Etudes Part II. Learning improvisational language through practice, phrase and etudes

[Boston Joe]

Depends on what you think of as bop. I asked Mick Goodrick one time about how he thought of the music he made, it wasn't the type of jazz that I considered bebop; that was people like Joe Pass, Doug Rainey and Bruce Foreman. I asked Mick if he ever played bebop. He said "This is all bebop. This is the way I play it." Over the years, I came to understand the rules, and the same things we're learning in these etudes are the same things that shaped Mick's sound, especially evident when he was playing with Jimmy and they'd play standards all the time. Years later, I was having a talk with Sco, and he thinks of his music in the same way. Traditional jazz done his way.

It all exists on a continuum, sure. My observation (which was intended more a wry interjection than a serious question) is just that Bird was so instrumental in developing the language, that one would be hard pressed not to find echos of it all over the place. Presumably, Mick and Sco studied that stuff, and so however mutant their interpretation may be, it's still got Bird DNA in it. (Though I notice Sco does make distinctions between "John Scofield," "The John Scofield Band," "The John Scofield Trio," and "The John Scofield Real Jazz Trio" (in addition to his named bands.) Though I suppose that's probably more for marketing purposes than any real musical distinction.)

[Dana]

Bird was a pioneer, but he certainly wasn't the one guy who created Bebop. Dizzy, Monk, Bud Powell and dozens of others helped to contribute to genre. And each one had their own stamp they put on it.

Wry interjections aside, in most of the modern players I'm familiar with, I don't quite hear direct quotes like those on that Irving Street solo. I'm guessing they're intentional for teaching purposes.

[christianm77]

Dizzy Gillespie immediately comes to mind. Oz Noy is a modern example. So is Adam Rogers.

I suppose if you've never studied Bird solos, then you won't encounter any Bird-isms when you study bebop.

Won't you get them second hand don't you think? Oz says he started with Wes. There's a lot of Bird in Wes, esp. the early stuff.

Adam Rogers is an interesting one. What do you make of the first chorus of his solo on Dexterity? I actually hear Lester....

I really like Oz Noy.

[christianm77]

Wry interjections aside, in most of the modern players I'm familiar with, I don't quite hear direct quotes like those on that Irving Street solo. I'm guessing they're intentional for teaching purposes.

That's a nice point.... I think becoming a mature bop player is actually avoiding Parker licks like that....

[Dana]

Won't you get them second hand don't you think? Oz says he started with Wes. There's a lot of Bird in Wes, esp. the early stuff.

Adam Rogers is an interesting one. What do you make of the first chorus of his solo on Dexterity?

I really like Oz Noy.

I don't know Christian. This is why I don't like getting into these discussions. I'm all about what makes sense to me, not universal truths. It's not important what I think about Adam Rogers's solo on Dexterity. It's what you think about it, and how you understand it, and how it helps you as a player that counts.

I simply saw some Bird quotes in the solo and mentioned them. Using the solo to initiate some discussion. The response was less than satisfying, but not surprising.

[Boston Joe]

Using the solo to initiate some discussion. The response was less than satisfying, but not surprising.

Well, sorry of I let you down. I'll try to be more of an intellectual next time.

[Dana]

Well, sorry of I let you down. I'll try to be more of an intellectual next time.

I highly doubt that. I've actually seen you play.

[Boston Joe]

Have you? Do I know you IRL?

[christianm77]

Yeah, not a terribly relevant thing to say unless you know it. I bring it up cos it’s the clearest example I’ve heard of Adam playing rhythm changes in a pretty inside, classic way, and his lines are very inside, almost more Lester or Dexter than Bird.

You made a very interesting point I thought.

[Dana]

Yeah, not a terribly relevant thing to say unless you know it. I bring it up cos it’s the clearest example I’ve heard of Adam playing rhythm changes in a pretty inside, classic way, and his lines are very inside, almost more Lester or Dexter than Bird.

You made a very interesting point I thought.

I took a few Skype lessons from Adam. He told me he'd spent a lot of time playing Bird solos. I was amazed how he could play them from memory. But, then he does his own thing so well. Hell, he does EVERYTHING well.

[christianm77]

I took a few Skype lessons from Adam. He told me he'd spent a lot of time playing Bird solos. I was amazed how he could play them from memory. But, then he does his own thing so well. Hell, he does EVERYTHING well.

This does not surprise me.

[TH]

Let's take a look at what happens when you take a chorus of a tune, what you do, what you don't do and how we can change the way we think, and play.
Melodic embellishment and ornamentation can be looked at as freeing yourself from the constraints of expectation. It's also a way of thinking that has so many options that you really needn't repeat yourself, sound like a copped lick or fall into the habits of another person's phrasing.

Around my town, there's a really good tenor player, Jerry Bergonzi. One of the priceless things about going to see him is he welcomes curiousity and the questioning listener. Listening to him come up with great phrases one after another without any identifiable bag of licks, I asked him what's most important in executing a good solo. He said Rhythm. A good solo starts with a feeling of speaking, phrases that breathe, flow from one to the other, allow space to make a statement and good rhythms are an orchestration of dramatic content in themselves. Then he played a chorus filled with all sorts of notes that didn't "belong there" but the rhythms took me on the ride. And the chorus was really good! So look as embellishments as ways to fit a rhythmic scheme, practice swing and learn the weight and value of notes and how they change time sense.
Jerry also said he doesn't focus on what notes he's playing as much as shapes. Ascending. Descending. Wide leaps. Run. Changes in direction. Controlling contour is a huge game changer for a thoughtful soloist.

This post is concerned with the A section of Irving Park.
But before you look at the etude itself, take a look at A Train. Get to know the changes and play a few choruses taking note of what you're thinking, what options you are aware of and the amount of control you have in your soloing process.
Then try to play a solo with as few notes as you can. A train with half notes, quarter notes, maybe even 3 notes per bar but try to explore where you're placing the notes. On the beat? Off the beat? Where am I playing on the neck? Same safe position? Do I move along the string as I phrase? How does my linear approach effect the way I hear?

When you're able to think so you can hear the notes and statements clearly, then think that way. And embellish those notes. Create rhythmic phrases that tell a story.

That's a suggestion of how we might use this material.

A few thoughts:
1) You can create a weighty statement with longer notes. Even a whole note can be entire statement.
2) Creating space (rest) after a statement frames the previous phrase and brings attention to it. Rests are essential, don't just see them as the absence of music; they ARE yin/yang to notes.
3) You can use the weak beat, in an eight couplet, in a quarter note place... to begin a phrase. This takes advantage of instability and draws you into the conclusion of your phrase. Experiment with this.
4) An arpeggio is a very strong statement. If it occurs after a set-up, or embellishment, it can have even more suprise and impact.
5) If you find yourself playing the obvious, stop, and find a musical target, a chord tone or phrase from the melody and set it up with lower and/or upper neighbors. You'd be surprised at how this small adjustment to your playing intention can change your sound.
6) You can end a phrase, a bar or a thought with long notes, or you can even take the space within the 4th beat of a measure to start an approach, a pickup or a neighbor in the next measure. Cross the bar line! It makes the listener sit up and pay attention.
7) Embellishments, enclosures, upper and lower neighbors can be diatonic or chromatic. Really experiment and learn the sound.

Now if you look at this list, it can be daunting. But if you really want it, spend the time and internalize what they mean. And then find these devices in the A section of Irving Park Road etude. You can hear these in graceful application.

Don't you DARE use these phrases right from the etude though. Identify what's going on and create your own phrases. Make it swing an work on it until the time is good; until you're confident. It will come.

Below is one analysis of the A section, not because it's useful that way, but it's what I sometimes do to help me create my own awareness which I do practice.
Have fun and yes, this is going to take time, but when it's yours, it's not going to take a moment's thought to play some very hip music.

David


The highlighted horizontal lines are the root of the chord. Arabic numerals are the notes within the scale. Circles are roots. CT means chord tone. UN= upper neighbor. LN= lower neighbor.

If you're going to play the etude, try not to become fixed in one location on the fingerboard. Use different root locations.