The path to getting not bad

[brent.h]

1

There was a user on this forum whose signature had a Herb Ellis quote about singing everything you play. I took that advice to heart, and it helped me internalise music quickly. I sang tunes, licks, and phrases-determined-by-where-my-fingers-liked-to-go all the time. It built some kind of database in me.

When I'm up on stage playing at my jam sessions with all that chaos around me, I don't think at all because there's no time to think. But there is time to sing. There's always time to let your musical subconscious take over that dictate what should come out of you. Many times, I would just close my eyes to hear better, and I would sing and play my lines.

This strategy acclimated me to the feeling of letting go and trusting my instincts.

2

Sometimes, I would do the Tristano thing. Take a backing track, slow it the hell down, all the way until 60bpm or 70bpm, and then practise singing and playing lines in a connected, musical fashion. This relaxed me and helped me feel that this task connecting lines is doable.

This strategy helped me with real-time stringing.

3

Other times, I would compose a long-ass bebop line for the hell of it. As long as possible! Throw in every damn thing you know about Barry Harris, e.g. do a half-step and go up a chord, then do a chromatic walk down from the maj7 to the 5th, go to the 4, then execute the '4-phrase', then do an immediate pivot by playing the V as a triad, and finally land on the 1. (typical Bird/Barry sound) There are 17 notes in this phrase - great for building chops and the sound of bop in my ears. Why do this work? For me on the bandstand, snippets of this long line would somehow find its way out of me when I sang.

This strategy gave me 'safety net' licks to rely on if I was ever out of ideas.

[brent.h]

I had a thread about singing in jazz during imprvisation and I quoted Herb Ellis.
There were very different opinions on this subject... It was on this forum a long time ago.
Why did you write strange words about your approach to improvisation in a thread with "C jam blues"??
I don't understand any of this... Is this social engineering?

Why are you always trying to bully me?

This is so unpleasant.

If you want me to leave the fucking forum just say so.

Sick of this shit. What the fuck is going on? A pro picking on an amateur?

Never met a man in my life that craved so much validation that he needs to one-up another person less experienced or less skilled than him, JFC

[brent.h]

Do not tell me to not get upset.

This is not 'cultural' thing.

It is basic decency and respect; this is a 'human' thing.

I have never treated you with disrespect.

I have never criticised your philosophy of music.

I have never criticised your way of playing music.

I expected to be treated the same way, but clearly you are not capable of that because you frequently need to show how much better you are or more correct you are, especially to me.

Engaging with you in this forum has been unbearably unpleasant.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

opps!
Do you know what teamwork in a group of jazz musicians is?
Jazz is music created live.
Everyone in the jazz group listens to each other and is jointly responsible for what they have created.
It's a slightly different situation when you're alone on stage and playing concert.

oh yeah, among many of the “most important things”, playing with others is really way up there. Absolutely essential for so many reasons.