This lick and its variations are found in countless blues recordings. This is one of my favorites. Cheers, David Story
0 Comments
Gary Burton, jazz musician extraordinaire and master teacher, is giving a free course online through Coursera. I've taken it. Gary's first point: Improvisation is a language with a vocabulary of sound. This consists of chords, scales, and licks. It requires an ability to hear these internally and then assemble them in real time. And finally, there is your ability to develop a story, with sound, on the fly. Gary's second point: Sounding like a jazz musician through memorizing licks is like memorizing French phrases and heading to Paris. You may sound French; however, things quickly break down when you are spoken to. David Story 2023 update. It was an interesting course; however, it requires a high degree of keyboard skill to get the most from it. Below are some exercises for beginners who have intermediate skills which involve broken chords, a bebop lick, and a chromatic approach. It was inspired by a Chase Sanborn story, who discovered his jazz solos improved when he left notes out. Creating Jazz Solo LinesSonny's Thumbs As a teenager I had the privilege of having a piano lesson with Sonny Stitt. My teacher, Bernie Senesky, introduced him to me in a Toronto jazz bar. Upon learning I was a piano student he excitedly invited me up to the piano where he began to demonstrate how his friend Bub Powell played bebop chord voicings. Here is what he showed me: Your right-hand plays the melody or solos while your left-hand comps the Be-bop shells of Root/seventh, or Root/third. Given the typical manner of jazz chord progressions, the left hand will often alternate between the two forms. For a complete PDF file of the left hand chords, click on this sentence. Dean Earl The second great lesson came from my beloved Berklee piano teacher Dean Earl. He told me to play Charlie Parker solos simultaneously in both hands two octaves apart. This was an exercise to keep my left hand sharp. Years later it also gave me competency to solo in the left hand. You can see Bud Powell play Anthropology this way. During the solo Powell comps lightly in the left-hand using Sonny's thumbs. Below are links to videos connected to this lesson. Cheers, David Revised May 2024 Glossary:
Here is a short piece of boogie woogie fun. Performance notes:
David Revised October 2022
|
You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail. AuthorI'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted percussionist and drum teacher. Categories
All
|