DESCRIPTION:
This is an improvisational smooth jazz guitar lesson based on a smooth jazz tune recorded by The Smooth Jazz Ensemble. A version that includes saxophone is on our album, 'Slow Easy Pace'. The photography is by Lauren Helm Photography. The 'tie-in' of these animals are those faces with their Angel Eyes.

The chord progression of the intro actually starts in the key of Ab: ii V7 I. That means Bbmin Eb7 Abmaj7. However, after two capitulations, the key modulates the same ii V I albeit upward one half step! Amin D7 Gmaj7. The turnaround used here to establish the key of Cmin is Gbsus Gb Gsus G7.
The chord progression of the main theme element is: i iv i V7. In the key of Cm that means Cm Fmin Cmin G7. However! The caveat here is this, the performance has many supplemental 'stairway-to-heaven' (ish) chord substitutions, but that is not the topic of this lesson. To play a melody and/or solo against this section, I kept it simple by using a C Blues scale (minor pentatonic) or C minor scale (sometimes using a hybrid of pentatonic plus aolean minor plus harmonic minor).
The bridge elements are all exactly the same as the intro section of this exercise.

The guitar-plus-sax version can be heard if you go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6eaqXLPYqE&feature=channel
If you would like to purchase the backing tracks for your own practice, please contact Rudy. The tracks have Cliff Lopes on drums, Tom Wider on keyboard, and Rudy plays bass as well as synth overdubs. Obviously, this video shows Rudy improvising a melody and solos against said backing tracks. The backing tracks that you get will not have a melody or solo of any kind. You get to provide them as you practice at home!