How to Play Bebop, Volume 2 Cover Image

How to Play Bebop, Volume 2: Book

$12.99 USD
$12.99 USD
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How to Play Bebop, Volume 2 Cover Image
How to Play Bebop, Volume 2: Book

How to Play Bebop, Volume 2: Book

By David Baker

Item: 00-2747
$12.99
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Description
A three-volume series that includes the scales, chords and modes necessary to play bebop music. A great introduction to a style that is most influential in today's music. The first volume includes scales, chords and modes most commonly used in bebop and other musical styles. The second volume covers the bebop language, patterns, formulas and other linking exercises necessary to play bebop music. The third volume covers topics such as contrafact tunes and the blues. A great introduction to a style that is most influential in today's music.

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 76
ISBN10: 0-7390-1485-4
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-1485-1
UPC: 038081015064
SKU: 00-2747

More about this title

About the Author: David Baker

David Baker is a legendary jazz educator, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose contributions to jazz pedagogy have shaped how generations of musicians learn improvisation. His systematic approach to teaching bebop language and jazz fundamentals established him as one of the most influential voices in formalizing jazz instruction, bridging the gap between oral tradition and written curriculum.

Baker's textbooks remain standard references in jazz programs worldwide because they don't just present scales and chords in isolation; they show how professional musicians actually think and speak through their instruments. His work reflects decades of performance experience and a deep commitment to making bebop's underlying logic accessible to serious students.

Why we love this

Baker structures this volume around the patterns and formulas that actual bebop players use, not theoretical abstractions. Your students will move directly from understanding the vocabulary to applying it in real musical contexts, which transforms how they hear and approach improvisation.

What to expect

Moving through these pages feels like eavesdropping on a master class where a seasoned player breaks down the shortcuts and shortcuts-within-shortcuts that make bebop swing. You'll recognize phrases you've heard in recordings and finally understand why certain note combinations belong together.

Who it's for

Intermediate to advanced jazz students ready to move beyond scales into the actual language of bebop. This book serves educators teaching jazz improvisation in college ensembles, high school jazz bands, and private studio settings where students need direct access to professional bebop vocabulary.

How to get the most out of it

  • Isolate each linking exercise and practice it through all 12 keys before moving forward. The patterns only become intuitive when your fingers know them equally well in every tonality.
  • Record yourself playing the bebop language examples over backing tracks. Hearing these phrases in a harmonic context forces you to internalize them as music, not just mechanics.
  • Sing the bebop patterns aloud before you play them. Your voice locks in the rhythmic and melodic shape faster than your fingers alone can capture.
  • Work through the formulas slowly enough that you can speak the note names out loud while playing. This keeps your ear and your thinking connected.

How to use it

Assign this as focused study material for students in your jazz ensemble who are ready to develop serious improvisational chops. The 76-page length makes it manageable for semester-long study, and the formula-based approach pairs well with weekly small group lessons or sectional coaching on specific tunes.

Skills your students will build

  • Recognition and execution of bebop language patterns and linking formulas
  • Application of chord tones and passing tones in improvised lines
  • Rhythmic placement of bebop vocabulary over chord changes
  • Transposition of melodic and harmonic patterns through all keys
  • Internalization of bebop phrasing and articulation conventions

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