Roots2Boot Recordings

This challenge is mostly for saxophone players, in that the etude is written around the range of the saxophone. 

This is an etude I wrote for myself to get more familiar and comfortable with approach tones to the dominant 7th bebop scale. Dom 7th bebop scale is based on the Mixolydian mode (or starting on the 5th) which is the basis for most of the the common 'bluesy' sound in our vocabulary as improvisers. The bebop scale just ads a natural 7 to the scale so it ends up being symmetrical, and therefore you end up on a chord-tone on every beat. 

This etude takes you up the bebop scale and then down using approach tones. Most of the approach tones are by semitone below the target note with a few exceptions, which were made due to musical reasons.

Play each key as many times as you'd like before moving on. If you don't get through them all in one day, start where you left off the next day. 

Play these as slowly as you need to, to make it sound good. Speed will take care of itself!

Here is the Dominant 7th Approach Tone Etude

Level 1 - work on just one key at a time and ignore anything above hight F (above the staff)
Level 2 - do it all
Level 3 - Once comfortable in a key, try it with different feels: triplet eights (swung), sixteenth triplets, etc. 

For this challenge we are still working with There Will Never Be Another You, However you can do this on any tune.

The idea is to play:
1. One time through and play the melody
2. next time through play a solo using only whole notes
3. next time through play a solo using only half notes
4. next time through play a solo using only quarter notes
5. next time through play a solo using only eighth notes
6. play a solo without any restriction

Somethings to keep in mind:
To begin with I would recommend playing each one of these parameters more than once at first. The great thing about the whole notes is that you have enough time to think about the next note, and you therefore should try pre-hear the next note. Also keep in mind the big picture and try give your line an overall shape. That will get you thinking a bit more musically rather than just getting from note to note. 

Here are sample versions of what these might sound like:
There Will Never Be Another You (WHQE) Concert
There Will Never Be Another You (WHQE) Bb
There Will Never Be Another You (WHQE) Eb

Level 1 - Try play the melody, and then read through the exercise attached
Level 2 - Play the melody, read the exercise and see if you can come up with your own notes (repeat each component (i.e. whole notes) at least twice before moving on)
Level 3 - Do all 6 steps (repeat each component (i.e. whole notes) at least twice before moving on)

Use the play alongs above or use your own with iReal Pro or wherever you get your play alongs.

Challenge #2 - There Will Never Be Another You in 3rds

The next two challenges will be dealing with the standard There Will Never Be Another You. The idea is to focus on simple concepts through which you will internalize these particular chords. This will allow you to play clearer solos on this and other songs. 

In this challenge you need to learn the 3rds of the standard There will Never Be Another You, simple as that. Start with just playing the 3rds (refer to downloadable charts below and the play along tracks above). The memorize it. If you can do that move on to the next level. You do not have to perfect all levels every day, they are meant for you to find your own level and move your playing forward. Here are the different levels: 

Level 1a - play the 3rds along with the recording 
Level 1b - memorize it

Level 2a - Play the roots and thirds
Level 2b - memorize it

Level 3a - I alway like to add a little bluesy sound to standards. Approaching a note from below is a great way to do that. In this level add a semitone before the 3rd of each chord 
Level 3b - memorize it

Challenge #2 Concert chart
Challenge #2 Bb chart
Challenge #2 Eb chart

If you have any questions or want to sign up for the daily challenges, you can sign up for a membership, email me at petr(at)petrcancura.com or facebook messenger me.

Challenge #1 - There Will Never Be Another You 

In this challenge you need to learn the roots of the standard There will Never Be Another You, simple as that. Start with just playing the roots (refer to downloadable charts below and the play along tracks on the right). Here are the different levels: 

Level 1 - play the roots along with the recording 

Level 2 - Play the roots memorized along with the recording 

Level 3 - I alway like to add a little bluesy sound to standards. Approaching a note from below is a great way to do that. In this level add a semitone before the target note on the downbeat (see chart) 

Level 4 - you can move that concept so that the semitone below starts on the 4-and or try starting on the 2-and 

Charts: 
Challenge #1 Bb chart 
Challenge #1 Eb chart 

Here is a play along track, you can also use iReal Pro if you want a different tempo