Chords for Jazz Guitar Lesson: Improvisation In The Style Of Bach

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_ _ _ _ _ _ So I thought of this really cool little practice regimen recently.
Initially, I just wanted to work on some different ways to navigate playing over some changes,
but it actually turned into something a little bit different.
_ The idea was to limit the kind of vocabulary I allowed myself to play with,
but be able to use that same vocabulary everywhere on the fretboard and in all 12 keys.
So I wrote myself a little sequence that included a major chord played in all keys
and a minor chord also played in all keys.
The sequence can actually be played in any order you like,
but I chose to start it with a major chord, followed by a minor chord,
followed by a major chord and so on.
So for example, it could be F major, followed by B flat minor,
followed by E flat major, followed by A flat minor and so on.
Any order is fine, but the entire regimen needs to cover every single key.
So next I decided to set up each new chord with a dominant 7th chord,
and that chord would last a whole measure.
So just to give you an example, I would play F major for 2 bars,
followed by F7 for 1 bar.
That sets up the next chord, which would be B flat minor for 2 bars,
followed by 1 bar of B flat 7, which again sets up the next new chord of E flat, and so on.
Get the idea?
I'm simply setting up each new chord with a 5 chord.
_ So I also gave myself some improvising rules to play with.
First, on each major chord, I would improvise using just a major scale.
On each dominant chord, I would limit myself to using a diminished line or diminished chord tones.
And to do this, I'd personally like to think of a dominant chord with a flat 9 on top,
so I can see diminished lines easily. _
Finally, on each minor chord, I would use notes from the melodic minor scale.
_ As much as I can, I try to follow a stepwise train of thought.
So the new starting note of the new chord should be no more than a step or two away from the last.
This forces you to play in some uncomfortable areas.
So the interesting thing that results from this discipline is that it sounds a lot like Johann Sebastian Bach.
It's quite classical. _
Try it for yourself.
It's extremely challenging,
and great for working on chord tones in areas of the fretboard that might be out of your comfort zone. _
Anyway, here's an example I recorded.
It's not perfect by any means, but you can tell it was improvised. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ [Bbm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] _ _
[Ab] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Cm] _
_ [Bb] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [Abm] _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ [B] _ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ [Dm] _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [C] _ _
[Db] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ [E] _
_ _ [A] _ _ [B] _ _ [Abm] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Db] _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [A] _
_ [Gb] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [B] _
_ [G] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _
[Bbm] _ _ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
[A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _
[Gbm] _ _ [Gb] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _
[Bb] _ _ _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ [C] _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Ebm] _ _ [F] _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [Db] _ _
[Bb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _ [Eb] _
[Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Fm] _ _
[Dbm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ [Dm] _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
[Gbm] _ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ [G] _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Abm] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _