How to *practice* David Baker's How to Play Bebop, v. 1???

[Brian B.]

Hello, all,

Has anyone worked through vol. 1 of David Baker's How to Play Bebop (all about the "Bebop Scales," i.e, the Mixolydian and Major scales with a chromatic passing tone)? Any chance you could share how you worked through it?

I'd like very much to go through this book carefully, but I'd like to make sure I'm doing it in a smart way (which I'm not always so good at!). The scales themselves, I have no problem with (I worked out fingerings in all of the logical positions all over the neck). But I have questions about how to practice them. When the book says to practice the scale starting from each chord tone, should I do this in all of the positions I worked out, in several (or all) keys? Or is this spending too much time on it?

Likewise, when the book gives variations (e..g, descending chromatically from the 3rd to the 6th) should I also practice that in all of my positions in several (or all) keys? Or rather does he want to you be aware of these things and try to use them in improvisation, rather than as scalar exercises? Or both?

Thanks for any help/suggestions. I'd really like to work through the entire book. For where I'm at now, it seems perfect. The few pages I've done already have made many lights go off for me. I'm transcribing a bunch of Grant Green now, too, and -- my gosh -- the book seems to be describing GG's solos exactly. Maybe because his playing is so straight-forward (formulaic at times?), it's as if he solos are the paradigm of what David Baker is explaining. So, it really seems like this book and transcribing GG are perfect complements to one another.

Thanks!

[Brian B.]

> When the book says to practice the scale starting from each chord tone, should I do this in all of the positions I worked out, in several (or all) keys? Or is this spending too much time on it?

I guess that's the major difference between practicing scales, etc., on the guitar and on most other instruments: there are just so many places / fingerings to play the same thing on the guitar. A generic improv. book is not going to address this.

[fumblefingers]

i think that you've figured out by yourself.

yes you need to practice in all 12 keys and you need to play in all positions.

but - you don't need to do all of that at once. you dont need to practice every exercise ever written all at once either.

here's an approach:
1. start an exercise with one key and one position/fingering. then learn it in a few more keys with the same fingering. (try C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab for example)

2. then add another position and repeat.

3. continue as above until you've learned this exercise in all positions - and keys.

then pick another exercise.

[Brian B.]

Thank you! This was helpful (and encouraging!).