Mastering Jazz Improvisation with Kris Johnson
Learn how to speak the language of jazz and how to express it through improvisation
Improvisation, Taught by a Master
Kris Johnson is an award-winning trumpeter, composer, and educator. He has been featured as a soloist and writer/arranger on an impressive list of albums including five Grammy-nominated releases.
Mastering Jazz Improvisation
with Kris Johnson
Master jazz improvisation from Kris Johnson, who both plays and teaches jazz at the highest level.
$97
Kris Johnson: the Player-Professor
Kris knows jazz from the inside out. He toured the world as a trumpeter and arranger with the Count Basie Orchestra from 2008-2019. His academic prowess is just as sharp, and he served as the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Utah from 2015-2019.
As a freelance composer, arranger, and educator in Metro Detroit, Kris has an acuity for scoring films, and has worked on several award-winning film scores for various short films, webseries, documentaries, and feature films.
Kris has played with many modern jazz greats, including Tony Bennett, Patti Austin, Wess Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Jon Hendricks, Monty Alexander, Christian McBride, Jamie Cullum, and many others.
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What’s Included in the Full Course?
8 Learning Modules
Walk through Kris’s understandable, organized approach to improvisation
22 Video Lessons
Learn directly from Kris Johnson in video lessons that you can watch over and over
Detailed Student Workbook
Enhance your learning as you use the downloadable PDF workbook side-by-side with the video lessons
Course Companion Workbook
Follow along with Kris as he teaches, using the detailed workbook. The workbook includes transcriptions of the practice material, typical notations, and helpful links to each lesson.
Note-by-note transcriptions of each practice exercise
Tricky notations are listed and explained
Convenient PDF that you can download and print
18 Exercises & Challenges
Push yourself as you go through Kris Johnson’s exercises and challenges. Each of these activities is designed to help you learn the language of improvisation and build your unique musical vocabulary. Topics include:
- Blues Form: Learn the basic Blues Forms and how they are structured
- Chord Function: Chords provide the structure of how certain notes can take you from one chord into the next so you can breathe life into new music
- Secondary Dominant: Learn how to apply a chord riff over the Blues with the added Secondary Dominant chord
- Techniques: Practice the go-to techniques that you need in order to discover your own style and voice
Bonus Resources
Discover great musicians and push your own learning with the additional resources provided in the student workbook.
- Improv Inspiration: Check out Kris’s recommended list of incredible trumpet solos from improv legends
- Blank Staff Paper: Continue your transcription skills with the included blank staff paper
- Articulation Notes: Reference the detailed notes for each articulation taught by Kris, including how that articulation is commonly notated
- Transciption Practice: Listening and transcribing is a central tenet of Kris Johnson’s improvisation methods. The workbook includes various transcription exercises
What Does Kris Teach in the Course?
Click on the module heading to see the lessons within that module
Module 1: Introduction
Course Workbook
Introduction
Module 2: Listening and Absorbing
Listening and Transcribing Part 1
Listening and Transcribing Part 2
Theory and Notes
Module 3: Improvisation Over the Blues Form
The Kansas City Scale
The Blues Scale
The Major Blues Scale
Chord Function
Secondary Dominant
Module 4: Techniques I
Doits
Falls
Rips
Shakes
Growls
Plops
Turns
Grace Notes
Module 5: Techniques II
Growls
Plops
Turns
Grace Notes
Module 6: Techniques III
Alternate Fingerings
Groove and Pocket Playing
Module 7: Expressive Sounds
The Laugh
Character and Emotion
Principles in Action – Kris Jamming
Module 8: Bonus
BONUS: Kris’s Improvisation Inspiration
Convenient Access, Anywhere
Whether you’re on your desktop computer or learning from your phone on-the-go, access this course from any device. Offline access is also available with the mobile app, available for iOS devices.
Lifetime access to the course
Every Mentored by the Masters course includes lifetime access to all course materials
Online access from any device
Learn from Wayne Bergeron whether you are on a computer, tablet, or phone
Mobile app available for iOS
Use the Teachable App to access your course from Apple devices
Why Learn from Kris Johnson?
Curriculum Designed and Taught by Kris
- Experienced professional player and composer
- Curriculum developed specifically for online learning
- Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Utah for four years
Study at Your Own Pace
This Mentored by the Masters course is completely self-directed. Follow the recommended lesson order, or jump to the most relevant section for you.
When you purchase you get lifetime access to the course, which means you can revisit important lessons over and over.
“Having guidance from an expert, while beginning as a novice, is a wonderful advantage. I know Ben wouldn’t be the player he is without the knowledge developed with Mentored by the Masters.”
-Ben’s Dad
Save even more when you BUNDLE
Mastering Jazz Trumpet
Ultimate Bundle
Our best value, get full access to both Mastering Jazz Trumpet ($127) and Mastering Jazz Improvisation ($97).
-LIMITED TIME DISCOUNT-
$185 $224
Want Three Free Lessons from this Course?
Sign up here to try out the course and experience the quality of Wayne’s teaching.
