Jazz Improvisation Tip: When learning lines from other players, have strategy and intent in mind. It's enough to copy or regurgitate. The plug and play method does not to teach one how to hear. For instance, the great Kenny Dorham is a master of tritone subsitution. If your goal is mastering this progression, copy a few of his phrases and eventually vary rhythms, articulations, and pitches to make them your own. I'm sure you can think of other harmonic sonority, chord movement, modes, cyclic sequence strategy maps. 1. Whole tone scale 2. Triad pairs 3. Pentatonic 4. Emphasizing specific chord/scale tones (#9 | b5 | sus7) 5. Turnarounds These pieces of language should be springboards for many other ideas of personal use. Peace & Keep Swinging, Andre Hayward

Andre Hayward teaching Austin trombone student Patrick Harwell. October 6, 2025

Jazz Improvisation Tip: A song's chord changes, harmonic substitutions, patterns, rhythmic devices, etc. can at times be cart before the horse. Lyrics and melody go out the window. The American songbook hasn't gone out of style. Recite the words as lines of poetry. Deal with melodic content of the song for as long as you need in order to get in touch with your timing, tone, articulation, and stylings. Nat King Cole is your homework. Peace & Keep Swinging, Andre Hayward

Jazz Improvisation Tip: While it is sound discipline and ear training learning lines from others through the keys, don't just stop there. Rhythm is king. You'll get more mileage extracting the pitch collections of phrases and utilizing the rhythmic content to expand your vocabulary. The shapes could be intervals, chords, scales, chromatic enclosures, etc. The end goal is self discovery not cloning. Peace & Keep Swingjng, Andre Hayward