conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a book about Wisconsin, Mark's, Mark with the genre: Arts & Photography, Music?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this book could be 'Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method
  Most improvised jazz solos are based on scales that relate to the harmony of a tune, but playing with good rhythm is primary. In fact, I would say it is more important than hitting the "right" notes, especially when you first begin to practice improvising. One of the best ways to get started improvising is to use the **blues scale** , shown below in the key of F. The blues scale can be formed by playing the 1st, D3rd, 4th, D5th, 5th, and D7th degrees of a major scale.
  If you leave out the CD (D5), you are left with five notes that form the **minor pentatonic scale**. You can improvise with or without the D5th. Because it contains the D3rd, the blues scale has a minor sound to it. It works on the blues, but it is also well suited for improvising on minor tunes such as "Summertime," "Sugar," "Moanin'," and "Song for My Father." You can use the blues scale that matches the minor tonality of each of these tunes.
  When we improvise, we must be able to "feel" how long a measure is. Once you can do this, you can learn to feel durations of two, four, and eight measures. This will enable you to keep your place in a tune without having to count. The following exercises will help you learn to feel time. In the example below, I clap a one-measure rhythm. I then play phrases that use notes from the F blues scale played with that same rhythm, separated by bars of rest. The D5th is notated as BH. **Notice that I play this and all subsequent examples with a swing feel.**
  In this next example, I again play one-measure blues scale phrases based on a rhythm, but this time without the measures of rest.
  A **progression** or **chord progression** refers to a sequence of chords. The blues progression is the basis for hundreds of tunes, and it is used in a number of musical styles, including blues, jazz, rock, and boogie-woogie. There are countless variations of the blues progression but, in its simplest form, it is 12 measures long and uses three dominant chords that are based upon the first, third, and fourth notes of a major scale. Jazz musicians usually refer to this version of the blues as a three-chord blues or a I–IV–V blues. This 12-bar form is typically repeated many times during a performance of a blues. Here is the blues in the key of F, with a suggestion of how to play the chords with shell voicings. If necessary, break the chords or leave out the root. Learn to play this from memory.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The extensions are assigned numbers based on the major scale. As you play up a major scale, it is useful to note that the 9th, 11th, and 13th degrees are the same notes, but an octave higher than the 2nd, 4th, and 6th, respectively. This can help you think of these upper extensions more easily, and chord symbols sometimes make use of the smaller number equivalents. In addition, the A11th is sometimes referred to as the D5th.
  The diminished 7th chord is unique because you can add four upper extensions to it. Its upper extensions form a diminished 7th chord an octave plus a whole step above. The extensions of the diminished 7th are the 9th, 11th, D13th, and major 7th. You might think to call this last extension by a larger number, but it is usually described as the major 7th (maj7 or 7) when included in a chord symbol.
  Here is an example of these chords and extensions with C as the root of each chord. The 7th chords are in the left hand, with extensions in the right hand.
  Sometimes, chord symbols use an extension in place of the 7th. In these cases, the 7th is still played, as well as the extension indicated. For example, Fm9 is Fm7 with the 9th added, Dm11 is Dm7 with the 11th added, and BD13 is a BD7 with the 13th added. Sometimes a chord symbol contains several extensions. Often, chord symbols are intended to be just a guide or suggestion. Jazz pianists routinely add extensions that are not indicated on a chart to get the sound they desire.
  When it comes to adding extensions, dominant chords have the most possibilities. This is because, in addition to the 9th, A11th, and 13th, there are three more extensions that can be used to add more tension and urgency to the sound of a dominant 7th chord: D9th, A9th, and D13th. These three tones, along with the A11, are known as **altered dominant tones** or **altered dominant extensions**.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the last two paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Mark's previous work for Hal Leonard Corporation includes transcriptions for Miles Davis: Kind of Blue for their Transcribed Score series and numerous recordings for their Real Book Play-Along series.
  What I like most about Mark's Jazz Piano Method is that it's a well thought through, logically organized, clearly articulated, and thorough approach to learning how to play jazz piano. Starting with the fundamentals of listening, standard forms, and basic scale and chord construction, Mark Davis clearly explains how to understand and practice the various aspects of jazz piano playing.