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Learning to voice lead over changes is challenging. I think Elliot's "Connecting Game" is a great learning technique, but it is difficult to the point of frustration at first. So I have been thinking about intermediate steps to work up to this exercise. One idea is to play the CG over standards using only triads at first, leaving out sevenths and extensions. Then, when you are really good at that, add in the sevenths, and finally the extensions.
That is just one idea. Does it make sense to you? How did you work up to the Connecting Game?
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11-23-2013 10:29 AM
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Sounds like a good exercise but for me triad arpeggios are harder to play than arpeggios over 7th chord.
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What is Elliott's connecting game? Can someone give me a pointer?
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I am just getting to grips with the connecting game and while it is difficult at first and I thought that I would never get it , I find after a couple of weeks I am getting there so I would suggest sticking at it! IMHO
Alain
An introduction to Jazz guitar soloing BY Joe Elliot.
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Can anyone explain?
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Elliot's soloing book teaches you 7th arpeggios based on Major Scale Patterns 1 and 3, I believe and also Minor Scale Patterns 2 and 4.
To set you up to play the connecting game, you choose from one of several chord progressions, such as iim7-V7-IMaj7, and you play the iim7 arpeggio from the lowest root note of the iim7 all the way up and down the pattern until you return to that root.
Then the progression goes to the V7. You then do the same, starting from the lowest root of the V7. Repeat for the IMaj7 chord, which might span 2 measures.
Once you have the arpeggios under your fingers and in your head, you are ready to try and play the connecting game.
You choose your progression, and then you try to improvise just using the arpeggio patterns for each chord. You are also taught substitute arpeggios for a give chord such as the IVMaj7 major arpeggio for the iim7, which would in the case of C Major, be substituting the F Major 7 arpeggio for the D minor 7 arpeggio.
The book goes much deeper than that and teaches you to incorporate the use of the altered scale on the V7 chord, and also Locrian #2 for the iim7b5 chord of the minor 2-5-1 progression, which is of course iim7b5 - V7 - im7.
It really gets deep when it stars harmonizing the Melodic Minor Scale for you to have a pool of notes that theoretically speaking, should work with a given chord. This should get you the modern "outside" notes.
Personally, it has been a struggle for me and it takes time and discipline but I am a "true believer" that it is one of many paths toward learning to improvise.
I believe forum member fep is the one that started up the study group for this book. It has been very helpful to me and from the looks of some of the posted videos, to others as well. Just look it up with the search feature. It is there for posterity as long as Dirk keeps this website alive and breathing.
NOTE: One thing that I just discovered in the book in the latter chapters is a section that tries to advise you on utilizing fingering as you solo. I have read instances where forum member Reg alludes to his fingering is constructed such that he positions the root on a certain finger and then takes it from there. I have recently started to pay more attention to fingering as another path to improvisation.
I hope this helps the curious...
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Thanks for the explanation.
So there are two perspectives. One is to just struggle through until you get it; the other is to break it down into intermediate steps. There are a lot of ways simplification can be done. You could start by just playing all the ones, then threes, then fives, then sevens. Then you could play pairs, then triads. You could also start with a visual aide. (Does Elliot recommend this?). You can make things easier by going slower, or working on shorter passages.
I'm just wondering about other methods people in the "make it easier" camp have used.
The whole struggle v. simplify question is an interesting one. I am aware of the concept of beneficial difficulties, but it seems to be one of those concepts that works, except when it doesn't. If something is too easy, boredom sets in. If something is too hard, frustration sets in.
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I had made some connecting game study video a little while back where I did only triads on the A part of 'all of me' and in the second round I did the four note arpeggios. I got the hang of triads after attending a gypsy jazz workshop. It is true that they are harder to play - but it is a great right hand workout (which is where, I think, I am weakest). Also, there are much fewer triad arpeggios obviously. So the learning curve is less steep.
Here it is
Last edited by Frank67; 11-23-2013 at 04:52 PM.
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Your points are well put, as usual, Jonzo.
Originally Posted by Jonzo
In consideration of your pursuit of finding the best way to use this concept I have to share another recent discovery. At least for my brain, I do so much better keeping a chart in front of my so that I have that visual image.
I apparently made a mistake from Day 1 on the guitar in that I would take a few moments to memorize a pattern, scale, mode, etc.. and then would just work from the image in my mind rather than continuing to have the visual images in front of me.
I am going to experiment this week since I will finally have a few days free.
I am going to: 1) Make a big poster with only the iim7, V7, and IMaj7 arpeggios in front of me; 2) Set up Band in a Box with "Situation 1" which is a major 2-5-1 with the "1" chord having 2 measures; 3) Force myself to play the connecting game with only the above arpeggios and see what happens when I saturate myself.
Like you said, boredom can become an issue. Also, being unable to deviate and throw in some ideas you already know can be a source of stressful frustration. Still, I am going to give this a try for a few heavy, concentrated days and see what happens.
I am going to tape it too so I can review.
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Thanks! I'll check it out. Originally Posted by trevorS
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Nice job Frank...
To add to what has been said... The connecting game is all 8th notes, no rests, no exceptions. When moving to the next chord you go to a nearby chord tone and start the next arpeggio from there (so you aren't always starting from the root).
In general, for the first half of the book, you play arpeggios for the chord (or arpeggios over a substitute chord). On V7 chords you can play the arpeggio or the altered scale, on iim7b5 chords an arpeggio of the chord or the locrian #2 scale...
I'm sure I'm missing some things, time to review the book again.
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You summed it up well, especially the books "rule" about using only 8th notes. Originally Posted by fep
Also, as you pointed out, once you start playing the game to improvise, you don't have to start on the root of each arpeggio, this is only recommended during the learning stage of the arpeggio. Of course, you should be able to modify it by starting on the third, fifth, seventh, etc...
I would add that once you start trying to use the notes to improvise in the connecting game, you may want to try and find nice entry points when connecting one arpeggio to another, such as going from a 3rd of the originating chord to the 7th of the destination chord, trying to stay on the chord tones. Just a thought.
This is the theory, I will find out for myself how it works this week. Stay tuned....
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All 8th notes no rests ? That's right out of the Howard Roberts play book .
Mimi Fox suggests this to in her book on arpeggios and jazz standards. Joe Pass does it to in his "Guitar Style" book. Part of this is that it develops the ability to play long lines, part of it is technique, and part of it is that it makes for one less thing to worry about! ;o)Last edited by MarkRhodes; 06-17-2014 at 01:21 PM.
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Aha! Originally Posted by NSJ
All 8th notes no rests ? That's right out of the Howard Roberts play book .
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I have been meaning to try this out, and this thread is giving me some motivation. As far as playing the changes triads are a fundamental way to do it, and I'm sure it greatly helps you to see the changes on the fretboard.
At a clinic at Anne Arundel College Julian Lage talked about playing with triads as a kind of 'spine' and precedes to play over a II-V-I-VI using various inversions and what have you. Here it is.
I started transcribing it and didn't finish, but I would be motivated to finish it if anyone is interesting. He does use passing tones and other chord tones, and when he says he will add more notes gets notably fancier. It is still a great example of fluidly improvising with triads as the basis, and the leaps he uses give it a nice almost contrapuntal feel. Something to try out.
Before he talks he actually plays a bar of 6/4, likely on accident...hard to improvise and talk at the same time haha.
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Just checking back as I promised (for those who are curious).
This connecting game is starting to become fun. It has forced me to assess just what it is I am looking for in a solo.
I immediately am having trouble nailing the changes. I am experimenting going into each measure on the root, on the third, and on the seventh.
One caveat is that because you are only playing arpeggios, the game can be a little boring. I am trying to beat the notes and shapes into my head so I can actually sing it with my voice (OK, hum it with my voice) and I am already starting to become comfortable.
I am even more hopeful, now. I will leave it at that.
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Well, arps without chromatics will sound boring. Why can't you incorporate chromatics from the start?
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That's a good question. Originally Posted by princeplanet
I am just trying to trust the process. The author/instructor seems to think it is wiser to start out thinking in terms of arpeggios and really get it under your belt before you to to chromatics.
I have made the mistake of trying to learn too much at once and don't want to make that same mistake again. Plus, I like the challenge of trying to create nice music with a limited pool of notes - kind of like the homeless guy with the one guitar string on his guitar, yet he was still able to create music that was listenable.
I keep telling myself, "trust the process, trust the process, trust............."
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Sure, and I hear you, but is it THE process, or just one of many ? .... Originally Posted by AlsoRan
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I think using just the arps is a good first step. It's easier to get them under your fingers and in your mind and ear that way. It gets one in touch with knowing where the chord tones are and how they sound. Also, this kind of restrictive practice forces one to get out of their usual lines and learn new pathways. Originally Posted by princeplanet
Later in the book you start writing lines, that's were most of us added chromatics to our lines.
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Obviously not "The Process" but one of many. Originally Posted by princeplanet
I think there is value in following one process for a while as opposed to chasing every new colorful balloon that floats by.
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True enough. Originally Posted by fep
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Princeplanet, there are many methods and you have folks coming up with new "methods" all the time. Originally Posted by princeplanet
Some teach using triads, as the title of the thread speaks to. You approach soloing by combining triads, stacking them on top of each other in certain specific ways allow you to hit extensions of a chord (9ths, 11ths, 13ths) and even altered notes.
There is also the approach of using scales over each chord, and by moving scale shapes up and down a few frets from a chord you are soloing over, you can hit certain notes that are not in the scale (ie altered notes such as b5 and #9) and yet still hit enough chord tones to sound good.
Others teach learning to improvise by learning lines and using your ears to adjust them to fit a particular progression.
Yes Sir - there are many methods. I just chose this one because it seems to fit my way of learning the best, given my brain's wiring and the amoung to time I have to practice and play.
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Gotcha, but was just thinking how in a hundred years there will be a museum dedicated to the Totally Ineffective Jazz Guitar Methods, and I will be personally donating much of my own collection! Originally Posted by AlsoRan
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I did a coupla years of just stitching together arps, but then had to redo all that work to make it sound more like jazz- after realizing no-one sounded like that, like an exercise... Chromatically targeting and/or embellishing chord tones as well as practicing all the arps would have saved me time, that's all. Just like practicing devices, or language instead of just scales. One can argue that there is some benefit to years of naked scales, but for me, I know much of the time I spent there should have been put to better use.
But then, the pedagogy is young I suppose...
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PP, I just went through my journey through the 1st half of The Introduction to Jazz Guitar Soloing by Elliot. I haven't been through any book/method that has helped me as much as this one. It has really got me comfortable with arpeggios and "making the changes" and playing the modes of the melodic minor scale and keeping my place in a tune.
This was good for me as it narrowed my focus, it creates an organized plan, and it doesn't overcomplicated things. The theory is easy and quick to learn, the book is more about what to practice than anything else, that's were the time is put in. I'm just a hobbiest like many of us. This improvement in my playing was over just a few months.
My favorite book -
Chapter 5 - Learning the connecting game, pretty mechanical sounding
Chapter 11 - altered scale is added to the connecting game, after all these years finally starting to become comfortable with the altered scale (and the melodic minor scale)
Ch 13 - Writing licks, now combining things and writing our own licks. This was fun...
Ch. 15 - inserting and disguising licks into tunes, trying to use the tools over tunes. At this point I've added some new and important tools to my toolbox.
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