-
I love players who can string together long lines of eighth notes, Pass in particular. I can't seem to swing it, myself and tend to create phrases that last a measure or two.
Are there any good exercises or tips that people work on to get better to create long flowing lines?
-
02-06-2021 05:26 PM
-
Yes, of course. Whether it's bop or post bop (fast harmonic rhythm vs. slower), the answer is yes. Pass' books have steady 8th and 16th note etudes for blues and rhythm changes, for starters.
You can, and perhaps should write your own etudes over the same, or over stadard tunes of your choice. Write chord outlines in steady eigth notes, with very few breaks. Do you know how to do that?
-
Originally Posted by Donplaysguitar
I'll give your idea of playing through some etudes and composing some lines a shot.
-
Pat Martino’s Linear Expressions book has some nice long lines, mainly over minor chords as I recall, can also be used over ii-Vs or major chords.
The Aebersold Jimmy Raney book also has some really nice long lines over standard progressions.
-
Originally Posted by charlieparker
I write my own etudes a little bit, and one of the things that I do is write some "adjacent position" phrases/ideas for that very reason - plus - some "rangy phrases" that proceed from low to high, or vice versa. I need to do more of that, come to think of it.
You're right, they are challenging and there is only one way to get comfortable with them - work on them directly. (something Jerry Coker wrote a loooong time ago).
-
one key to playing longer lines to to be able to hear time in larger chunks.
Instead of just hearing time in quarters or half notes, you train your ear to hear a whole measure, two measures, four measures... or eight measures if you are friends with McCoy Tyner and Coltrane
How do you do this? Find a digital metronome that goes REALLY slow. Like, lower than 10 bpm slow--yes that show
Then look at your target bpm. Let's say you are playing at 120 bpm.
Divide the target by the amount of beats in the phrase you want.
2 measures is 8 beats --> 120/8 = 15bpm. So if you set your super slow metronome to 15bpm, you are giving yourself a click every 2 measures to signal 120bpm
4 measures is 16 beats... this gets a little sloppy --> 120/16 is 7.5bpm. I usually round up. 8*16 gives us 128bpm. So that's one click every four measures.
Math is fun, isn't it?
This stuff helped me a bunch cause it helps you feel time and punctuate your lines with a clearer framework. At first, it kinda feels like jumping outta a plan without a parachute--but it gets easier over TIME
Try it, let me know what ya think. Got this from a teacher who got this from a master drum teacher in NYC. That, and besides all the math I recommended for fun, just listen to musicians who solo with long phrases everyday. Make a playlist. Listen to how they start the phrase, how they end. Are there any ideas or devices they are carrying through the phrase? How do they articulate the phrase? Dynamics? Ghosting or slurring? How do they use space in the phrase? How do they use space to punctuate the beginning and end of each phrase? Go all in, and become a long phrase dectective private eye investigator of all that is groovin'Last edited by PickingMyEars; 02-07-2021 at 04:09 PM.
-
Originally Posted by charlieparker
-
Originally Posted by wzpgsr
-
The bebop scale methods will help with this
-
Originally Posted by charlieparker
Gibson Thin line Guitar Models
Yesterday, 11:07 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos