A New Model In Viewing the Art of Improvisation - 2-1/2 Hours

Tony DeCaprio presents his tetrachord-based approach to jazz improvisation in this 2.5-hour masterclass, built around his "units" system — tetrachord combinations that open up parallel scale relationships and inside/outside playing concepts rarely taught elsewhere.

What's covered

• Working through "All the Things You Are": finding the rest points in the melody and placing fills, licks, and mini-motifs there
• Using mediant and submediant relationships — playing A minor or E minor material against Cmaj7, for example
• Flat-two substitutions borrowed from Phrygian harmony (the Dbmaj7 approaching Cmaj7 as a Neapolitan), plus Lydian borrowing
• Tony's Arpeggiated Cyclic Progression Activities — hearing smooth voice leading between seemingly unrelated chords like Dmaj7 and Bbm7
• Using fourth intervals musically rather than mechanically
• Building cohesive solos from motifs: keeping the melody in mind throughout the tune instead of running chord scales
• Identifying resolution points and treating strong internal cadences as mini-modulations

Geared toward intermediate-to-advanced players who feel stuck in derivative patterns, the class offers a systematic way to blend inside and outside playing without losing the listener — and to develop a personal voice in the process.