tonebase 
Music
 course

Practicing Improvisation

Taught by renowned 

trumpeter

 

Ralph Alessi

Perhaps you improvise by ear, and are ready to develop a more rigorous understanding of harmony. How can we take harmony out of the realm of theory and start applying it to our instruments? Ralph provides a systematic way of approaching a chord progression – starting very simply and using a variety of techniques to reach more compliated sounds. He also shares some thoughts on practice apps like iRealPro and tools like transcribing.

  • checkmark icon
    Difficulty: 
    All-Levels
  • checkmark icon
    Duration: 
    1
     hours
     hour

Course Syllabus

Practicing Harmony

Perhaps you improvise by ear, and are ready to develop a more rigorous understanding of harmony. How can we take harmony out of the realm of theory and start applying it to our instruments? Ralph provides a systematic way of approaching a chord progression – starting very simply and using a variety of techniques to reach more compliated sounds. He also shares some thoughts on practice apps like iRealPro and tools like transcribing.

Melody and Rhythm

Ralph shares exercises from Lee Konitz and Steve Coleman that address our connection to the melody and our rhythmic independence. He uses Body and Soul to demonstrate playing a solo based entirely on the melody, a C blues to demonstrate the skill of walking a bass line on the trumpet, and shares a few game-like exercises you can try to test your awareness of time and form.

Click here to download the course workbook PDF and see the full syllabus →
Ralph Alessi
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Ralph Alessi

Improvising trumpeter Ralph Alessi splits his time between Brooklyn and Bern, Switzerland and has performed with Fred Hersch, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Jason Moran, Sam Rivers, and many others.

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Ralph Alessi

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