Remember when I said you needed to know your scales to improvise? Eventually you will want and need to know all your major scales, at the least. But that's the same with any music, isn't it? But for your first three lessons, here is the only scale you will need to know, and it's most likely the first scale you ever learned. So, for all instruments, here it is.
Recognize it? YES, you are correct! It is indeed a concert Bb major scale, the one you all know and love. It does have a few extra notes, but those are only the first 5 notes repeated in the next octave. Do you really need those extra notes. YES, and don't dare to question the judgement of the all-powerful OZ, or Dave, or whoever I am. For now, just make just you know this scale. Know it, love it, become one with it, since you will be using the heck out of it for a while.
Now, think about this. Did you know that you could start on any note of that Bb Major scale and end up with a totally different scale? You can, and it's called a mode. Modes are very important in jazz, and the first one we are going to explore is called the Dorian Mode. Now, play this same scale on your instrument, but just play the notes that are within the box. This will give you the Dorian Mode, which is just a major scale, but starting on the second degree. Simple, isn't it? I love Dorian modes, because if you play a dorian mode on a certain type of chord called a minor 7th chord, you can't possibly play a note that sounds bad. All notes in the Dorian Mode sound equally good, unlike some scales (including our good friend the Major Scale). I like to say the Thomas Jefferson would have liked the Dorian Mode. Why? Because all notes are created equal.
So without further silly comments, here is the Dorian Mode for your particular instruments. Remember to play the shaded notes only, even if it sounds a little strange to you at first.
Ok, it's now time to play! On the next page, I will give you a little tune using just this one scale, the dorian mode. But for now, just play the scale up and down in time (whole notes, then half notes, then quarter notes, then eight notes) to this midi file that appears under this text. It should automatically play a backing track for you, which will open up in your default music player
Once you know how each note in the scale sounds, try making up your own set of notes. This is what improvising is, using a scale to find the notes that sound good, and then doing what you want with them. Later I will show you to make sense of what you are playing. For now, just have fun and sound good!
Your first performance is ahead. You will learn a little tune called The Portrait of Dorian Mode, which appears in Lesson 2. Ready to go on to that?