Not going to lie to anyone here. I am actually rather nervous about this class but I'm fully prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead with improvisation. Also here's hoping that my blog is interesting enough to all of you that read it (especially the tutor!).
Anyways, the first task on the assignment on running a blog is to outline accurately and honestly my current practical knowledge of scales and modes. Whilst I attended high school, my teacher never taught jazz or blues so I had to go find it myself. Whilst studying to pass Intermediate Two in fourth year, we were taught for the listening exam the notes of a Blues scale and what it would sound like. We were taught all about different kinds of jazz but never in great detail. I played in a jazz band at school though where we performed jazz-funk, ragtime blues and enhanced performing techniques on our instruments but we never got to improvise and we certainly did not learn about scales or modes. We were given sheet music and told to follow it. In my fifth year whilst studying for highers, that was the very first time that I had heard of modes. We were taught about the Dorian mode, Ionian mode and Aeolian mode and I composed many compositions based on the Dorian mode. I also know a little about Pentatonic scales but it's basic stuff like, "You hear this scale in traditional Scots and Chinese music." I have also sung many Pentatonic scales in singing lessons so I am able to identify that scale.
In conclusion, I do not know an awful lot about scales or modes but in due time and putting in lots and lots of hard work then I'm sure that by the end of the course I will know the majority of what needs to be known.
Now I'm off to buy that book!
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