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How To Steal Like A Pro - 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics - Jazzadvice PDF
How To Steal Like A Pro - 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics - Jazzadvice PDF
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Inspiration for improvisers
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29.1.2018 How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics | Jazzadvice
Y
our mother probably taught you not to
steal…That taking something that
wasn’t yours was wrong or that
pocketing an item from the shelves of a
store could land you into a world of trouble. But what
you or your dear mum might not realize is that some of
your favorite improvisers are cold-blooded thieves.
And it’s not just musicians that are guilty of this sin.
You see the rules are a little di erent when it comes to learning a cra . In the
world of jazz improvisation, musical the is actually one of the best ways to
learn the crucial skills you need to play a solo.
Think of yourself like a musical Robin Hood…you know, the whole “steal
from the rich and give to the poor” thing. But in this case you (the practicing
musician) are the poor one without any musical riches. You need ideas,
harmonic techniques and creative inspiration.
What all those books and courses won’t tell you is that music theory is
useless without a real-life model. You need someone to show you how to put
all of those scales and chords together in a way that makes sense – that
makes music.
But I’m willing to bet that you’ve heard all of this before…
So rather than telling you to do it, let’s dig a little deeper. Below we’ll show
you exactly why stealing is essential for your improvement and explore 3
ways you can implement creative the into your routine.
A TRADITION OF “BORROWING
IDEAS”
One of the most important aspects of learning to improvise is imitation.
And the more you study innovators and leaders, you’ll realize that you’re not
alone. History is full of people that took an established idea, that found a
working process or method and adapted it to their own situation. Look at
Henry Ford or Steve Jobs.
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29.1.2018 How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics | Jazzadvice
The more time you spend listening, the more you’ll hear the influence of past
players in the new musicians of today. This is because style has to have a
starting place – a point of inspiration or influence.
You don’t have any ideas. You’re struggling through a chord progression.
You’re staring at a page in the Real Book and you’re drawing a blank. Sure,
you know how scales and chords work, but for some reason these things
aren’t turning into a satisfying solo.
Or maybe you’ve found yourself bored with the same old scales and licks. No
matter what tune you play, every solo starts to sound the same.
Every musician can relate to these situations, but what can you actually do
overcome these roadblocks?
For example, let’s say you are trying to play Giant Steps and you don’t know
where to begin. Instead of improvising blindly or trying to match scales with
the chords in the Real Book, stop and try a new approach.
Find a player or recording that you like and make their musical ideas your
own:
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29.1.2018 How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics | Jazzadvice
For instance, maybe the opening line of John Coltrane’s solo (at :26 sec)
grabs your ear. Steal it – transcribe it, memorize it and figure out why it
works:
00:04 00:07
Start by learning this line in all keys, gradually increasing the tempo until you
can easily play it along with the recording:
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As you try improvising, use this Coltrane line as your starting point, inserting
the line directly into your solos. (The process is exactly the same for single
chords, progressions, or tunes that you are having trouble with.)
00:15 00:19
A er a few run throughs you’ll start to get bored with the original line. You’ll
want to alter the rhythm, change the direction of the melody or the
intervallic structure, to alter notes and chords – this is where your creativity
comes in!
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You can steal a musical approach – a way of playing melodies or applying
Jazzadvice
harmonic concepts to chords and tunes that is unique.
ARTICLES CONNECT COURSES GET PREMIUM
And this technique can open up new avenues of creative expression,
especially
NOW READING:
when you encounter tricky spots in a tune or find yourself bored
How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Incredibly Useful ...
with your solos.
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29.1.2018 How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics | Jazzadvice
Start by isolating the parts of your playing that need work and find the
players and solos that have what you need. You might steal a new way to
play over V7 chords, options for navigating the first 4 bars of rhythm
changes, or even ideas for improvising over minor ii-V’s.
Rather than a lick that has to be played the same way each time, these
musical techniques are particularly e ective because they can be applied to
any chord or tune in countless variations.
For example, let’s say you like the way Charlie Parker is approaching and
resolving the V7 chords in his blues choruses on Cheryl.
Charlie Parker-Cheryl
Perhaps the line Parker plays at 1:49 in the video grabs your attention:
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00:00 00:06
Find the harmonic concept at work and steal it for your own solos! In this
particular case Parker is altering the V7 chord over a ii-V-I. As you can see
below, he emphasizes the altered notes of the dominant chord on strong
beats:
For example, here’s an easy way you could apply this Parker concept of
adding altered notes (b9, #9, b13) to a basic ii-V line:
Or looking at the same line in another way, you can steal the melodic
technique of a descending b2 triad over a V7 chord:
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00:00 00:03
You can use this technique in the exact same way Parker does or you can
apply this concept in your own unique way – totally up to you.
Again, it’s not so much the exact notes that you’re stealing as it is the
harmonic & melodic techniques that you’re extracting and applying to your
own language and solos.
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29.1.2018 How to Steal like a Pro: 3 Jazz Improvisation Tactics | Jazzadvice
And for many aspiring improvisers, this is the vital aspect of a solo that’s
missing. The piece of the puzzle that turns all of those scales and theory
concepts into music that people actually want to listen to.
…this is where the third element of musical the comes into play.
As an example, think about the way Miles plays a solo or the feel of the
album Kind of Blue:
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Within seconds of pressing play the sound of the trumpet creates a mood
and the entire recording creates a vibe. Beyond notes and harmonic
techniques, this is the element that you need to take from your favorite
players.
Start by identifying the players that speak to you, the recordings that inspire
you, and the solos that you wish were your own.
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You might want to play like Kenny Garrett, to absorb Joe Henderson’s time
and sound, Chet’s melodicism, or Freddie Hubbard’s tone and articulation.
Or maybe you’d like to phrase like Louis Armstrong or swing like Cannonball
– it’s completely up to you.
By shutting down your analytical mind, closing your eyes and opening your
ears you’ll become one with the musical lines of a master. This exercise can
become one of the most inspiring and insightful things you do in the practice
room.
You can escape the predictable approaches to your own solos and
discover new possibilities within the music.
We think there are rules in place that we must follow, hidden methods that
hold all the secrets, or a magic scale or approach to a chord progression that
will show us the answers.
But the truth is that the answers you’re looking for are right in front of you,
you simply have to take them.
And you should be stealing every little detail, not just the notes…
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Spend a few minutes identifying the places in your playing that need the
most improvement or the aspects of improvisation that are holding you
back.
Then isolate that chord, progression, or tune and pick your favorite player to
borrow an idea from. It could be one of their musical lines, a harmonic
concept, or simply one of your favorite recordings that you imitate.
It’s all there, hidden in the recording – you just have to steal it!
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7 Musical Devices
That Will Give Your
Solos Irresistible
Style
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