This post is the first part in a series about deliberate practice, structure and creativity.

• A Simple Exercise (Part 1)
• Exploring the Simple Exercise (Part 2)
• Deliberate Practice and Structured Activities (Part 3)
• Creativity and Structured Activities (Part 4)
• Three Reflections on Creativity (Part 5)
• Three Reflections on Structure (Part 6)
• Three More Reflections on Structure (Part 7)
• Structure and Education (Part 8 )
• Structure, Society and the Arts (Part (9)

- – - -

Sometimes, when students play for me, I hear that they’re not playing through the changes.

More specifically, they’re playing vertically, rather than horizontally or linearly.  More specifically, suppose they’re playing this:

Rather than this:

The first example neglects the voice leading that’s inherent in the progression.  The second example not only acknowledges the voice leading, but toys with it too.

I usually prescribe the following exercise, which at first seems easy, but my students come back next lesson so frustrated, they say they want to “strangle me.”

Check it out; here are the rules:

• Pick a tune.  Preferably a blues to start.
• Left hand plays roots; right hand improvises.
• Rhythmically, you must improvise steady, constant 8th notes (no rests!).
• You’re only allowed to move by step (intervals of a 2nd), no repeating notes!
• Chord tones must land on all downbeats.

The be-bop scale is recommended because it helps determine the chord tones; but it’s not mandatory.

A chorus though the blues may look like this:

Try it!