Chop-Monster, Book 1: Trombone 2 Book & CD

Chop-Monster's call-and-response design mirrors how jazz musicians actually learn in real ensembles: listen, absorb, then try it yourself. The included CD keeps your students engaged outside rehearsal, and the sequential approach (starting with foundational chord qualities in Book 1) builds confidence before moving to the ii-V-I progressions in Book 2. Trombone students benefit from Berg's direct pedagogical voice and his deep understanding of what makes jazz language stick.

The experience is conversational and rhythmically alive. You hear a swinging idea in a specific harmonic context, feel the groove anchor your phrasing, and then claim that vocabulary for yourself. The blues progression brings that familiar blues-jazz sound home, while the Ima7, iimi7, and V7 chord sounds establish the harmonic terrain of modern jazz.

This book is designed for trombone players who are developing jazz improvisation skills, typically high school through adult level. Students need basic fluency on their instrument but do not need prior improvisation experience; the method builds from zero. It works equally well in ensemble jazz curricula or for self-directed study with teacher guidance.

• Work through the recorded examples at half-tempo first using a CD player or app that allows speed adjustment; this gives your ears time to lock onto the phrasing and rhythmic nuances before attempting them at full tempo.
• Sing the improvisation ideas aloud before playing them on your instrument. Your ear learns the shape and interval relationships faster when your voice is involved, making the transfer to slide position more intuitive.
• Isolate the chords that feel less natural (if V7 feels foreign compared to Ima7, for instance) and spend extra time listening to those specific tracks before moving forward.
• Record yourself playing along with the CD and listen back for rhythmic placement and tone quality, not just note accuracy. Jazz phrasing lives in how you sit on the beat and shape each phrase.

Reserve this for dedicated improvisation units within your jazz ensemble rehearsal or as a structured home-study resource for students preparing for jazz solo performance. The sequential design means starting Book 1 in fall gives students solid foundational vocabulary by winter, preparing them for ensemble improvisation features or jazz combos. It pairs naturally with written jazz arrangements at the same level since students will recognize the harmonic and phrasing vocabulary they've internalized.

• Listening and transcription of jazz phrasing
• Improvisation over Ima7, iimi7, and V7 chords
• Blues progression improvisation
• Internalization of jazz language through call-and-response
• Rhythmic phrasing and swing feel
• Trombone slide position accuracy in jazz contexts