Improv Drill: Arpeggios
Bill Charlap, the reigning mainstream jazz pianist, makes commanding use of arpeggios in the second chorus of his solo over the tune Blue Skies from his 2000 Blue Note recording Written in the Stars, his major label debut. In this lesson, his solo is the basis for several drills of commonly used arpeggios that will help you integrate these essential melodic devices into your own playing. The fourth installment in the Improv Drill series of lessons, this lesson builds on the fundamentals outlined in the first two lessons, Improv Drill: Chord Tones and Improv Drill: Approach Patterns Part 1 and 2.

See all of the lessons in this series.

Lesson Stats
When added: 12/13/09; Duration: 18 minutes.

Prerequisites
Moderate keyboard proficiency. Ability to read notation and play all 12 major scales. These lessons are good prerequisites: The Five Essential 7th Chords, The Four Components of Melodic Construction, Improvisation: The Concept, Improv Drill: Approach Patterns

Quizzes
Quiz 1: Improv Drill Arpeggios Warmup Quiz
Quiz 2: Improv Drill Arpeggios Quiz

Practice Sessions & Playalongs
Practice Session 1: Improvise a line of ascending 1357 arpeggios in quarter notes over the chord changes to the tune Blue Skies.
Practice Session 2: Improvise a line of ascending 1357 arpeggios in eighth notes over the chord changes to the tune Blue Skies.
Practice Session 3: Improvise a line of descending 7531 arpeggios in eighth notes over the chord changes to the tune Blue Skies.
Practice Session 4: Improvise a line of ascending 3579 arpeggios in eighth notes over the chord changes to the tune Blue Skies.
Practice Session 5: Improvise a line of descending 9753 arpeggios in eighth notes over the chord changes to the tune Blue Skies.
Practice Session 6: Freely improvise with 1357 and 3579 arpeggios over the chord changes to Blue Skies.

Includes play-alongs for practice sessions in MIDI, Band-in-a-Box™ and GarageBand formats.

Resources for further Listening and Reading
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