Inspiration

See the similarity?

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.

Bessie Smith
Pouring herself a shot to sing the St. Louis Blues
See the full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Who6fTHJ34

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!