Adding Chords When Soloing

[grahambop]

I know some amazing musicians who burned out. Didn't know when to stop driving themselves. 10 hour a day cats. I know one guy who is now a police detective. Finds it less stressful than playing jazz.

Sounds like a new TV cop series waiting to be written! Needs a short, simple name, like 'Monk'.

[AlsoRan]

Hey guys,

I want to start adding chords when improvising to imply the harmony. Not random free impro, but when I am playing on time, with or without an ensemble.

How would you start? Any tips?

Thanks,
Mike

By the way, I had the same desire to throw in some chords, and probably many of the same questions.

I first saw that video of Martijn when forum member Dutchbopper posted it. I thought (and still do) it was such a great blend of chords and single-note lines.

I asked questions about Martijn's style but did not really get any answers. Joe Pass and Barney are the only two that I can recall that I have heard play a lot in this style. Maybe Kenny Burrell as well.

In my limited Jazz experience, I would not really call it true "chord melody" because it has so many more single-note lines than chord melody I have listened to. I could be wrong. I think it is more accurately referred to as "solo guitar."

Regardless, I spent a lot of times researching instructional books and courses and I did not find any that really addressed the way Martijn played in the video. There does not seem to be any books or videos that teach this style directly.

[destinytot]

Sounds like a new TV cop series waiting to be written! Needs a short, simple name, like 'Monk'.

A sensitive soul with a wounded underbelly, a love of opera, and elementary Italian - hence mis-heard lyrics: Che gelido panino...

[destinytot]

By the way, I had the same desire to throw in some chords, and probably many of the same questions.

I first saw that video of Martijn when forum member Dutchbopper posted it. I thought (and still do) it was such a great blend of chords and single-note lines.

I asked questions about Martijn's style but did not really get any answers. Joe Pass and Barney are the only two that I can recall that I have heard play a lot in this style. Maybe Kenny Burrell as well.

In my limited Jazz experience, I would not really call it true "chord melody" because it has so many more single-note lines than chord melody I have listened to. I could be wrong. I think it is more accurately referred to as "solo guitar."

Regardless, I spent a lot of times researching instructional books and courses and I did not find any that really addressed the way Martijn played in the video. There does not seem to be any books or videos that teach this style directly.

First posted by Cosmic Gumbo:

[AlsoRan]

First posted by Cosmic Gumbo:

I liked that fellow's playing. Thanks DT (and CG).

I really liked his point of view that there in his approach, there is no rhythm and lead guitar - just guitar. So in Jazz, he is just playing as the chord progression dictates, and focusing on the chords and the other tones that enhance or connect them.

The Bebop approach/mindset, if I am not mistaken.

[JPMike]

The problem with me is that I go to the chords I already know and I find it hard to be able to play a chord that is needed to the position I am.

Not sure, how to approach this. :S

[AlsoRan]

The problem with me is that I go to the chords I already know and I find it hard to be able to play a chord that is needed to the position I am.

Not sure, how to approach this. :S

It really seems that you pretty much MUST have a cache of chords or chord fragments/small voicings to be able to play like this.

One thing I have notice from theses masters is that you don't have to have a voicing that has a lot of notes - especially if you are playing with a bass player. It still surprisingly effective with just 3 notes.

[destinytot]

The problem with me is that I go to the chords I already know and I find it hard to be able to play a chord that is needed to the position I am.

Not sure, how to approach this. :S

I'd like to at least try to help.

No agenda - I pay my own rent - but a disclaimer: I'm self-taught, and I sometimes try to run before I can walk. (On the other hand, my approach is pragmatic - and it works for me.)

It's a bit of a cliché to say so, but it's not about chords or scales - it's about knowing how to use them. (Neither do I think knowing 'why' has any direct bearing on actual playing - but it obviously helps.)

While learning (more) chord (shapes) seems like a good solution, I think it's important to put them in short sequences, from the smallest movements/transitions, to sections of - and - whole tunes. At that point, the application of Knowledge and Skills helps music come to life.

But who's running the show? Who's behind the wheel? (To quote the main character from the movie They Live?), 'I don't follow anyone unless I know where they're going...' - and I want to be in the driver's seat.

Actually, that seat is at a piano/keyboard.

For me, the piano/keyboard is so important as a tool that, as I write this, I feel it might be helpful to demonstrate exactly how I use it - firstly because it may be of interest to anyone who, like me, struggles on their own without formal musical training, and secondly because I want to show that it's easy to play and (to study) chords on a keyboard. I'll make a video, and I'll add it to this post.

Studying at the keyboard is what allows me to integrate - and consolidate - knowledge and skills in the area of Harmony. It is also where I examine Melody within the context of Harmony - until I can do so by quickly ear, which is where the guitar comes into play.

In other words, I play by ear. For a long time, my approach has been to educate my ear and work out how to play stuff on the guitar. However, I notice that I'm beginning to work more intuitively - nothing 'mysterious' about that, but I think it's a sign of not needing to think about harmony or technique when playing. And what I take from it is that perhaps Now's The Time... to take on more challenging tunes.

So here are practical suggestions:

-Choose for repertoire only music that moves you.
-Learn to play the melody on the guitar.
-Learn to 'hear' (but not necessarily 'play', as it can be a distraction) the roots in sequence, using an instrument/tool for reference as needed.
-Next learn to 'hear' other chord tones, first by 'freezing' the chord (love the Freeze pedal as a study tool for what I think of as 'exploded listening'), then by focusing on smooth transition and voice leading.
-Explore this on guitar, experiment - not 'chord melody' but 'flow' and 'call and response' (I like to say 'Syncopate the Silence').
-Make a note of obstacles.
-If necessary, look at those obstacles at the piano before going back to the guitar

[grahambop]

One thing I have notice from theses masters is that you don't have to have a voicing that has a lot of notes - especially if you are playing with a bass player. It still surprisingly effective with just 3 notes.

You can also do a lot with 2-note chords. For example the middle 2 strings can be used to get a chord consisting only of the 3rd and 7th (or 7th and 3rd, depending on context), which is easy to grab in a hurry.

[sjl]

I like very much the Barry Harris approach for harmonizing scales, it is a very useful manner to use chords in your runs or to improvise only using chords. I haven't found a easier approach to this (you can go very deep on this topic as well), using Drop 2 or Drop 3 voicings and being worried about chord tones, because you harmonize non chord tones notes with a diminished chord.
You have to know your chord scales, more or less "a la Wes" (Matt Warnock has a very good articles on this) and you can mix chord or solo notes in your phrases.
By the way, The Allan Kingstone book about this, is a gem. The Drop 2 Randy Vincent book is good and is based on the Levine piano book, but I find that Vincent's (Levine's) is a very simplified strategy compared to Harris.

[destinytot]

By the way, The Allan Kingstone book about this, is a gem.

Yes, a gem. (Have you seen grahambop's PDFs applying ideas from it to a standard?)

I bought the Roni Ben-Hur Chordability DVD (based on NSJ's recommendation), but I haven't found time to watch it (other than to see what the production quality's like (it's very good).

[destinytot]

Re. the two/three-note chords, I think what makes them work is the 'right' interval. That and register, rhythm and tone - I love amplified electric archtops! Off to work.

[AlsoRan]

DT,

To my ears, Bill Evans is one of the best examples of interspersing chords with single-note lines while improvising (of course, he is doing it on the piano, not guitar).

Sid Jacobs has some sort of instructional material out that tries to replicate Bill Evans songs on guitar. I remember giving it a listen and made a note to myself to revisit it one day.

Maybe the OP should research it?

[mr. beaumont]

OP, when you are practicing single note lines, what's your visualization system? Scales? Arpeggios?


I ask, because, assuming your single note lines are addressing the changes, the chords are right there under your fingers...

[matt.guitarteacher]

The problem with me is that I go to the chords I already know and I find it hard to be able to play a chord that is needed to the position I am.

Not sure, how to approach this. :S

It really seems that you pretty much MUST have a cache of chords or chord fragments/small voicings to be able to play like this.

One thing I have notice from theses masters is that you don't have to have a voicing has a lot of notes - especially if you are playing with a bass player. It still surprisingly effective with just 3 notes.

I suppose that knowing countless inversions is really helpful, but you can start from wherever you are, in terms of skill, while you're working on material. If you watch the players who do this really well in the videos above, they're not limited to chords in the position of the moment, and even if they end up looking like they are....I mean, are we really certain that they aren't more like ending up where they want the chord to be? Honestly, I believe that this is something which looks harder than it is.

It's also pretty distracting that the players who do this really well also happen to be amazing players, but their otherwise amazing chord and single-line vocabulary and ability are a mostly separate consideration of integrating chords and single-lines....in my personal opinion. It's mostly a technical/articulation issue. I say this because I have always played single-lines in the context of chords, and can do it without a lot of trouble at this point. My main limitations are just my skills otherwise. I'm still learning to just play. Honestly, most forum members I see asking about this probably play much better than me, otherwise.

Re. my own comfort with integrating both skills, I probably comp better when not filling in single-note lines, but honestly, my single line playing is probably no better or worse without chord fills. It may be slightly worse without, actually. I honestly regard this aspect of playing as a purely technical thing to be worked out initially which can then be used however you like. Many players, for example work out picking or some other technique, and once mastered, are able to use it on everything they do. I view this as the same kind of thing.

There are so many hours to be spent working up single-note vocabulary anyway. It's actually a simple process to integrate chords into whatever you're otherwise working on. I mean, we're talking about things you're having to really shed and work out anyway, right? The following is the very simple, baby version, exercise which kind of got me started with this. I don't have to really work new lines or voicings this way anymore, but it was super helpful as a jumping off point. I learned this basically by a kind of accident, from Bert Ligon's material. Maybe some part of it is helpful. It was to me:

The following post is probably a better example of my actually playing in this style on something with a little practice:
https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/jazzg...tml#post616814
Improv at 2:10 or so. Again, not great improv, but integrating the chords isn't really the problem and certainly isn't the cause. ;-)

[eh6794]

In a personal letter to me shortly before his death, Joe Pass wrote:

"Playing the tune itself is a great idea. The melody will become part of your musical vocabulary. I would play and did play the melody and improvise between the phrases, always getting back to the melody. Later I would change the melody."

Sounds like what Jordan is suggesting. Play the melody, use the spaces as openings to fill and improvise.

"Scales are only for learning where thenotes are on the fretboard. So if you hearsomething your fingers know where thoseintervals are in several different places. Andthere are NO correct fingerings for the scales.You have 4 fingers, you use 4 fingers."

This quote, right here! The way I interpret it, and also from hearing him speak, is that you don't need fancy books and schools, you just need to play good music from the heart.

[lawson-stone]

"Scales are only for learning where thenotes are on the fretboard. So if you hearsomething your fingers know where thoseintervals are in several different places. Andthere are NO correct fingerings for the scales.You have 4 fingers, you use 4 fingers."

This quote, right here! The way I interpret it, and also from hearing him speak, is that you don't need fancy books and schools, you just need to play good music from the heart.

Which does suggest we know what "music" is in the context of our instrument, we know what "good" is and have the technical ability to produce it, and have a heart that is schooled in musical goodness.

[destinytot]

DT,

To my ears, Bill Evans is one of the best examples of interspersing chords with single-note lines while improvising (of course, he is doing it on the piano, not guitar).

Sid Jacobs has some sort of instructional material out that tries to replicate Bill Evans songs on guitar. I remember giving it a listen and made a note to myself to revisit it one day.

Maybe the OP should research it?

Looks wonderful...

And then there's Lenny Breau (I plan to make time for this lesson from Tim Lerch if I can get past my Tele-envy) and even my hero Earl Klugh, who (apparently - and, perhaps, wisely) doesn't think of himself as a 'jazz' player but is no slouch when it comes to adding chords when soloing.

[destinytot]

Which does suggest we know what "music" is in the context of our instrument, we know what "good" is and have the technical ability to produce it, and have a heart that is schooled in musical goodness.

What a beautiful thought!