Exercise 1
Two similar melodic lines, adjusted to the chords. It’s a way of making improvisations (or compositions) sound logical. Through the use of a pattern. It evokes an expectation: the next melodic line will be similar too. Break the expectation, by making a slightly or really different line and this draws attention!
Exercise 2
The tension of the last note of the last bar is resolved in the following chord (g flat becomes the f in Bb6 in the first bar) without you singing it. That’s a possibility as well!
Exercise 3
A semitone ‘grace note’ is added before each melodic line. A semitone below a note that fits the scale of a chord, like the first note of the third bar, can always be used as a way of creating some tension and resolving it. Cm7 has a ‘b flat’ in it. Theoretically you wouldn’t dream of using a ‘b’ in the melody on that chord. Because of the harmonic conflict that would arise. In practice, as long as the note is relatively short and resolves into an adjacent note below or above, it sounds perfectly normal. Like bending towards a note.
Exercise 4
The eighth note triplet adds some rhythmic variety. Variety is king!
Exercise 5
The chromatic (semitone) triplets in the last bar are tricky. But you can ‘bend’ the notes towards each other as well.
