Share

Report Abuse

Next Blog

jazztruth

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011

LABELS

Viewer Mail: Improving Jazz Vocabulary

I recently received in the comments a
very long question regarding learning
how to play, and it has inspired me to
start a new section called Viewer
Mail. I'm posting Anonymous'
question (I edited it some) and then I
will respond. Hopefully, Anonymous
will find my answers helpful.
Anonymous said...
Hi George (sorry for the long post in advance, and thank you for your
time). This is Anonymous from Toronto, and I started studying jazz
improvisation very seriously about 4 years ago. I am 32, and very hungry
for jazz improvisation related information. I found your blog via some of
the interviews you posted. I just want to say this is SUCH a blessing and
youre really COOL guy to want to dedicate your time sharing insights
and experiences openly. Although there is a lot of information out there
for jazz students, oftentimes they are not specific enough on describing
the actual process of learning how to improvise, or more precisely, how
to acquire and maintain a musicians jazz vocabulary in our brain.
Could you shed some light please?
For example, I started transcribing about 2 years ago, and Ive been
transcribing a bit everyday and went through 4-5 solos in the past year
(Aaron Goldbergs piano solos on Jimmy Greenes Introducing CD
track: Con Alma, Flower and Fly Little Bird Fly). Ive practiced to the
point that I have lines memorized. I can sing them in my head from start
to finish. And Ive analyzed the harmonic ideas of his outlines (although
the more I memorize the solo, I tend to not be conscious anymore of the
harmonic and chord changes but its more playing out of muscle
memory, and Im not sure if this is effective or not). Ive practiced some
2 bar lines in all 12 keys on the guitar , and then move on to next line
and repeat again next day or work on new projects. Usually I can only
remember the lines for a few weeks.

Anecdotes (8)
Book Reviews (2)
CD Reviews (8)
Concert Reviews (4)
drop the needle (1)
Interviews (7)
Jazz Education (8)
Jazz Greats (13)
Jazz History (3)
Jazz Humor (4)
Rants (5)
Shameful Self Promotion (8)
Viewer Mail (1)

FOLLOWERS

Follow
with Google Friend Connect

Followers (59) More

Already a member? Sign in

BLOG ARCHIVE

2011 (9)
February (1)
Viewer Mail: Improving Jazz

When actually improvising, I end up still going to my familiar few

patterns and few licks. If I slow down, or just sing alone without the
guitar, occasionally one of Aarons transcribed idea will come up while
singing. Then, eventually, I get so tired of the transcribed solo and fear
that Im not progressing that I move on to new solos for inspirations,
and then the results are the same.
Recently I read a book by Lee Konitz
called "Conversation on the
Improviser's Art", and he said that
Lennie Tristano used to ask his
students to write a chorus etude and
memorize it. Ive been doing that over
common standard progressions. If I
can slow down time I hear really
good ideas that I even surprise myself
and have time to think how to connect
changes linearly. But for me to be
able to improvise in real-time at the
rate this is going, well, i'm afraid I
will be 80 years old before I succeed.
Question 1. Is the way Im studying jazz improvisation normal? Or am I
going totally the wrong direction?
Question 2. Do you recommend a way to memorize lines and/or a
system how to maintain your vocabulary, and how to discern which line
you hear/feel so quickly when youre in the bandstand situation. Or, if
you can just post any info you feel its important to share to this regard,
or how did you practice when you first started, or just how to build your
vocabulary. George- thanks so much!
OK. Anonymous- Thanks for writing. Your situation is quite common.
The larger question, and to put your entire monologue much more
succinctly, is: How can I improve my improvisational vocabulary? Also,
how can I use what I'm studying to improve my improvisation?
Think of jazz music like a
language. When you learn a
language, you learn one word at
a time. Gradually, over a period
of time and much real practice
with people who speak the
language, you will develop
fluency. But we must remember
that you can only learn one word
at a time. When you develop
fluency, you will be able to
memorize long passages of T.S.
Licor de Manzana:
Eliot or William Shakespeare, or
doesn't necessarily help you speak Spanish
what have you. But at the
beginning stages, it's one word
or concept at a time. When I learned Spanish, I was traveling to Spain a
lot and I would write down vocabulary words and work on verb tenses
everyday, and then practice with the locals. I knew I didn't speak very
well, but the real time awkward practice really helped. (It forces you to
think, even after five glasses of Licor De Manzana at 3:30 in the
morning....)
I believe it is the same with jazz vocabulary. You have to concentrate on
the short phrases. Even 2 note ideas can go a long way if you are trying
to apply them to chord changes. Let's go back to the spoken language
analogy: you would never attempt to "learn" to speak English by learning
Alec Baldwin's monologue from Glenn Garry Glen Ross. If you don't
understand basic verb tenses, Baldwin's speech, while amazing, won't

Viewer Mail: Improving Jazz

Vocabulary
January (8)
2010 (45)

ABOUT ME

George Colligan
I am an American jazz
pianist/composer/educator who lives
in Winnipeg, Manitoba(Canada)but
also tours and spends much time in
NYC, where I lived for 14 years.
Hope you enjoy my new blog.
View my complete profile

really mean much to you.

I am not saying don't transcribe entire solos ever. Eventually, you will be
able to do that more easily. What I do recommend is to take small, small
ideas from a wide variety of jazz players, and then work it into your own
playing. And when I say "work it into", I mean that this could be
described as "plugging licks into the chord changes". That doesn't sound
very artistic, I know. However, this is the beginning of the process.
When you are just starting to learn to speak a second language, it is the
same; it's not very correct or profound, but you keep speaking, hope
you'll be understood, and hang in there.
I gave out an assignment recently of
"Moment's Notice" where students
will just "plug" one measure ideas
into every ii V progression in the tune.
This is very robotic and calculated; be
that as it may, if you look at what
Trane and Lee Morgan are doing on
the recording, they are doing a very
artistic and advanced form of this.

The great Lee Morgan

I also think you need to combine

"licks" with "concepts". For example, maybe instead of thinking about a
"lick", think about the scale that goes with the chord. Use the scale as if
it was a a big drum kit with 7 drums. That combined with melodic
shapes in the jazz idiom should give you a lot to think about.
To further the analogy; your goal in speaking a language is to express
your needs. Not to quote Shakespeare or T.S. Eliot's needs. Your needs.
So you need to understand how the process works on a molecular level.
If you take two and three note ideas and "apply" them to chord changes,
and then start to experiment with how to move those ideas around and
connect with other SMALL ideas, then eventually you will start to see
progress.
I like Tristano's idea of writing a solo chorus of your own and
memorizing it. I have my students do this.
It's like soloing in slow motion. Eventually, you want to be able to do
that in time.
I also wanted to comment on your choice of transcription subject. Aaron
Goldberg is a fine pianist, but he's pretty advanced and modern. Why
don't you try something like Dexter Gordon, or Hank Mobley, or even a
Miles Davis solo? Something very simple. Maybe one chorus of Bird, or
Freddie Hubbard? Aaron Goldberg is a weird place to start for a
beginner. Again, it would be like me trying to learn Spanish by
memorizing the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Now, eventually, I would love
to get to that level, where I could speak on the level of Pablo Neruda's
poems. In this way, you want a high level of fluency as a jazz musician.
But you have to be patient.
Also, why not try someone on your instrument? What about a Grant
Green or Wes Montgomery solo? It's not essential, but you might want
to at least check out some guitar players. Maybe some George Benson?
Maybe something of John Scofield that isn't too hard?
Above all, be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day. (And with Roman
contractors, it's a wonder they ever completed the job to begin with.) I'll
be in Toronto in April, if you want a lesson, let me know. Email me at
my website www.georgecolligan.com

Posted by George Colligan at 8:05 AM

Labels: Jazz Education, Viewer Mail

3 comments:
Joani Taylor said...
This is a great lesson George. I have taught this idea ( but not as well put as you did
here) at Jazz camps. Very well put.
Joani Taylor
February 8, 2011 11:17 AM

Flute juice said...

My teacher used to tell us to transcribe our own solos.
February 8, 2011 4:30 PM

Bill Kirchner said...

Some excellent suggestions. I decided some years ago that most of my favorite
jazz improvisers--from Louis Armstrong to Joe Henderson--are motivic players.
Consider Miles Davis's 1959 solo on "Freddie Freeloader" from KIND OF BLUE--a
perfectly shaped blues solo that begins and ends on (and develops from) the same
three-note phrase. One of many possible examples.
Learning to take a simple idea and develop it logically is one of the hallmarks of
good jazz improvisation--and of life in general. In fact, jazz improvisation *is* a
microcosm of life.
February 8, 2011 5:08 PM

Post a Comment

Comment as:
Post Comment

Select profile...
Preview

Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Older Post

Simple template. Powered by Blogger.