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Once in a while, I come across a technique/phrase/etc. that really blows me away and enhances my ability to improvise almost instantly. Most of the time it's something that's mainly conceptual and I can play it right away, rather than something that's difficult and would take a week or two to get down.
When I finally realized how to play minor 3rds up and down the entire guitar, it pretty much instantly changed my playing. That sound was something that I had always heard but never really thought about or transcribed.
Anybody have anything that affected them like this?
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08-12-2012 08:09 AM
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Nice idea for a thread.
For me
1 Melodic Minor. It was like finding the keys to the altered chord highway.
2 Changing to the so called Benson Picking technique. Improved firstly my tone and secondly my accuracy.
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i experienced a sudden change in my approach to certain rhythms a day after hearing brazilian composer/saxophonist moacir santos' music for the first time. he was wonderful, but sadly unknown to many jazz players.
Last edited by patskywriter; 08-12-2012 at 08:42 AM.
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By melodic minor, do you mean using the altered/7th mode?
Originally Posted by Philco
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Cool, just to make sure I understand. Do you mean playing a Diminished 7 arpeggio or do you mean taking a lick or phrase and then repeating in a sequence by shifting the whole think up a minor third each time? Originally Posted by bluewaterpig
I'm not sure anything has instantly changed my playing, it seems I have to spend time with it to get it into my playing.
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For me Garrison Fewell's Jazz Improvisation for Guitar book: A Melodic Approach. I've waited 20yrs of searching to find a concept that goes with what comes out of me naturally, if that makes sense. And I'm not even half way through, working on triads and inversions has all come together now. A revelation, now trying to weave it in to ambient music, another passion.
H
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Listening to somebody like Jim Hall, somebody with really great phrasing, usually changes my playing right away. I usually have all this bullshit running through my head and out of my fingers, but listening to Jim Hall instantly makes me reconsider all the things my improvisation "has" to be...makes me slow down and focus.
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Yes and more. Originally Posted by bluewaterpig
1 Melodic minor up a fifth for "non functioning" altered chords (not going back to the 1) eg play D melodic minor when you encounter a G7 altered chord that is not travelling back to a C chord.
2 Play Melodic minor up one semitone when the altered chord is travelling back to the one. eg play Ab melodic minor when you encounter a G7 altered that is travelling back to a C chord. By altered I mean7/13 b5 #5 b9 #9 or any combination.
Number 2 is of course as you said the seventh mode. You can think of it as (in my scenario) G altered scale or a melodic minor scale up one semitone.
Or you can call it a Super Locrian scale.
There ar many other choices of Melodic Minor for more or less tension but these basic ones are important.
I also discovered that when you encounter a 11b5 chord that the 6th degree of the melodic minor is perfect. (Locrian #2)
There's a world of material to discover in there.
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Ya know, at first I was in the same boat as fep where I couldn't think of anything that I didn't need to think about or work on for a while before it changed my playing drastically, or if it was something instant that it didn't change my playing too much. But I realized that I have a couple! When I saw Kurt Rosenwinkel, everything changed. I've seen a pretty wide spectrum of concerts in my life, but there was nothing like that at all. He just has incredible control and command over the guitar, his compositions are engaging, his playing is phenomenal, his tone is great, his band had ridiculously good communication...
Also, in a similar vein to that, there's nothing quite like playing with musicians that are better than you... it takes a good ass-kicking to really learn the areas in which one needs to improve.
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Hi.
Cool thread.
There are some things that changed the way I think about music and that
certainly found its way into my playing sooner or later. But thats probably for another thread...
What really changed my playing in an instant is that a teacher of mine made me
end all my phrases with a short note. It made a world of difference to my playing
right away.
Cheers,
Helgo
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Probably years ago when I started playing jazz and was introduced to the concept of 'vertical' playing - i.e. an arpeggio / chord-based, rather than scale-based approach to lead lines.
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This totally did it for me ,
given to me years ago by Dave Cliff
ii V I in C
play notes D F A C , B A G F, E
ie up the arp down the scale to the 3rd of C
This unlocked the playing the changes thing for me
like a magic key
Great teacher , great player
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The implications of the b5 being the mathematical middle tone of the chromatic scale, and how this relates to the tri-tone, and tri-tone substitution. This is the jazz sound we are all seeking.
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Switching to P4. It makes guitar 3-10 times easier. Fretboard becomes tiny. You could pay me enough money to quit guitar. You could not pay me enough money to go back to standard tuning. Planning on someday bribing a few high profile players to switch for a month.
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-Chromatic embellishments
-Upper structure arpeggios(diatonic and non-diatonic)
-Targeting the dominant VI chord
-Triad Pairs
-Symmetrical Diminished
-Altered Pentatonics
These are just a few. The first three were the ones that really made my playing sound like bebop. The other ones have been rabbit holes that have unlocked new territories of fretboard knowledge that I keep expanding all the time. It's a blast!
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Simplifying did it for me. Thinking of the 3 food groups.
Major, minor and dominant. I then got away from thinking modes and scales and thinking notes and "sounds"
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Extended arpeggios.
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1. When I discovered the close relationship of 7b9 chords to dim 7 chords, It made a huge difference in the way I use chord substitution, especially when comping behind a singer.
2. Melodic minor notes played over dominant chords. The use of melodic minor sounds offers many outlets for expressing yourself musically. There seems to be no end to good lines with this technique.
wiz
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Well speaking of instantly, something I just started doing (sue me, hehe)
I recently started using limitations in order to get deeper into the changes.
Restricting my playing to either one section of the fretboard (0-5, 5-8, 9-12, roughly, with a few stretches here and there for flats/sharps)
Restricting my playing to ONLY chord tones (1 3 5 7).
Restricting my playing to only one string at a time.
When I solo I'm usually just using my ear, so I get out a lot, by accident and on purpose. I have a pretty bad relationship with my fretboard so we're not acquainted with each other very well.
These three limitation exercises have been helping me to get to know the fretboard better and where the chord tones are, so I can easily resolve my more out phrases.
I just started doing this a few days ago after completely restructuring my practice form and schedule, and it's been helping me stay in the changes better.
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Whenever I transcribe I feel immediate improvement. The content of what I transcribe is almost irrelevant in that anything from a complex line to just a simple but very groovy lick can lead me to a noticeable improvement.
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Describe/define these two, please, Amund? Originally Posted by AmundLauritzen
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When I finally heard the similarities between Count Basie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the similarites between Ed Bickert and Bill Evans...
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1. Charlie Christian and arpeggios
2. Not diluting my scotch with water
(not that I encourage drinking and playing)
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For me it was discovering the Barry Harris approach to chords... But then again as a relative beginner, most of what I learn represents a huge opening of perspective and horizons...
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For me its a great sound. If i'm getting a great sound whether its from a sweet amp or certain system or just acoustically, that experience will open my awareness so I can fully enter the experience of being present. So much of Jazz improv is about looking ahead to see whats coming while trying to stay seated and centered in the now....Having a happening tone to me will center me up so I can dive in.
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