Frank
3154 posts
Oct 30, 2013
6:50 PM
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What do you believe is a surefire way for a new player to become a very good harmonica player?
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JInx
609 posts
Oct 30, 2013
7:06 PM
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Blood sacrifice
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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Jehosaphat
582 posts
Oct 30, 2013
8:38 PM
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You have to REALLY want it...
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Frank
3156 posts
Oct 31, 2013
3:49 AM
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Transcribing music that captures your heart is guaranteed to deliver results that will catapult a players skills to levels yet to be achieved.
Last Edited by Frank on Oct 31, 2013 3:53 AM
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jbone
1395 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:09 AM
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First have the desire. Then determination. Open mind. Lastly, WORK.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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chromaticblues
1504 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:28 AM
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Drink the blood of a sacrificed vergin at midnight at the crossroads under a full moon naked!
Then play the harmonica and wave to cars as the pass.
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colman
274 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:31 AM
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WOODSHED !!!!!!!
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The Iceman
1248 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:38 AM
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Be sure to practice 5 min/day
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The Iceman
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kudzurunner
4341 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:43 AM
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That's easy: become part of an active, vital blues scene, one with nightly gigs and several jam sessions a week. Get out and listen to a lot of live music, both local working guys and touring pros. Go to the jam sessions, pay attention, ask questions about repertoire, purchase and learn those songs. Get up at the jam sessions and play. But while you're doing that, spend a lot of time at home in the woodshed, playing along with jam tracks and other recordings, listening to recordings by great players (and not just great harp players). Take lessons, if possible, from the best harp players in your local scene; if you're lucky, one of them will make you his protege. At a certain point, if you raise yourself to an appropriate level, you'll be invited to sit in with bands on a song or two. With luck, that will expand to a set-length or even gig-length sit in.
But that's the bottom line: the only sure-fire way for a new player to become a very good player, assuming a reasonable level of talent, is to connect with a live scene--as, for example, Nic Clark seems to have done. Spending a lot of time at home in the woodshed is only half the deal. If you can't back it up with lots of live performance experience of one kind or another, the lack of a rounded education will be immediately apparent when you finally do end up on a bandstand or in a recording studio.
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Frank
3163 posts
Oct 31, 2013
6:47 AM
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An if that 5 mins is " deeply focused practice" the benefits will be REAL as opposed to superficial :)
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Frank
3164 posts
Oct 31, 2013
7:03 AM
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Right...Nic, as far as I know and can tell - didn't put the proverbial "cart before the horse"...He paid his dues in the shed in order to have something to offer on the Bstand.
Even though playing live on the bandstand is a great learning environment - it is not the best place to reveal to others how incompetent you may be as a musician.
That's where proper shedding will give a player at least some strong fundamental musical muscles to flex when in the live spotlight of action and adventure:)
Last Edited by Frank on Oct 31, 2013 7:08 AM
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HarpNinja
3567 posts
Oct 31, 2013
7:17 AM
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Practice intentionally and find ways to play with other human beings in real time.
The quality of practice matters a lot. You can say you have been play for X years, but that doesn't mean you've put in the right work to be good.
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Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
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Komuso
188 posts
Oct 31, 2013
7:38 AM
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Lips and Ears, connected via the brain
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
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Philosofy
488 posts
Oct 31, 2013
8:26 AM
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Well, I just went down to the crossroads....
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Frank
3165 posts
Oct 31, 2013
8:54 AM
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But,did you fall down on your knees?
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1847
1258 posts
Oct 31, 2013
11:10 AM
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i am with iceman on this
commit to just playing 2 minutes a day
if after 2 minutes you no longer feel like practicing
you have satisfied your commitment
however what tends to happen is this
30 minutes have passed or perhaps an hour
sometimes 2 or 3 hours will fly by
if you tell yourself you are going to practice everyday for thirty minutes
time and time again you will not even pick up the harmonica.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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nicewrk
52 posts
Oct 31, 2013
12:46 PM
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Crossroads at midnight
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John95683
127 posts
Oct 31, 2013
1:57 PM
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"assuming a reasonable level of talent". Ah, therein lies the rub.
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dougharps
463 posts
Oct 31, 2013
2:15 PM
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I like Adam's, Iceman's, and 1843's suggestions, but disagree with the premise that there is a "Surefire" way to get very good at anything.
These are good recommendations that one can follow to improve and build skills.
In my opinion, the outcome of becoming "very good" at something is never "Surefire."
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Doug S.
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Frank
3167 posts
Oct 31, 2013
2:54 PM
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"The quality of practice matters a lot. You can say you have been play for X years, but that doesn't mean you've put in the right work to be good".
Great point...I have met blues harp players at live settings who are not able to play a decent 1,4,5, boogie progression in 2nd pos. That is a surefire way to remain musically stunted. And -
Learning to do that basic common boogie progression well in 1st pos (ex:in the key of "C" [ 1 chord in "C" the 4 in "F" and the 5 in "G" and shuffle the walking bass line... then learning it in 3rd too- will up the anty of a players skill level - incremental surefire progress to becoming a very good player :)
Last Edited by Frank on Oct 31, 2013 2:58 PM
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sonny3
69 posts
Oct 31, 2013
3:53 PM
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An obsessive/addictive personality may help.it's almost like a disease, this compulsion I have for the blues and harmonica in particular.It's in my bones. with the help of Adam and this forum I have come a long way in a short time.One must remain patient as well.
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colman
277 posts
Nov 01, 2013
5:37 AM
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I think blues has been a pass it on ,assimilate thing,for all the original blues people.It`s a language,and if you can`t talk the talk how can you sing it...
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Slimharp
25 posts
Nov 03, 2013
7:30 AM
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A natural ability for music helps. I have known some unfortunates that can not keep time. Play and listen, play and listen. I say play because practice sounds like to much work. When it becomes work your screwed, much like 1847 said. If you can hit one good note with feeling work off of that. When you get half way crappy start plying with others. Thats the other half of the equation.When you are at the local jam and a song comes up you have never played -- thats when you learn the rest of the art. As the great steel guitar player Jimmy Day once said " When in doubt lay out ". Knowing what not to play is the pro touch.
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MP
2978 posts
Nov 03, 2013
1:03 PM
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----------From John-
"assuming a reasonable level of talent". Ah, therein lies the rub."
and Doug-
"In my opinion, the outcome of becoming "very good" at something is never "Surefire"
Sorry to be a wet blanket but I think a reality check is in order when someone says "Surefire". If there was a surefire way to learn harp I wouldn't run into lots and lots guys who claim to have been playing harp for many decades and can't play their way out of a paper bag. These guys appear to be tone deaf too.
You've seen them in bars and they want to sit in with the band.
Poster Frank is a good player. Good players tend to forget that not everyone can learn to play w/ any degree of proficiency at all. Oh, well...
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i still have a little Hohner stock for reed replacement in three common keys.
when these are gone i'm out of the biz.
click MP for my e-mail address and more info.
Last Edited by MP on Nov 03, 2013 1:04 PM
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Barley Nectar
158 posts
Nov 03, 2013
3:44 PM
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Carry a harp around in you shirt pocker for 20 yrs. Also what Adam said...BN
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 03, 2013 3:45 PM
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BigSteveNJ
7 posts
Nov 03, 2013
7:10 PM
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Adam is absolutely right.
I would add what was mentioned later as well; get a good C harp and keep that thing on you. When you're stopped at a red light, when you're in a long grocery-store line, when you're waiting for the car to get its oil changed... every time you've got a spare minute, play a little. Other times, listen to the licks on songs you like, then try to replicate them. Play along with songs that don't have harp and imagine your harp filling in for the strings, or the keys or the guitar lead.
Above all, don't get frustrated! The harp is MADE to be played, and it will give up the goods if you work on good tone and keep enjoying what you're doing.
The ROCK-SOLID LAW, however, is that if you do not have good acoustic tone, you will never be able to progress to levels where pro-caliber musicianship is expected. USE your hands and your WHOLE breathing apparatus, from your diaphragm all the way to your windpipe, mouth and lips, and really give the harp the best, strongest, most focused breathing and airflow you can. It will make your trip into live performance that much more satisfying, because you'll FEEL the tone, and so will your listeners.
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garry
463 posts
Nov 06, 2013
5:47 AM
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"If there was a surefire way to learn harp I wouldn't run into lots and lots guys who claim to have been playing harp for many decades and can't play their way out of a paper bag."
i know such guys as well, but it don't think it has anything to do with whether it's possible to learn harp. i think they've just hit a level they're happy with and don't make an effort to go beyond that.
i met such a guy at a jam. he was awful. no timing, no technique, no gear, the rankest beginner. the host band had to tell him what key harp to use (to their credit, they were remarkably patient and kind with him, not always the case).
i engaged him in conversation, feeling some responsibility to point him toward books or videos or something he could use to advance. much to my surprise, he said he'd been playing for many years, and was quite happy with his playing. he'd basically peaked, because he saw no reason to go further.
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The Iceman
1260 posts
Nov 06, 2013
6:49 AM
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Don't tell me his name was "Gus"...
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The Iceman
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Barley Nectar
166 posts
Nov 06, 2013
8:36 AM
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Ah Haa, It's the "Jam Killer". He has rissen from the depths of tonal obliven to haunt yet another talented group of musicians. His prey is the unsuspecting and kindly players who will let him sit in, only to destroy years of effort. And yet, he is still thanked, adding to his determination to repeat the process on another unsuspecting band...BN
Buy the way, I do ask the key at times. It's better then searching thru the harp case on stage and looking like a moron...
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 06, 2013 3:18 PM
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1847
1283 posts
Nov 06, 2013
9:53 AM
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Buy the way, I do ask the key at times. It better then searching thru the harp case on stage and looking like a moron...
thats better than looking at the guitar player
seeing he is in A
only to find out he is tuned down a half step lol
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Slimharp
39 posts
Nov 06, 2013
10:00 AM
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Yeah 47, I hate it, meanwhile your coming up to the bridge or chorus and finally get the harp, also kinda rough when they are in a minor. I try very hard to get it before the song starts but sometimes the key is kept secret like the national treasure, even after asking 3 or 4 times. that makes sittin in real fun.
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Barley Nectar
168 posts
Nov 06, 2013
3:24 PM
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I ask once, if they don't say then either they don't know or they don't want you there.
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RyanMortos
1466 posts
Nov 06, 2013
3:51 PM
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Perseverance, determination, positive attitude, trust worthy guide(s) to help you along the way, and hours of learning & practice including all the stuff in Kudzu's "That's easy:" post.
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~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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garry
464 posts
Nov 06, 2013
8:10 PM
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@barley: i didn't mean they had to tell him the key of the song. they had to tell him what harp to use for the given key.
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Littoral
1006 posts
Nov 07, 2013
2:31 AM
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Silly, but essential:
Buy a new one when you lose it.
Some people are supposed to play harp, I think chosen, if they keep one around it can happen.
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mattfolk327
10 posts
Nov 08, 2013
2:28 PM
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HAVE FUN AND PRACTICE!
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Barley Nectar
171 posts
Nov 09, 2013
8:58 AM
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Whadhesay?
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 09, 2013 8:58 AM
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Frank
3219 posts
Nov 09, 2013
9:29 AM
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Instead of letting your thoughts direct your decisions and choices while in the process of improvising music...Use a representation, and image to ignite and explode a creation of spontaneous ideas that can be utilized at the speed of light… Your no longer thinking about a process, since your actions have already been invented prior to their execution - thus the visual repetition bypasses the inferior thought process of woulda, shoulda or coulda :)
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Tuckster
1366 posts
Nov 09, 2013
11:07 AM
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I think to become really good,at some point you need to obsess about harp playing. You have to eat,live and breath it.I think that all the great ones did that. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency,the obsession ebbs. I'm not sure if Jason Ricci's ever ebbed.:>)
Re: Long time players who still suck and never progressed. You have to look at your own playing as objectively as you can. I listen to myself and say that part really sucked and I try to fix it. Being your own worst critic isn't a bad thing as long as it doesn't discourage you.(Don't let it).
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Mojokane
737 posts
Nov 09, 2013
10:07 PM
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Immersion, would be my advice. Pretty sure fire..but know when to stop, if you simply sound terrible after a certain period of time.
Why is it that we all just can't get along?<
Last Edited by Mojokane on Nov 09, 2013 10:12 PM
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Rhartt1234
101 posts
Nov 10, 2013
12:10 PM
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I think a lot of adult players are too worried about getting "better". I've lost more adult students than I've kept because when they realize how much work they actually have to put in they tend to pack it in.
I got better because I was 13 years old and loved playing the thing and didn't know what was good and what was bad. Lo and behold, I eventually got good but that was a secondary goal.
After playing the stupid thing for almost 30 years I practice now to get "better" and it is not nearly as effective or enjoyable as it was once upon a time.
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mattfolk327
27 posts
Nov 10, 2013
12:34 PM
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Another thing is to think about how you fit into the song. Find your place in the song. Don't overplay unless the song calls for it. Think about it all those old blues guys were incredibly tasteful. If the whole band went full force they did too. If Muddy Waters was taking his solo they held back.
I think that's why rock n roll has become so diluted these past few years. Everybody is just trying to show off their chops.
Its like we can't all be little walter, we can't all be jimmy page so we have to find our role and stick with it.
I've only been playing 2 months but I've been a musician for at least a decade.
Tastefullness as well as technical ability makes one a better player, in my opinion.
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Frank
3225 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:38 PM
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On Being a More Interesting Improviser
by Jody Espina
My last article for Sax On The Web, was dedicated to the adult amateur saxophonist. Thanks to all of you who wrote me with such positive feedback. This article is dedicated to any saxophonist who is interested in improvising. Beginners will find some helpful ideas here about how to construct an interesting solo. Advanced players will probably know everything in this article, but sometimes being reminded of good ideas can freshen up our playing.
We all know that an improvising jazz musician is telling a musical story... The same conventions that apply to a good novel also apply to a good jazz solo. You need an interesting premise (motif), or opening chapter. There should be character development (development of motif) as well as an interesting or satisfying conclusion. Other elements of a real page turner of a book or a captivating solo are conflict and resolution or tension and release. The intensity of a good book or a solo will have peaks and valleys. In music these exciting and calm moments can be achieved through the use of dynamics, space/rests, speed/length of notes, and the range of pitch (low/high notes).
The first three tips in this article are so simple and common sense that you may think that you don't need to pay much attention to them. I believe that the players who diligently practice the first three tips will be rewarded for their efforts with more applause from the audience at the end of their solos and more respect from their fellow musicians.
Ideas 4-6, fall under the tricks and licks category. These may take more time and practice before you'll be able to use them in a solo, but the way a chef uses spices to give food flavor, these tricks can liven up your soloing.
Important note: These tricks and licks will not make you a better player. If used effectively, they may make you a more interesting or entertaining player. Fancy tricks and licks can't replace replace solid fundamentals like good tone, intonation, time/swing feel, phrasing and good technique. Therefore, my recommendation is to stay with your normal practice routine and add one of these tricks at a time.
1. Space is the place - Play less notes and put space in between your ideas. This may seem like a cheap trick but it's not. This simple and easy to do suggestion will immediately make you sound better. Almost all of us including me would have more success with our solos if we would economize on notes and give the listener time to digest our ideas. A great way to practice this is to imagine that you're trading one or two bar riffs with an imaginary player. Play something then leave the space while you imagine what the other player would play. Don't worry about there being dead space. Most rhythm sections will jump all over those spaces and before you know it you'll be in a real dialogue with the rhythm section. John Coltrane asked Miles Davis's advice on how to end a solo because Trane was having difficulty finding a place to end. Miles answered in his raspy whisper, "Take the horn out your mouth." Space is the place - Take the horn out your mouth.
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Frank
3226 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:38 PM
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2. Go long .... and high - Another simple but very effective trick is to play a high note for about as long as you can hold it. Used at the right moment in your solo, this is almost guaranteed to get the crowd on your side. The shape of a solo is important. Jamey Abersold explains this very well in Volume 1. of his play along series. For example, you can start a solo in the low or medium range of the horn and as you develop your ideas, start to play higher and higher and perhaps faster and more notes, building to a well timed very long high note.
3. Could you repeat that please? - What's worth playing once is probably worth playing at least four times. Using exact repetitions or slight variations allows your listener to follow your train of thought better. In other words, when you play a nice lick, don't just abandon that little gold nugget. Let us see/hear it again. Turn it around for us, so that we can get a good look/listen. Go back and listen to some of your favorite improvisers and see if there are any cases of motif and development, which usually contains a healthy dose of repetition.
Stop Right There!
The tips mentioned so far are enough to change your playing dramatically. On your next solo, try and do these four simple things. Or better yet, record yourself playing a solo with a play-along or a live band. Don't use any of my ideas. Just play as you normally would. Then record yourself while you consciously use the four ides below.
1. Play less notes
2. Put space in between your ideas.
3. Repeat and make variations on the good ideas.
4. Build to a climax with a long high note.
Now try and listen to both recordings as an impartial listener would. Which one is more interesting?
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Frank
3227 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:39 PM
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4. Growl - Ben Webster, Earl Bostic, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Clarence Clemens, Boots Randolph, Gato Barbieri, and King Curtis are just a few of the great players who have used the growl to great effect. Growling conveys intensity and soul. It seems impossible to play without conviction while growling. I don't think that I'm the best growler in the world so I wanted to get an experts advice. I asked my good friend Steve Goodson, if he would elucidate us on how he teaches someone to growl. Steve is an expert on most things regarding the saxophone whether it be playing, teaching or the mechanics of the horn. I think that as a player Steve would describe himself as a honker and a wailer, a rock and roller, and a growler, which makes him very qualified to give us this lesson. Let me say this before we go to Steve's advice: In order to make the growl effect, the player has to actually produce a pitch or growl with his or her voice while simultaneously playing notes on the saxophone. The note from the sax and the sound from the voice mix combine to make the growl.
Steve Goodson on Growling: "When I teach growling, I give the student a lesson in physiology: at the junction of the mouth and the windpipe (where the bend is), there's lots of stuff that tends to vibrate: the soft palate, the uvula, and a bunch of other tissue that I can't name. This stuff will all get into a sympathetic vibration if the player produces the growl too high up in the throat. The result will be an uneven growl and a potential blockage of the air stream. I have the student listen to me by placing their ear very close to my throat so they can see where I am producing the growl. Of course the most common problem with beginners is that they use too much of the growl effect. I have the student play long tones and learn to gradually introduce the growl into the note, and then to gradually reduce it. This gives them a broader palette of sounds to use. It is not uncommon for the beginner to experience some irritation in the throat while learning this technique. I suggest a gargle with Jack Daniels." (Authors note: The Jack Daniels falls under the category of definitely don't try this at home. By the way, when I listened to Steve's throat he was growling at a low B concert. J.E.)
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Frank
3228 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:40 PM
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5. Flutter Tongue.
The resulting sound of the flutter tongue is somewhat similar to the growl so that if you can't do one, hopefully you can do the other. To hear what the flutter should sound like, play your horn with the bell facing directly into an electric fan. That's the sound. If you're unable to get the flutter I guess you could bring a powerful fan to the gig and blow into it. (Authors note: Unlike the growl, I'm very good at the flutter tongue.)
Step 1. Roll your R's the way you would if you were saying a word in Spanish which begins with R. To do this, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth right where the ridge is. To find the ridge start with the tip of your tongue where your teeth and the roof of your mouth meet. Keeping the tongue against the roof go away from the teeth until you feel the ridge that leads back to the soft pallet. Lightly place the tip of the tongue at the edge of this ridge and get some air moving out of your mouth until the tongue starts rolling. Then, do that while you're blowing the sax. If you don't succeed right away, try to remember what it was like learning to whistle. It may have taken quite a while, but you kept trying and you kept having different people demonstrate it to you. Keep trying!
For some reason I like to use the flutter tongue in conjunction with the harmonic minor scale, getting a snake charmer kind of sound. For example: Let's say you're playing over an F# minor Funk groove, (your key) and normally you would play a Dorian Scale. That's like an F# major scale with the 3rd and the 7th note flatted by a 1/2 step. You can usually fit in the Harmonic Minor Scale over the same minor funk* groove place for the "snake charmer" type of sound and with the flutter tongue, it can be funny and effective. The Harmonic Minor Scale is like a major scale with the 3rd and 6th degree flatted by a half step. Goof around and have fun with this one, but like all tricks, don't overuse it. (* I use the term funk very loosely. It could be almost any minor one key groove.)
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Frank
3229 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:42 PM
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6. Cannonball lick.
This lick is taken from Cannonball's solo on Love for Sale, from the CD, Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderly (Blue Note BST 81595). The All Music Guide calls this CD, (which also features Miles Davis on it) "Absolutely essential". For the transcription I recommend getting this excellent book of transcribed solos: The Julian Cannonball Adderly Collection, compiled and edited by Tim Price (Hal Leonard HL006763244). Besides the little lick that I'm pointing out here, pay special attention to the articulations in this solo. Tim did a great job including this extremely important aspect of Cannonball's sound. Bear in mind that it's difficult for most mere mortals to play as fast and clean as the great Mr. Adderly. Don't be discouraged. Play the lines as slow as you need to, but do the articulations. Articulations or the lack of articulations are one of the main reasons why many inexperienced improvisers just don't sound as popping as the Jazz greats. Before I get to the lick and while I'm on the subject of articulation, let me say this: Saxophonists - please don't only transcribe and copy other sax players. Trumpet and trombone players are usually better at articulation then we are. Listen to some Freddie Hubbard and Frank Rosolino and copy some of their articulations. Now you're popping.
Well, without further ado, here's the lick: It occurs in the 19th bar of Cannonball's third chorus. These trills on high B, C, and C# are achieved with the right hand index finger. In the same way that you play your side Bb, put your index finger up to the top key of those three side keys. By the way, keep your thumb under the thumb rest where it's supposed to be. You will play the high B and let it sound before you start the trill. Most people who try this for the first time do not trill fast enough and that's why it doesn't sound right. Trill as fast as you can and like everything else; if you need to, by all means start practicing it slowly. For alto players, this lick works great over the Blues in Bb concert. For tenor players, the same lick will work nicely over an F concert Blues.
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Frank
3230 posts
Nov 10, 2013
4:42 PM
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7. One more thing.
Practice at home, perform on the gig. To be a good improviser you have to practice new ideas and techniques before they can sound and feel natural. But, I believe at the gig you should play from your heart. Play what you're hearing at that moment. There's nothing worse than hearing a saxophonist practice on the gig. To me it's insulting to the audience and the other musicians in the band, and it doesn't show you in your best light. There's room for debate on this issue and there is definitely something to be said for stretching, taking chances and trying things that you've never done before. These are all responsibilities that an artist has. But I also believe that as an artist, you have a responsibility to the audience to show them what's in you heart, not only what's in your head. I personally try and play every solo like it might be the last one that I ever get to play. If I know that it's my last chance to play, I want to go out giving one hundred percent and playing notes that I will literally die for. That may be a melodramatic thought, but I think that everything in life should be approached with that sincerity and intensity.
I hope this article helps make us all more interesting soloists.
Practice with intensity, Play with intensity,
Jody Espina
Jody@JodyJazz.com
e-mail for comments, questions or suggestions.
Book recommendations for this article:
5 stars"Top Tones for the Saxophone" by Sigurd Rascher.
Currently unvailable.
In a future article I'll give some harmonics and altissimo ideas, so in preparation for that, I'd like to recommend this book. I get many questions at JodyJazz.com about the altissimo range of the saxophone. My answer is yes, a mouthpiece can make a very big difference in your ability to play high notes. The reed that you use can also make it easier to play the high notes, ie. harder reed = better altissimo. But, the most important thing to know is that your ability to play altissimo is directly related to your ability to control the harmonics. That means learn how to play the harmonics off of the fundamental pitches: Low Bb, B, C and C#. In Top Tones for Saxophone, you don't play any altissimo notes until the back of the book. In the first sections of the book you work on tone consistency, steadiness, control of dynamics and tone imagination. Tone imagination is hearing in your head the note that you are about to play before you play it. This is essential for harmonics, altissimo and actually, all playing. In the next section of the book, there are many harmonic exercises. My advice is to go very slowly through the book and your reward will be altissimo heaven when you arrive at the final section of the book which gives you actual altissimo fingerings and exercises.
A New Approach To Jazz Improvisation
- Jamey Abersold Play-Along Volume 1.
This is the one that started it all. Take the time to read the information in the first part of the book. There is an encyclopedia of Jazz improv ideas and concepts contained in this gem.
5 stars The Julian Cannonball Adderly Collection, Compiled and Edited by Tim Price. (Hal Leonard HL006763244)
One of the great transcription books with an excellent interview with Nat Adderly. Even if the solos are too difficult to play at this time, it would be great to buy all of the CDs and follow along looking at the transcriptions while Cannonball plays. Pay attention to his note selection and how each note fits with the chords.
CD recommendations for this article:
5 stars Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderly (Blue Note BST 81595) amazonUKlogosml.gif
5 stars Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis (Sony B000002ADT)
The biggest selling Jazz Record of all time and rightly so. If you don't have it, get it. Miles, Coltrane, Adderly, Evans, Kelly, Chambers, Cobb - no need to say anything else.
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Frank
3234 posts
Nov 11, 2013
3:32 AM
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toddg
122 posts
Nov 11, 2013
10:06 AM
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I thought at least one person would have said spend some time in Jail !!! Or maybe around a campfire or being a Hobo LOL
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