Melodic Minor Scales (Guitar Lesson)

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Melodic Minor Scales

Jane provides an introductory lesson on the melodic minor scale.

Taught by Jane Miller in Jazz Guitar with Jane seriesLength: 2:44Difficulty: 2.0 of 5

Supplemental Learning Material

Member Comments about this Lesson

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Jane.Miller replied

I'll also add that, although, I don't recommend any one method or theory book over another, I do recommend getting your hands on a fake book, such as the Real Book, and play and read from it a little every day. Practice comping the chords alone, play the melodies alone, try them together, as in a chord solo, and practice improvising over the chord changes. That is the best practice that I know of to get you started playing jazz. Practice with friends or on your own with a recording of yourself playing the chords. To find chords, start with one that you know and then search for and add tensions as you go along. This will get you playing real music in real time and have some fun working through a collection of lead sheets in whatever style and groove you choose.

naveen94 replied

a fake book such as the real book.....

mattbrown replied

Here are some books that I recommend checking out: (I think the first two are the most important) Shelton Berg - Jazz Improvisation: The Goal-Note Method (jazz theory) Stan Smith - Jazz Harmony on the Guitar (for chords and comping) William G Leavitt - A Modern Method for Guitar (for basic fundamental guitar skills) William G. Leavitt - Melodic Rhythms for Guitar(for additional reading and performance skills) Anything written by Barry Galbraith Jim Snidero - Jazz Conception (reading and performance skills) Gene Bertoncini - Approaching the Guitar (fundamental guitar skills) Nelson Faria - The Brazilian Guitar Book

iw2198 replied

thanks Matt I'll check them out.

iw2198 replied

do you recommend any books that would be of help with these lessons?

Jazz Guitar with Jane

Found in our Beginner Lesson Sets

In this lesson series, you will be exploring the world of Jazz guitar with Jane Miller.

Lesson 1

Interview with Jane Miller

This exciting interview takes a close look at the playing and teaching of Jane Miller. Learn about her influences, some jazz recommendations, and her musical experience.

Length: 43:05 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only

Lesson 2

Introductory Lesson

Jane Miller talks about her new jazz series and provides a couple quick tips to get you started.

Length: 9:03 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only

Lesson 3

Hand Warm-ups

Jane Miller explains the importance of hand stretches and warm-up exercises.

Length: 4:06 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only

Lesson 4

Jazz and Blues

Jane explains the chord changes used in a 12 bar jazz style blues.

Length: 17:30 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 5

Soloing Over the Blues

Jane Miller shares some fun ideas about soloing over a 12 bar blues.

Length: 22:08 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 6

The ii-V-I Progression

Jane talks more about the ii-V-I progression and how to work it into your jazz playing.

Length: 7:25 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only

Lesson 7

Tensions on Chords

Jane Miller shares some valuable thoughts regarding chord tensions.

Length: 20:10 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 8

Melodic Minor Scales

Jane provides an introductory lesson on the melodic minor scale.

Length: 2:44 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 9

Melodic Minor Scales Application

Jane explains how the melodic minor scale and its corresponding modes are used in jazz melodies.

Length: 18:09 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 10

Movable Chord Forms

Jane takes a look at movable chord forms played on the treble strings.

Length: 20:39 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 11

Movable Chord Forms Continued

Jane Miller expands on her discussion of movable chord forms and how they apply to jazz.

Length: 19:18 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 12

Groove & Rhythm

Jane Miller shares a wonderful lesson about the importance of rhythm.

Length: 7:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 13

Rhythm Part 2

Jane Miller explores more rhythm and groove with another lesson using the metronome.

Length: 7:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 14

Rhythm Part 3

Jane Miller continues her discussion on rhythm and using a metronome.

Length: 6:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 15

Daily Practice

Jane Miller concludes her discussion on metronomes and forming daily practice routines.

Length: 10:27 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 16

Right Hand Techniques

Jane Miller dives into her first lesson on right hand techniques.

Length: 3:58 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 17

Right Hand Part 2

Jane Miller dives right into part 2 of her Right Hand Techniques mini-series.

Length: 5:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 18

Right Hand Part 3

Jane Miller talks about fingerstyle playing exclusively in the third installment of Right Hand Techniques.

Length: 18:05 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 19

Drop 2 Voicings

Jane Miller explores drop 2 voicings in this lesson.

Length: 18:06 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 20

Bargain Chord

Jane Miller talks about a "bargain chord" in this lesson. Learn what a bargain chord is and how it can be applied to your playing.

Length: 15:35 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 21

Chord Solos

Jane Miller talks about chord solos in part one of this fascinating mini-series.

Length: 18:43 Difficulty: 2.5 FREE

Lesson 22

Chord Solos Part 2

Jane Miller explores another aspect of chord solos in part two of this fun topic.

Length: 6:27 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 23

Chord Solos Part 3

Jane Miller concludes her discussion on chord solos.

Length: 13:59 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 24

Latin Grooves

Jane Miller explores some common Latin vamps in this lesson.

Length: 10:49 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 25

Repertoire Practice

Jane Miller shares her insights on the topic of practice versus repertoire practice.

Length: 7:39 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only

Lesson 26

Song Demonstrations: Bedtime Story

Jane Miller plays an original song called "Bedtime Story" that showcases techniques discussed in earlier lessons such as the use of open strings and Bossa Nova comping.

Length: 4:19 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only

Lesson 27

Song Demonstrations: Free Alongside Ship

Jane demonstrates another original song called "Free Alongside Ship" that uses techniques learned in previous lessons.

Length: 3:00 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only

Lesson 28

The Other Room

Jane Miller shares an original tuned called "The Other Room." Similar to songs taught in the past few lessons, "The Other Room" showcases techniques that Jane taught earlier in the series. See if you can...

Length: 4:55 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 29

Diminished Chords & Scales

Jane Miller takes a look at diminished chords in this lesson. She also touches on diminished scales and their relationship with diminished and dominant chords.

Length: 11:36 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 30

Diminished Chords: Inversions

Jane Miller continues her discussion on diminished chords. In this lesson, she touches on their inversions and how they can be used in chord progressions.

Length: 11:43 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 31

Diminished Scales

Jane Miller changes gears and talks about diminished scales that go along with the diminished chords you learned.

Length: 12:48 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 32

Substitutions

Jane Miller touches on making diminished 7th chords a substitution for dominant 7th chords.

Length: 15:38 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 33

Diminished Scales Continued

Jane Miller returns to the subject of diminished scales. This time she explains how they fit in with the chord substitutions you learned about in the last lesson.

Length: 14:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 34

Arpeggios

Jane Miller starts explaining arpeggios. In continuation of the last couple of lessons, she starts with diminished 7th chord arpeggios.

Length: 10:07 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 35

Arpeggios Part 2

Jane Miller continues her discussion on arpeggios in this lesson. This time around, she focuses on major 7th chord arpeggios.

Length: 9:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 36

Arpeggios Part 3

In continuation of her last lesson, Jane Miller discusses another use for major 7th arpeggios.

Length: 8:50 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 37

Arpeggios Part 4

Jane Miller gives a few more examples of using major 7th arpeggios against minor chords and explains how you can better incorporate them into your playing.

Length: 14:45 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 38

Major 6th Chords

In this lesson, Jane Miller talks about major 6th chords and their relationship with minor 7th chords.

Length: 8:35 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 39

Scales & Patterns

Jane Miller talks about scales & patterns in this lesson. She addresses some popular questions including how to improve the melodic element of your improvisation.

Length: 10:10 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 40

Scales & Patterns Part 2

Jane Miller revisits her last lesson and explains how to apply major scales.

Length: 7:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 41

Scales & Patterns Part 3

Jane Miller continues her lessons about scales & patterns with a discussion on the pentatonic scale.

Length: 14:43 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 42

Scales & Patterns Part 4

Jane Miller continues her discussion of the pentatonic scale and its patterns. She talks about how to start applying some of the lines you learned in the previous lesson.

Length: 13:36 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 43

The Whole Tone Scale

Jane Miller talks about the whole tone scale. This scale consists entirely of whole steps.

Length: 13:41 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 44

The Chromatic Scale

Now that you've learned all about the diminished and whole tone scales, Jane Miller discusses the chromatic scale.

Length: 9:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 45

Chromatic Scale Part 2

Jane Miller continues her discussion of the chromatic scale with a great exercise to help you practice dynamics.

Length: 6:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 46

Dynamics & Improvising

Jane Miller continues her discussion on dynamics in this lesson. She invites you to think about volume as a way to add feeling or catch attention while improvising.

Length: 7:01 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 47

Bass Lines

Jane Miller discusses bass lines in this lesson. She begins by explaining how you can get a bass line going by itself first. Then, she explains how to add in chord voicings.

Length: 15:53 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 48

Upper Structure Triads

Jane Miller begins a discussion on upper structure triads. In this lesson, Jane refers to the top part of a major 7th chord as well as added tensions.

Length: 12:37 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 49

Upper Structure Triads Part 2

Jane Miller continues her discussion of upper structure triads.

Length: 15:14 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 50

Upper Structure Triads Part 3

Jane Miller picks up where she left off in her last lesson and shares a great technique that will provide you with some new comping options.

Length: 4:58 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 51

Upper Structure Triads Part 4

Jane Miller concludes her discussion of upper structure triads. In this lesson, she helps you turn the E minor triad you have been using into a G major triad.

Length: 9:29 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 52

Lydian Mode

Jane Miller changes gears and focuses on the E Lydian mode in this lesson.

Length: 13:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 53

You Are Many Things

For the next portion of her Jazz series, Jane focuses on a tune called "You Are Many Things". She uses this song as a vehicle to talk about playing jazz melodies, chord comping, playing solo arrangements...

Length: 28:17 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 54

The Melody

In this lesson, Jane talks about playing the melody for "You Are Many Things." This includes a play along segment.

Length: 9:25 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 55

Jazz Comping

Jane Miller gives some advice on comping in the context of a jazz standard. The tune "You Are Many Things" is once again used as an example.

Length: 21:34 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 56

Advanced Comping

Jane talks about advanced comping techniques for the song "You Are Many Things." By the end of this lesson you will be able to add an implied melody while comping.

Length: 20:40 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 57

Jazz Rhythm

Jane Miller provides some tips on comping with a swing feel.

Length: 14:11 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 58

Jazz Bass Lines

In this lesson, Jane talks about applying a bass line to the tune "You Are Many Things".

Length: 16:24 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 59

Chords and Bass Line Together

Jane demonstrates how to play the chords and bass line for "You Are Many Things" at the same time.

Length: 13:28 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 60

Time Signatures

Jane Miller talks about putting a song in a different time signature when creating your own arrangement. She continues using "You are Many Things" as an example.

Length: 17:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 61

Chord Solo

Jane Miller continues "You are Many Things" with a lesson about putting the chords and melody together.

Length: 20:02 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

Lesson 62

Chord Solo Part 2

Jane Miller continues her discussion on the chord solo for "You are Many Things."

Length: 23:15 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 63

Improvising

Jane Miller continues using the song "You Are Many Things" for a lesson on improvising.

Length: 14:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 64

Playing from a Lead Sheet

Jane Miller talks about playing from a lead sheet by using the song "You Are Many Things" as an example.

Length: 24:11 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 65

Playing with Backing Tracks

Jane Miller tries out different aspects of the tune "You Are Many Things" against a bass track.

Length: 8:46 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 66

Playing with Backing Tracks Part 2

In her newest lesson, Jane Miller plays against a comping backing track. This is a great track to practice your bass line and melody over.

Length: 8:29 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only

Lesson 67

Playing with Backing Tracks Part 3

In part three, Jane Miller plays against a backing track that has both bass and comping together.

Length: 10:44 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 68

Playing with Backing Tracks Part 4

Jane Miller is back with another "You are Many Things" backing track lesson. This time she plays against a track with just the melody.

Length: 11:51 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 69

Playing with Backing Tracks Part 5

In her newest lesson, Jane Miller explains what it means to trade fours and plays against another backing track for practice.

Length: 16:09 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only

Lesson 70

Playing with Backing Tracks Part 6

In Jane Miller's final lesson on playing against a backing track, she talks about the idea of leaving space. You will learn how limiting yourself will help you be more concise in your playing.

Length: 13:17 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only

About Jane Miller View Full Biography Guitarist, composer, arranger, and Berklee Associate Professor, Jane Miller has roots in both Jazz and Folk circuits. In addition to leading her own jazz instrumental quartet, she is in a working Chamber Jazz Trio with saxophonist Cercie Miller and bassist David Clark, for which she contributes many compositions. She has been a frequent guitarist with singer-songwriter SONiA, of disappear fear.

Jane is a contributing writer to Acoustic Guitar Magazine, writing lessons for the popular intermediate column, The Woodshed. She also writes a monthly column for Premiere Guitar Magazine called the Jazz Box . She has contributed several lesson columns for the Mel Bay publishing company’s on-line magazine, Guitar Sessions.

The Jane Miller Group has released three CDs on Jane’s label, Pink Bubble Records; all three received national radio play and press. She has performed solo and in duo and group settings regionally and around the country at clubs, festivals, and concerts as well as live TV and Radio appearances in New England.

Since joining the faculty in 1994 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Jane has contributed many arrangements for solo guitar to the Guitar Department library, and has performed solo recitals and concerts with her group in the Berklee Performance Center and Recital Halls.

Discography
The Jane Miller Group "The Other Room" (2000)
The Jane Miller Trio "Secret Pockets" with guests Jay Ashby and Bill O'Connell (1998)
The Jane Miller Group "Postcard" with guests Patty Larkin, Mick Goodrick, Mili Bermejo and Ken LaRoche (1993) SONiA "Me, Too" (1998)

Performances
Regattabar, Scullers, The Berklee Performance Center,The Firehouse, The Iron Horse, Club Passim, The Acton Jazz Cafe, The Hatch Shell, First Nights in Boston, Hartford, and Worcester, NOW Summit in Washington, D.C., Pride Festivals in San Diego, Baltimore, and Worcester, Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival, MD, Capital Region Guitar Show, Saratoga Springs, NY.

TV and Radio
Live appearances throughout New England, including WGBH-FM, WICN-FM. Composed and recorded theme music for "Barbara...and You," for Leominster Cablevision, as well as other jingles and themes. Former Jazz Coordinator for WCUW-FM, Worcester, MA.

Arts Lottery Grant recipient, award given to worthy artists and composers funded by Massachusetts Arts Lottery.

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