Tangerine, Improvisation

Dr. Bob Lawrence
Oct 31
3 min read

Discover . Learn . Play

Tangerine, Improvisation

As we wrap up another exciting month here at Jazz Piano Skills, I’m diving into one of my favorite topics — improvisation development. Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the harmonic and melodic structures of the 1941 jazz classic Tangerine. Now, it’s time to pull everything together and focus on how to intentionally build melodic ideas through a concept I call Improvisation Trees.

🌿 What Are Improvisation Trees?

Improvisation Trees are a simple, structured way to develop authentic jazz vocabulary. Each “tree” grows from a clear, organized process — one that helps connect the conceptual understanding of music to the physical act of improvising at the piano.

Here’s how I build one:

Choose the Harmonic Motion — maybe a 2-5-1 or 1-4-3-6-2-5-1 progression.
Select a Key — for Tangerine, we’re in F major.
Identify Melodic Blocks — use chord shapes and inversions as your melodic foundation.
Determine Melodic Direction — ascending, descending, or both.
Establish a Rhythm Map — assign rhythmic ideas to your melodic shapes.
Create a Melodic Idea — combine all the above into a short, musical phrase.
And of course… Practice it!

Practicing with this kind of intentionality leads to confidence and fluency. You’re not just running random ideas — you’re growing a musical language rooted in sound understanding.

🎵 The Seven Musical Facts

Every concept I teach is anchored in what I call The Seven Musical Facts — a framework that simplifies music study and helps everything connect:

Music is the production of sound and silence.
Sound is produced harmonically and melodically.
Harmony equals chords and voicings.
Melody equals arpeggios and scales.
Arpeggios and scales move up or down.
We decorate sound with tension and chromaticism.
We make it all interesting with rhythm.

Every Improvisation Tree reflects these seven truths in motion — a perfect way to translate theory into real, playable sound.

🎧 From Concept to Sound

In this week’s episode, I work through four classic progressions found in Tangerine:

2-5-1 progression
2-5-3-6 progression
1-4-3-6-2-5-1 progression
2 dominant – 2 minor – 5 dominant – 1 major progression

For each, I go step-by-step through the Improvisation Tree process, then play the finished melodic idea with a swing play-along at 85 BPM. This approach helps bridge the gap between thinking and hearing — and ultimately, between hearing and playing.

💬 Question of the Week

This week’s question came from Marty Owens of Steubenville, Ohio, who asked:

“How can I make my improvisation sound more melodic and less like I’m just running scales?”

My answer? Simple:

“Stop running scales!”

When we practice scales without rhythmic variation, direction, or arpeggio integration, we end up sounding mechanical. Improvisation Trees solve that problem by forcing us to make intentional rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic decisions. That’s where real creativity begins.

🧠 Intentional Practice = Musical Freedom

I often say this: If music is not conceptually easy, it’s physically impossible.When we simplify concepts, we make development possible. Intentional practice — built around clear, musical ideas — leads to the kind of freedom we all want when improvising.

🎹 Inside the Jazz Piano Skills Community

If you’re a Jazz Piano Skills member, you have full access to everything that supports this episode — educational guides, lead sheets, play-alongs, and more. You can also join our weekly masterclasses, take self-paced courses, and connect with other jazz pianists inside our private learning community.

And don’t forget to check out Lisa Deneau’s Jazz Piano Listening List, updated every week — it’s an amazing resource for expanding your ears and inspiration.

🎶 Wrapping Up the Month

Our study of Tangerine has taken us on a complete jazz journey — from harmony, to melody, to improvisation. With Improvisation Trees, we now have a practical method for growing jazz vocabulary and creating lines that swing, breathe, and tell a story.

So let’s keep the momentum going. Enjoy Tangerine. Explore your Improvisation Trees. And as always…