Work on improv by developing "free playing"

**Mark Kleinhaut** · 12-30-2015, 07:27 PM

Familiar with Joe Diorio's "gesturing"? It's about making shapes and contours rather than notes, chords scales and such. I applied that here to 2 choruses of 12 bar blues in Bb. Hope you like

**docbop** · 12-30-2015, 08:23 PM

Joe would like that. Joe recommend Gesture Improv as regular practice in order to practice being creative.

**srlank** · 12-30-2015, 08:26 PM

Cool!

I have a masterclass of Rez Abbasi, and he does this type of thing everyday for an hour as a warm-up!

I did it for a few days after I saw the masterclass, but didn't keep at it. Maybe should try to get back to it!

Thx for the inspiration!

**Mark Kleinhaut** · 12-30-2015, 09:08 PM

I had stumbled onto this practice on my own many years ago but always felt it a bit of a guilty pleasure. Intellectually it appeared as if it wasted valuable practice time, but I knew intuitively that it felt so right. Connecting with the sound, the physical connection with the instrument and finding voice all made sense in a gut level so I kept on with it. Then, maybe ten years ago I saw Joe's video and "wham", what an epiphany- it was really right all along and incredibly important to develop. Now, it's part of every day on the instrument. And if time is limited and I only do one thing, it will be that.

**neatomic** · 12-30-2015, 09:53 PM

the abstract artists knew..once the technique and fundamentals were in place, deconstruction is as important as pushing forever onward towards " technical perfection"...one can only measure his endless climb to the summit of the mountain by acknowledging where he began...and incorporating that playfulness and youth, with time and knowledge

nice video as per usual..watched a few times already..and will revisit moreso

cheers

**Irez87** · 12-30-2015, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut

Familiar with Joe Diorio's "gesturing"? It's about making shapes and contours rather than notes, chords scales and such. I applied that here to 2 choruses of 12 bar blues in Bb. Hope you like

That doesn't sound randomly abstract, that sounds uniquely beautiful.

Jimmy Wyble had some pieces that sounded similar to what you've come up with here.

**neatomic** · 12-30-2015, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by Irez87

That doesn't sound randomly abstract, that sounds uniquely beautiful.

that's exactly it erez...to have the massive technique and chops so that even randomness is still beautiful and harmonious...

like a jackson pollock painting

you can certainly see/hear the difference between a monkey throwing paint/and or many so called post modern guitarists who have exuberance (but lack technique and study)

(not that one can't benefit from the other!!) hah

cheers

**Mark Kleinhaut** · 12-30-2015, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Irez87

That doesn't sound randomly abstract, that sounds uniquely beautiful.

Jimmy Wyble had some pieces that sounded similar to what you've come up with here.

No, it's not randomness. And abstract isn't an absolute... To the contrary something only sounds abstract as compared to something else, right?

Anyway, random and abstract are kind off off point. Rather, the idea here is that notes and chords are but one system to organize musical thought- and it's very intellectual construct. Rather than think of the alternative as "deconstruct", I like to think of it as playing by ones emotional intelligence. It's not the opposite of intellect (as deconstruct would imply). They're not mutually exclusive by any stretch. In fact, playing at the highest level will involve both working in perfect synchronicity. Think left brain/ right brain, ok?

Back to to the notion of practicing. We break things down into bits, right? So all this is is working the right brain independently for a while. There is so much emphasis and pedagogy around playing intellectually. We need this counterbalance!

**mrcee** · 12-30-2015, 10:37 PM

This is really what it's all about.

**neatomic** · 12-30-2015, 11:30 PM

i think we have a question of semantics here..deconstruction is in no way an attack on intellect, or reduction...no punk ethos here.. but rather a way of rearranging that same intellect..with the hope that the intellect will be awakened further..

zen if u wish

in any event, wonderful playing..and both intellect and emotion can be heard very clearly in it... so what more is there??

bravo

cheers

**Mark Kleinhaut** · 12-30-2015, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by neatomic

i think we have a question of semantics here..deconstruction is in no way an attack on intellect, or reduction...no punk ethos here.. but rather a way of rearranging that same intellect..with the hope that the intellect will be awakened further..

zen if u wish

in any event, wonderful playing..and both intellect and emotion can be heard very clearly in it... so what more is there??

bravo

cheers

ha ha, but I like punk ethos.

**Rob MacKillop** · 12-31-2015, 05:01 AM

Mark, I always look forward to your videos, always like them. Nothing has changed in that regard. I'd like to hear more of this in your playing. I try something similar now and again, and enjoy doing so, but in my own way, at my own level. I can only sit back and admire your freedom, schooled freedom, if that's not a contradiction in terms, directed freedom, again a seeming contradiction. Whatever it is, more of it, please!

destinytot · 12-31-2015, 06:24 AM

Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut

No, it's not randomness. And abstract isn't an absolute... To the contrary something only sounds abstract as compared to something else, right?

Anyway, random and abstract are kind off off point. Rather, the idea here is that notes and chords are but one system to organize musical thought- and it's very intellectual construct. Rather than think of the alternative as "deconstruct", I like to think of it as playing by ones emotional intelligence. It's not the opposite of intellect (as deconstruct would imply). They're not mutually exclusive by any stretch. In fact, playing at the highest level will involve both working in perfect synchronicity. Think left brain/ right brain, ok?

Back to to the notion of practicing. We break things down into bits, right? So all this is is working the right brain independently for a while. There is so much emphasis and pedagogy around playing intellectually. We need this counterbalance!

Great comment.

First take off armour, then take down walls - the ones that divide performers and the ones that separate listeners.

**HR Fan** · 12-31-2015, 06:45 AM

Very nice and smooth !! Reminded me a lot of Joe ..... : )

**Mark Kleinhaut** · 01-02-2016, 12:21 PM

Does anyone have any ideas about how to teach this? I get asked from time to time and I've never found much of an approach. The intellectual side is so easy and straightforward to convey. But how do you really get someone to understand how it feels when a note actually speaks? I can say you feel it in your stomach, but until it happens it's like a foreign language. Curios to know how others resolve this.

**bobsguitars09** · 01-02-2016, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by srlank

Cool!

I have a masterclass of Rez Abbasi, and he does this type of thing everyday for an hour as a warm-up!

I did it for a few days after I saw the masterclass, but didn't keep at it. Maybe should try to get back to it!

Thx for the inspiration!

Do you have a link to the masterclass?

**srlank** · 01-02-2016, 12:49 PM

https://www.mymusicmasterclass.com/a...es/rez-abbasi/

Thx to Mark's thread I've done this 'Gesturing' as a warm-up 2 out of the last 3 days....trying to work toward every day I play. Yesterday I tried with different emotional intent. It helped to redirect from going back to the left-side of the brain.

**bobsguitars09** · 01-02-2016, 12:59 PM

Thanks!

**mrcee** · 01-02-2016, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut

Does anyone have any ideas about how to teach this? I get asked from time to time and I've never found much of an approach. The intellectual side is so easy and straightforward to convey. But how do you really get someone to understand how it feels when a note actually speaks? I can say you feel it in your stomach, but until it happens it's like a foreign language. Curios to know how others resolve this.

I don't think it would be easy to teach this formally. Maybe in a more informal setting with the teacher and the student playing together and the teacher offering advice and critique. Possibly teachers like Dennis Sandole and Lenny Tristano
had some more formal teaching techniques to develop this ability. But I've heard that Sandole anyway would do things in his brief lessons like give an assignment to write 8 bars of something and transpose it into all 12 keys. So maybe not.

**HR Fan** · 01-08-2016, 07:55 PM

Mark
I have been enjoying all the comments on this subject and the video you did of " Gesturing".. and so I called Joe Diorio up today and asked him about it..... He said he started doing it around 1976 when he had first moved to California. The whole idea of gesturing comes from Art.. (painting ,,drawing ..etc.. ) It is taught by many teachers in the Art world. It is basically a warm up before one actually tries to draw whatever they are intending to draw.. And so Joe saw and sees it as a way to warm up but also it can unlock creative thoughts towards when one does play sometime later.
Joe mentioned that the freedom to draw lines ( Art ) ( gesturing ) in any direction is that process and so is the similar to music lines.( gesturing ) ....
Joe and his first wife both loved painting and drawing and Joe still enjoys doing it and talking about art....

**neatomic** · 01-08-2016, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut

Does anyone have any ideas about how to teach this? I get asked from time to time and I've never found much of an approach. The intellectual side is so easy and straightforward to convey. But how do you really get someone to understand how it feels when a note actually speaks? I can say you feel it in your stomach, but until it happens it's like a foreign language. Curios to know how others resolve this.

can't be taught..

close your eyes and dig in

like you do! one of my fave parts of your videos is when you end playing and look almost startled to come back to hit the end recording button..trance!

listen! its all in the ears/mind..

cheers

**Robertkoa** · 01-08-2016, 09:16 PM

That was cool.

Partially Atonal Blues.

Also that Guitar sounds great even though they put the Soundhole in the wrong spot .

**vintagelove** · 01-09-2016, 07:55 AM

It's important to understand why this is .... Well... Important...

True improvisation requires your fingers react in real time to NEW brain messages. This type of practice is sharpening the act of sending new brain messages to your fingers. It helps immensely in being daring in improv. Jumping to that note you imagine and actually hitting it.

Plus it sounds cool.

**Reg** · 01-09-2016, 11:43 AM

Yea always dig your playing... so sounded like you were just playing melodic ideas from changes... and then somewhat reacting to notes from the moment... to teach just have an organized collection of changes, use that as your pool of material to pull from... then basically just play the connect game... basic impro skills. But as a beginner... you would need a smaller collection of material to pull from. Eventually... you just play from all you know. There really isn't that much new, you either bump into different versions of what you know... or you bum into what the guitar provides.

The only point I would push... have spatial organization. You have time, internal time. Even when you dump the time notion, there still is balance of time which reflects what your playing.

When I was a kid ... that was one of my standard practice drills, free play with harmony, helped me develop grooves which implied the changes and possible connections. My use of the term groove... has expanded development.

Thanks for posting