A clear starting point for improvisation

Learn how to use riffs and short phrases to build solos with confidence, instead of relying on random note choices.

Stronger connection between ear and instrument

Call and response exercises help develop phrasing, time feel, and musical intuition.

Practical understanding of blues harmony

Learn how chords move through the 12‑bar form and how to outline them clearly while improvising.

About the course

Rather than presenting improvisation as a collection of formulas, this course offers strong musical exercises designed to guide students toward deeper listening, better phrasing, and a more meaningful connection to the recorded tradition of the blues.

Kris Johnson

Kris Johnson is a Detroit-based trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator whose work spans orchestral commissions, musical theatre, film scoring, and contemporary jazz. His recent orchestral commission Marlowe’s Wings premiered with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2025, and his music can also be heard in the Emmy-nominated series King Ester. Kris has contributed to seven GRAMMY-nominated albums - including the 2024 GRAMMY-winning Basie Swings the Blues - and spent more than a decade touring as a soloist and arranger with the Count Basie Orchestra. He has collaborated with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett, Leslie Odom Jr., Wycliffe Gordon, and Endea Owens. Kris currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Michigan and is the founder and director of the Paradise Theatre Big Band in partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Curriculum

5 Chapters · 29 Lessons

  1. 1

    Main Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 1 - Call and Response

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 2 - Kansas City Scale

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 3 - Kansas City Scale Over the Form

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 4 - The Blues Scale

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 5 - Basic Blues Chords

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 6 - The Turn Signal

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 7 - Ascending and Descending Chords

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 8 - Chord Riffs

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 9 - Voice Leading

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 10 - Practicing the Voice Leading

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Lesson 11 - Enclosures - Voice Leading

  2. 2

    Rhythm Section Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      1 PIANO LESSON

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      2 GUITAR LESSON

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      3 BASS LESSON

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      4 DRUMS LESSON

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Download Rhythm Section Charts

  3. 3

    Rhythm Section Video Play-Alongs

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      1 FULL BAND 12x PLAYALONG

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      2 PIANO 12x PLAYALONG

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      3 GUITAR 12x PLAYALONG

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      4 BASS 12x PLAYALONG

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      5 DRUMS 12x PLAYALONG

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Download Rhythm Section Charts

  4. 4

    MP3 Play-Along's

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      1 FULL RHYTHM Bb BLUES PLAYALONG

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      2 NO PIANO Bb BLUES PLAYALONG

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      3 NO GUITAR Bb BLUES PLAYALONG

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      4 NO BASS Bb BLUES PLAYALONG

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      5 NO DRUMS Bb BLUES PLAYALONG

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Download MP3 Play-Alongs

  5. 5

    Bb Blues Riff Fundamentals E-Book

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Download E-Book

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