To Read, or Not to Read Music? That isnot the question.
Aural learning is inseparable from Pop, Jazz, Bluegrass and many other popular styles. Several famous artists of these genres could not read music, including: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Elvis
Presley, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano, Ronnie Milsap, Andrea
Bocelli, Aretha Franklin and Doc Watson. Although it is obviously not necessary to be able to read music to play in these styles, it can be beneficiary. The real question is: how do we use our reading skills to better our Pop/Jazz/Bluegrass, or in this case, Blues playing?
In his video, Jazz: Anyone Can Improvise, Jamey Aebersold says that most jazz artists have a book of "licks" or virtuosic runs that they have written down and practice in all keys. My Jazz Improv professor also discussed this - "If you are listening and hear something neat that you would want to learn, figure it out and write it down." The book I am using for the Improv Class (Creative Jazz Improvisation, by Scott D. Reeves) includes written examples of famous performers improvisations for students to practice. For my lecture recital, I have been transcribing two pieces: I Used to be Your Sweet Mama by Bessie Smith and In the Cluster Blues (and the violin improvisation solo) by Mark O'Connor. I thought I was skilled at dictation and aural skills because I was so quick at it in my undergraduate, but conducting these projects made me think again. They have taken hours and hours. I listened to Bessie Smith probably over a hundred times and Mark O'Connor in excess of 300 times if I were to guess. Yesterday the bassist from my Jazz Trio e-mailed me to bring to my attention a few mistakes I had made (he figured I would want to correct them before my lesson). It is like a never ending project! I feel like this man below.
Although it has been a lot of work, I would recommend transcribing to anyone learning to play the Blues (or any other aural-based style). If you are listening and hear something you like, trans-scribble it down! This was extremely helpful in learning the style because I was listening so intently with so many repetitions. Transcribing helped my memory also, because writing and visualizing the notes was yet another way to internalize them. As a side-note: Musesore is a free music writing program for Macs that you can download http://musescore.org. I highly recommend it - I used it for my transcriptions.
Ever wonder what it could be like if you were able to sound like another musician you admire?Ever dream of your sound being the "baby" of two superstar musicians you love?
Lately, I have spent a lot of time lately trying to recreate the sounds of Bessie Smith and Mark O'Connor.
I have learned that one musician can never truly sound like another. Each person has their own unique sound; however, we can learn many lessons from those we admire. We can become familiar with their techniques and qualities use them to better our own playing.
This exploration of sound modeling began at my lesson two weeks ago:
"This is going to be awesome! You sound like a Blues violinist!"
my teacher, Brian Lewis, exclaimed. I had just played an improvisation solo I transcribed, by Mark O'Connor. I was still feeling doubtful about my improvisations and transcriptions, so I responded, "Do you really think I can get this done in time for my recital?" He reassured me that I could because he was encouraged by the sound I was making.
Mark O'Connor's "In the Cluster Blues' improvisation solo
I thought to myself, "But, you haven't heard me play my own solos and they don't sound like this . . ." I had learned every pitch bend, glissando, vibrato and bowing in Mark's improvisation, and it sounded authentic (not exactly like Mark, but like my interpretation of him). I had not stopped to consider whether my solos had a similar sound to his. A breakthrough happened - I needed to make my solos sound more Bluesy. I needed to add pitch bending, wild vibrato to accentuate some notes, less vibrato to the normal line, and ditch my straightforward, clear, classical sound.
Since Monday, we began studying the Blues in my improvisation class. The first thing we talked about was sound. There should be pitch bending and glissandos. Also, the third of the scale should be played flatter than usual. This reinforcement has helped out my Blues sound monumentally.
Below are two examples of changing a tune from more Classical to more Blues. The first time I play the tune is how I used to play it before I began thinking about Jazz sound, and the second time is how I began to practice it after I realized what I needed to change.
From my my friends who are experts in Jazz and Blues, I have learned much about the aural tradition. To learn Jazz is to listen to great Jazz artists. It is important to play directly afterwards to compare your sound to theirs: how is it similar, how is it different, what aspects help create the style and what aspects hurt it?
2. To cover so as to inhibit, suppress or extinguish
3. To apply generally and uniformly without exception
It was not often that I have thought about music as a blanket of some sort, not until this semester.
In my studies, I learned that jazz musicians use a technique called blanketing much of the time. To blanket! What has ever gone wrong that involved a blanket? Blankets are warm and cuddly. They can be used for forms of adventure pitched up like a tent. And, they have a feeling of safety and comfort. Many of us braved our young years with a blanket companion. My husband's was named Mr. Blankey, and mine was Hamie.
The blanket technique in jazz is a form of uniform coverage. One can play notes that are in a particular key while improvising rather than think of every chord change. For instance, if you are playing a piece in Bb Major, you can improvise in all of the notes in Bb Major and you will be safe from playing notes that might not sound like they fit in. Jazz players also learn to blanket in other scales that fit in with the key signature - in the key of Bb Major, you could also blanket in the Bb Major pentatonic scale (Bb, C, D, F, G), the Bb minor pentatonic (Bb, C, Db, F, B), and the the Bb Blues scale (Bb, Db, E, F, Ab). You can use notes from one of the scales for a while to create a particular flavor and then move on to the next scale. This is also a very good way to get familiar with playing in a scale. I found it extremely helpful for finger patterns in runs. For example, if I know what fingering I use for each of the notes in the Bb Major Pentatonic scale, I can play a fast run and feel comfortable that I am playing notes that will sound good in the key and I don't have to imagine what each note sounds like before I play it (this helps speed up the process slightly). Of course it is still helpful to be able to hear ahead what your solo will sound like, but with fast notes, this is an error proof way to make sure you don't play something wonky.
I started by practicing blanketing the Bb blues in Bb Major pentatonic scale:
After a while of practicing, I enjoyed how quickly I could insert runs in the piece and have it sound decent. This is because I was only playing a few notes and I began to know the finger pattern well.
The hardest scales for me to learn how to blanket in were Bb Major and Bb Blues . I think the reason was because there are many more notes in Bb major or Bb blues than in the pentatonic scale. Below is some video footage of improvisation in Bb Major that I am pretty happy with. I still am behind the beat sometimes and need to work on playing in rhythm even if I haven't had the chance to process whether I will be playing a correct note or not (the note that is in my brain).
The thing to remember is that I have to be comfortable and confident. Easier said than done, but the more I blanket, the more comfortable I become . . .
I often feel like a pack llama. I had my violin case on my back, full of music, a laptop bag on my left shoulder filled with my Mac, improvisation books and Turabian's A Manual for Writers, and a purse on my right shoulder filled with everything a girl could need and extra. A friend and I once counted the lipsticks in my purse. There were seventeen. I have downsized in lipsticks since then, but my purse has somehow replenished itself with other things. A boy from my improvisation class stepped aside to let me in the elevator. "Thanks," I said. "No problem," he replied, "You are great, by the way. Had you done any improvisation before this class?"
The boy could not have known this, but that was one of the meaningful compliments he could have given me at the time. I have been working hard but lacking in motivation and I still feel somewhat lost in what I am doing to become a better Blues improviser. Perhaps we all feel this way when learning something completely new. I usually bode better when I think of myself as the female version of Jack Sparrow -- an adventurer, exploring the unknown and conquering each assailant that comes my way . . . or walking the plank when I make my fumbles. Arrrrr!!
Anyway, we can all use a little boost now and then with a compliment, so we can sail on into the deep Blues-sea!
The past few days have been much about inspiration for me, and not just from receiving simple compliments, but by listening to some of the greats. I have been in the process of coming up with reachable, step-by-step goals until my recital. I made the objective for myself to be able to improvise three choruses of the F minor 7- Eb minor 7- D minor 7 chord progression on Jamey Aebersold's CD by the end of the week without playing any wrong notes or getting lost. I also made the goal to become comfortable with ii-V-I turnarounds (preparing for the return of the main key). I sought out the wisdom of my improvising teacher, who told me to learn a couple of Bessie Smith's tunes with all of her vocal scoops and articulations.
Youtube is full of songs by Bessie, one of the most famous Jazz singers of the 1920s and '30s. I began listening and was disappointed that I did not like any of them very much. Nearly half of the notes were scooped in different ways and there were not very many pitches used. It sounded like cigarette-smoke-filled saloons -- drunken, sad, authentic Blues.
However, as I have been working on transcribing one of her songs, "I Used to be Your Sweet Mama", I have come to realize how amazing she truly is in terms of rhythm and creativity. She uses only a few pitches, and yet they are sung in all different ways - some scooped a little, others scooped a lot, some scoops up, some down, some notes without vibrato, some with lots of vibrato, some sung in swing, and when emphasis needed, some sung in straight rhythm. The melody is used so brilliantly to emphasize important words - the highest notes reserved for the words that have the most meaning and emotion. It is very intricate music, and I am actually having to take several hours to learn this piece. So far, from Bessie, I have learned authentic slides, which I have had to come up with creative fingerings for. I also gained the insight that I can use straight rhythm when I want something to stand out.
A major source of inspiration this week came from Jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. I had heard of him before, but I had not really taken any time to watch him or think about his music. As an assignment, I was to write about an improvisation solo of someone who played my instrument. This is the video I watched: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhB5qAq7OkI
I loved how seamless his improvisation solo was! There was never a time when it halted. His inclusion of a few trills, slides and wild vibrato made his playing so full of life and character. His bow strokes were light, clear and effortless. I began to try and include some of these awesome things he did in my improvising, especially the continuity of line.
Conquering Assailants Before Finding Inspiration:
I made a few mistakes but overall this was one of my better run-throughs with the F minor 7, Eb minor 7, D minor 7 progression.
Conquering Assailants After Finding Inspiration . . .
... one successful improv. solo at a time.
The music on the stand is the original tune
"Kenny'll Make It" and the chord chart.
from Jamey Aebersold's Blues in All Keys for All Instruments.
A long adventure, mostly triumphant.
Walking the Plank:
Hearing a different note than what I played on my violin and trying to fix it.
Fingers forgetting where to go/ playing out of tune.
Trying to do too fancy of a solo and forgetting the chord sequence.
I hope this gives you some inspiration if you are trying to learn something new. No one is perfect (hence the bloopers) but there is progress!
"This is the fun class!", my classical flutist friend divulged upon entering the "Beginning Improvisation" classroom, finding that I had joined their ranks.
Gilad Atzmon
As classical musicians, many of us see jazz as a land of the free, and home of the brave. Where else can one dress like it is casual Friday, make up a bunch of notes off of the top of his head, "jam" to the music while tapping his toe, and have a round of applause directly after his solo while the piece is still playing? In classical music we do not even receive clapping after a movement is over, let alone an awesome part we have worked hard on and play in the middle of a piece. Just the look of jazz players makes them seem fashionably impressive. They are relaxed, suave, aloof, and often times partially inebriated, like they haven't had the luxury of recovering from last night's partygig.
Nat King Cole
?
Freddie Hubbard
Paul Morley
You catch my drift.
I have often heard these quotes and felt empowered by the idea of Jazz:
"Play a wrong note once, it's a mistake, play it twice and it's jazz." (a popular phrase)
"Wrong is right." (Thelonious Monk)
"Don't fear mistakes, there are none." (Miles Davis)
In fact, I used the first quote in my improvisation class while I was attempting to boost the confidence of a girl who said she "freaked out" when it was her turn to improvise. Her response was, "If you play a wrong note twice, I guess that is the case, but if you play all wrong notes . . . well, then it's just wrong". I had not thought of that, but it was just the lesson that fate had destined me to learn this week.
Through this first week of learning to improvise, I have come to realize that jazz improvisation is much more structured than what I originally thought. Yes, jazz musicians are cool, laid back and sly, but their mystery is depleting as I learn the tricks of their trade which take lots of practice. During my exercises, when I gave myself guidelines to follow, my improvisation was much more successful than when I let my fingers take over. Perhaps if I was a professional jazz musician and I let my fingers take over, they would remember all of these awesome possibilities that I had previously practiced and played, but I am not yet to that point . . . I am in the beginning.
The Beginning
I made a video before my books had arrived, with only one improvisation class under way and I did not yet have any of the play-along recordings for the class.
Before filming, I used these warm up drills (scales/arpeggios in Dorian modes - Dmin7, Cmin7, Ebmin7 and Fmin7) provided by my improvisation teacher:
Count Basie
"Well, if you find a note tonight that sounds good,
play the same damn note every night!"
I turned my metronome on to make sure I was counting an appropriate number of beats and measures (4) before I moved on to the next chord change. For a while, i improvised and sounded bad, really bad. I should have had the camera on at this point to show you the real starting point of my blues journey. I did not think to do that, but rest contented it would have aroused kicks, giggles, and earplugs. There were wrong notes because I was not comfortable with the scales yet, and I would lose track of the beat because I was trying things that were too complex. Then I remembered a friend from the class telling me to start with just the beginning three notes of each scale. I tried that and it sounded better, but I felt it was so boring with only those three notes.
Rhythms that Equal a Quarter Note
Soon, I realized that it was not the three notes that were a snooze, but me. After all, I have heard some players play just one pitch in an interesting way. With only three notes to choose from, the creative part would have to be the rhythm that I played the notes in. I then played through the chord sequence several times in different rhythmic combinations. Each time, I attempted to include one rhythm from a chart I knew well -- Rhythms that Equal a Quarter Note -- something I had to memorize in my undergraduate Eurhythmics training at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
This is what resulted:
Not terrible. Granted, I had not thought to swing all of the rhythmic possibilities yet. Perimeters and structure are the key for beginning to make good choices in improvisation.
Here are some other organized practices and conclusions that have further helped me this week:
Sing before playing: Jamey Aebersold writes that singing is "the real you". Usually one can more easily sing what he hears in his mind than play it on his instrument; plus, the inflections and mood are more ingrained in the voice. Sing something neat, then learn to play it.
Play On or Off of a Pre-Selected Beat: Challenge yourself to start a phrase on the "and" of beat 1 after each chord change. Then see if you can begin the phrase each time on beat 2. Make different rules for yourself and find out if you are aware and adept enough to follow them.
Video Yourself: Watch yourself and see what worked and what did not.
Keep Track of the Beat: Togetherness and good rhythm is essential for successful music making. If you are attempting something so complicated that it is not with the beat or your cannot keep track of it, then you should simplify what you improvise until you are with the band/play-along/metronome.
Play with Confidence: Nothing is worse than a wrong note played without confidence. Try to convince everyone that you meant to play what you did.
". . . you cannot participate in any of the playing activities in class" came the unexpected words of a jazz professor whom I had placed much of my hope in for my future improvisation skills. Thump thump thump went my heart, my throat retracted and my head felt as if it were being compressed by a thousand pounds of books, a hot shiver went up my body and before I knew it I was in tears. The brave musician inside of me retracted into a hole of darkness.
How appropriate that my Blues journey should begin with the BLUES!
This expedition began in response to a conclusion I have built up over many years of being a classical violinist: it is important for ALL musicians to learn how to improvise in diverse styles, and this skill should be taught in classical training.
At gigs my employers would inevitably ask my string quartet, do you know the tune "____" (fill in the blank) and I would say, "We know that tune, but unfortunately we don't have that in our collection music." Occasionally, our group would give a last ditch effort to play something that sounds remotely similar to the person's request. OR, if the request were made prior to the event, one of us would spend about four hours dictating the piece onto Sibelius (a music writing program) . . . what a waste of time. What if we could all listen to music that we know well and be able to just play it?
It is no coincidence that first class orchestras are integrating diverse styles into their repertoire and collaborating with artists who specialize in popular genres in order to draw in larger audiences. Nor is it a fluke that Hillary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Yoyo Ma, Han Bin, and other famous and upcoming stars are dabbling in bluegrass, jazz, and other cross-over music. It is fun to listen to and has a more casual feeling than classical concerts usually have. In this day and age, that is just what we need. In fact, even in the olden days, improvising and playing in current styles (often in more casual settings) was extremely popular.
Take these guys:
J.S. Bach
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ludwig von Beethoven
Each of these amazing musicians improvised and played music that was current and popular during the time in which they lived, and it was of their own making. Only during Beethoven's time was the public concert hall used due to the rise of the bourgeoisie (the middle class), and even then, concerts were more interactive than the usual concert today. People would yell "encore!" at the end of a movement they loved or wanted to better understand, and the movement or piece would be played again.
This is not to suggest that I feel we should no longer play these artists' compositions, which are a part of our culture and inheritance, but that I feel we should rather model ourselves after these composers. Why should not we play popular music and improvise on it? There has become too much of a distinction between the classical and the popular, the formal and informal, the violinist and the fiddler, the instrumentalist and the composer. We need to be versitile in today's environment, especially with the incredibly tough job market.
Because I have come so much to believe in this topic, I have dedicated this semester to learning to improvise in the style of the Blues. My intention is to eventually learn many styles of music - jazz, fiddling, South-American music, and learn to improvise in them. However, one step at a time, and the Blues are first.
So, back to my panic attack . . .
This feeling started when I finished my solo recital last Friday and reality hit home that I had relatively little time to embark on this escapade to learn a completely new style and try and improvise in it for my final lecture-recital as a doctoral student.
I began to think about what I know about improvisation . . . nada. And, where to start (no clue). So I ended up listening to Billie Holiday's "Good Morning Heartbreak"Good Morning Heartache, which was totally appropriate. I remembered that I had asked a fellow violinist friend, and wonderful improviser, for book references this summer. From his suggestion, I ended up buying Jamey Aebersold's Jazz Ear Training,Vol. 42, Blues in all Keys, Jazz: Anyone Can Improvise (DVD), and Vol. 1, How to Play Jazz and Improvise. Then I met with one of my supervising professors and found out that he felt Martin Norgaard's Jazz Fiddle Wizard books might be a better fit for me. Hello, Amazon Prime.
While speaking to one of my friends about this project, I learned that she was taking a beginning improvisation class offered through the jazz department. How did I not know about this? For a person who has a relatively high GPA and IQ, I certainly do not meet my own expectations sometimes. I frantically e-mailed the Jazz professors to ask for help - perhaps I could audit the beginning class, or at least get some guidance. The response I got was what you read above. It was not what I was hoping for, but at least I get to sit in on the class.
All I can say is, the Blues I have surely do not match up to those of Billie Holiday,
Billie Holiday
who as a young girl of 11 was raped, blamed for her own rape, and made to sleep by a corpse as punishment by the nuns who were in charge of her. She tells us of this in her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues.
Yes, my Blues are those of first world problems in the year 2013.
In his video, Jazz: Anyone Can Improvise, Jamey Aebersold says that most jazz artists have a book of "licks" or virtuosic runs that they have written down and practice in all keys. My Jazz Improv professor also discussed this - "If you are listening and hear something neat that you would want to learn, figure it out and write it down." The book I am using for the Improv Class (Creative Jazz Improvisation, by Scott D. Reeves) includes written examples of famous performers improvisations for students to practice.
