Looking for a book, website, something...

[A5Dave]

There are tons of books that explore scales and all sorts of melodic approaches to improvisation. Has anyone seen a book that explores ways to use chords in the context of improvisation?

[Pete Martin]

If you mean chord melody type improvising ala Jazz, it is very straightforward. Your "melody" note is on top and you put whatever notes you want in your chord sound below that.

If you want to do this, take a simple melody, find various chord sounds you like and put them together in this way. You could easily start with two notes, then add a third note and possibly even a fourth note.

[terzinator]

Mike Marshall's Arpeggio workout is pretty good, although the "jam sessions" he does for you to play over should be a lot longer, IMO.

[Don Stiernberg]

In my column for Mandolin Magazine I deal with chord melody arrangements frequently. One in particular comes to mind, the column was called "3 trips around the Moon" which includes 3 sample improvisations for How High the Moon, one of them being all in chords. Now I gotta go look up which issue that's in...

[Don Stiernberg]

looks like it's from Fall 2007. i can also recall working with We'll be Together Again, Meditation, Douce Ambiance,Night and Day, Witchcraft, There'll Be Some Changes Made,Beautiful Love and probably some others in chord melody style. There are also columns addressing the rhythm or accompanying chord changes(voicings, substitutions, rhythmic placements)for tunes like All of Me and Honeysuckle Rose/Scrapple from the Apple. If you visit the Mandolin Magazine site, linked here by it's host Mandolin Cafe, you should be able to locate any back issues that might interest you

[A5Dave]

Thanks very much, Don...I just ordered the back issue you mentioned, and have subscribed to the Mandolin Magazine. The info you offered has been very helpful.

[groveland]

You can't go wrong with Pete Martin or Don Stiernberg for melody over chords. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, eh? But for pulling it all together for improv, I always rely on the good ol' Jazz Theory Book (Levine).

There is an online class over at Berklee that I'm dying to get into with Gary Burton on Jazz Improvisation in January for 12 weeks, if you can swing it. (NFI)