Jazz Festivals » Improvisations

A Brief Introduction to Jazz Improvisation – Part 1

admin2 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:52:02 +0000

Many talented musicians seem to go pale when someone asks them to leave the music for a few moments and fill in those 4 bars with a bit of jazz improvisation. Some see it as a strange and uncharted land, full of weird things like Modes and Tritonal Substitutions. Don’t Panic! Although jazz theory can get become ‘involved’, a great deal of ‘good sounding stuff’ can be played or sung with understanding of just a few basic starting points. I have tried to distil some of these for you in this brief ‘Impro-Info-Pack’, which I hope you will find useful and enjoyable. After all, jazz improvisation should be satisfying and fun for all involved (that includes the audience!).

Encyclopaedia definition of Jazz:

“Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory and marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. It is characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. Jazz has been described as “America’s Classical Music,” and started in saloons throughout the nation.”

1. Have confidence!

Standing up to ‘do a solo’ can be daunting to say the least, especially when there’s an audience in front of you! However, standing up, not flinching on ‘duff’ notes and projecting your solo to the listener will give them a sense that you are playing for them – a musical ‘gift’ if you like. It adds to your enjoyment and confidence.

If you make a mistake – maybe a wrong note – use it! Slide confidently up to a ‘right’ note, for example! Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, as they are a very good way to learn new ideas

2. Know What You Want to Play

I once attended a jazz class held by an ace pianist. The problem was that all the improvisations he did seemed to be ‘pre-programmed’ in his fingers. There were set arpeggios, runs, twiddles… and it was nice but all rather mechanistic.

Improvising should be having an idea and then expressing it – communicating it – in the ‘language of music’. But, we need to have the idea before even beginning to try and make it into music! We need to have an input of ideas that sound good to us.

Listen

…to music…All types of music from Bach to Beatles, Van Halen to Van Morrison! Most of all, listen to the jazz/blues ‘Greats’ – folk like:

Louis Armstrong,

Sarah Vaughan,

Nina Simone,

Sonny Rollins,

Ella Fitzgerald,

Peggy Lee,

Bill Evans

Stan Getz,

Dizzy Gillespie

Duke Ellington

Ray Charles

Dave Brubeck

Chet Baker

Art Farmer

Freddy Hubbard

Stan Kenton

Herbie Hancock

Cannonball Adderley

Art Tatum

Billy Holiday

Monte Alexander

Louis Jordan

Glen Miller

Errol Garner

Frank Sinatra

Oscar Peterson

Dinah Washington

Gerry Mulligan

Miles Davis

Fats Waller

Stephane Grappelli

Zoot Sims

Charles Mingus

Count Basie

Billy Holiday

Ray Ellington

…to name but a few!!!

Sing Along

Whether in your room, in the shower or walking down the street (careful – not too loud!), sing the melody line that you’ve heard and copy the player’s/singer’s phrasing. Whistle it, tap the rhythm, go to sleep with it going round your head and wake up with it still going round in the morning (although this can get annoying!). The more you can ‘hear’ and reproduce others’ ideas, the more you’ll be able to use them in your jazz solos, tailoring them to what you personally would like to hear. This process happens at a subconscious level too – an effective way to learn a language is by copying others.

So, Know what you want to play by listening to loads of varied music – not only jazz, it could be any genre!!

This series is continued in Part 2…

By: Olly Wedgwood

Music Therapy and New Age Piano

admin2 — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:26:26 +0000

If there were one genre of music that’s perfect for music therapy, it would have to be New Age piano! Soothing and relaxing, the piano offers many benefits to those in need of respite. The wonderful thing about this style of music is that it’s also easy to learn how to play!

A few chords, a scale, and you’re able to make music. And not just any kind of music, but one that’s conducive to alleviating stress. Let’s look at how one might go about learning how to play piano in the New Age style.

First, it’s best if you learn one chord position that will give you a nice modern sound right away. The open position chord structure accomplishes this. It’s easy to learn and can be used by the beginner right away to make music with. And it uses both hands as well to cover more than 2 octaves of the piano keyboard!

Once this chord structure is practiced, it’s time to add in a few chords. Just a few chords is all that is necessary for the beginning adult to experience the joy of improvisation. The hands are placed on the open position chord structure and the fingers move around creating melody. Nothing more is required than an openness to explore the possibilities.

And once students get started, they find that they can’t stop playing. The therapeutic aspect of this comes from the free-form improvisations students are able to play only after a few minutes of practice. They begin to unwind, relax, and forget about the problems and cares of the day. It’s a music therapy that goes one step above just listening to music.

By: Edward Weiss

Improvising a Song on your Jazz Guitar

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:06:43 +0000

1) Know the genre you want to learn for improvisation.

One of the best ways to find out the genre that appeals to you is by listening to a few styles (i.e. jazz, blues, rock, folk, country, pop, etc.). The ones that stick in your mind are the ones to start off with. Like with anything you learn, learning becomes easier when you’re interested in it. As you listen to the various styles, one thing to keep in mind is that the blues genre relates to most all the other genres. For that reason, if you learn to improvise in the blues genre, it will ultimately end up helping you improvise across all the genres.

2) Build up a foundation of jazz guitar licks and riffs.

Successful players have built up a memorized library of licks and riffs. During their jazz guitar lessons, they have absorbed and practiced these licks from a variety of sources so that when it comes time to perform solo or lend an improvisation, they are ready to practice and apply what they have learned. Improvisation becomes easy because they know how to blend tunes on their gypsy jazz guitar.

3) Knowing the scales is the foundation for improvisation.

No jazz guitar player can improvise without knowing their instrument and how to craft the melodies together. When learning to play jazz guitar, you can’t ignore this important step. You don’t have to learn all the scales. In fact learning just a few scales like the major scale and the blues scale will be sufficient for a lot of improvs and solos. For example if you can see a lick in and filter it through the major scale, you’ll have mastered what makes a jazz guitar player a jazz guitar player and your audience will appreciate your talent and effort!

4) Transcribing tunes are a great source for improvisations.

Transcribing involves learning a tune by ear and then working it out in different chords if you choose. Transcribing really helps any serious player and should be a regular part of their solo practice. It involves trial and error practice where you’ll discover what works for you and what doesn’t work.

5) The best part is hearing yourself play.

Inspire yourself during your improvisation by recording yourself (you might also consider hooking up jazz guitar amps). When you listen to the recording, you’ll be able to hear even better the areas that need work. At the same time, you’ll also hear the areas that work very well and demonstrate the progress you’ve made as a jazz guitar player.

Improvisations and solos are like a string of musical ideas that you have gathered along the way through your learning career. You’ll get these “musical ideas” by learning and mastering the scales, learning to key licks and riffs and by transcribing tunes that you enjoy. You’ll soon see your creativity and skills take off!

By: Logan Young

Jazz Piano and Style

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:42:34 +0000

The piano or keyboard is an instrument that can be played in a solo performance or it can be part of a band. Jazz bands make heavy use of pianos since jazz began. The reason for this is that pianos along with guitars are some of the few instruments in a jazz band that can play chords in addition to a melody or counter melody.

In the past, a jazz pianists main role was to keep tempo with a combination of repetitive chords, but in recent years this has changed. Jazz pianists now days are able to select from a multitude of styles and techniques that they will use to accompany a band or singer. Short and sustained chordal or melodic fragments are used.

Experienced jazz pianists are not only great at sight-reading, but can also improvise chord symbols and adapt to the various playing styles of jazz bands. A jazz pianist must balance this improvisation and interpretation with the music style of the band.

The extended range that the piano provides also helps a jazz pianist with creating unique sounds that other instruments in the jazz band can not create.

Jazz pianists have 3 goals that they aim to achieve while they are playing. The first is to provide a clear rhythm and swing. The second is to play a melody or improvised solo with the right hand. Jazz pianists are also expected to help guide the band into chord changes with the help of notes leading up to the chord change.

It is quite a challenge for pianists to meet these 3 demands at the same time. Most jazz pianists are quite skilled in this art and are able to maintain this while planning unique improvisations.

If the intend to be great at playing the piano in a jazz band, you need to master these styles and techniques.

By: Mary Nicole Hicks

Jazz Improvisation is a Study in Theory

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:35:24 +0000

Jazz has long been considered to be one of the most demanding forms of contemporary music to master. So much so, that many would be Jazz musicians will spend years learning music theory, alongside developing advanced playing techniques, simply to get a start in this fascinating musical genre.

The major difference between Jazz and most other forms of music is in the fact that improvisation is not only encouraged, it forms the very backbone of the style. Although there are many Jazz classics, no two musicians or bands will play these songs the same. They will follow the basic progression, but will be given a new inflection through personal and group improvisation.

The ability to play improvisations relies heavily upon two things; first the musicians creativity, and secondly upon the musicians knowledge of musical theory. Of course, there are many fine Jazz players out there who will tell you that they do not know any music theory. The simple truth of the matter is that they do, they just do not know it. They have spent years learning to play by ear, and although they cannot name the correct musical terms for what they do when they are playing, they are clearly demonstrating a deep knowledge of music theory at a base level.

For those wishing to take up playing Jazz, then a firm grounding in music theory is entirely recommended. Even the rhythm section of a Jazz band is encouraged to improvise and embellish the piece being played. Rhythm guitar players will be called upon to construct complex chord patterns, including augmented, diminished, 5th, 9th and 13th chords. They will also be expected to follow the soloist, should they decide to shift tempo, key or mode.

As a soloist, playing Jazz is all about creativity, backup up by an understanding of what they are doing musically. Many Jazz musicians, when questioned about scales, will smile and reply, “What is a scale? I don’t know any!” This is something of an insider’s Jazz joke, as most Jazz soloists play what they feel, not what they know works mathematically. Of course, this is far from the truth, but a Jazz player will have transcended standard scales in many ways. Instead, using their ear, they will be able to find step off points, into new scales and modes, shifting the music as they go. This of course, requires an immense amount of theoretical knowledge, either learned conventionally, or learned over years of playing by ear.

Playing Jazz can be one of the most rewarding experiences any guitar player is likely to experience. A good Jazz performance will see the musician develop ideas, and musical concepts on the fly, breathing fresh life into Jazz classics, while enthralling the audience like a true virtuoso. Although a thorough understanding of music theory is not a prerequisite for becoming a competent Jazz player, it can be seen as an effective short cut, removing the requirement to play Jazz for decades before becoming entirely competent in its application.

By: Bill Kernodle

Jazz Piano and Style

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:38:55 +0000