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You are here: Home / Jazz Lessons / Scale Studies / The Diminished Scale: Lesson 1

The Diminished Scale: Lesson 1

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 2 customer ratings
(2 customer reviews)

$9.99

SKU: 045 Category: Scale Studies Tags: diminished scale, jazz improvisation, jazz theory, video lesson
  • Description
  • Reviews (2)
  • Lesson Sample

Description

The Diminished Scale is a fantastic sound that provides endless opportunities to the jazz musician. This is the scale that defined the post bebop era and is now an integral part of the jazz language. In this first introductory lesson on The Diminished scale, I teach you the 3 diminished Scales and show you how to utilize them over both diminished and dominant chords. I discuss various ways of conceptualizing the Diminished Scale, so that you can move on past simply trying to understand the scale and start getting this fantastic sound under your fingers and into your playing. I explain and demonstrate how the three Diminished Scales can be played in a variety of ways, from the patterns that all players utilize, to a more intervallic approach that will make sure you need never sound cliched.
I explain and play numerous examples for you as I discuss how I practice these scales over the different chords and use them on tunes. I show you how you can start to really get these scales down and how, by doing so, the whole language of modern jazz starts to make a lot more sense. When you understand and become proficient with the Diminished scale, all those Bird, Stitt and Coltrane solos start to make so much more sense. A command of the Diminished Scale will give your playing that hip, more mature sound you hear from all the great players. This lesson comes with a PDF sheet that includes the three Diminished Scales, as well as the various patterns and progressions I demonstrate. There’s enough material here to get you started and keep you going for quite a while as you discover a whole new world of sound.  (Audio & PDF)

2 reviews for The Diminished Scale: Lesson 1

  1. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    C.N. – April 4, 2009

    Steve! I have never been able to understand and get a hold of the diminished scale. Until now! Once again, your explanation, demonstrations, and pdf. file has cleared the way for me to develop my use of the diminished scale. You have the gift of Outstanding Performance and Superb Instruction! Thank you Steve! C.N.

  2. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jay Richardson – December 10, 2009

    Steve, I’ve purchased four of your lessons and have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from them. My schedule is hectic, but I’m able to listen to them while I travel and I’m about to order another. So far I’ve purchased:
    – II V I Licks
    – 1 Bar blues
    – Triadic Pairs 2×2 (Maj & min)
    – Diminished Scales

    Great stuff please keep it up!

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Lesson Sample

https://public.neffmusic.com/Diminished%20Scale%20Lesson%201%20clip.mp4

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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.
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