Chop-Monster, Book 2: Trombone 4 Book & 2 CDs

Berg's call-and-response methodology removes the anxiety from early jazz improvisation by letting students absorb language before they're expected to generate it. The progression from Book 1 through Book 2 builds systematically, with the ii-V-I work here preparing students for the chord changes they'll encounter in the jazz repertoire they actually want to play.

The experience of finally understanding how jazz actually works. The call-and-response format creates a natural conversation between the recorded examples and your own horn, demystifying improvisation one phrase at a time.

Jazz ensemble directors working with students who've completed Book 1 and are ready to tackle the ii-V-I progression. Trombone 4 players at the intermediate level who need systematic guidance on how to comp and improvise in real jazz contexts.

• Listen to the recorded models multiple times before attempting your own responses. Let the phrasing and articulation sink in aurally first.
• Lock into the underlying groove of the accompaniment track rather than fixating on hitting exact chord tones. The swing feel matters more than perfect changes.
• Record yourself responding to the calls and listen back without judgment. You'll catch patterns and habits that ears in the moment miss.
• Work through one key thoroughly before moving to the next. Muscle memory and ear training both need time in a single tonal center.

Integrate this into your jazz ensemble's warm-up routine during the fall and winter, moving through one key per week. By spring, your rhythm section and soloists will have internalized the ii-V-I thoroughly enough to handle standard tunes with real confidence.

• Hearing and executing the ii-V-I progression in B-flat, E-flat, and F concert
• Call-and-response ear training with jazz language
• Melodic improvisation over chord changes
• Jazz phrasing and articulation through transcription and imitation
• Recognizing and playing common jazz vocabulary patterns