Improvisation Techniques for "Straight No Chaser"

In "Straight No Chaser", you can use Mixolydian scales on F, B flat, and C to improvise over each of those chords. However, don't forget that a more basic and probably more useful way of improvising is to:

• Stick to the notes of the chords.

This approach is foolproof, as the obvious notes will always work. On the other hand, if you play a scale:

• If you get the scale back to front, you'll run into the issue of stressing the fourth in the wrong place.

Tips for Playing Scales

If you are going to play scales, make sure you:

• Put the chord notes on the beat.

For example, see how that's on the right foot:

• A, C, and E flat are all on the beat.

But if you start on one hand and play the same thing, everything's on the wrong foot, and the fourth is in the wrong place. This can sound pretty horrible if you don't know what you're doing.

Exploring Other Techniques

There is another way to play around these two chords, or rather, three chords:

• Use the major pentatonic on F7 and flatten the third over B flat.

This is a really cool way to differentiate between F7 and B flat 7. Just play what's called the B3 pentatonic. Not everyone is familiar with that scale; it's not as well known as the major pentatonic or the minor pentatonic.

• It is minor, but it's not the minor pentatonic.

You can call it the flat three pentatonic or the minor sixth pentatonic, as it includes a sixth as well. This is a great scale to play over B flat as it fits like a glove, but it will also work over F.

Effective Playing Strategies

To maximize its effectiveness:

• Play the A naturals in the F bars.
• Then, use the same phrase with A flat.

Stress the A naturals in the I chord and the A flat (or flat three) in the IV chord to capture the mood of "Straight No Chaser."

Recommended Listening

I strongly encourage you to check out Monk's performance. He recorded it several times, but the one I really like is on the album Genius of Modern Music.

• There's a transcription of this available, so check out the PDF.
• Don't forget, he plays the tune in B flat, not in F.

People do perform it in both keys, so be sure to check out what he gets up to. You'll notice he plays quite a lot of shells in the left hand, as well as employing whole tone scales.

Conclusion

To truly capture the flavor of this tune, I would strongly encourage you to experiment with some of Monk's techniques. Happy playing!