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er Lit. Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
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Thread: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
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03-23-2006, 10:33 PM #1
Ken Ken is offline
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Default Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
This is a series of books by a trombonist called Ed Byrne. He apparently played
with Chet Baker around the time of his comeback. I think he was the trombonist o
n the comeback CD recorded with Gerry Mulligan at Carnegie Hall.
Anyway, he has a book on "Linear Improvisation" here. Is anyone familiar with th
is. What piqued my interest is his claim that it is a melodic approach to improv
. without using scale or chord theory. Thanks.
Last edited by Ken; 03-23-2006 at 10:46 PM.
Ken
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01-06-2010, 07:28 PM #2
Augman Augman is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book

I was curious about this as well . Has anyone read any of this?
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01-08-2010, 04:28 PM #3
JasonMescia JasonMescia is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
Looks very good from the descriptions but it's pretty expensive and I think I'd
probably want to hear some more reviews first before I make a decision. From the
descriptions I really like where it seems to be going.
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01-08-2010, 10:20 PM #4
GShinn GShinn is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
The sample information posted on Ed Byrne's web site http://www.byrnejazz.com/ i
s very revealing. The Method (Book 1) elaborates on that exact information. It i
s not a comprehensive jazz theory book (so not comparable to the ones by Burt Li
gon or Hal Crook). It is straight forward, provides workable ideas and approache
s to improvising (e.g., reducing a melody to "fundamental pitches" then using ch
romatic targeting to elaborate on the melody). If you are not familiar with thos
e ideas from other sources, then yes it is a decent description of those ways of
thinking about improvising. It is a very short book (85 pages w/o appendix) for
the price.
I haven't felt compelled to buy any of the other books. Instead, I used the free
MuseScore program (http://musescore.org/en/download) to work up the chromatic t
argetting outlines provided by Byrne's web site (thanks Ed) for all keys.
I don't know anything about the other aspects of Byrne's lessons/offerings.
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01-09-2010, 05:42 PM #5
GShinn GShinn is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
After sleeping on it I'd like to elaborate on (and rebut parts of) my first resp

onse to this query.

I think this book is "foundational." Really solid in providing a single very con
cise and focused description of a very useful method for developing solos. One o
f the gripes sometimes leveled against improvised solos is that they don't relat
e to the song to which they belong. This book/method is all about developing sol
os that will always work for the song that they are part of, because they are de
veloped around the most important tones and rhythms of the melody of that song.
The method forces you to explore the individuality of the songs that you are pla
ying, rather than thinking of your solos as being an elaborations of a chord pro
gression. Other improv books hint at this method; Byrne s book develops it. The firs
t and only book that I have found that does this thoroughly (I'd like to hear ab
out others that may exist).
For this book to make you a
o start working with. Could
e. Could be that you have a
h of Byrne's other material
ose that want it (I haven't

better soloist, you need to have at least one song t

be that you are part of a group that has a repertoir
song-based play-along (Aebersold Maiden voyage). Muc
provides a context for developing the method, for th
used them).

Reading The Method (Book 1) will develop your theoretical understanding of how a
solo can be developed. If you haven't explored the concept of chromatic elabora
tion, this book emphasizes its importance. Great for that alone. The chapter on
rhythm reduction and elaboration provides a second level of analsys that most im
prov books just hint at. The book has helped me understand what improvisors are
doing.
Is the book worth the cost? I am glad to own it. Much cheaper than a new mouthpi
ece or even most ligatures, about the same as a tank of gas. It all depends on y
our budget and, especially, whether or not you are likely to dedicate some time
to working up the approach on some actual songs.
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01-09-2010, 11:39 PM #6
JL JL is online now
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
Quote Originally Posted by Ken View Post
Anyway, he has a book on "Linear Improvisation" here. Is anyone familiar with th
is. What piqued my interest is his claim that it is a melodic approach to improv
. without using scale or chord theory. Thanks.
Looks like an interesting book. Reading the description, I wouldn't say the appr
oach is improv "without using scale or chord theory." Most music will have an un
derlying harmony based on scales, chords, or a chord progression. It sounds like
the approach is a linear one, based on melodic ideas, but in any case those mel
odic ideas are rooted in a harmonic context.
Maybe that's splitting hairs, but I wouldn't assume you can approach improv with
out using any scale or chord theory.

Here are 3 chapter headings in the first book:

Chromatic targeting
Guide tone Lines and root progression
Scales derived from the key
Chromatic targeting suggests targeting chord tones (not sure what else you'd be
targeting, although it could be certain essential tones in the melody. At least
some of those would likely be chord tones.)
Guide tone lines are certainly chord-based, and root progression suggests the mo
vement of chord roots.
Scales derived from the key are clearly based on 'scale theory.'
It sounds like a great book. I'm pretty tempted to get it...
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01-10-2010, 03:40 PM #7
GShinn GShinn is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
JL, Good points that deserve clarification. This book doesn't present any inform
ation about chord theory or scale theory. It assumes that you can figure out the
3rds and 7ths, given chord symbols for a song. Then it directs you to apply chr
omatic elaborations to the guide tone lines that you've identified for your song
. This part is not especially novel.
The chapter on Scales Derived from Keys is only four pages. Likewise, no scale t
heory. Rather, the idea a way around learning a lot of "Chord Scale Theory." Bas
ic point, if you feel compelled to work with scales, then figure out what key an
y group of chords belongs to and use the notes of the relevant major scale. Seem
s to me, you need to already understand something about Chord Scale Theory to fi
gure out which major scale applies, say to a Dm7 followed by a G7 chord.
More important than scale theory to Byrne's method is an earlier chapter about p
itch collections. Basically, developing improvised lines, not necessarily in sca
lar sequence, from the melody notes of the song, combined with chord tones. Agai
n, getting into the particulars of the song you are working on. You create your
own "scale" by emphasizing the color notes that are included in the melody.
Book 1 really is a Method Book rather than a Practice Book. It might get you to
change how you spend your practice time. Rather than endlessly shedding chord pa
tterns and scales, it gets you working on songs. It accepts the importance of ba
sic knowledge about chords (more than scales), shifts the emphasis to figuring o
ut which tones are most important for a song and then learning how to work with
those tones through a specific array of chromatic and rhythmic elaborations. The
result is a melodic form of improvisation. Relevant to the common SOTW admoniti
on: "Learn Some Songs!"
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02-04-2010, 05:14 PM #8
bob3dsf bob3dsf is offline

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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
Go to the "Jazz Bulletin Board." Ed Byrne posted there quite a bit. He doesn't a
nymore, or at least not recently, but he was very forthcoming with lots of his i
deas and many excerpts from his LJI books. He offers a very concise and useful a
lternative to the prevailing "chord-scale theory" (CST) which pervades (some mig
ht say infects) jazz curricula today. Ed's approach puts the focus back on melod
y, something that CST doesn't really touch. He has also posted many examples of
his method in action on the "free jazz institute." Check it out.
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08-20-2010, 12:37 AM #9
ljistudent ljistudent is offline
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Default Re: Anyone Familiar with this "Linear Improvisation" Book
Hello guys! I have been working with Linear Jazz Improvisation for about one yea
r and half now. Sure thing: Linear Jazz Improvisation has been the most direct d
oor to meaningful improv for me. I have been through so many methods and books,
including Brazilian and American stuff (I am from Brazil), have a post-grad in I
mprovisation myself, but even with all this, specially chord-scale theory practi
ce (ain't no slacker, believe me), my lines did not sound like what I wanted to
hear. You know, you can get stuck in too much theory and side-tracked with the b
unch of books and lengthy explanations on approaches that seem not to work as it
should. To me, it feels they are hyped.
Jee, man, the first day I started reading "Speaking of Jazz" by dr. Byrne, it co
mpletly blew off the top of my head. I have learned things here I had never got
anywhere, not only improv, but comping, attitudes, even gig talk! I have been ta
king classes with Ed, too. Totally worth it. I started with Speaking of Jazz, th
en took that book combo (1,2,3) for better understanding 'the method' and practi
cing targeting triads and tetrads. At the same time, I did Blue Funk. It took me
about six months to complete. I just wish I had done that a long time before.
Guys, gotta try this stuff. It is going to change your musical mindset to a high
er degree. Cut the bull and ideologies and go straight to the meaningful thing.
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