Latest
Part 4 of the Improvisers Workout Program | Short Sentences
Welcome back to the Jazz Gym. In our last workout (click here to view Part 3) we learned how to play the third, fifth or seventh of every chord from our “Autumn Leaves” workout progression and in the process learned a few basic, melodic words. We also practiced listening to what we hear in the holes and spaces on beats three and four, basically learning to listen to what we just played and formulating a response. Since improvising is conversational in nature we want to become both good speakers and good listeners.
This month were going to graduate from simple words to short sentences by adding some scale sequences to our repertoire.
In Figure 1 your assignment is to play the 1 2 3 2 1 of each scale in the upper register of the bass. Here’s where the memorizing and internalizing of all those scales starts to pay off. I’ve provided fingerings, but feel free to use your own. Just like in our previous workouts, reading the examples is great, but the goal is to internalize this stuff to the point where you don’t have to think about it. Be sure to continue to pay attention and actively listen to what you hear in the holes and spaces.
In Figure 2 your assignment is to play the 3 4 5 4 3 of every scale.
In Figure 3 your assignment is to play the 5 6 7 6 5 of every scale.
Before moving forward, please click on the Download below:
Jazz_Gym_4_Figures
Notice that each of these scale sequences is just two chord tones with a scale tone in between. Take a look at the tablature and you’ll notice that all the examples are within a five fret range, so the fingerings are easy. If you take a deeper look, you’ll notice that the first bar of Figure 1 (C D Eb D C) is the 1 2 3 2 1 of Cmi7, but it’s also the 5 6 7 6 5 of F7 and the 3 4 5 4 3 of Ami7b5. Take another look and you’ll also notice that the 1 2 3 2 1 of Bbma7 (Bb C D C Bb) is also the 5 6 7 6 5 of Ebma7 and the 3 4 5 4 3 of Gmi7. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that several of these sequences have multiple functions. Now isn’t this convenient? Not only is this material effective, but it’s also versatile. Your first extra credit assignment is to figure out how many of these melodic sequences have more than one function, get them under your hands and internalize them.
Hey, what would happen if you played these examples in reverse order (3 2 1 2 3, 5 4 3 4 5 or 7 6 5 6 7) or started them on beat two instead of beat one? Consider this your second extra credit assignment.
So, your first priority is to play, memorize and internalize Figures 1, 2 and 3. Next, figure out which ones have multiple melodic functions and get them under your hands. Then when you’re comfortable with that try playing them in reverse order. Once you can do this then try playing these figures starting on beat 2. This ought to give you plenty to do between now and our next workout, so get to work!
To see me demonstrate and develop these assignments, go to www.youtube.com/user/toddjohnsonmusic and check out the Jazz Gym Melodic Scale Sequences video. While you’re there, be sure to practice with the Jazz Gym Play Along. Have fun and play slow.
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @kilianduartebass @meridian_guitars @adamovicbasses @marleaux_bassguitars @jcrluthier @sandbergguitars @ibanezuk_official @dingwallguitars @torzalguitars @ariaguitars
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @bacchusguitars @franz.bassguitars @mendesluthieria @ramabass.ok @meridian_guitars @adamovicbasses @shukerbassguitars @fantabass.it @andys_vintage_guitars @valdesbasses
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @murraykuun_guitars @ja.guitars @combe_luthier @overloadguitars @kevinhidebass @franz.bassguitars @indra_guitars @petercrowdesign @baboomin_bass @jcrluthier
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @sandbergguitars @benevolent_basses @rayriendeau @olintobass @wonkorbasses @bite.guitars @adamovicbasses @maruszczyk_instruments @skervesenguitars @ramabass.ok
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.
Visit online:
Official Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
Gear News: Fender Unveils Highly Anticipated Vintera III Series
New Music: Oteil Burbridge & Lamar Williams Jr. New Single, Hush
Interview With Bassist Virginia Franks
Nathan East, Echoes of a Lineage – April/May 2026 Issue
Gear Review: Italia Leather Straps
Mar 2 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 9 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 16 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 23 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram