No matter what instrument you play and regardless of how long you have played it's vitally important to begin incorporating some jazz improvisation or just improvisation practice into your daily routines (you do practice daily, don't you?).
Let's look into the reason why this makes sense: First we need an analogy: let's equate music with language-- for me that language is English.
Now what are the component skills that one needs in order to have a true command of that language? To be able to to read it and write for sure.
However, an oft overlooked and certainly under practiced skill is the ability to speak well, especially under pressure.
For example, think of all the times in your life you wish you could come up with just the right words for that particular occasion: proposing to your sweetheart, asking the boss for a raise, negotiating your price for your new house, give an impromptu toast at a dinner and so forth.
The ability to read or write does not really come into play in these situations.
Of course you could read your pre-prepared marriage proposal, or read your raise request to to your boss but that would not be practical and it is doubtful you would achieve your desired goal.
High school and college debate teams train for their competitions by verbally "sparring" with one another until they can think of the appropriate words with just the right inflection at the appropriate time.
Public speaking organizations such as Toastmasters help their members in an encouraging atmosphere to acquire public speaking skills.
These skills are only in some way indirectly related to the ability of being able to read the printed word and write it down.
I'm telling you that this is exactly the challenges we are presented with when learning a musical instrument (even if your instrument is vocal!).
My experience growing up as a young musician will illustrate my point quite well I think.
I started playing the trumpet in the 4th grade.
We studied from the Rubank Elementary Method book (still around to this day!).
"Now this note is called a G, it's on the 2nd line of the treble staff and it is held for 4 counts: 1-2-3-4.
Now you try, and so on.
This is the letter A , it sounds like this: see the word apple, can you say it," and so on.
This is how it goes unless you get a teacher or mentor that realizes a whole dimension of your music education is being largely ignored.
Once a musician has a "vocabulary" of a dozen notes or so it's time to begin some improvisation practice.
Unlike the rote skill of sight reading from a score, taking a break and just freely playing an improvisation of the melody line can be a refreshing change of pace that ( make no mistake about it) is increasing your skills as a musician regardless of the "style" of music you play or want to play! So here I am in my high school stage band when the director looks at me in the middle of a tune and said those ominous words: "OK Marty, take a solo!" I looked down at my music panic stricken.
Where were the notes! All I saw were a series of slash marks (////) with funny symbols above them like Bbm7/Eb7/F7 and so on.
Needless to say my first "improvised" jazz solo was a disaster even though it was comprised of mainly rests! Sometime later the director approached me with an LP recording.
Some of you may remember, a vinyl "record" you played on a "turntable" that spun around at 331/3 rpm...
OK if you don't have a clue Google it! Anyway, the name of the record was Nothin But the Blues.
It was a play along record by a jazz educator named Jamey Aebersold.
You would put the record on and hear a jazz trio of piano, bass and drums play what I later learned was called a "12 bar blues chord progression" that repeated for a number of "choruses".
I supplied the lead line and the improvised solos.
Well I wore that record out! It actually changed my musical "life" and focus.
Now I own the CD version and break it out once in a while to share with my students.
I have students that have played for much less than a year playing decent improvised solos! Do they understand the meaning of an Fm7 or C7 chord.
Some do, but most do not.
The fact that they do not yet have a total command of the "vocabulary" DOES NOT AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO PLAY A DECENT IMPROVISED SOLO.
A baby says "mama" or "dada" before they can read it or write it! A baby starts putting words together and making silly sounds because not only is it fun but this is a fundamental part of how we learn a language- and after all isn't music a language? Stay tuned for Jazz Improvisation Secrets Part II.
Let's look into the reason why this makes sense: First we need an analogy: let's equate music with language-- for me that language is English.
Now what are the component skills that one needs in order to have a true command of that language? To be able to to read it and write for sure.
However, an oft overlooked and certainly under practiced skill is the ability to speak well, especially under pressure.
For example, think of all the times in your life you wish you could come up with just the right words for that particular occasion: proposing to your sweetheart, asking the boss for a raise, negotiating your price for your new house, give an impromptu toast at a dinner and so forth.
The ability to read or write does not really come into play in these situations.
Of course you could read your pre-prepared marriage proposal, or read your raise request to to your boss but that would not be practical and it is doubtful you would achieve your desired goal.
High school and college debate teams train for their competitions by verbally "sparring" with one another until they can think of the appropriate words with just the right inflection at the appropriate time.
Public speaking organizations such as Toastmasters help their members in an encouraging atmosphere to acquire public speaking skills.
These skills are only in some way indirectly related to the ability of being able to read the printed word and write it down.
I'm telling you that this is exactly the challenges we are presented with when learning a musical instrument (even if your instrument is vocal!).
My experience growing up as a young musician will illustrate my point quite well I think.
I started playing the trumpet in the 4th grade.
We studied from the Rubank Elementary Method book (still around to this day!).
"Now this note is called a G, it's on the 2nd line of the treble staff and it is held for 4 counts: 1-2-3-4.
Now you try, and so on.
This is the letter A , it sounds like this: see the word apple, can you say it," and so on.
This is how it goes unless you get a teacher or mentor that realizes a whole dimension of your music education is being largely ignored.
Once a musician has a "vocabulary" of a dozen notes or so it's time to begin some improvisation practice.
Unlike the rote skill of sight reading from a score, taking a break and just freely playing an improvisation of the melody line can be a refreshing change of pace that ( make no mistake about it) is increasing your skills as a musician regardless of the "style" of music you play or want to play! So here I am in my high school stage band when the director looks at me in the middle of a tune and said those ominous words: "OK Marty, take a solo!" I looked down at my music panic stricken.
Where were the notes! All I saw were a series of slash marks (////) with funny symbols above them like Bbm7/Eb7/F7 and so on.
Needless to say my first "improvised" jazz solo was a disaster even though it was comprised of mainly rests! Sometime later the director approached me with an LP recording.
Some of you may remember, a vinyl "record" you played on a "turntable" that spun around at 331/3 rpm...
OK if you don't have a clue Google it! Anyway, the name of the record was Nothin But the Blues.
It was a play along record by a jazz educator named Jamey Aebersold.
You would put the record on and hear a jazz trio of piano, bass and drums play what I later learned was called a "12 bar blues chord progression" that repeated for a number of "choruses".
I supplied the lead line and the improvised solos.
Well I wore that record out! It actually changed my musical "life" and focus.
Now I own the CD version and break it out once in a while to share with my students.
I have students that have played for much less than a year playing decent improvised solos! Do they understand the meaning of an Fm7 or C7 chord.
Some do, but most do not.
The fact that they do not yet have a total command of the "vocabulary" DOES NOT AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO PLAY A DECENT IMPROVISED SOLO.
A baby says "mama" or "dada" before they can read it or write it! A baby starts putting words together and making silly sounds because not only is it fun but this is a fundamental part of how we learn a language- and after all isn't music a language? Stay tuned for Jazz Improvisation Secrets Part II.
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