Ultimate Chops

16 Steps to Total Musicianship for Contemporary Instrumentalists

These exercises are intended to help the serious musician internalize the vocabulary of music that comprises most jazz and classical genres today. They will not only enhance one's fluency with the various musical elements, but they will also help develop the ear, an important aspect that has been glaringly absent from many current pedagogical approaches. The young musician may find these exercises challenging at first, but patience and diligence on the part of the serious student will be rewarded with a strong fundamental knowledge of the basics of music. More advanced musicians and professionals will find these exercises invaluable for shoring up any weak areas in their training, reviewing chords and scales, and providing a means for maintaining current skills.

CONTENTS

LEVEL ONE
1-3. Major Scales
4-5. Major Triads
6-8. Digital Patterns

LEVEL TWO
1-3. Dorian Mode
4-5. Minor Triads
6-8. Digital Patterns

LEVEL THREE
1. Scales
2. Major and Minor 7th Chords
3. Ascending and Descending Major 7ths
4. Digital Pattern (Major)

LEVEL FOUR
1. Thirds (Major)
2. Thirds (Dorian)
3. Digital Pattern (Major and Minor)

LEVEL FIVE
1. Scales
2. 7th Chords
3. Dominant 7ths

LEVEL SIX
1. Thirds (Mixolydian)
2. Alternating Thirds Pattern (Major)
3. Digital Patterns (Major)
4. Digital Patterns (Minor)

LEVEL SEVEN
1. Scales
2. Alternating Thirds Pattern (Dorian)
3. 9th Chords
4-5. Digital Patterns

LEVEL EIGHT
1-2. Minor Scales

LEVEL NINE
1-2. Major Thirds
3-4. Fourths
5-6. Thirds
7-8. Fourths

LEVEL TEN
1-5. Whole Tone Scale
6. Digital Patterns

LEVEL ELEVEN
1. Scales
2. Augmented Triads
3. Intervals (Desc. Whole and Half Steps)
4. Mixolydian with Enclosure

LEVEL TWELVE
1-4. Minor Pentatonic Scale
5. Blues Scale
6. Ascending and Descending Pentatonics

LEVEL THIRTEEN
1a. Scale Review: Major
1b. Scale Review: Dorian
1c. Scale Review: Mixolydian
1d. Scale Review: Natural Minor
1e. Scale Review: Harmonic Minor
1f. Scale Review: Melodic Minor
2. Diminished 7th Chords

LEVEL FOURTEEN
1. Chord Review
2a-3b. Diminished Scale (H-W)

LEVEL FIFTEEN
1-3. Diminished Scale Patterns
4. Ascending and Descending Pentatonics

LEVEL SIXTEEN
1. Polychords: Whole step relationship
2. Polychords: Tritone relationship

MAINTENANCE ROUTINE ONE
1. Major Scales
2. 9th Chords
3. Digital Patterns
4. Whole Tone Pattern
5. Pentatonic Scales
6. Diminished Scales

MAINTENANCE ROUTINE TWO
1. Major and Dorian Scales
2. Major 7th Chords
3. Digital Pattern: Major
4. Digital Pattern: Minor
5. Major Thirds
6. Enclosure Pattern
7. Diminished Pattern
8. Minor Pentatonics

MAINTENANCE ROUTINE THREE
1. Scales: Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor
2. Digital Patterns: Major
3. Digital Patterns: Minor
4. Dominant 7th Chords
5. Fourth Intervals
6. Whole Tone Scales
7. Minor Pentatonic Scales
8. Dominant Chord with Diminished Scale

MAINTENANCE ROUTINE FOUR
1. Major Scales in Fourths
2. Minor Scales
3. Diminished Chords
4. Digital Patterns
5. Pentatonic Pattern
6. Diminished Scales
7. Polychords (Tritone relationship)