My version of "Someday My Prince Will Come"
i'm 20 and i'm only just starting to really get into learning jazz. though i've been listening to it for years and years, mainly to bill evans, oscar peterson, thelonious monk, art tatum and chick corea. i've been a classical "music reading only" piano player. i can sightread really well, and read music really well, but i haven't memorized much, so i'm starting to memorize more now (it's difficult after years of relying on music). i understand theory really well, as in i know all my major scales and understand all the basics and about modes, relative minors, and all the theoretical stuff, and my technique is good thanks to my classical training. i bought mark levine's book (and boy is it helpful), and i have metaphors for the musician, the encyclopedia of jazz knowledge, and a few voicing exercisers books the name of the book eludes me) on the way ordered. to practice, i run through all my major and melodic-minor scales, then i do my 2-5-1 three note voicings around the circle (still takes a while, but i know it will take time until they become second nature), then i work on either memorizing more of a tune (right now im' working on here's that rainy day) or i work on soloing with the jazz improvisation book by jamey aebersold. what i'll do is, i'll record my voice and then try to learn what i just sang on the piano.
this is my first jazz piece that i've recorded without using a real book, so it's a bit of a milestone for me. most of what i play is intuition and and i know less of what chords i'm actually playing, and i don't know many voicing at all, so i usually end up sticking with root position chords with experimental notes that "sound good" to me. what i mean is my brain can't yet move fast enough to actually process the voicing that i'm playing if it's too far outside of the realm of root voicings, so i end up letting muscle memory take over and it just "comes" out. that's the best i can explain it. also, in the solo i think less of modes, and i think more of what chord tones i'm playing around. comments and criticism of any kind is very appreciated, as well as practice tips i could use for a man in my position to improve my jazz playing in this song and in any song in general.
thanks again! i try to help as much as i can on this site, but i can offer very little due to my limited jazz knowledge.
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and once i get a digital camera, that's i'll be posting millions of videos on youtube, but right now i just don't have the financial means
remember that jazz is mostly about eight notes so don't feel like it's gotta have sixteenths ala oscar peterson all the time. since sixteenths are played straight, then the swing feel disappears.
good luck!
did you post video on youtube yet?
alternatively, get a cheap camera but a decent mic (or just a good sound card if it's dig. keyboard).
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