Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Ear (' Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Greg Fishman'.)

[GuyBoden]

Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Ear

For beginning transcribing by ear.

Using ' Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Greg Fishman'. But, Everything by Ear.


In this Study Group, we'll learn by ear the tracks from ' Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Greg Fishman'.

All the tracks are from common Jazz Standard changes.

These are excellent easy phrases to learn by ear, with good phrasing.

Anyone and everyone is welcome, they're not technically difficult to play, it's all about listening attentively.

Maybe, we'll learn one track every few weeks, if anyone is interested.

The tracks maybe easy, but the articulation of the phrasing needs attention.

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Lets get started:

Over the next few days, repeatedly listen to the track Milwaukee Avenue, it's a 12bar Jazz blues.

Then repeatedly listen to the first phrase on Milwaukee Avenue track up to 12sec.

Ensure that you're hearing all the details of the phrasing and the dynamics (loud and quiet bits.).

Internalise the phrase.

Hear it in your mind.
Sing along to the track. Don't play the phrase on the guitar yet, you need to hear the phrase in your mind clearly first and sing it.

Repeatedly sing along to the track, reinforcing and internalising the phrase.

The first phrase ends at 12sec in this youtube track.

[AllanAllen]

Cool. I can handle 4 bars by ear.

[AllanAllen]

You know this starts right on that pesky 11 avoid note and it sounds fine. Who came up with that anyway?

[ragman1]

Starts on the b7 (Db) of Eb7.

| Eb7 | Ab7 | Eb7 ? | Eb7 |

| Ab7 Ao | Eb7 D7 | Db7 C7 | F7...


In Eb for beginners? And not a very usual form.

The chaps might need some more info, Guy.

[GuyBoden]

We're just listening to the first phrase for a few days. Internalising the phrase, singing the phrase along with the recording, no guitar playing at the moment.

It's all about listening, internalising and singing. Very important for long term memorisation.

It's a beginners [Study Group] for learning by ear.

[ragman1]

I wouldn't play random notes without context.

There's a difference between being new to the guitar and being new to music. Most people could hum

dee-dee-dah, dee-dee-dah, dah, dah, dah

With their eyes shut. Doesn't take a genius. And certainly not need a few days, that's ridiculous!

Sorry, but personally I think that's sense. Or I'm missing something.

[GuyBoden]

Over the next few days, repeatedly listen to the track Milwaukee Avenue, it's a 12bar Jazz blues.

Then repeatedly listen to the first phrase on Milwaukee Avenue track up to 12sec.

Ensure that you're hearing all the details of the phrasing and the dynamics (loud and quiet bits.).

Internalise the phrase.

Hear it in your mind.
Sing along to the track. Don't play the phrase on the guitar yet, you need to hear the phrase in your mind clearly first and sing it.

Repeatedly sing along to the track, reinforcing and internalising the phrase.

The first phrase ends at 12sec in this youtube track.

[AllanAllen]

Starts on the b7 (Db) of Eb7.

| Eb7 | Ab7 | Eb7 ? | Eb7 |

| Ab7 Ao | Eb7 D7 | Db7 C7 | F7...


In Eb for beginners? And not a very usual form.

The chaps might need some more info, Guy.

Whoops, I just assumed it was Bb since it was the first tune in a beginners book. I also wonder why he would pick Eb. Needless to say, it's not starting on the 11th.

[mr. beaumont]

Well, I am interested to see where this goes. It does seem very easy...but maybe not for a true beginner?

[ragman1]

Whoops, I just assumed it was Bb since it was the first tune in a beginners book. I also wonder why he would pick Eb. Needless to say, it's not starting on the 11th.

Believe it or not, I'm not trying to derail or spoil Guy's thread. But I'm quite sure he's got the book there and the book has the music in it. So he can see what key it's in plus the form and the solo. So it's in his mind.

But he's asking the contributor to the thread to go in blind and it assumes they can't sing or hear a very, very simple little pattern of notes. I can only presume it's for those who really have no idea at all about jazz and probably not much idea about music either.

Of course, memorising the solo on the whole video would be quite demanding. I'm also not sure about what happens to the blues form in Eb after a while, it seems to go off on something else. But I haven't tried to pin it down yet.

I think I understand what his idea is but personally I'd never approach a thing like this that way. And, since I'm nothing out of the ordinary, that would probably apply to the majority of people. I shouldn't think it applies to the vast percentage of posters here.

So I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just voicing my thoughts. Guy hasn't bothered to reply to me, just repeated his initial posts. So there we are. We'll have to see what happens :-)

[mr. beaumont]

Re: Eb, the book says alto and tenor sax edition...

It's an interesting concept for a book and method...Maybe the idea of learning things by ear isn't so foreign to some of us as that was the only way to do it when we were younger...I got very good at picking up rock stuff off the radio when I was a kid...and then of course when I started to learn jazz by ear, it really threw me for a loop...it felt a little like starting over, but it wasn't really, the hours I had spent copping Jerry Garcia licks was actually really beneficial...

So this book can sort of act like a bridge, or the intro to a "lost art" for today's beginners who have always had YouTube...it'd be interesting to see what the author was thinking...trying to get people to hear certain intervals, chromatics...I think this "Milwaukee Ave" tune was composed very intentionally...

Or maybe the author just wants us to listen to his stuff over and over "I loved it...it was better than CATS...I'm going to see it again and again."

[ragman1]

The radio, of course, would be much more difficult because blink and you miss it. I did it on a record player, lifting the arm endlessly, hours on end at school while I should have been doing something else. But I got my notes and I could copy whole clawhammer solos perfectly... eventually. Jerry Garcia's solos look simple but are really effective.

There is a tune called Milwaukee Blues by Charlie Poole but it's a fast-ish banjo tune. It's on You Tube.

[mr. beaumont]

The radio, of course, would be much more difficult because blink and you miss it. I did it on a record player, lifting the arm endlessly, hours on end at school while I should have been doing something else. But I got my notes and I could copy whole clawhammer solos perfectly... eventually. Jerry Garcia's solos looked simple but are really effective.

There is a tune called Milwaukee Blues but it's a fast banjo tune. It's on You Tube.

Yeah, I said radio, but really I meant off a recording. My days it was tape, we'd tape songs off the radio all the time and listen back and learn later. Though once I got good enough at identifying chords, I could hear them in real time, away from the guitar...I remember being in somebody's car and being able to figure out Sheryl Crow's "If it Makes You Happy" as I was listening to it. I mean, it's a simple 5 chord tune in G major. But to be able to do that as a teenager really showed me the value of ear training and how far someone could go with it. There's folks who can hear Charlie Parker lines one time and figure them out...

[ragman1]

Ah, the pause button :-)

But you're a good muso and you have the ear and you were training your ear with all that listening. But you weren't trying to train your ear, it was happening because of your interest.

There's folks who can hear Charlie Parker lines one time and figure them out...

No. Comment. :-)

[AllanAllen]

Re: Eb, the book says alto and tenor sax edition...

So...the point is some horns are in Eb and some are Bb? I'm aware of an Eb real book, but I don't know who uses it. I thought horns were Bb and strings were C.

[pamosmusic]

So...the point is some horns are in Eb and some are Bb? I'm aware of an Eb real book, but I don't know who uses it. I thought horns were Bb and strings were C.

Alto in Eb
Trumpet, Clarinet and Tenor in Bb
Horn F
Strings and keys, along with Trombone, Tuba, and some other specialty horns in C

All sorts of oddball other things too

[ragman1]

So it was a tuba!

[mr. beaumont]

But you weren't trying to train your ear, it was happening because of your interest.-)

Yes and no. I'm not sure I knew what the real value was, but I knew I was able to figure out the things I wanted to figure out quicker the more I did it.

[ragman1]

I was able to figure out the things I wanted to figure out quicker the more I did it.

Like most things, of course. Like making pizza

[ragman1]

Good luck!

How to Transpose – a Guide for Saxophones - bettersax.com

[GuyBoden]

Milwaukee Avenue

PART ONE

Learning Phrase one.

Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Ear

Over the next few days, repeatedly listen to the track Milwaukee Avenue, it's a 12bar Jazz blues.

Then repeatedly listen to the first phrase on Milwaukee Avenue track up to 12sec.

Ensure that you're hearing all the details of the phrasing and the dynamics (loud and quiet bits.).

Internalise the phrase.

Hear it in your mind.
Sing along to the track. Don't play the phrase on the guitar yet, you need to hear the phrase in your mind clearly first and sing it.

Repeatedly sing along to the track, reinforcing and internalising the phrase.

The first phrase ends at 12sec in this youtube track.

[Irishmuso]

IAnd certainly not need a few days, that's ridiculous!

Ah, the joys of beginner mind. It might seem extreme, but I quite like the idea of taking some time on an intial exercise. It's not as if it's the only thing that you would be doing over a few days. Let it sink in and see what happens. What's the rush?

[GuyBoden]

Milwaukee Avenue

PART TWO

Learning Phrase one.

Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Ear.

After a few days of listening attentively and Internalising the first phrase in the Milwaukee Avenue 12bar Jazz blues track.

Sing the first phrase without the recording. (This is important. It demonstrates that you have Internalised the phrase.)

Only, when you can sing the first phrase without the recording, start finding the notes of the phrase on your guitar.

The first note of the phrase is Eb.

Find the other notes of the phrase, slowly, one note after another.

Once you have found all the notes, play the phrase along with the recording.

Ensure that you're playing and hearing all the details of the phrasing and the dynamics in the recording.

Play the phrase along without the recording.

Once you can play the phrase, imagine the notes on each fret as you play them. (This visualisation of the notes helps memory too.)

Enjoy, have fun, there's no magic, it's all about using your ears.

[GuyBoden]

Milwaukee Avenue

PART THREE

Learning Phrase two.

Jazz Phrasing for Beginners by Ear

We'll be listening and internalising, then adding the next phrase, by using our ears only.

Over the next few days, repeatedly listen to the track Milwaukee Avenue, it's a 12bar Jazz blues.

Then repeatedly listen to the phrases on Milwaukee Avenue track up to 30sec.

Ensure that you're hearing all the details of the phrasing and the dynamics (loud and quiet bits.).

Internalise the phrases.

Hear them in your mind.
Sing along to the track. Don't play the phrases on the guitar yet, you need to hear the phrases in your mind clearly first and sing them.

Repeatedly sing along to the track, reinforcing and internalising the phrases.

The phrases ends at 30sec in this youtube track.

[GuyBoden]

Part three, is the same process as before, but we'll be adding the next phrase that ends at about 30secs on the Milwaukee Avenue track.

Just use your ears, have fun, it's a nice track.