Major Scale Arpeggios
Lesson time: (1min 12sec)
Ollie Weston runs a major scale and arpeggio exercise over a swinging backing track, locking in your major-seven chord tones in G.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Exploring Jazz Saxophone: Part 1 - Getting Started
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Major Scale Exercise
Now, let's dive into an exercise to practice your major scales and identify your major seven chord tones.
Exercise Overview
- Backing Track: A nice medium tempo with a good swing feel from my rhythm section.
- Focus: Playing a G major scale and some chord tones.
Practice Steps
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Start Slow: Begin by playing crotchets (quarter notes) to ensure:
- Your fingerings are secure.
- You're comfortable identifying the chord tones and passing tones in G major.
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Building Fluency: Once you're more comfortable and fluent, transition to playing quavers (eighth notes).
Demonstration
Let's count in together:
One, two. One, two, three, four.
About the instructor

Since graduating from the Leeds College of Music (BA Hons) and the Guildhall School of Music (Post Graduate Diploma in Performance), Ollie has built a busy and varied career in music. As a saxophonist he has performed in live and studio settings with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Tim Minchin, Bonobo, Frank Turner, the London Jazz Orchestra, the Hackney Colliery Band, the Ambient Jazz Ensemble and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He is also the co-leader of the jazz quartet 'Time Is Of The Essence', and composes and arranges material for this and other ensembles. Ollie is active in music education, currently as course leader for the jazz department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior school), where he runs jazz ensembles, big band and theory classes. He has written a series of 'Exploring Jazz' books for Schott Music that are published worldwide and feature on exam syllabuses in the UK. Ollie has also run workshops for Oxford University, Pro Corda Strings and BABSWE, as well as the Guildhall School of Music summer schools. In his Exploring Jazz Saxophone courses, Ollie takes you from getting started right through to soloing confidently over songs and chord sequences, building the improvising skills that put a real jazz player's vocabulary at your fingertips. read more




