JazzTrainerAS is a free educational software for players who are competent with their instruments
and who have also practiced improvisation.
The harmonic basis of the program is the II-V-I progression, which is so commonly
used in standard jazz tunes (and not only there) that it may be called the most important chord
progression of all. If you can improvise over this progression in any key using the diatonic material,
and if you are now looking for some further notes to play on the V chord -
which is the one with the strongest tension -, the Altered Scale will be of interest for you.
The use of this scale - also known as the Altered Dominant Scale -
has become a kind of standard for the professional jazz musician, as it is the one which has the
most chromatic tensions in it. This will on the other hand require a thorough examination of all the
details of the scale, if one wants to be able to really play with these tensions.
For this purpose JazzTrainerAS was designed - the shortcut "AS"
representing the "Altered Scale".
In the beginning we will introduce you to units made of
2 notes, which we call modules of the altered scale. You will meet them in their
harmonic and melodic surroundings and learn how to use them. Later on the modules will be connected to
each other forming sequences, and the altered scale evolves.
Exercises "vs." Improvisation
Now one could object: "How could practicing given melody lines help my improvising?"
This seems to be contradictory at first sight...
Improvisation - as we see it -, in a sense of fantazising or rearranging things that we know, is
something we all do from early on. As we learn to walk, we examine the gravity relations of our
body and the ground. In a similar way we have to examine the gravity relations of notes, if we
want to learn to walk and dance in music.
The exercises given in this program are meant to show these relations, and - if properly
practiced - will enable your ear (your musical imagination) and your fingers to spontaneously
find the right notes in a musical situation without you having to think about it.
the story
together with my brother who wrote the code i developed the program in the early 2000's and
started selling it in 2007 on www.jazztrainer.com.
as my brother left the company while i
(being unable to write code) wanted to keep the program alive i recently decided to publish
JazzTrainerAS as freeware.
Jakob Rissmann,
who had studied jazz piano with me decades ago,
and who is now a computer programmer wrote the necessary adjustments to the program code.
the former registration/unlock procedure is now gone - the program is completely free!
JazzTrainerAS download
here are the free links to download the installation files:
note: opening these installation files is likely to trigger virus suspicion warnings
on your system - that's ok & normal with software from small companies! let your
virus protection software check them.
JazzTrainerAS is freeware - nevertheless, if after trying you find it beneficial to you,
you might consider donating via paypal
alternative (for technically adept users)
JazzTrainerAS is written in the java programming language, the original code (JazztrainerAS.jar)
is about 0.5 mb 'small', and can be run on any operating system (windows, macOS, linux,...)
with java software (java runtime environment) in a current version installed on your
computer first.
once java is installed, you can download and run this original version: JazzTrainerAS-1.12.2.jar
note: the file ending .jar might trigger some virus suspicion warnings on your system - that's
ok & normal with software from small companies! let your virus protection software check them.
