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20 Jonathan Kreisberg Sequences

With singing melodicism and technically advanced sequential development,
Jonathan Kreisberg’s unique playing style continues to expand the boundaries of
modern ‘straight ahead’ jazz guitar improvisation.

This post outlines 20 signi cant sequential patterns seen throughout Kreisberg’s

recordings as a leader up to and including the album ‘Showdowless’,
suggesting relationships and themes which unite each as part of a wider language.

The examples include ngering and harmonic information but leave picking and
articulation to individual preference.

To create your own unique sequential vocabulary click here, or to improve your sight

reading click here. Otherwise, comment/share/enjoy and please support the
artist by purchasing the recordings from which these audio extracts are taken.

Ex 1 – A Child Is Born (3:22)

Highlighted in grey, this 3 note triadic pattern moves through Eb melodic minor and G
minor, with a neat pedal tone resolution across beats 5 and 6 of the second bar.

Harmonies re ect accompaniment.

00:00 00:00

Ex 2 – Summertime (1:42)
The 5 note triad pattern below is performed in C melodic minor, tting 4 times
through each 5/4 bar to create an engaging polyrhythmic e ect.  A brief secondary
sequence stacks fourths across the guitar’s top 3 strings.

Harmonies re ect accompaniment.

00:00 00:00

Ex 3 – JuJu (1:44)
Polyrhythms feature again with this bar-crossing augmented pattern, which places the
descending 3 note triad gure of Example 2 after a 3 note scale run.

Harmony refers to the parent scale.

00:00 00:00

Ex 4 – Summertime (3:20)
Kreisberg rejuvenates this standard with a variable 4 note triad pattern, altering the
initial G major triad at beat 2 to imply E Dorian.

Bar 2 concludes with the same idea reinterpreted using triplet rhythms, an e ect
sustained for the following augmented triads.

Note the use of a melodic turn at beat 5 of bar 1 – we’ll see this recurring gure
throughout a number of the examples to follow.

Harmonies re ect accompaniment.

00:00 00:00

Ex 5 – Countdown (1:59)
A straightforward descending and ascending triad pattern.  Notice a further instance of
#11 for 5 during bar 2, rst seen as part of Example 4.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 6 – A Child Is Born (2:53)

Initially extending the previous sequence to a 9 note pattern, bar 4 returns to the 6
note gure of Example 5.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 7 – JuJu (3:14)
This sequence combines the descending 4 note triad and 4 note melodic turn seen rst
during Example 4, extending the latter by 1 note to complete a 9 note triplet pattern.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 8 – Sweet and Lovely (2:18)

Extending the previous pattern to 12 notes in bar 1, this line reverts back to the original
9 note form at bar 3, resolving the polyrhythm at the end of bar 5.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 9 – Five Bucks a Bungalow (3:02)

Example 8 is extended to a total of 16 notes through completion of the descending
triad gure and a further partial iteration of Example 4’s melodic turn. Triplets are
substituted for 8th notes, aligning the pattern over 2 bars of 4/4.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 10 – Michelle (2:51)
Bar 4 contains a single iteration of the 4 note descending triad pattern seen rst
during Example 4, interrupting the already polyrhythmic application of Example 7’s 9
note triplet pattern.  This odd combination momentarily throws the ear, creating strong
rhythmic tension.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 11 – Strange Resolution (3:32)

One of Kreisberg’s most distinctive sequential patterns, this 5 note 7th
arpeggio  gure is applied to C melodic minor.

Harmony refers to the parent scale.

00:00 00:00

Ex 12 – The Best Thing For You (2:13)

A rhythmic development of Example 11 applied to the diminished scale.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 13 – New For Now (1:44)

Further polyrhythms, this time featuring the 5 note gure of Examples 11 and 12
performed using 8th notes in 4/4.

Harmonies refer to parent scales.

00:00 00:00

Ex 14 – Kiitos (7:20)
Developing the 7th arpeggio theme, this example outlines a 9 note descending and
ascending pattern applied in 3/4 as 8th note triplets.  The sequence is preceded by its
second note.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 15 – The South of Everywhere (3:26)

Example 14’s 9 note  gure extended by a further 6 notes to create a 15 note triplet
pattern ideal for 5/4. This could be considered a 7th arpeggio application of ideas from
Examples 6 and 8.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 16 – Funeral For The Ants (3:36)

Example 14 adapted to some less conventional settings.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 17 – Gone With The Wind (2:32)

Another stylistically signi cant idea, one of Kreisberg’s most frequently employed wide
arpeggio patterns (not presented as a sequence here).

Harmony is speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 18 – Gone With The Wind (5:51)

Example 17’s wide arpeggio gure extended to  ll 1 bar of 5/4.  Notice the  gure’s
adaptation to major (Lydian) and Kreisberg’s use of the introductory second note as per
Example 14.

00:00 00:00

Ex 19 – Stir The Stars (4:17)

A further development of Example 17, this time extending the wide arpeggio pattern to
16 notes.  Once again the sequence is introduced using its second note.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Ex 20 – From The Ashes (3:18)

Example 20 combines individually identi ed patterns as an aesthetically consistent but
melodically diverse improvised line.

The rst pattern is e ectively Example 6 adapted for 7th arpeggios and extended by 1
note to form a 3 beat gure.  The rst 2 beats of this pattern are subsequently
reiterated and the phrase draws to a close with Example 17 in Ab.

Harmonies are speci c to melodic content.

00:00 00:00

Click here to create your own unique improvisational sequences!

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