Category: musician

Where’s One?

When a novice improviser strays too far from the beat, the band often quips, “Where’s One?”, meaning “Are you lost?”

As improvisers, we seek fresh, innovative approaches which still retain the coherence needed to keep listeners’ interest.   Sonny Rollins famously used “motivic development” to simultaneously add unity and variety to his improvisations.

Here is a melodic phrase which is then repeated verbatim.   What makes the second statement of this phrase sound different from the first?

Notice the “rhythmic offset”:   the initial statement of the theme begins on beat 3 (we’re in 12/8), while  the second statement begins on beat 12.   Jazz players call this “playing on the other side of the beat.”  If your band mates are sufficiently skilled to avoid getting lost, playing on the other side can be used to stunning effect.

Note also that the second statement of our melodic phrase – while melodically identical to the first – is accompanied by chords from a different key.   We might refer to this as a “transposed harmonic setting.”  The new harmonies give the melody a distinctly different sound, as if stage lighting on an actor had been changed from red to blue.

Continue reading “Where’s One?” →

Practice Joy-Subconscious Symmetry

How’s your practice routine feeling lately?  Are you practicing joy?  If you practice joy, your audience will hear joy in your performance, and that lively winsomeness in your playing will win you way more fans than all the chops in the world.

Students ask what I mean by “practice joy.”  Of course, it goes without saying that you need to develop your technique.  But music is way more than just chops. 

It may help to think of your practice session like a lavish banquet.  …(we didn’t have many of those in 2020!)  Think of it in 3 parts.

Your banquetYour practice session
1.  Introductions, greetings, catching up, small talk, hors d’oeuvres, drinks1.  Your warm-up, settling in, loosening up, getting in the groove
2.  The main course2.  Working intentionally through an idea or challenge
3.  Coffee, dessert, farewells, hugs or hand shakes3.  Reward yourself with a fun little jam!

Doesn’t that approach sound more doable, more inviting, more intriguing than staring forlornly at a closed horn case, wondering how to drum up energy to open that case and start playing boring scales?

Those 3 parts of your practice session remind me of Oliver Wendell Holmes’s comment about how a simplistic idea develops into a complex struggle but then resolves into a simple but elegant design.

Slide8

So how about let’s design a practice routine  so enthralling — so much fun — that you just can’t wait to pick up your axe and blow! As one typical example, here’s a practice session from a couple days back which was both productive and immensely enjoyable. Every day isn’t exactly like this.  Sometimes the focus is on long tones, sometimes it’s reading through transcriptions, etc. But – on this particular late evening session – I followed Sonny Rollins’ advice.  Sonny said, “just start playing the horn.  Listen to the sound.  Feel your breath and the keys of your axe.  Play a blues.  Play a tune.  Play any old licks that come to mind.”  Rollins called them “clichés,” but he didn’t mean that as an insult.  They’re the bread and butter of learning.  Don’t evaluate, don’t judge, just relate to your axe and enjoy how it sounds, how it makes you feel. After I blew for awhile, this lick just popped out. 

I kind of liked it, so I kept repeating it.  Maybe I tweaked it as I went along, I can’t remember.  After getting it smooth in one key, I ran it down in all 12 keys.  Then I wrote it down in my journal, knowing full well I’d forget it otherwise. After a day or two, I looked back at the transcription and discovered an inner logic — the thing that makes a phrase seem natural and organic – that I hadn’t noticed before.  Up to that point, I’d just been blowing, without a sense of compositional coherence, or any of that theoretical stuff.  But there it was, the musical logic, just waiting to be discovered…

Subconscious Symmetry  

Below is a recording of me playing this phrase in all 12 keys along with a chart.   After that, I discuss the logic hidden within this unusual phrase.

Continue reading “Practice Joy-Subconscious Symmetry” →

Ben Webster’s “Mellow Tone”

While thinking about Ben Webster this morning, I began messing around with Duke’s tune “In a Mellow Tone.”  I was working on the ascending minor 6th leap and came up with this fun little exercise to develop fluency with that 6th skip.  Although this phrase sounds more like Duke’s tune “Do Nothin’ Til You Hear From Me,” and the band was in a Bossa mood, the lick is meant to go with Webster’s “In a Mellow Tone.”

For a chart in all 12 keys, click on “continue reading” below.  Or – if you want to learn to play effortlessly without charts, download “New Ears Resolution.”

Continue reading “Ben Webster’s “Mellow Tone”” →

How Sonny Rollins Practices

How has the quarantine impacted your chops?  This no-gigs lock down has been absolutely disastrous for many working musicians financially.  But our chops don’t have to take the same hit our wallets are taking, if we’ll explore innovative approaches to practicing.

My practice strategy is similar to what Sonny Rollins described when asked how he practices.  Sonny said:

“I start out playing things I know to get the blood flowing.  Those things are often described as ‘clichés.’  You begin with the cliché so you can get the process in motion.  Once the process is in motion, ‘thinking’ gives way to ‘playing.’  At that point, you get out of the way and let the music play.”

Over the past decade, I’ve written down over a thousand licks I keep in a notebook, each of which I woodshed in all 12 keys.  Some of these ideas come from transcribed solos of the masters, but most simply emerge as I’m connecting with the horn.  Practicing joy.  I encourage you to try this technique, as it supercharges your chops, strengthens your improvisatory muscle, and turns you into a composer.

Here’s a lick you can play with, in order to get started down that path.  The tonal center of this phrase baffled my friends and me at first.  Eventually, I settled on a basic ii-V-I progression, which perfectly fit the melodic contour.  If you want more background, leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

To see a chart, click on “CONTINUE READING” below.

Continue reading “How Sonny Rollins Practices” →

How to Create, Name, and Use Chords to Evoke Emotion and Make Music Come to Life!

C7 CHORDIn just 45 minutes, you can revolutionize your understanding of THE HARMONIC LANGUAGE.   Learn how chords are created, what notes they contain, how they’re named, and how they’re used to evoke emotion and make music come to life.   Quickly gain harmonic mastery and confidence which will set you apart as a composer or improviser.

Click here to watch this fascinating video on YouTube for free.

Pres says, “Sing me a song!”

Lester-Young-LIFE-1944

Let’s face it, we all want monster chops.  There are some great books out there to help develop technique.  I work constantly on mastering lix in all 12 keys, but I never play those lix on the gig.  That’s not their purpose.  The reason for practicing lix is to enhance your facility on the horn and expand your musical vocabulary.

But some of those lix get so obscure, I can’t even tell if I’ve made a mistake in transposing the lick to a new key.  That’s when I know the lick is too obscure!

I just got a killer deal on a great classic clarinet mouthpiece.   That inspired me to do some long overdue clarinet shedding.   I was trying to come up with a lick that felt melodic, one that would swing and sound lyrical, as opposed to clinical.

Let me know what you think of this one.

To see the chart for this lick in all 12 keys, press the “Continue Reading” button.

Continue reading “Pres says, “Sing me a song!”” →

Stan Getz Solo From “O Grande Amor”

The_Stockholm_ConcertLooking for a refreshingly novel approach to playing over a minor   ii-V-i ?   Here’s an idea by Stan Getz.  It’s from bars 15 & 16 in the first chorus of his solo over “O Grande Amor” from “The Stockholm Concert.”

B flat instruments start at line 1.  Concert key instruments start at line 3, and E flat instruments start at line 12.  (Double back to the beginning when you reach the end of the chart.)

STAN GETZ LICK FROM O GRANDE AMOR

STAN GETZ LICK FROM O GRANDE AMOR 2

 

 

 

Stan Getz: A Brief History, An Appreciation

The vast recorded legacy of legendary tenor saxophonist Stan Getz still astounds the jazz community.  Here it is in words and music.  From his earliest days with Jack Teagarden, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman to the phenomenal smash hits “Desafinado” and “The Girl From Ipanema” (which sparked the 1960’s bossa nova craze), to his sublime later work with pianist Kenny Barron, Stan Getz continued to galvanize the musical world with his unparalleled technique, unmistakably unique sound,  and gorgeous lyricism.  Take a tour with us of this amazing 40-year jazz odyssey.

Click on this link to see and hear more:   https://youtu.be/pIDS5x7leYI

STAN GETZ POSTER

The Chord Committee

Many, many thanks to everyone who volunteered for The Chord Committee.    Numerous excellent solutions have been proposed.  In order to avoid discord, I have combined all of your suggestions into one beautiful, majestic chord.   In hopes you will find the solution acceptable, the chart and recording are presented here for your approval.  (Click on “continue reading” to view the complete chart.)

Continue reading “The Chord Committee” →

Hanon 61 For Piano

Although i am just a lowly jazz saxophonist, it is important for all of us musicians to have a working knowledge of piano.   So i found an excellent teacher, Dawn Martin, who is really excellent at helping undo my bad habits which cause muscle strain.  Two areas that particularly stymie me are:

  • Skips of an octave or a major seventh
  • Quickly returning the five fingers into the new position after a large skip

The 60 Hanon exercises are awesome, as is working through the 12 major scales, two hands, three octaves.   I wrote the exercise below to help with the problems described above.   For lack of a better name, i call it “Hanon 61.”   Maybe it will help you as well.  (Press “CONTINUE READING” below to see the chart.)

Continue reading “Hanon 61 For Piano” →

Fats Waller & Arpeggios

FATS WALLERMastering arpeggios gives you yet another tool to use (in moderation) in your improv solos.

Have you ever tried playing Fats Waller’s great tune “The Jitterbug Waltz”?  Find it on Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Bright Moments” album.   Mastering arpeggios will make that tune much easier to play.ROLAND KIRK

Here’s a challenging and interesting way to master arpeggios.  The idea for this exercise was suggested to me by a warm-up my talented friend Al Thompson often uses.

Click on “continue reading” for a complete chart.

Continue reading “Fats Waller & Arpeggios” →

Bonfa, Jobim, and Bossa Nova

GETZ GILBERTOBrazilian bossa nova’s introduction to the U.S. thanks to composers Luiz Bonfá (Samba de Orfeu and Manhã de Carnaval), Antônio Carlos Jobim (Desafinado, Girl from Ipanema, Corcovado, etc.), and instrumentalists João Gilberto and Stan Getz literally transformed the jazz landscape overnight.

For the past 50 years, casual straight-ahead jazz gigs have invariably featured at least one bossa per set.

Familiarity with the following exercise will greatly enhance your facility with the melodic and harmonic nuances found in these wonderful compositions.  Here is the basic lick:

BONFA AND JOBIM

Here is a recording of the lick played in all 12 keys:

Develop your ear to flawlessly play passages such as this one in all 12 keys by downloading and working through “New Ears Resolution.”

Continue reading “Bonfa, Jobim, and Bossa Nova” →

TEST YOUR EAR!

You’ll ace this one, if you’ve played through “New Ears Resolution.”  If not, it may be tricky.

TEST YOUR EAR

Below is a recording of the pattern in all 12 keys.  Submit a “comment” at the bottom of this post, if you need a chart to play along with the recording.

Note that this phrase traverses the first five chords of the standard “Someday My Prince Will Come,” a long-time staple of Miles Davis’s book.  That “harmonic quote” was not intentional.  When you start creating patterns in a “stream of consciousness” manner, elements of your repertoire tend to crop up in various guises.

Multi-instrumentalist Kevin McCartney recently taught me about the ebb and flow of tension and release created by Cuban clave patterns.   In this exercise, the many accidentals create a bit of harmonic tension, which is then released through resolution to adjacent diatonic notes.  Note in particular the tension created by Si, Di, and Le.

Upon further reflection today (during surgical anesthesia!), it occurred to me that this phrase uses all 17 notes in the scale:  the 7 diatonic pitches, the 5 sharps, and the 5 flats.  For a horn player, G# and Ab are identical.  However, a symphonic violinist thinks of them quite differently.

What you hear in this recording is actually 5 clarinets.  Took me about 20 takes to get 5 usable ones.

Dig Jimmy Heath!

heath-frontJimmy Heath is another master with whom I hope to become more familiar.

Driving into a glorious autumn dawn on the way to church Sunday, I was listening to “Picture of Heath” and was particularly struck by the third chorus of Jimmy’s soprano solo on “All Members.”

I don’t usually go to the trouble of formally transcribing solos, since there are so many fine transcriptions available on-line.  But Jimmy’s third chorus really knocked me out, and i felt compelled to examine the strategy, structure, and logic of this amazing 12-bar chorus.  Continue reading “Dig Jimmy Heath!” →

Mastering Modulation

Have you ever ridden on a roller coaster blindfolded?  That’s how it feels to improvise without understanding internal modulation.  It’s like driving through a thick London fog.  Progress is halting, movements are uncertain and tense.

By contrast, the player who understands how to navigate key changes improvises smoothly and confidently.

This month, we learn to recognize an internal modulation and craft an effective response. Continue reading “Mastering Modulation” →

RIPPING RIFFS OR MEMORABLE MELODIES?

sax life logoCraig wrote this article for the February, 2016 issue of Saxophone Life Magazine.  It appears here courtesy of SLM.

It’s definitely impressive to hear jazz musicians improvise at incredibly fast tempos. What is, however, far more inspiring is hearing how the great masters are able to create beautifully crafted, swinging melodic lines, regardless of tempo. Continue reading “RIPPING RIFFS OR MEMORABLE MELODIES?” →

Learning to Play by Ear: A 1958 Perspective

DOWNBEAT 10 2 58 COVERHow does a musician learn to perform thousands of songs in any key without looking at music sheets?  How can you improvise over a set of “changes” you’ve never heard or seen before in a live performance?  “New Ears Resolution” has made this a daily reality for me during a 40-year career of recording dates and live performances.   But I cannot claim to have created this revolutionary approach to ear training.  I learned it during high school while studying with Alvin L. “Al” Learned, founder and president of Hollywood’s legendary Westlake College of Music “one of the most important educational institutions for the study of jazz in the post-World War II era.” Continue reading “Learning to Play by Ear: A 1958 Perspective” →

Darn That Dexter!

ONE FLIGHT UP LP COVERDexter Gordon is universally revered by saxophonists for his muscular sound.  He is equally effective on ballads, blues, and fast tempos.

His Blue Note LP One Flight Up includes a fine reading of the Jimmy Van Heusen ballad “Darn That Dream” on which he dexterously employs a device favored by Charlie Parker.  This maneuver involves momentarily raising the key a half-step and inferring a ii-V progression in that key.

Here are two instances in which Dexter deftly employs that ploy.  As anyone who has ever tried to transcribe his solos knows, one of the hallmarks of Dexter’s style is his unique approach to rhythm.  While his languid phrasing is pure joy to hear, it’s a nightmare to transcribe.  I have greatly simplified the rhythm in these two examples, focusing instead on the pitches Dexter chose for the brief modulation. Continue reading “Darn That Dexter!” →

“Remember” Hank Mobley’s “Soul Station”?

HANK MOBLEY SOUL STATIONThe road to dynamic, expressive improvisation is paved with practice and listening.  Hank Mobley’s near perfect solo on Irving Berlin’s “Remember” from his classic LP “Soul Station” is filled with profound lessons on phrasing, rhythm, tone, melody, pacing, and development.  Here is just one of the great ideas you will encounter when studying this wonderful recording.

HANK MOBLEY REMEMBER BARS 15 AND 16As always, we recommend learning the phrase in all 12 keys.  Practice with the audio file found below. Continue reading ““Remember” Hank Mobley’s “Soul Station”?” →

Jazz Articulation, Accents, and Proper Tonguing

Some saxophone & clarinet students have difficulty with jazz articulation, because they have not learned to tongue properly.  They begin each note with a constriction in the throat, which sounds as if the student were humming into the mouthpiece.  The beginning of the note is fuzzy and indistinct. Continue reading “Jazz Articulation, Accents, and Proper Tonguing” →