LESSONS
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Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 1
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 kicks off with a lesson called Adding 9th's. James begins by covering some of the basics from Major 2,5,1's Series 1 before explaining the idea behind Adding 9th's to different notes and chord tones, and the reason why 9th's have their name. James plays all the notes in progression both up and down the scale to help you embed them into your music memory, and provides some other great tips for practising these licks. A great start to Major 2,5,1's Series 2, you'll be starting to build your improvisation ideas already!
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 2
Lesson 2, called 9th's in Context, takes all the great practices and ideas from Lesson 1 and starts you playing along with our groovy backing track. James begins by explaining the importance of being able to call these fantastic licks 'on demand' within your improvisations, before playing the backing track and playing the licks. This lesson has been produced with James demonstrating how and where to play these great jazz chords, before leaving time while the track still plays for you to play along yourself. A great lesson for anyone looking to pick up and play these amazing licks.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 3
In Lesson 3, Guide Tones, James begins by talking you through chord tones again so you can relate these to the guide tones you will learn in this lesson, as well as know the difference between the two. James gives his take on why guide tones are 'magical' within your music, before playing all the guide tones over the Major 2,5,1 chords you've been learning in all the lessons across both series so far. Learning guide tones is a great way to memorise Major 2,5,1 chord sequences and is a great way to further cement your ability to improvise when playing jazz. The exercises in this lesson are used at music colleges and were practised by James and other popular saxophonists during their formative years playing sax.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 4
Lesson 4 is called Improvising Targeting the 3rd. The clue is definitely in the title with this lesson, as James kicks off by putting the groovy backing track on and starting each phrase with the third note of each chord, giving you a great idea for your own jazz improvisations from the word go. James starts you off with relatively simple phrases and improvisation ideas, again leaving breaks in the music so he can explain and talk you through the chord timing while also allowing you to play along in between. If you've spent the time to practice all the great techniques and ideas taught so far, you'll be able to join in with the more complicated phrases that James begins to introduce at the end of Improvising Targeting the 3rd.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 5
Lesson 5, Improvising Targeting the 7th, carries on from the idea behind the previous lesson, only this time kicking off your phrases by playing the seventh note of each chord. The idea behind Targeting the 7th is to highlight the different role both the 3rd and the 7th can play within your improvisations but within the jazz sax genre overall. James puts the backing track on and starts off by playing some long tones to give you an idea of the sound you should be looking for, making it easy for you to listen and play later or play along in real time with James.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Lesson 6
Lesson 6, Playtime, brings Major 2,5,1's Series 2 to a fun and exciting close. James begins this final lesson with a quick summary of everything you have covered across both Major 2,5,1's series so far, playing some great phrases to get you in the mood. It isn't long before the backing track is playing and James is showing you some great improvisations to try for yourself. As with other lessons in Major 2,5,1's Series 2, James plays while leaving you space and time to join in, while also giving you an explanation of all the notes to add the final flourish to your timing. A great way to close Major 2,5,1's Series 2, leaving you all set for continuing to master your jazz sax improvisations in Major 2,5,1's Series 3, coming soon to Pro Music Tutor.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Example Solo
Join James Morton and jam along to our groovy backing track, putting together everything you learned in Major 2,5,1's Series 2 as well as the earlier Series 1 if you've purchased those lessons. Six minutes of saxophone improvisation and jamming at it's finest. Forget the talking, just put the track on and get to calling all those chords and phrases from the earlier lessons.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Tone and Gear
In this short additional video, James Morton talks you through the equipment he used during the making of Major 2,5,1's Series 2, including the saxophone itself, his mouthpiece, his preferred reeds, and his sax strap. Remember that although this is the set up that James uses to great effect, you will have a set up and perhaps particular saxophone, mouthpiece, and reed brands that work for you. Check out this Tone & Gear video to get an idea of how you might set up your sax to play like a pro.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Backing Track Mp3
This backing track (mp3) was recorded live in the Pro Music Tutor studio. Note this is the same backing track used in Major 2,5,1's Series 1. This backing track is jazz grooves at their very best, featuring James Morton himself on saxophone, with Johnny Henderson on Hammond Organ alongside our session drummer. We have produced this groovy backing track to be long enough to allow you to explore everything you have learned throughout Major 2,5,1's Series 2 and James' example solo. Download, turn up the volume, and jam away.
Major 2,5,1's Series 2 - Backing Track Wav
This backing track (wav) was recorded live in the Pro Music Tutor studio. Note this is the same backing track used in Major 2,5,1's Series 1. This backing track is jazz grooves at their very best, featuring James Morton himself on saxophone, with Johnny Henderson on Hammond Organ alongside our session drummer. We have produced this groovy backing track to be long enough to allow you to explore everything you have learned throughout Major 2,5,1's Series 2 and James' example solo. Download, turn up the volume, and jam away.
