The Jazz Book for Flutists (The Improvisation Book for the Classically Trained Flutist)

Purpose of the book

This book is designed for flutists who want to do some jazz playing and need guidance on how they could develop their improvisational skills but have no idea where to begin. This book will take you step by step through the process of learning how to improvise with some of the best and current techniques and tools available today. By the time the flutist has completed this book, he or she will be able to perform in a jazz setting without any fear! This book was written by a flutist for flutists. Let’s take the tour!!

Hello, my name is Dr. David Klee and my background includes touring/performing over much of the East Coast including cruise ships to the Bahamas and working for several recording artists and recording studios. After touring, I completed three degrees in music performance (including a DMA in flute performance). For the last several years I have worked as a college professor teaching jazz, recording technology and of course flute.

How it came to be

Like a lot of jazzers, I grew up learning jazz in tidbits (talking to musicians and doing a lot of listening). I would pick something up here and there when I played in different groups. When I was backing up live acts, I would beg my fellow musicians for any advice on improvising. And when I began working in recording studios, I would listen most intently to what the other guys were playing in the studio and pick their brains for any advice that could help me expand my jazz knowledge base. Gradually over the years I finally began to understand and feel comfortable with jazz.

This book is a result of what I have gathered over my years of playing professionally in various performance settings. While teaching college I developed a one semester improv class and used this method teaching improv to rank beginners in jazz. Many of the students (taking my class) were future band directors but had NEVER played in a jazz band or studied jazz.

This book is a result of that jazz improv class I taught very successfully for many years.

So, what is the jazz book all about, and what is its purpose?

This book will give you the tools, step by step, to be able to develop an improvised line using the latest jazz improv tools available to you. You will have the knowledge and tools to understand the basic jazz language. For the music educator, this course will help to give you a basic understanding of the jazz language and vocabulary for teaching improvising.

This course will cover:

Overview of the chapters

Chapter 1: Chord Symbol Review

Chapter 2: The Major and Minor Blues Scales

Chapter 3: Using Modal Scales

Chapter 4: Using Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales

Chapter 5: Using the Whole Tone Scale in Improvisation

Chapter 6: How to Use the Diminished Scale in Improvisation

Chapter 7: How to Use the Jazz Melodic Minor Scale

Chapter 8: Using the Harmonic Minor Scale

Chapter 9: Using the Harmonic Major Scale

Chapter 10: The II-V7-I Progression

Chapter 11: Chromaticism in Jazz

Chapter 12: Putting it All Together

Chapter 13: Structure/Style of the Song

Chapter 14: Developing a Musical Line Through Improvisation

Chapter 15: Flute Effects

Chapter 16: List of Jazz/Rock Flutists

Chapter 17: Common Patterns in Jazz

There is a lot of information packed into this one book! Everything you need, to get started, is included!

Here is what is included with this course:

  • Audio Backing tracks for all practice songs
  • PDF music to all practice songs for you to print out
  • Complete step by step video tutorials to go hand in hand with the information for each chapter
  • The Jazz Book for Flutists can be purchased at: Amazon.com (click the link below).

Click here to buy The Jazz Book for Flutists

Both hard copy and E-book versions are available