Once the students have mastered the blues and minor pentatonic scales as discussed in the previous post Teaching Jazz Improvisation: What Notes Do I Play? Teach the students to perform as a group ten 2-measure blues riffs, which the entire ensemble learns to perform together as a part of a warm-up.
Once the students have memorized the riffs, ask them to create their own 12 bar solo in the following steps:
Students we are going to go around the ensemble and everyone is going to create a jazz solo using the riffs we learned together. However, we will follow the following parameters:
You can play either a 2 measure riff or a 2 measure rest, but you may not play the riffs in the same order they have been written. (Pro Tip: Give the students a few rehearsals to practice and get comfortable with re-ordering the riffs to create their own solos in Step 1).
Then, challenge the students to add a pick-up note to one or more of the riffs. (Pro Tip: Again, give the students a few rehearsals to practice and get comfortable with the concept in Step 2).
Challenge the students again to change some of the riffs by adding holds or repeating a portion of a riff. (Give the students a few rehearsals to practice and get comfortable with this concept).
Finally, analyze the riffs with the students and help them to understand the importance of placing the flat 5 or sharp 4 on the strong beats (beats 1, 2, 3, 4), this helps to create good sounding riffs. (Pro Tip: Our ear does not like the sound good of the flat 5 or sharp 4 of the blues scale when they are performed on the up beats.)
Have the students create and perform for each other their own 2 bar riffs placing the flat 5 or sharp 4 on the strong beats (1, 2, 3, 4).