Giant Steps Improvisation Weekends: Course Description

Anyone joining Mark for this workshop can expect to finish the weekend having gained:

• Greater confidence in all aspects of playing
• Fluency in improvisation
• Improved aural awareness
• New friends and a great sense of achievement

Mark references some classic tunes, lets you into their secrets to discover what makes these old favourites swing:

• Jam Session favourites eg Autumn Leaves, All The Things You Are, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
• Funky Tunes eg The Chicken, Jean Pierre, Canteloupe Island, Watermelon Man
• Latin Tunes eg Girl From Ipanema, Black Orpheus, Mambo Inn, Oye Como Va
• Modal Tunes eg Maiden Voyage, So What? Little Sunflower
• Ballads, 3/4 Tunes, Odd Meter Tunes...etc.

Specifically, attention will be focused on a selection of these topic areas:

• Playing the tune (ie Phrasing & Interpretation)
• Playing in different styles (eg Swing, Funk, Latin, Ballad etc)
• Memorising material
• Working on fast tunes
• The Blues
• Rhythm changes
• Free Improvising

At the end of the first day’s workshop, you will perform the pieces you have learned to create a live recording, which will be pressed into a CD*. As anyone who has recorded in a studio will confirm, this is a very intense experience. It’s different to playing in front of a live audience but for developing players helps to form a useful reference point.

Using active listening, players can learn to critically analyse their playing and improve their skills against this baseline record. Recording and active listening is a very important aspect of the Giant Steps Jazz approach as it was originally set-out by Alan Cook.

*The final CD will be available as soon as possible after the course