LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Improvising Over Sequence

ronald1 -- 11/18/2006, 08:06:00 -- #31279

Just wondering what you guys think is the best way to think about this? I tend to have trouble joining up melodic ideas in a fluid way, if I'm just going from one chord to the next, so I think in terms of key not chord as much as possible.. but is this the right way? doesn't my way make things a little more predictable? I'm also working through "Forward Motion" right now which seems to shed some light on my melodies becoming "weak" at certain points (when chords change drastically)..have you all applied forward motion to your improvisations? Thanks

jazzwee -- 11/18/2006, 09:27:24 -- #31279

I guess this is exactly what we're discussing in the Bebop scale thread.

Ben Blau -- 11/19/2006, 08:08:20 -- #31279

Hi Ronald: Here's a question -- Have you ever tried to pre-write a solo?  I've heard many jazz students in the past express similar concerns about their soloing, only to find out that they have the same problems even if "not improvising."  My feeling is that if one can't write a jazz solo, one has very little chance of improvising one satisfactorily.  I'm not making the assumption that this applies to you, necessarily, only that it's something to consider. Now, to be more specific -- Are you having problems with continuity during ii-V7-Is, or only over less conventional changes?  If you can give some examples of the types of changes that you're struggling with, perhaps someone here can share some insights to help you out. Ben Blau

ronald1 -- 11/19/2006, 08:55:38 -- #31279

Thanks Ben, pre-writing a solo does sound like a good idea actually. I think that in general, the less conventional the chord changes are, the more my soloing struggles perhaps because I play a little too much with my hands and not enough with my ear. I'm starting to realise (through reading FM mainly) that my soloing techniques may be built on a dodgy foundation, and I'm going to have to start from the basics up, making sure my solo lines are as strong as possible. Thanks again

jazzwee -- 11/19/2006, 22:00:59 -- #31279

Ronald1, the first thing to practice is to arpeggiate all the chord changes so you really can visualize this in an instant. There's really no shortcut unfortunately. Once you do that, do solos using only quarter notes and chord tones on downbeats. Again, do this for a considerable amount of time to really remember it. From here you now have the basis for forward motion as you can start at 4+ with a pickup to the desired chord tone and just follow the scale to the next chord tones. You can move in any direction but move in scale steps only or arpeggiate the chord after the pickup. Ingrain the habit of doing a pickup on the + of a beat to start a phrase. Do this slowly. The immediate effects of this is that you will find the weakness in your phrasing, such as ending phrases on a tension note when a release note is expected. There's a little bit of finger training here as well as ear training. There's some issues when you do a stepwise line that reaches into the next octave. This is where you'll have to add a half step passing tone to remain in chord tone synch. I usually only do the maj 7 note as a passing tone to keep it simple. The key here is really the ability to quickly visualize the 1,3,5 and 7 of the chord. Although this is hard, the saving grace is that if your lines breath (i.e. you rest), there's a new opportunity to resynch the chord tones again so you don't stay lost for long. Maybe you start off with shorter phrases first. I cannot guarantee I can hit a chord tone on the downbeat further down a long phrase. I can easily achieve it at tbe beginning of a phrase. Practicing bebop scales increase the chances of synching chord tones and downbeats. Pre-creating licks that follow a forward motion rule will also ensure success. I think this will also teach you to compose lines with a good melody. As I've done this, I think the ear starts to remember some familiar resolutions to go from chord tone to chord tone amidst changes. The fingers seem to remember the patterns too. But there is no mistaking that this woodshedding takes you to a new level. Don't forget to practice this slowly. This could get boring so I practice this a tune at a time. If one does this in all 12 keys without a melody to check against, you may not appreciate how much you are improving.

johnmarkpainter -- 11/19/2006, 22:10:17 -- #31279

Ronald, I'm a lousy Improviser but (I think) a good arranger and writer.  Which technically, makes me a "Slow Improviser". I always look for motifs and/or notes that can be repeated over the changes.  That way you are repeating material that sounds new as the harmony changes around it.

Gordon -- 11/20/2006, 04:03:45 -- #31279

Mr Painter: Nice trick - to repeat over the changes - people like to hear repetition, and it's also nice to hear a phrase in a new harmonic context. PS - "Rain All Day" on your My space is a beautiful song.

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.

Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.