20 May
Posted by admin as Saxophone Lessons
OK – So I’m not a jazz musician (mainly rock guitarist) but I do have an appreciation and I am asking this question here because I get the impression that jazz musicians are musically and technically more sophisticated than pop/rock/blues musicians (no offense intended!)
I often will hit a flat spot and run out of ideas during improvisation – I have been told by my teacher that the best way to become a fluent musician is to simply learn and learn and learn and learn many many many songs! – so that I can build up my musical vocabulary. I have spent the last 2 years learning songs (ranging from 1 minute pieces to 5 minute pieces) – I have noticed some improvement in my improve but I would have expected more after 2 years of consistent practice (i.e. one new song per month and approx 1 hr of practice per day!) I can’t seem to integrate the phrasing and examples from the songs I learn into my improvisation.
My question is as follows: Do you think that simply learning songs with the hope that someday it will emerge and be expressed in my improvisation is the best way to learn? Or should I be more deliberate and take time to compose pieces – i.e. does taking the time to practice composition improve ones ability to improvise?
7 Responses
Schmemdog- to MS for BIRDS!
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
1yes. I also think that memorizing and mastering solos, especially transcribed Parker solos, helps tremendously with improvisation. You build the foundation skills and patterns, then the improvisation comes from you through a LOT of time playing. Spend as much time as you can playing for an audience, too. It helps.
Dave B
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
2The book "Patterns for Jazz" is critical material here. Also, learn guitar tunes/solos. Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt provided the foundation of Modern Jazz Guitar IMHO. John Scofield, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin no doubt all started there. Maybe a bit boring stuff stuff sometimes, but foundations usually are… Pay no attention to the folks berating you for playing rock since the best Jazz Guitarists of the last 30 years are pretty much all fusion rock players.
tom
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
3It depends on what you are practicing. Can you play scales in all keys? Not just major scales, but minor (dorian) scales, blues scales, etc? Can you play all the chords in all the different inversions? You get out of it what you put into it. If an hour a day of practice is all you can spend then it will take much longer.
You must also practice perfectly. By that I mean don’t just keep repeating the same mistakes, practice troubling phrases until they can be played perfectly. Start slowly and deliberatly. This builds muscle memory. As you speed up, the muscles will remember what they should do. When you come back to that phrase again, even weeks later, your fingers will jsut go to the correct notes. Try to avoid making mistakes during practice that build the wrong muscle memory.
LydianAlchemist
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
4Best way is to learn theory,
like any language, of course you imitate your parents, and others as you learn to speak as a child.
But you learn to read and write your own thoughts buy learning grammar.
Grammar is to English as theory is to music.
maritessh
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
5Yes,take time to compose pieces. In time you’ll realize that you get better and better.
peterklohs
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
6The answer to all of your question is: YES! And – most of all – you have to listen! You have to fill your ears (and mind) with lots of music! Listen carefully, listen to every little detail of any musical piece. Or – as Deep Purple said, many years ago: Listen, Learn, Read On!!
Dragonfly
May 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
7Beloved Meth, you’re a rock musician?
Ok, let me just picture you with a guitar… with your long hair and your cheeky smirk… clad in sweaty leather… making vigrous pelvic thrusts in the air… oh my! I’m seeing a new side of you, and I like it!
But I guess you want be more jazzy. Persist at it, and I’m certain you will acquire the art of improv in no time!
xx
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