Jazz Improvisation
Learn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo.While many people are fans of jazz and understand that musicians are often “making up” the notes they are playing during a performance, most people—often including musicians, themselves, who are beginning to learn improvising—aren’t clear about what exact processes take place to enable this to happen. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of modern improvisation and how to go about mastering the different musical and mental skills involved.
Course author Gary Burton codifies a sought-after approach to improvisation that has been at the core of Berklee College of Music’s curriculum for decades. Students who complete this course will know what to practice and how to practice the various aspects of improvising, in addition to understanding how the improviser spontaneously communicates to the listeners through their musical creations.
Use storytelling as a tool to improve your improvisation
Practice and use various scales to improve your improvisation skills
Identify harmonic motion in a song
Use guide tones and guide tone lines when you're improvising
Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Welcome to Jazz Improvisation
Improvisation as a Language
Week 2
The Improviser’s Vocabulary
Week 3
Making Scale Choices in Real Time
Week 4
Harmony for Improvisers
Week 5
Theme and Variation
FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Do I need to play an instrument before I enroll in this course?
Yes. Learners should have basic proficiency on an instrument before enrolling in this course.
Do I need to know music theory before I enroll in this course?
While prior knowledge of music theory concepts is not required for enrollment, it would be helpful for you to have a working knowledge of basic concepts, such as key signatures, chord scales, the circle of 5ths, etc. If you feel you need to review these concepts before enrolling in Jazz Improvisation, we recommend first enrolling the our Developing Your Musicianship course offered on Coursera.
Reviews
This 5 week intensive course has really opened my eyes to how far you can develop your improvisation and the processes that come with it. WIsh I had come across this years ago!
It showed got me real close to a personal tutor combined with its active class discussion network, keeping me on my toes and giving me a boost in my Jazz learning. I am happy I took this one.
Excellent introduction to Jazz Improvisation. I was amazed by how much I could progress in just 6 weeks... Great content, superbly delivered by Gary Burton.
Opened up a whole new world for me :) Gary Burton's topics method of explaining concepts and the course topics touched upon are just right :) Thank you Coursera !
