1.10 What Did You Learn?

When you have finished Lesson 1, ask yourself the following questions:

Articulation

  • Can I consistently recognize and play legatto notes, breath accents and house top accents with correct jazz style?
  • Can I play each Vocabulary Pattern from memory?
  • Can I move the music with the beat?

Etude

  • Am I consistently able to play the Etude with corrrect jazz style, good intonation and without mistakes?
  • Can I play the Etude from memory?

Improvisation

  • Can I create a 12 bar blues chorus with Lesson 1 blues vocabulary?
  • Can I accurately use fixed rhythms to make my own blues melodies?
  • Am I able to play several choruses of blues with a variety of my own blues melodies?

Ear training

  • Can I imitate all of the blues patterns without mistakes?

Play Along

  • Did I play each part in the B B Blues with correct jazz style, good intonation and no mistakes?
  • Did I improvise in the solo section without looking at the blues scale reference?
  • Can I play each part from memory?

Inspiration

  • Did I research and find additional resource materials for Wynton Marsalis?

If your answer is yes to all of these questions your ready to move on to Lesson 2. The memorization suggested by the above questions is very helpful but not essential in moving forward.

Good luck in Lesson 2!