Ive gotten through the chord melody and the intermediate book and was very surprised at how well i think musically instead of guess at what im trying to do. when i would try ro improvise before i would just be safe and stay within the tonal texture of the I chord now i try to break rules within what Mr. Fischer Taught

I have 3 of the 4 books (don't have the chord soloing book). I've entirely read all three, but I'm only at the beginning of the second book as far as actually playing the lessons. Fisher covers all the basics and beyond in some detail. Each of the first 2 books are broken down into 'A' and 'B' sections, where section A is chord (harmony) material, and B is improvisational (melody) material. Scales covered include all the modes of the Major, Harmonic, and Melodic Minors, Pentatonics, Diminshed, Whole Tone, etc. Other topics include Arpeggios, targetting chord tones, playing inside vs. outside, altered chords, ii-V7-I progressions, appendices of general playing advice, and on and on. There are CD's for every book which contain most of the examples, as well as many progressions for improvising. These books are so packed with information, it is difficult to cover in one review. The only downside is the price. All 4 books w/CD's will run you about $80 + s/h. If you're a complete beginner, try book 1 out. If you're comfortable with major scale/modal theory, you could probably skip book 1 and go straight to book 2. That will only run you about $20.

This 4 book instructional set will take any musician through the many aspects of jazz playing. It progresses logically from beginner to advanced. It contains scales, chords, music theory, and many helpful tips on ways to practice so as to encourage a players own personality. A worthwhile investment for anyone who wishes to learn the jazz vocabulary.