Improv Series:

Improvise with confidence, from fundamentals to flow

Explore the full journey of jazz improvisation through 29 guided lessons that take you from understanding major and melodic minor modes to building expressive solos over real jazz standards — including “I Remember April” and “Autumn Leaves.”

Start your Improv Journey!
 

What you'll learn from this course

Step into the complete world of jazz improvisation with this 29-lesson series designed to help you listen, connect, and create with more freedom.

You’ll begin with the major modes, learning to move smoothly through diatonic and parallel scales while applying them to major, minor, and dominant 7th chords and the classic ii–V–I progression.

As you progress, you’ll dive into melodic minor modes and their applications, explore advanced ii–V–I variations, cycles, and blues in different contexts, and experiment with symmetrical scales like whole tone and diminished. You’ll also work on learning tunes, line construction, and rhythmic fluency, gaining tools to improvise with greater clarity and creativity.

By the end, you’ll have a stronger grasp of how melody, harmony, and rhythm interact—and the confidence to apply that understanding in your own playing.

Improv Series 1:

🎹 Major Modes & Modal Fluency – Understand how diatonic and parallel modes shape melody and color.
🎹 Improvising Over Major, Minor & Dominant 7th Chords – Create melodic ideas with clarity and direction.
🎹 ii–V–I in Major and Minor Keys – Connect harmony and melody through jazz’s core progression.
🎹 Melodic Minor Modes & Applications – Add new tonal colors and approaches to your improvisation.
🎹 Cycles & Rhythm Changes – Strengthen your sense of form, flow, and harmonic movement.
🎹 Blues in Different Contexts – Explore dominant, major, and minor blues variations.
🎹 Chord Extensions & Symmetrical Scales – Experiment with whole tone, diminished, and augmented ideas.
🎹 Learning Tunes & Building Lines – Apply everything in real standards and structured exercises.
🎹 “On The Trail” & Advanced Rhythm Work – Deepen your timing, phrasing, and feel through rhythmic awareness.

Improv Series 2:

🎹 Diatonic Modes of Melodic Minor – Explore the unique colors and tension of the melodic minor scale.
🎹 Parallel Modes of Melodic Minor – Compare modal relationships to expand your harmonic palette.
🎹 Modes of Melodic Minor – Apply each mode to real progressions and improvisational contexts.
🎹 II–V–I Major Keys (Advanced) – Add chromaticism and voice leading to refine your phrasing.
🎹 II–V–I Minor – Learn to navigate minor tonalities with control and expression.
🎹 Cycles – Practice repeating progressions to internalize movement and flow.
🎹 II–V–I Variations – Explore substitutions and harmonic twists for greater creativity.
🎹 Dominant Blues – Build tension and release through dominant-based blues forms.
🎹 Major Blues – Work on phrasing, melody, and rhythmic placement in major blues.
🎹 Minor Blues – Express mood and intensity through darker tonal colors.
🎹 Rhythm Changes – Changes in Form – Understand how structure drives improvisation.
🎹 Rhythm Changes – Melodic Concepts – Develop strong, thematic lines over classic progressions.
🎹 Learning Tunes – Apply all your concepts to real jazz standards and forms.
🎹 Hallucinations – Two Chords Per Bar – Strengthen your sense of pacing and harmonic awareness.
🎹 Chord Types With Extensions and Chord Scales – Expand your vocabulary with richer harmonic options.
🎹 Symmetrical Scales – Whole Tone – Discover how symmetry creates modern sounds.
🎹 Symmetrical Scales – Whole Half Diminished – Use diminished ideas to connect chords smoothly.
🎹 Symmetrical Scales – Augmented Symmetrical – Explore advanced scalar symmetry for unique textures.
🎹 Keys – Understand modulation, relationships, and tonal movement across tunes.
🎹 Lines – Combine everything you’ve learned to create coherent, musical improvisations.

Advice From a World-Class Pianist Who Taught Some of the Best in the Industry

You’ll be learning directly from Gerard D'Angelo. Renowned jazz pianist and educator who has taught at some of the most acclaimed music schools in the world—right in the heart of New York City, the mecca of jazz. 

New York is where legends are made. It’s the city that gave birth to bebop, where jazz giants like Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane pushed the boundaries of music. And now, you have the chance to learn - directly from your room.

Start learning

Gerard D'Angelo

 

Gerard is a faculty member of some of the biggest jazz schools in the planet, such as The New School and Manhattan School of Music. There he mentored stars such as Robert Glasper and Emmet Cohen.

Born in 1954 on Long Island, Gerard was immersed in jazz from an early age, inspired by his father’s stride piano playing. By high school, he was performing gigs and later studied at Berklee and Five Towns College, where he also began teaching. His career took off with tours, club gigs, and studies under jazz legends like Lenny Tristano, shaping his intuitive improvisational style.

Settling in Manhattan, Gerard performed at top jazz venues and festivals worldwide, collaborating with icons like Red Rodney, Nat Adderley, and Vincent Herring. His interest in composition grew, leading to recordings with leading jazz artists. In the ’90s, he transitioned to teaching at The New School and Manhattan School of Music, mentoring future stars such as Robert Glasper and Emmet Cohen.

Beyond jazz, he worked as musical director for Brian Stokes Mitchell, coached Ben Stiller for Broadway, and contributed to music production with Gary Haase. Today, Gerard continues performing, teaching, and leading Gotham Music Lab, an online platform dedicated to accessible, high-quality music education.

7-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

If you aren’t completely satisfied with your course, let us know within the first 7-days for a full refund. No questions asked.

Start your music journey right now!

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