This is the first take on assignment #1 for the Intro to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee College of Music through Coursera.org. This was not an easy tune to play over. 

Intro to Improvisation Class Assignment #1

This is a stab at running through the A Lydian b7 scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static A7 vamp to give me something to play along with. Not sure if this works for this assignment or not. Yesterday was the first time I ever heard of this scale. It's definitely different!

A Lydian b7

Here is a run through of the C Locrian scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static C half diminished vamp to give me something to play along with. This is a mode of the major that I have not experimented with before, but I do like the way it sounds: The darkest of the 7 modes. I may give it another shot before the due date. 

C Locrian

Here is a run through of the F7 Altered scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static F7 vamp to give me something to play along with. This scale is not my friend. Very new to me and doesn't fall under my fingers well. I mostly stayed within one octave and I'm I didn't feel very comfortable working in the scale, needs hours of more repetition. 

F7 Altered Scale

Here is a run through of the D Dorian scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static Dmin7 vamp to give me something to play along with. I thought that I would be a little bit more comfortable with Dorian than I actually am. 

D Dorian

Here is a run through of the B Lydian scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static Bmaj7#11 vamp to give me something to play along with. Lydian is not a mode I've tried much, but seeing it at the top of the "brightest to darkest" modes list is probably why. I like how it sounds, though, and I plan to try to work it into my playing. 

B Lydian

Here is a run through of the Eb Aeolian scale for the Introduction to Improvisation Class offered by Berklee School of Music through Coursera.org. I added some drums and a static Ebmin7 vamp to give me something to play along with. I know the natural minor scale well, but I definitely tend to lapse into the minor pentatonic scale often when I'm playing in this mode. 

william.alexander