[Dixielandjazz] could use some proffestional help

Thu Feb 28 16:31:14 PST 2008

Even though I play woodwinds I find improv on brass instruments to be easier 
so that should encourage you.  Instead of complex fingerings to drop a half 
step in any range you press the middle valve and so on.  This you know but 
there are differences in instruments.

Improv is a lot like whistling.  First you have to have in your mind what 
you want to do and it's best to keep it simple before you can do it.

First you need to have a basis and you may be trying to fly too soon.  Start 
with a tune that you know very well and that you can play without music. 
Don't worry about the tune there have been many great improv's on My bonnie 
lies over the Ocean.  I even heard a band tear loose on Jesus Loves Me.

Then use simple embellishments at first.  On long notes use upper and lower 
neighbors.  That's the next scale tone either above and below the note. 
(that middle valve again)  What ever sounds good.  Now try applying some 
sort of rhythm to it.  Maybe triplets.  I use turns all the time.  That is 
up one note, back to the note, one note lower and then back to the start 
usually done in 16th's or some variation of that.  Then there are passing 
tones.

I am assuming you have a basic knowledge of chords and can at least chord 
spell some.  That is a C chord is C,E and G.  The general rule is you must 
hit one of those notes on the beat but what goes in between can be scale 
tones usually called passing tones.  Look at your melody - can you put in 
some notes between the notes written?  How about neighbors on some 
interesting rhythm.

I use a lot of classical ornaments like turns and chromatics along with 
rhythm.  One of the coolest tunes is the One Note Samba.  For the first part 
of the tune it uses rhythm to be cool.  Try basing an improv mostly on 
rhythm.

What I am having you do is dress up an existing melody.  You should have 
some way to play the chord background either with accompaniment recordings 
or a computer program like Band in a Box so you can start hearing the chord 
progression.

Your practice should be arpeggio's on some common chord progressions like 
Blues.  Again you need to learn to chord spell if you can't already.

You should do all of this without music especially when you start doing 
arpeggios but having the chart in front of you isn't the worst thing.  Start 
with basic blues because the patterns usually have the most predictable 
chord progressions.

As an aside there are two types (or more) of improvisation.  They basically 
are vertical and horizontal lines.  Vertical usually consists of licks based 
on chords and play off of the chord.  This is good because you can use the 
same pattern for the same chord in another tune but it's bad because IMO 
produces a lot of nonsense out of most players.  Guys like Charlie Parker 
were geniuses and could handle it.  Unfortunately the garden variety of 
player isn't.  This is the easiest form of improvisation to teach and has 
been embraced by much of the musical community especially schools and 
colleges.  Easy to learn but incredibly difficult to pull off.  One of the 
short cuts to this method is you don't have to know the tunes.  You can look 
at a chord progression and wail away.  This is why it's easier to teach and 
works with kids who don't have a vast mental knowledge of tunes.  Have you 
ever noticed that guys do this type of improv incredibly fast.  That's 
because if you slow it down it sounds like crap.

I prefer line based or horizontal improv.  This means you are composing a 
melody against the chords or providing counterpoint to another melody.  This 
also incorporates all of the licks you might learn.  But it must have a 
start and it must follow the road map and it must end.  Dixieland music is 
most like this where you play a constant counterpoint to other players. 
Jazzers call this "playing off" another part.  Speaking of that the general 
rule is when the other part is moving you aren't and when it's holding still 
you are moving.  Horizontal improv requires that you know the tune and keep 
it in your head all the time.  Guys that do this will often have thousands 
of tunes in their mental library and you have to have the melody cold. 
Knowledge of the tune is a must.

Piano players do this all the time they call it filling.  Instead of holding 
a long note they play all sorts of stuff to keep the music moving and 
interesting.  That's great if you are a piano player but if you are a horn 
player you have to learn to fill against other players.  Let's say a piano 
player is backing someone.  When the horn player is holding a note the piano 
is doing licks. or fills.  For some reason this simple concept escapes a lot 
of horn players.

There is a lot going on and trying to think about all of this stuff at the 
same time will blow your mind and probably keep you from improvising 
smoothly.

Close your eyes when you improvise and concentrate on the sound and where 
it's going.  Visual things can interfere with what you are hearing.  Vision 
is a much stronger and over riding sense.  Have you ever noticed jazzers 
doing that?  I do all the time.

First you need something like the Aebersold music/cd's to work against. 
Don't go from tune to tune for awhile.  Stay on the same one until you can 
absolutely know where the progression is going.  After two or three choruses 
stop and start over again.  His progressions keep getting more advanced and 
may throw you off.  In the beginning you need to keep it simple.

What you are trying to do is make muscles move to what you hear in your mind 
without all the associated thinking.  For example walking.  Do you think 
about it? Or do you just get up and start walking somewhere.  Your mind said 
I need to go to the next room.  What you did not do is tell your foot to 
raise up your leg to extend and sit down and now shift your weight raising 
the other foot.  You simply do not think about that you just do it.

Printed Music is a wonderful aid but it is the enemy of improvisation and 
somewhere you have to compromise and decide how much you want to use it.  I 
run the gamut from using only music to only improvising.

You have to have control of your horn and that you aren't thinking about it. 
If you are thinking notes you need to back up and clear your mind.  I do not 
think notes or keys only sound and if I have to for some reason think about 
those things it will totally screw up my playing when I am improvising. 
With me it's sort of a Zen or out of body experience more like I'm listening 
to someone play and there is nothing between me and the sound coming out.  I 
can't be bothered by fingerings or anything.  I can't even feel the horn in 
my hands because I move into the sound.  When I'm done I often don't know 
what I did and have to listen to a recording.  BTW I recommend recording 
yourself and listening to what you do several times.  You will hear things 
that you aren't hearing normally.

You didn't say how old you are and while this shouldn't make any difference 
I believe that the older you get before you start the more difficult it is 
to do.  I waited around till I was 60 to start trying to memorize words to 
tunes and I find I just can't do it whereas tunes I learned as a kid I can 
remember.  Don't be discouraged you are asking the right questions.  And if 
you have any more this is the place to ask.  Listen to what everyone says 
and build your own style.  Some of the guys on the list have some great 
perspectives on this part of music.

It may not come quickly but you need to hang in there also don't be 
intimidated or discouraged by what others do.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Berl" <berl at sti.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 11:31 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] could use some proffestional help

>I could use some help. I play trumpet and I want to learn to improvise. I 
>am not a great reader.
> In practicing I have been jumping around and getting nowhere.
> Can you guide me in how to organize and set up a practice routine.
> What to practice
> How to practice
> I listen to a lot of CD's then get confused on how to improvise.
> I'm struggling and seem to be hitting my head against the wall.
> any suggestions please.
> Thank You
> Berl Howell
>
> berl at sti.net
>
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