BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
7951 / 18210 · Workshop 63 — Triad Pairs and Upper-Structure Improvisation: Getting Modern Jazz Color Without Thinking in Seven-Note Scales← prev⊞ allnext →

63.21Why this often sounds better than “play C Lydian”

Because the instruction:

C D E F♯ G A B

invites scalar movement.

But:

C major + D major

invites:

  • thirds
  • fourth-ish leaps
  • arpeggio fragments
  • inversion shapes

The resulting melody has more architecture.