I'm Teaching a Kids Improvisation Class

[pamosmusic]

Alrighty we started lesson two today …


Short rhythmic warmup.

Refresher on the blues form, playing roots.

Then using feet and hands, we broke down the drum groove in Billie Jean … Thump=kick, Pop=snare, Sizzle=hi hat.

We broke that into sections, then had the sections play the rhythms on their instruments.

Then we went through a bunch of classic rhythms and listened to them and played them on instruments.

Syncopation generally, using the soli from Shiny Stockings.

Then talking about the quarter note push.

The Charleston, using C Jam Blues and the rest of the intro to Billie Jean.

The Big Four, having them clap on beat four during the trumpet solo in April In Paris.

The Charleston Plus Four (Tresillo) in Blank Space (T Swift) and then in La Banda (Spanish Harlem Orchestra).

Then pointed out the 2/3 son clave in La Banda and listened to Valerie (Amy Winehouse) which starts with a 3/2 clave a la Bo Diddley.

Then Brazilian clave in the OP Corcovado.

Then we took the little vamp from the verse of Valerie (just because they were into that one when I played it) and built a groove around it.

Someone took a solo and couldn’t find any space because everyone was playing those rhythms on the same pitch, so next lesson we’ll get into simple chord stuff. Major and minor triads.

Tomorrow is this lesson with the strings, Wednesday with the singers.

[pamosmusic]

My last day this week was another class.

We got into some pitches today. Just harmony.

Listened to some major and minor moods (A Train and You Can Call Me Al, and Segment and Eleanor Rigby).

We listened to some color (Blue Sky and Waiting in Vain, A Train again and Misty).

We listened to to some tension (Single Ladies, yes that’s right).

Then we listened to all those things in context in Bye Bye Blackbird.

We did some simple voiceleading with Major and minor triads and got them choosing notes to play inside the notes.

Ended by bringing the rhythms back in and having them put that together with the chorale stuff.

Would have tried to figure out a shortcut on the voiceleading stuff, not because it was too hard for them, but because of the number of transpositions in the room. Would go and help the saxes find their bearings in G and by the time I did that, the French horn had lost his place in F and the clarinets were still waiting to ask a question in C.

Wont have the same problem in strings and voices because they don’t transpose. But will be simplifying thus exercise a bit anyway.

[pamosmusic]

So teaching harmony is a little outside my purview and I don’t have any particular reason to go outside diatonic chord progressions, so for rounds two and three of the harmony lesson, we’re going to stick to that.

Weve got Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do and we’re going to build our scales based on stacking thirds and not talk so much about altering them.

I realized I gave them the framework for altering chords to make them major and minor but with no intention of or need to teach anything that wasn’t diatonic. They have theory class before they get to me so they’ll cover that whenever they cover that.

Major and minor will be by ear rather than worrying about the quality of the intervals etc

[pamosmusic]

Alright. That went way better. But my lab rats are back tomorrow -- band kids getting first crack at a class on building bass-lines.

Our listening and sequence as follows:

"Always Be My Baby" (Mariah Carey) -- this is peak bass-line. It doesn't get better. A perfect specimen. Fight me.

"Valerie" (Amy Winehouse) -- we already used it for rhythm and it's just a killer groove on roots, so they can note the difference in how much the Mariah Carey bass-line moves. The bass has a job and it only needs one note at a time to get that job done.

If they need a contrast with the static "Valerie" bassline now that they're paying attention, we'll listen to "Tighten Up" (Archie Bell and the Drells).

We'll check out walking bass with "Cool Walk" (Ray Brown).

We'll use "Tightrope" (Janelle Monae) and "Equinox" (John Coltrane) for the ostinato.

Then we'll listen to "Spiral" for the pedal point.

With time, I'll see if I can start using some of the same devices on upper voices, but we'll see.

[pamosmusic]

This one went over well.

I’ve found that the correct mix is 50/50 jazz and things the kids will like, with one song that the kids will make fun of me about.

[Bob_Ross]

Then talking about the quarter note push.

fwiw I've been a serious student of music since 1969, I have both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in music from two well-respected colleges/conservatories, 20+ years working as a full time professional musician, blah blah blah

...and I have absolutely no idea what "the quarter note push" means.

So that your junior high school students don't embarass me at the next jam session, could you please elaborate on what that means? Thanks.

[pamosmusic]

fwiw I've been a serious student of music since 1969, I have both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in music from two well-respected colleges/conservatories, 20+ years working as a full time professional musician, blah blah blah

...and I have absolutely no idea what "the quarter note push" means.

So that your junior high school students don't embarass me at the next jam session, could you please elaborate on what that means? Thanks.

A push is a the informal term for a rhythmic anticipation.

Easiest way for me to get kids to understand it is to have them play quarter notes on one note for one measure and another for the next measure.

Then you have them play 1 2 3 4+ .. 2 3 4+ etc. Changing the note on the and of four.

[AllanAllen]

So, I still don't get it.

Easiest way for me to get kids to understand it is to have them play quarter notes on one note for one measure and another for the next measure.

Clap 2 3 4
1 Clap 3 4
1 2 clap 4
1 2 3 clap

Then you have them play 1 2 3 4+ .. 2 3 4+ etc. Changing the note on the and of four.

1 clap 2 & 3 & 4 &
1 & 2 clap 3 & 4 &

And so on? How is that anticipating anything?

[pamosmusic]

So, I still don't get it.



Clap 2 3 4
1 Clap 3 4
1 2 clap 4
1 2 3 clap



1 clap 2 & 3 & 4 &
1 & 2 clap 3 & 4 &

And so on? How is that anticipating anything?

Literally clap the count I wrote …

1 2 3 4 … 1 2 3 4

so clap on every beat


rest 2 3 4+ … 2 3 4+

so clap on every beat except beat one, in which case you clap on the and of four instead

Christian has a thing on this … in his “playing fast” video but I can’t find it right now

[AllanAllen]

Thanks, I get it now. I was over-complicating it. Hopefully you'll have some funky kids by the end.

[pamosmusic]

Alright so the bassline thing went pretty well. It was tough with the singers because singing those dissonances is a little harder than playing them, but overall not bad.

This week we compose melodies.

The playlist:

For repetition ...

Straight No Chaser (Quincy Jones)
What Is This Feeling (from Wicked)

For call and response ...

Backwater Blues (Bessie Smith)
Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers)

For sequencing ...

Take On Me (A-ha)
Beethoven's Fifth, opening of mvt 1 obvs

I also have some flash cards with a bunch of little rhythms and elements we've worked on. I'm going to bring those and make them come up with melodies that use whatever they draw out of the pile.

[pamosmusic]

This went pretty well. Tried to teach too much, so we’ll be cutting the sequences portion.

Hard to get that across without a little theory. Also had a name calling situation right as I was getting there so it really threw me off my groove.

So maybe I’ll get to sequences with the orchestra group and go for it. Guess I’ll have to just read the room.