Tag: music

An Invitation to Improvise

Bronislaw Kaper’s “Invitation“ has fascinated jazz improvisers for decades. Few standards combine modal harmony, rapid key changes, unusual melodic intervals, and dramatic rhythmic possibilities quite like this one.

Rather than simply sharing a solo transcription, I’d like to offer ten improvisational strategies that will give you ideas you can apply to almost any tune.  To listen to Craig’s improv on the changes to “Invitation,” click on this MP3 player:

Click here to view a transcription of Craig’s improv.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

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Improvise on “Whisper Not”

Benny Golson is widely respected as a consummate saxophonist, composer, and arranger, and  “Whisper Not” is among his finest pieces.  While improvising over its changes is invigorating, it’s also a challenge!  Click “continue reading” for some tips on how to effectively ad lib on “Whisper Not.”

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Blues on the Other Side

You can coax a lot of interesting new life out of a typical blues lick by playing it on the other side of the beat.   This simple technique will breathe fresh  vitality and variety into your playing without losing unity and coherence.   Read on to learn how it’s done.

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Jazz Enclosures

There’s been a lot of buzz in the jazz literature lately about “enclosures.”  That’s a 50 cent word with a meaning similar to the classical “Cambiata.”  It’s generally a 3-note figure in which the first 2 notes lie above and below the final target note, a chord tone.  A perfect example would be the first 5 notes of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” as shown below.

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The Tonic Dominant Seventh Chord

As you look through charts of blues tunes, you discover innumerable dominant sevenths serving as one chords (tonics).  Music theoreticians explain:  “Many blues melodies are in the Mixolydian Mode:  They use a major scale, but with a lowered seventh degree.  This is harmonized with a dominant seventh chord whose root is the tonic of the song.  The lowered seventh degree is referred to as ‘the first blues note.’”

A far more succinct, accurate, and readily digestible explanation is:  “The Mixolydian Mode begins and ends on SO,” so the scale is best described this way: Continue reading “The Tonic Dominant Seventh Chord” →

A Harmonic Minor Workout

Pianist Dr. J. H. asked for a melodious exercise he could use to explore the harmonic minor scale in all 12 keys.  The “harmonic minor scale” features the natural 6th degree FA along with the raised 7th degree.  The raised 7th degree in a minor scale is the syllable known as “si” (pronounced “SEE”).  It’s also referred to as “#SO” or “#7.”   That scale is shown here:

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Compose, Improvise, Practice: Three Birds, One Stone!   

BANJOVEE

Do you ever NOT feel like practicing?  If your go-to staple is a dry method book, you’ll probably answer “yes” – if you’re really honest.

On the other hand, if you dream of becoming an inventive improviser or an innovative composer, then read on!

Continue reading “Compose, Improvise, Practice: Three Birds, One Stone!   “ →

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.

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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.)

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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.)

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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.

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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.”

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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!” →