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Part 3 of the Improvisers Workout Program | Talking and Listening
In our last training session (click here to view Part 2) we played, memorized and internalized the eight scales and arpeggios that apply to our “Autumn Leaves” workout progression. We learned that these scales and arpeggios are the vowels and consonants that make up our melodic alphabet. Now that we have a grasp of our musical alphabet, it’s time for us to begin forming some simple melodic words.
Remember that learning to improvise is like learning to speak a new language. You wouldn’t start off trying to recite Shakespeare would you? Of course not, you’d start with some simple words like hello, goodbye, yes, no, please and thank you. So with this in mind, let’s get started.
Before moving forward, please click on the Download Jazz_Gym_3_Figures.pdf below:
Jazz_Gym_3_Figures
In Figure 1 your assignment is to play the third of every chord as a half note in the upper register of the bass. Reading the example is great, but the goal is to be able to look at a chord symbol and know what the third (the fifth or the seventh) is and be able to play it.
I don’t know about you, but looking at a Cmi7 chord and playing anything other than a C on the downbeat was incredibly difficult for me to learn. As bass players we’re taught from day one to always play the root of the chord on the downbeat. This is essential; maybe even sacred musical training for playing the bass, but it doesn’t lend itself to good melodic playing. So if looking at looking at Cmi7 and playing an Eb is difficult for you, then welcome to the club!
In Figure 2 your assignment is to play the 5th of every chord.
In Figure 3 your assignment is to play the 7th of every chord.
Once you get these notes under your hands, I want you to pay attention to what we’re not playing. Notice that I have you playing a simple half note. This means that there should be silence on beats 3 and 4. I want you to pay special attention to what you hear on beats 3 and 4 because later on we’re going to start filling in the blanks and playing what we hear on those beats. This is part of learning to play what you hear. You have to learn to listen to what you’re hearing in these holes and spaces. Then and only then can you can go about finding it. After all, you can’t talk and listen at the same time. This process will strengthen the signal from your ears to your hands and eventually allow you to play what you hear.
So, go to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and check out the Jazz Gym play alongs. First, play, memorize and internalize the exercises in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Then, be sure to leave some space and pay special attention to what you’re hearing in the holes on beats 3 and 4. Do this and you’ll be well on your way to adding some new words to your musical vocabulary.
See you in the next issue. Have fun and play slow.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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