The gold standard in Jazz & Latin publishing
Build a Bulletproof Jazz Vocabulary from the Ground Up
All musicians need to thoroughly learn their scales, chords, intervals and various melodic patterns in order to be complete musicians. The question has always been how to approach this universal task.
The Serious Jazz Practice Book provides a clear, logical, and comprehensive system for mastering the core building blocks of jazz — on any instrument.
Rather than simply listing patterns, Finnerty organizes all the major scalar and harmonic materials of jazz into a step-by-step developmental program. Diatonic, pentatonic, chromatic, whole-tone, and diminished scales are dissected into hundreds of practical, musical patterns. Each pattern is designed not just to be memorized, but to be internalized and applied.
The same methodical approach is applied to chord types and intervals inherent within each scale. Many exercises incorporate chromatic embellishments, immediately giving the material authentic jazz character instead of abstract technical drills.
The companion CD download features Barry demonstrating how to transform these exercises into compelling improvised lines — helping bridge the gap between your practice room and the bandstand.
The end result is more than a collection of exercises. It’s a structured path toward deep harmonic understanding, technical control, and a vastly expanded jazz vocabulary.
Spiral-bound, 162 pages, Table of Contents.
Sample Pages:
Sample Tracks: Track #1, Track #2
Endorsements:
“Barry Finnerty's book is the best book of intervallic studies I've ever seen. Great exercises for any instrument.”
— Mark Levine
“This is an exhaustive, yet compact guide to the fundamentals of scale vocabulary, written by an accomplished musician. The section on diminished scales is outstanding.”
— Dave Liebman
“The book I've been waiting for! This book will keep you busy for many years and is a compelling method with the overall goal of expanding your jazz vocabulary. It is a great book!”
— Randy Brecker
“This is a really terrific book, as it exemplifies the kind of practice jazz players need to do intuitively. The book has great usefulness and practicality by showing how to develop a personal approach to practicing, which keeps things interesting and fun.”
— Bob Sheppard
Barry Finnerty started with classical piano at 5 and switched to guitar at 13. He played professional gigs in Hong Kong and San Francisco before attending Berklee School of Music and moving to NYC in 1973. He's collaborated with industry legends like Miles Davis and the Brecker Brothers, released six solo albums, and toured globally. In 1998, he relocated to Oakland and continued his career, releasing CDs and authoring acclaimed "Serious Jazz Practice" books published by Sher Music.