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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
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  • 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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Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)
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I can’t say enough about my membership at Neff Music. Steve has taken the mystery out of playing the saxophone well and improvising both jazz and rock music. Like most struggling players I have a load of all sorts of books on my shelf just gathering dust. Books that I didn’t understand or know how to put to use…or just have the time to go threw them. Steve’s lessons really simplify things and he puts it in a way that I can understand. They inspire me to keep pushing and having him as my guide or… Read more
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I’ve been a member of Steve’s site for about six months now and the difference it has made to my playing is immeasurable. The (many) benefits of this membership are that you can have lessons at time convenient to you, they work out A LOT cheaper than face-to-face lessons with a teacher of the same calibre and you can replay them ad infinitum. I don’t know how many times have I had lessons in the past where I’ve ended up covering the same concepts when really a ‘replay’ of the last lesson would h… Read more
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Hi Steve, I can’t express just how much I appreciate your teaching. My playing has improved so much over the past year since I have been studying and practicing with your lessons. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, these lessons are proof! Thanks, Michael Byington
Michael Byington
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Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe
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I have found your videos and publications inspiring and your contribution to the world of saxophone playing is immense. Paul
Paul
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I’m an experienced player in the pop/soul/funk areas of music and, previously, classical.  Over the decades I’ve been playing, I’ve always felt that I could do what I needed in those styles of music.  However, recently I began to feel limited by my use of the same old licks. When I discovered Steve Neff’s website, and heard the audio examples based on the exercises in his books, I realized they were what I needed.  I purchased all of them and have been working on them since.  It’s very hard work… Read more
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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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I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

Milton
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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
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