Embraceable You — Improvisation Development
- Dr. Bob Lawrence
- Feb 21
- 3 min read
Week three of our monthly tune study has arrived at Jazz Piano Skills, and that means one thing:
Improvisation Development.
In week one, we dissected "Embraceable You" harmonically. Week two, we explored it melodically. Now in week three, we learn how to improvise with intention — not guesswork. Improvisation is not random. Improvisation is not scale-running. Improvisation is organized sound guided by melodic awareness. And that’s exactly what we tackle this week.
Embraceable You Improvisation Development: Building Melodic Pathways
This week’s Embraceable You improvisation development study focuses on building melodic pathways using phrase awareness and target notes.
Before we talk improvisation, we must remember: The Seven Facts Still Govern Everything
Improvisation is not separate from harmony and melody. It lives inside the Seven Facts of Music:
Music is the production of sound and silence
Sound is produced harmonically and melodically
Harmonic sound = voicings
Melodic sound = scales and arpeggios
Scales/arpeggios move up or down
We decorate with tension/chromaticism
Rhythm makes everything musical
Improvisation is simply melodic sound (Fact #4) shaped intentionally through phrases, target notes, and rhythm (Fact #7).
Question of the Week
“Why do my solos sound like scale exercises?” — Sophia (Melbourne, Australia)
This is one of the most important questions in jazz education.
And here’s the truth:
If your improvisation sounds like running scales, that’s not failure.
It means you’ve done real work.
You understand chord-scale relationships. You know what scale fits what chord.
That’s progress.
But here’s the missing piece:
The melody is the blueprint.
If you do not know the melody:
You don’t know the phrases.
You don’t know the target notes.
You don’t know where the line is heading.
And when you don’t know where the line is heading…
Your hands default to motion without meaning.
Up. Down. Scale patterns.
That’s not improvisation. That’s recitation.
The Real Formula
Scale knowledge minus melodic awareness minus phrase awareness minus target awareness minus rhythmic vocabulary = Running exercises.
Improvisation only becomes music when:
You know the melody cold
You know where phrases begin and end
You know what notes matter
You shape rhythm intentionally
This Week’s Improvisation Focus
Building Melodic Pathways
Instead of improvising over the entire tune, we isolate four phrases from Embraceable You.
For each phrase:
We state the melody
We identify the target notes
We construct three melodic pathways
We compare each variation to the original melody
And here’s the key:
Every improvisational line must still sound like Embraceable You.
If it doesn’t resemble the melody, you’ve drifted into scale land.
Phrase One: Direction Matters
Phrase one ascends toward a target note and then resolves downward.
Improvisation here means:
Honoring that contour
Targeting the strong tones
Weaving chord tones and scale tones through the shape
Nothing fancy. No advanced theory. Just organized sound.
Phrase Two: Inside the Changes
This phrase outlines a 2-5-1.
If you:
Know the target tones
Aim your line at those tones
Shape rhythm intentionally
Your line sounds like music inside the changes.
If you:
Run scales aimlessly
You sound like you’re hovering around the harmony instead of living inside it.
Phrase Three & Four: Theme and Variation
Improvisation is not abandoning the melody.
It is:
Reinterpreting it
Rephrasing it
Reshaping it rhythmically
Redirecting it toward its target notes
This is theme and variation — the foundation of jazz improvisation.
As I often say:
If you can’t reinterpret the melody, we don’t need to go any further.
Why This Approach Works
When you:
Know the melody
Know the phrases
Know the target notes
Develop rhythmic vocabulary
Your scales stop sounding like scales.
They start sounding like jazz.
Because now they are:
Organized
Intentional
Directed
Rhythmic
Expressive
Improvisation Is Organization
Improvisation is not about “more notes.”
It’s about:
Direction
Destination
Rhythm
Awareness
You already have the information. Now we organize it.
This Week’s Study Tools
Members received:
Lead sheets isolating four phrases
Three melodic pathways per phrase
Blank space to compose your own
Arpeggio and scale worksheets
Play-along tracks (swing groove, ♩ = 85)
Use them.
Compose your own pathways. Do not skip that step.
Improvisation grows through construction.
The Jazz Piano Skills Monthly System
Every month follows the same sequence:
Listening
Harmonic Analysis
Melodic Analysis
Improvisation Development
Solo Piano Approaches
Structure creates clarity. Clarity creates confidence.
Final Thought
If your solos sound like exercises, don’t panic.
It means you have information.
Now give that information:
melody awareness
phrase awareness
target awareness
rhythmic depth
And your scales will begin to sing.
Until next week…
Enjoy Embraceable You. And most of all, have fun as you:
Discover • Learn • Play
— Dr. Bob Lawrence 🎧 Listen Now: [Jazz Piano Skills Podcast: Embraceable You – Episode Become a Member: Jazz Piano Skills
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Warm Regards, Dr. Bob Lawrence
Jazz Piano Skills
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