson goes hand in hand with how best to use my book “Mastering Altered Pentatonics” to create your own amazing modern lines over static funk grooves. The material can be applied to jazz lines just as well. This book and lesson are a “gold mine” of resources to create incredible sounding lines for those who are willing to do the work. This offer does not apply to previous purchases of the book but if you are interested in the extra lesson you can find it here.

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.

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.

Mastering Altered Pentatonics

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

Sample Pages from Introduction of Book

3 reviews for Mastering Altered Pentatonics (Digital PDF Book)

  1. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Michael SantaMaria – May 1, 2019

    Hi Steve,
    Great enjoyable, informative book, can’t put it down. I play with a big band, jazz trio & Trad Jazz New Orleans group. Your book has given me new and different ideas to apply to all. Great job putting all this material together. Thank you again.
    Michael SantaMaria

  2. Avatar
    Rated 4 out of 5

    HENRY Gutierrez – June 16, 2019

    Hi Steve,
    Great enjoyable, informative book, can’t put it down. Your book has given me new and different ideas to apply to all. Great job putting all this material together. Thank you again.

  3. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Dino Govoni – January 24, 2023

    Man… digging practicing from this pentatonic book… killer!
    Making my fingers play new ideas!

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Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

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Just to say thanks for your advice and lessons.  I’ve just read your amazing story.  I really appreciate what you do in regards to teaching.  I have bought a couple of your lessons and frankly they’re undersold.   I’ve learned much more with these two lessons than with 2 years of sax teachers.   Thanks so much………..
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Mr. Neff,  I want to thank you for sharing your God-given talents through your on-line lessons.  My husband, Michael, is blind, but he is a great sax player and he has been enjoying your lessons for quite some time now.  It’s not unusual for me to hear “Hey, babe, listen to THIS!” – and he will cut loose on his sax, just thrilled at what he learned during his session with you.  His excitement warms my heart!  You have no idea how much you have poured into my husband.  You have opened musical … Read more

Carole B
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter
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
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