Jazz Scales Handbook
Scales are the foundation of any musician’s improvisational vocabulary. Understanding how scales relate to specific chords and progressions broadens the player’s palette of possibilities when improvising. Using Tom Dempsey’s Jazz Scales Handbook as your guide, you’ll learn how to apply and improvise with 20 of the most commonly used scales found in
Scales are the foundation of any musician’s improvisational vocabulary. Understanding how scales relate to specific chords and progressions broadens the player’s palette of possibilities when improvising. Using Tom Dempsey’s Jazz Scales Handbook as your guide, you’ll learn how to apply and improvise with 20 of the most commonly used scales found in jazz.
"I'll cover 20 of the most commonly used scales found in jazz, although ALL of these scales can be applied to any genre. So, if you’re a rock player, blues player or even a country player — learning these scales will help you become a better soloist. As you work through the Jazz Scales Handbook, you’re going to learn how to play these 20 scales, identify their distinctive sonic colors, and then apply them in a jazz setting."
For each of the 20 scales, Tom will show you one 2-octave fingering for both the scale, and the arpeggio of the parent chord. You’ll learn the formula for each of the following 20 scales so that you can easily play them anywhere on the fretboard, in any key.
Tom will also point out the distinctive characteristics of each scale as a sonic color to help you craft effective creative approaches. Additionally, you’ll learn a musical example that’s derived from this sound so that you can immediately apply it to your improvisational vocabulary.
"There are two segments dedicated for each scale. In the first segment, I'll show you the fingering of the scale that we're going to use. You'll learn about the scale and one fingering of that scale. In the second segment, you'll learn how to apply the scale in a real jazz setting with a backing track. This will help you to learn how to transition from playing the scale to playing music with the scale. All of this is in an effort to build up your repertoire of scales and improvisational ideas."
All of the musical examples are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the lessons. Plus, Tom generously includes all of the backing tracks for you to work with on your own.
Tom also includes a Jazz Scales Handbook Reference Guide, which reveals 5 essential fingerings for each of the 20 scales so that you can easily find and play them anywhere on the neck, in any key. This fingering system is based on Tom’s innovative Tonality Shapes organization of the fretboard from his Fretboard Phenom course.
Grab your guitar and let’s dig deep into 20 jazz scales with Tom Dempsey!