From 1991 to 1993 I was blessed to have studied with the great guitarist Ted Dunbar. Ted had a very organized curriculum for his students which included scales, arpeggios, intense training in harmony and a method book that took one tune through all 12 keys and explored all of the intervallic concepts and chord/scale relationships for improvisation. It was intense and it took no less than several hours a day to even scratch the surface of what Ted was teaching us. He had the perfect combination of strict discipline and compassion; he cared deeply about his students and wanted the best for all of us. It was one of the best experiences of my life and one that informs my playing every time I pick up the guitar.
In addition to the above studies, Ted had all of his students learn 38 bebop heads, a list he compiled himself and played every night before bedtime. (I play them every morning before breakfast.) In his Jazz Improvisation class, every musician was required to learn all 38 of these bebop heads – drummers would have to play them on either piano or vibraphone – in one semester’s time.
Here’s the list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Technology being what it is today, it’s nice to make a playlist of all of these tunes to have them all in one spot, then play along.
- Airegin
- Anthropology
- Au Privave
- Bebop
- Budo
- Ceora
- Cheryl
- Con Alma (as a chord melody)
- Confirmation
- Cookin’ at the Continental
- Daahoud
- Dat Dere
- Dewey Square
- Dig
- Donna Lee
- Four
- Freedom Jazz Dance
- Giant Steps (as a chord melody)
- Gingerbread Boy
- Groovin’ High
- Half Nelson
- Jordu
- Joy Spring
- Little Willie Leaps
- Milestones (old)
- Moment’s Notice (as a chord melody)
- Oleo
- Opus de Funk
- Ornithology
- Parisian Thoroughfare
- Prince Albert
- Quicksilver
- Room 608
- Scrapple from the Apple
- Sippin’ at Bell’s
- Trichotism
- Vierd Blues
- Yardbird Suite
