[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz digest, Vol 1 #374 - 6 msgs
DWSI@aol.com
DWSI@aol.com
Tue, 17 Dec 2002 15:11:39 EST
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In a message dated 12/17/2002 3:01:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,
dixielandjazz-request@ml.islandnet.com writes:
> Wow, how do you do that?" No way could I tell him to play along to Bill
> Bailey and it will come to him, because it won 't. And, of course, he can
> play rings around me. Agree with Russ that it is a right brain function,
> and Aebersold has chord patterns, and actual improvisation aids, that will
> help one figure out if he'll ever be able to do it.
>
> For him, if he wanted to try it, Aebersold is IMO, the best way. In
> addition to listening to the music.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
Dan Spink replies:
I've read your comments in this newsgroup many times with great interest,
Steve. Maybe someday we can even meet. Your comments are right on (again) but
there is one small extra I'd like to throw in. It's something I've noticed
since I first tried to play Dixie (or blues-oriented jazz) from the start.
I'm referring to what chords and changes you can "hear" and ones you can't.
It seems the more "modern" the chords, (i.e., the more dissonant and
overtoned up the chords), the harder it is for me to tell the difference
between them. It reminds me of something I learned in art class long ago. If
you mix all the colors in one jar continuously, you eventually get a pure
grey. In the same way, I believe the more dissonant embellishments you add,
the more every chord begins to sound like every other chord, if you know what
I mean. As one example, I have never been able to figure out the chords in
the Art Van Damme Quintet's recordings for that reason. Even Dick Hyman, the
great master of all things piano, seems to keep adding higher intervals to
sound more "up to date" even when he's playing '20's songs for some reason.
Perhaps I'm tone deaf when you add anything above the 7th interval. For what
it's worth, I thought I'd throw the thought in for someone learning how to
improvise. All the best,
Dan (piano fingers) Spink
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR="#3dffff"><FONT SIZE=2>In a message dated 12/17/2002 3:01:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, dixielandjazz-request@ml.islandnet.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Wow, how do you do that?" No way could I tell him to play along to Bill Bailey and it will come to him, because it won 't. And, of course, he can play rings around me. Agree with Russ that it is a right brain function,<BR>
and Aebersold has chord patterns, and actual improvisation aids, that will help one figure out if he'll ever be able to do it.<BR>
<BR>
For him, if he wanted to try it, Aebersold is IMO, the best way. In addition to listening to the music.<BR>
<BR>
Cheers,<BR>
Steve Barbone<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
Dan Spink replies:<BR>
<BR>
I've read your comments in this newsgroup many times with great interest, Steve. Maybe someday we can even meet. Your comments are right on (again) but there is one small extra I'd like to throw in. It's something I've noticed since I first tried to play Dixie (or blues-oriented jazz) from the start. I'm referring to what chords and changes you can "hear" and ones you can't. It seems the more "modern" the chords, (i.e., the more dissonant and overtoned up the chords), the harder it is for me to tell the difference between them. It reminds me of something I learned in art class long ago. If you mix all the colors in one jar continuously, you eventually get a pure grey. In the same way, I believe the more dissonant embellishments you add, the more every chord begins to sound like every other chord, if you know what I mean. As one example, I have never been able to figure out the chords in the Art Van Damme Quintet's recordings for that reason. Even Dick Hyman, the great master of all things piano, seems to keep adding higher intervals to sound more "up to date" even when he's playing '20's songs for some reason. Perhaps I'm tone deaf when you add anything above the 7th interval. For what it's worth, I thought I'd throw the thought in for someone learning how to improvise. All the best,<BR>
<BR>
Dan (piano fingers) Spink<BR>
</FONT></HTML>
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