By Adam Larson

Conversation Starters was an idea I’ve had for awhile; to compile a list of vocabulary unique to common chordal progressions in jazz. From a young age, jazz students hear from teachers that jazz is “like a conversation”. Part of that conversation is heavily reliant on having the vocabulary necessary to have a dialogue with ones bandmates.

This book contains 180 different pieces of jazz vocabulary to get the conversation started. The first 30 lines are written over a ii-V7 of regular length and as a “quick ii-v7” and their composition is decidedly linear, with exception to the last five lines in the “quick ii-V7” lines, which begin to take inspiration from larger intervals.

Starting with the “half-step ii-V7” lines, the first five lines for each progression are written in a linear, bebop style and are in more standard ranges. The second five lines for each progression make use of larger intervals. Offering contrasting lines is a way to diversify ones vocabulary and thus it is the hope of the author that the student identifies ways in which the harmonic content of the lines remains similar, but the message is delivered in starkly different ways.

Although all of the lines in this book could be learned in all 12 keys, the student will find that the construction of the first set of lines for each progression lend themselves to transposition in all twelve keys with greater ease than those constructed with larger intervals.

Every effort has been made to spell the pitches with enharmonic accuracy. However, there are certain scenarios in which the author has taken liberty to maximize ease of playability.

It is the hope of author that this book will provide many practical and fresh ways to play over crucial chord progressions that occur in hundreds of standards.