[Dixielandjazz] Re: How to get started improvising.

[Stephen Barbone]

List mates:

I think Bob Craven meant to post this to the List. Forgive me if this
duplicates a post of his. Also valuable via Aebersold is the II V7 I
progression (Vol 3), Turnarounds, Cycles and II/V7s (Vol 16), Scale
Syllabus (Vol 26), Blues in all Keys (Vol 42) I Got Rhythm In all 12
Keys (Vol 47), Tune-Up  Sweet GA Brown + more in all 12 Keys (Vol 67),
plus all the standards, Ellington and lots more good stuff.

And like he says, keyboard or guitar lessons are a tremendous help to
any musician. I started on piano and was blessed with good ears so it
was easy for me to improvise on reeds later on. I still go back to my
piano to work things out if I am stumped.

Bob, I hope I'm playing when I'm 77.

Cheers,
Steve ( a 68 year old kid) Barbone  


Stephen,

Your suggestion re/ Aebersold is excellent advice.I also suggest some
keyboard lessons that helped me. My old buddy Wild Bill Davison was also a
banjo and mandolin player. Bobby Hackett a guitar player. My saxaphone man,
Phil Urso of Chet Baker fame gave me piano lessons years ago he learned
keyboard from his roommate Gerry Mulligan. Learning the cycle of fifths and
fourths is also valuable. I'm 77 years old and still playing. We just
finished up 7 1/2 years at a casino 5 (days a week) in Blackhawk CO.

Bob Craven
Summit Ridge Jazz Band

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet@earthlink.net>
To: "Russ Guarino" <russg@redshift.com>
Cc: <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>

> Well, each to his own. I suggested Aebersold because Bruce appears to be a
highly skilled legit player.
>
> Me, I got my chops back via Aebersold play alongs after my 30 year lay off
from playing. It was a great help. And I found the written material
relatively easy to follow, even those marked "advanced". (He puts out
beginner, intermediate and advanced CDs and books)
>
> Best thing to do is get Aebersold's catalog and buy a play along, see if
it helps, and go from there. Trying to learn how to improvise on one's own
after not being an improvisor for say 20 years, can be a very difficult
proposition. Even with my limited skills in playing, I've had
> the first clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra tell me: "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
>
> PS. Best advice I can thing of? "Sing through the horn".