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I hear you Knotty.

Thanks for the link LW. Lot of interesting material to read.
Also I got this tip from the blog: http://www.iwasdoingallright.com/playbyear/iphone/
iPhone or Android, and its free!

No problem:) Thanks for your comments.
Well for android it's not free.. but I'm downloading it right now.. well spend €1,45 (or 2 dollars). Really appreciate someone taking time to make it.

Dear LW,

I found this paragraph written by jazz trumpet instructor Pat Harbison:

"It is the role of the conscious mind to listen to what's going on around you and to imagine the sound of the missing part. If you are reading music the dots tell you what sounds to imagine. If you are playing a memorized piece it is your memory that supplies the missing part. If you are improvising it is the unconscious creative mind that supplies the missing part. This is all that you should be consciously aware of while playing (when you have achieved a high level of skill). Sing the sound of the missing part in your mind and trust your unconscious mind, nervous system, and muscles to do what you have ordered. Your unconscious mind will do the very best it can based on your present level of skill and experience. We practice fundamentals (chord/scales/arpeggios) in order to store efficient ways to make all of the various sounds we might desire in our unconscious minds as kinesthetic memories. "

Yay. That's Pat alright (Prof of Jazz studies at Indiana).
He's a great teacher and as I wrote earlier he has a really good method to practice theory and enable it to move from the conscious mind to the intuitive part.

Thanks rintin that's a really nice paragraph!

EDIT:
I just read "Learning to improvise - introduction / Learning to improvise - Article links" from the blog I mentioned earlier.

These are some good points why to learn the theory/chord scales:
"LEARNING THE SOUND OF JAZZ
Playing scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions will help train your ear to identify the sound of jazz melodies and harmonies."

"STIMULATES NEW IDEAS
Advanced theory concepts such as chord substitutions and alterations can help players unlock new sounds and directions in their playing. For some people, these ideas are easier to come by when visualized and/or thought of from a mathematical/structured approach."

That's a good point. I can only imagine playing for example a D dorian scale in my mind if I know what it sounds like. So knowing your scales/arpeggio's etc. broadens the horizon.

Another lunch break, another blues: http://soundcloud.com/chrisb/l05-blues-for-gary

And cats; miau: http://soundcloud.com/chrisb/l05-olhos-de-gato

Ah Chris... you son of a gun. I was gonna skip this last lesson.

Now I pretty much have to play that blues, don't I?

Well, it is lunch time....

Alright, here we go.

I got totally surprised by the ending. I had an eye on garage band and I could see it kept going, but then finally it stopped . So sorry for the lame ending.
http://snd.sc/11RyasQ


I don't think I will take a stab at the other tune.

Chris, I will listen after my break...Maybe that will make me want to play that other tune.

Ahh take a stab at it.

Your stuff was really fun to listen to.
Thanks for posting Chris.

Hey Knots
Your blues had a really strong structure. I liked how you built up to the climax.

Thanks Custard.

Nice notes, folks . And it swings. I think if you injected just a tiny bit more energy into the swing you would really have something there. Check Red Garland and Wynton Kelly, the way they make there swing sound lively on a blues at that tempo.

Nice playing, Chris but you should have included Gary's head, at least according to the assignment. Me, I sure liked what you did. And, FWIW, here's mine . . .


http://snd.sc/15KG3iS

As DF says,"Seep Kwingin'!"

Thanks.
Though I'm not sure what you mean, in the blues I do play the head that's on the pdf.

Any final comments now that it's over?
I enjoyed it and learnt a couple of things I didn't know so for me it was worth the effort.

+1 Chris
Though I skipped the last tune, I did learn a good amount of stuff. Nice class, well worth it.
Thanks for getting me to do it!

Well, I'll be . . . you did play the head (and quite nicely, may I add). I don't know what I was listening to - very strange. Anyway, I did enjoy the course a lot and have lots to work on in my own time. Let's hope there's another! In the evaluation, I wrote that I'd like to see a coursera offering on reharmonization, whole tone series compositions, etc. Whatever they offer, I'll probably sign up.