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Chop-Monster, Book 1: Tuba Book

$7.95 USD
$7.95 USD
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Chop-Monster, Book 1 Cover Image
Chop-Monster, Book 1: Tuba Book

Chop-Monster, Book 1: Tuba Book

By Shelly Berg

Item: 00-251093
$7.95
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Description
Chop-Monster is a sequential jazz improvisation method by acclaimed jazz pianist and educator Shelly Berg that utilizes a "call-and-response" approach: students listen to a jazz idea, imitate it until it is internalized, and then "try it on their own." In Chop-Monster 1, students will hear and improvise to the Ima7, iimi7, and V7 chords in the key of B-flat, plus a basic blues progression. In Chop-Monster 2 students will hear and improvise to the ii-V-I progression in three keys (concert B-flat, E-flat, F).

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 40
ISBN10: 0-7390-2961-4
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-2961-9
UPC: 038081212722
SKU: 00-251093
Instrumentation: Tuba

More about this title

About the Author: Shelly Berg

Shelly Berg

Shelly Berg brings virtuosic command and relentless swing to everything he touches as a pianist, composer, and bandleader. The Los Angeles Times describes his playing as breathtaking: a powerhouse style marked by parallel runs, sudden rhythmic shifts, and harmonic sophistication that keeps audiences riveted. His orchestration work spans film (Men of Honor, Almost Heroes), television (ABC, CBS, HBO), and major touring bands including Kiss and Chicago.

At the Thornton School of Music at USC, Berg chairs the Jazz Studies program and has shaped jazz education nationally as a past president of the International Association for Jazz Education. He has performed and conducted clinics across North America, Europe, Japan, and Israel. Beyond his extensive catalog of jazz ensemble compositions, Berg developed the Chop-Monster improvisation series to address what he saw as a fundamental gap in jazz pedagogy: the need for a sequential, ear-based approach that builds improvisation skills systematically and joyfully.

Why we love this

Chop-Monster Book 1 cuts through the intimidation factor that often surrounds jazz improvisation for young brass players. The call-and-response design mirrors how jazz has always been learned—by listening, absorbing, and experimenting—making it feel less like a method book and more like joining a conversation with an experienced improviser.

What to expect

Loose, conversational, and grounded in straight-ahead blues and bebop language. The call-and-response framework creates a natural call-and-answer flow that builds confidence with each repetition, transforming improvisation from an abstract skill into something tangible and achievable.

Who it's for

Tuba players in middle school through early high school jazz bands who are ready to move beyond reading lead sheets and want to develop genuine improvisation vocabulary. This book works best for students who have foundational tone control and can articulate comfortably at moderate tempos, and who can learn by ear as well as by reading notation.

How to get the most out of it

  • Internalize each recorded phrase completely before attempting your own response. Sing it first if you need to; muscle memory for tuba follows clarity of intent.
  • Lock into the groove of the rhythm section on the recording rather than fighting it. Your job is to find space within the pulse, not compete with it.
  • Resist the urge to play everything you know in the first chorus. Start simple, prove you understand the harmonic space, and save your more elaborate ideas for rounds two and three.

How to use it

Assign this book to your section during the first month of jazz band season to build improvisation foundation before introducing larger ensemble charts. The skills students develop here will immediately transfer to any blues or standard your band tackles later in the year.

Skills your students will build

  • Call-and-response improvisation in Imaj7, imi7, and V7 chord qualities
  • Blues progression recognition and vocabulary
  • Listening and transcription by ear
  • Phrasing and articulation choices in jazz context
  • Harmonic thinking within chord changes in the key of B-flat
  • Confidence and independence in improvised solos

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