Transcription Studio: Jazz

Here is the first of a series of resources we are creating to give students a course in ear training and Jazz Improvisation.

This is an ear training resource with the following features:

• a 15-week course taking students through a scaffolded approach learning the concert F blues and D blues scales by ear and playing back one, two and four bar phrases in call and response on their instrument.
• Three mini-assignments where students need to transcribe one chorus of a 12-bar blues. These have been recorded on alto sax, tenor sax, trombone, trumpet, violin, flute, piano, guitar and bass by some of New Zealand's top jazz musicians.
• A major assessment where students will transcribe and perform three choruses of a blues played on a variety of instruments (they can choose the instrument they are most familiar with).
• A five week additional course on improvisation learning 10 classic blues 'licks' in three keys.
• A 'flipped learning' approach appropriate for motivated students that want to push ahead, and for distance and 'lock down' learning. Each week has three lessons which should take students 15-20 minutes each time. Ideally, lessons 1 and 3 of each week will be in class with ākonga working together, with lesson 2 done at home.