Autumn Leaves for saxophone
Autumn Leaves for saxophone, 3 easy improvisation approaches that work
Autumn Leaves is one of the most beautiful and useful jazz standards you can study, because it contains two of the most common chord structures in jazz, the major 2 5 1 and the minor 2 5 1.
In this lesson, I show you three extremely effective yet straightforward ways to improvise over this gorgeous tune, giving you practical strategies that sound musical and help you build confidence fast.
In this lesson I show you:
- How to use one simple blues scale across the whole tune
- How to navigate the major 2 5 1 and minor 2 5 1 with a clear scale based approach
- How to use chord tones to build a stronger and more informed solo
This is a very practical lesson for adult learners and intermediate players because it gives you three different entry points into improvisation.
One approach is very straightforward and immediate.
One gives you a clearer understanding of the harmonic movement.
One helps you connect much more deeply with the chord chart itself.
By working through these ideas, you will start to hear Autumn Leaves in a much more organised way, and that makes improvisation feel far less mysterious and much more achievable.
Free downloads
Autumn Leaves, alto sax tutorial
Autumn Leaves, tenor sax tutorial
Autumn Leaves backing track, alto sax and tenor sax
Chord chart with chord tones, alto sax
Chord chart with chord tones, tenor sax
Dorian minor and harmonic minor sheet, alto sax
Huge thanks to the Quartet app for the backing track