Bebop

**DMatthewsBand07** · 07-31-2008, 09:02 PM

I used to be an obsessive scale and arpeggio runner. We're talking hours a day with a metronome. A few months ago Mr. MW suggested that I take most of my time to work with tunes rather than obsessing over perfect technique. I took his suggestion and have improved with my improvisation more than I ever could have expected. On the other hand, my technique has slipped a little (a small price to pay). I've been looking for ways to use tunes to improve my technique. I just recently got the "Bebop Classics" Hal Leonard book because I've heard playing bebop was a great way to keep your technique sharp (and man is it challenging). I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions for how to work on technique within the context of a tune. Things you do, advice you've heard... etc. I'm open to it all.

**Smitty** · 08-01-2008, 10:11 AM

Interesting. I'm not really sure. I work on technique first and then scales and chords and then tunes/improvization. That works fairly well for me, though I'm still not the best improvizer. Working on technique in the context in the tune, though, is a difficult thing to address. I guess you could run over all the scales you could use over each chord, and then maybe try and apply another artist's (or even one of yours) lick or run over it. But when it all comes down to it, perfect technique only helps you say what you want during the improvization, so practicing technique while practicing improv may stifle your creativity.
smitty

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-01-2008, 10:23 AM

Yea that's sort of what I'm going for. I'm working on Ornithology right now and I've got the head down. I haven't quite got parts of it up to speed yet but, still, I can already feel my hands getting stronger and more nimble. Only by a little, but hey, it's only been a couple of days. I suppose you could get the same effect form learning, say, Tal Farlow or Herb Ellis licks (or anyone who plays those quick awkward little bebop phrases). I'm just fishing for ideas. It's something to think about. I mean, if you can kill two birds with one stone, then why not?

**fep** · 08-01-2008, 05:54 PM

How about using backing tracks, like band in a box, and loop a section, maybe just a couple chords, and come up with your own licks for that loop, perhaps just a couple phrases. Now take your own phrases and work on technique, make them clean, speed up the band-in-a-box tempo, play the same phrase in other positions, change keys. Play in in eights, triplets, sixteenths, sixes etc.

The point is, you can work on technique while practicing your own phrases. Perhaps not improvisation, but a lot closer to improv than running scales or arpeggios.

Carl Verheyen, a monster guitarist imo, keeps a 'lick diary'. He is constantly adding to it and it has become rather large. His point is if you're going to practice licks, you might as well practice your own licks. That way you develop your own style.

**m78w** · 08-02-2008, 09:34 AM

A great exercise when working on bebop tunes is to improvise using only the rhythm from the melody. So if you were working on Ornithology you would play the head, then play a solo that uses the exact same rhythm as the head only with your own notes.

This may be tricky to do at first so you might want to write out a few choruses and play through those to get the process down, then try it on your own.

Also why stop at just learning the head to Ornithology? If you really want to dig into bebop then I would suggest learning Parker's solo on the tune. That'll definately help with pharasing, technique, feel, vocabulary etc.

MW

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-02-2008, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by m78w

Also why stop at just learning the head to Ornithology? If you really want to dig into bebop then I would suggest learning Parker's solo on the tune. That'll definately help with pharasing, technique, feel, vocabulary etc.

I like the rhythm idea. Charlie Parker solo, though. That's rough. Maybe if I just set a lick per day goal or something. That's a great idea in theory. Let's see if I can do it. I'll let you know.

thanks

**Smitty** · 08-02-2008, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by DMatthewsBand07

I like the rhythm idea. Charlie Parker solo, though. That's rough. Maybe if I just set a lick per day goal or something. That's a great idea in theory. Let's see if I can do it. I'll let you know.

thanks

On my last lesson, my jazz teacher made me sight read that solo

.
smitty

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-02-2008, 12:36 PM

Wow. That's gotta be a good time. I always joke around with my teacher about my sight reading...

I've gotten to be a pretty good improviser and I got my theory going on, but I know 8 year olds who sight read better than me. I noticed that any time he hands me a tough classical piece to read, I get about 8 measures through it and I just start sweating. It's weird. Even if I'm doing well. It's like an aversion or something.

How'd you do with that by the way? If you still have the music and can scan it for me and post it or something, that'd be awesome. If not, then it's probably better for me to try and pick some licks out by ear anyway.

Question for MW, what kind of sight reading pieces do you think I might be handed at an audition?

**m78w** · 08-02-2008, 01:20 PM

For your audition I would expect you to get a tune out of the real book put in front of you. Then you would be required to read the melody, comp the chords, and improvise at sight.

MW

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-02-2008, 01:31 PM

alright. that kind of thing I can do. Actually I've been working out of the William Leavitt method, just skipping through it and sight reading the etudes and reading studies. I'm almost done with the first book and I feel like I'm getting better at it but I just got my replacement Real Book some I'm going to start sight reading two or three tunes out of that when I warm up. I'm working at it, but I just waited too long to get serious. Anyway... thanks a lot for all the suggestions.

By the way, I just started filling out the application for the Christopher Newport University music program (it's in Newport News which is near Norfolk in Hampton Roads... beautiful music building... I saw Dave Brubeck there). I'm hoping to get the application done in time to get a Nov. audition... I'm going to try for the same thing at VCU in Richmond. I'll let you know when I get an audition time.

Also, the Christopher Newport audition tunes are Take the A Train (which is one of my favorites and I've got a chord melody for that so that's cool) and Ornithology.... that's what prompted this whole bebop phase that I'm currently in.

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-02-2008, 01:35 PM

check this out...

Christopher Newport University's Ferguson Center for the Arts

this is the new music building. It houses all of the performance rooms and I think at some point the classrooms and studios are moving there too. I'm pretty sure they might actually be there already. It's really nice.

**skei** · 08-02-2008, 06:51 PM

Looks like a great place to be!

And while I'm not half as advanced to suggest anything playwise, let me just say that I totally burn for Bebop...
I haven't got enough knowhow to skip training scales & things like that, but I'm getting to a point where I can put chords together and they sound like jazz. I just today managed to combine three chords, and get a nice little thing with m7b5, 7b9, and a plain minor, which sounds good. And even starting to learn how to take bits of an arp, then bits of another one fret away - and then put in a couple of bars of phrygian mode, to get a little circle of sound. And I constantly listen for nice Parker and (slow) Coltrane licks to blend into my vocabulary. Bebop is tricky, speedwise if nothing else, but there's a lot more to it than speed, I know, but I love it, it's a language.

Peace
Skei (the starting to understand how to treat dim arps one)

**Smitty** · 08-02-2008, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by DMatthewsBand07

Wow. That's gotta be a good time. I always joke around with my teacher about my sight reading...

I've gotten to be a pretty good improviser and I got my theory going on, but I know 8 year olds who sight read better than me. I noticed that any time he hands me a tough classical piece to read, I get about 8 measures through it and I just start sweating. It's weird. Even if I'm doing well. It's like an aversion or something.

How'd you do with that by the way? If you still have the music and can scan it for me and post it or something, that'd be awesome. If not, then it's probably better for me to try and pick some licks out by ear anyway.

Question for MW, what kind of sight reading pieces do you think I might be handed at an audition?

Oh god, it was awful

. He just put on the metronome at about 120 and said "Ok, go." I did the Yardbird Suite and Ornithology solos out of the Omnibook. It was rough.

I'm worried about my sightreading at my Berklee audition in December. I'm starting to learn standards now (just flipped to the front and am doing a song a day) just in case, but I'm still worried. I have this mental picture of the judges being like a council in Superman or something, ready to banish me to the Phantom Zone if I mess up.

smitty

**DMatthewsBand07** · 08-05-2008, 12:25 AM

Alright... MW.... Your suggestion about improvising with the rhythm of the melody was a great idea. I was working on that tonight. A couple of days ago I was stumbling due to the sheer speed of the backing track, but since then I've been able to keep up but pretty much just with a steady stream of eighth notes... and that's no fun. I tried your suggestion tonight and after playing through the backing track no more than twice my phrasing was feeling a lot more natural. It also helped me to keep my place in the song a little better. So now I can get the head no problem and my improv's gotten better. I played over the solo portions of Oleo and Scrapple From the Apple and didn't have too much trouble improvising so hanging with the tempo's getting easier for me. I think Scrapple From the Apple is next on the list after a little more time with Ornithology. Thanks again for the great tips...

Oh yeah and that Jim Hall Live record I got has been playing pretty much nonstop in my room and in my car so I've been trying to figure out how Jim Hall gets so much tension and release in those quick little lines he does... particularly in the version of Scrapple From the Apple. It brought me back to the idea you discussed in your "Chromatics" lesson. It sounds like he arpeggiates the tritone sub of the chord he's approaching. Sometimes on two measures of the same chord he'll play inside for two beats, arpeggiate the tritone sub for the rest of the measure and then move back inside. He also likes to from a half step below his target chord. I tried using that in some of the bop stuff (where I could fit in with the changes flying at me) and it sounded good. Between the chromatic stuff and the phrasing with the melody it's starting to come together pretty well.

**suzzymackenzie** · 08-05-2008, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by DMatthewsBand07

I'm working on Ornithology ... I mean, if you can kill two birds with one stone, then why not?

**m78w** · 08-05-2008, 07:47 AM

DB, glad these exercises are helping out!

Now the next step is to use only the notes in the melody lines but change the rhythms. That's another great way to keep the tune going in your head while blowing.

MW