JGBE Virtual Jam (Round 79) - Scrapple From The Apple

[wzpgsr]

Agreed, every note and rhythm in Parker tunes is important, and some day I'll get them right Meanwhile, I try to have fun.

The downstroke triplet is a real bear for me.

[kris]

Yes Kris! The tone is great....and the phrasing too!
I'm scared by the 016-56 strings mainly because of the higher tension. With these strings do you need to adjust the truss-rod on your guitar?

ettore

Thanks. I do not need to adjust the truss-rod on my hollow guitar.
However, playing such strings is a challenge.You have to try to change over.

[kris]

The downstroke triplet is a real bear for me.

This is not easy.
The head is not easy on the guitar - that's why I don't play it too fast so as not to lose precision.

[John A.]

The downstroke triplet is a real bear for me.

There's a simple fix for that -- Get Up For The Downstroke

[John A.]

Very nice! I enjoyed listening. I'm 6000 miles away from my guitars on a 6 week study time in Israel and up to my nose in an archaeological excavation... would have loved to give this tune a whirl.

Hint: When the walls of the excavation reach your nose, time to get out of the hole

[wzpgsr]

Spent too much time fumbling with the triplet from hell in the head this week.

[ragman1]

Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it but I don't think getting hung up on a note or two matters that much, probably not worth the effort. I'm not even sure the head matters that much anyway. People put a ton of effort and time into learning a complex head like this... let the saxophones do it! I think it's what happens after that that counts. Solo-wise, I mean.

Not that you didn't do well, naturally. Always enjoyable :-)

[ragman1]

Anyway, I think the heat has driven me coo-coo

[wzpgsr]

Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it but I don't think getting hung up on a note or two matters that much, probably not worth the effort. I'm not even sure the head matters that much anyway. People put a ton of effort and time into learning a complex head like this... let the saxophones do it! I think it's what happens after that that counts. Solo-wise, I mean.

Not that you didn't do well, naturally. Always enjoyable :-)

I sort of agree and some weeks I don’t bother. But I’m always looking to learn more vocabulary and improve my phrasing and feel and bop heads teach all the above.

[kris]

Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it but I don't think getting hung up on a note or two matters that much, probably not worth the effort. I'm not even sure the head matters that much anyway. People put a ton of effort and time into learning a complex head like this... let the saxophones do it! I think it's what happens after that that counts. Solo-wise, I mean.

Not that you didn't do well, naturally. Always enjoyable :-)

Improvisation can also be headless
By playing be-bop heads you learn jazz if you want to be a jazz musician.

[John A.]

Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it but I don't think getting hung up on a note or two matters that much, probably not worth the effort. I'm not even sure the head matters that much anyway. People put a ton of effort and time into learning a complex head like this... let the saxophones do it! I think it's what happens after that that counts. Solo-wise, I mean.

Not that you didn't do well, naturally. Always enjoyable :-)

In the real world, solos start after the head, and usually the first chorus builds on melodic ideas from the head. Each soloist typically picks up `(at least somewhat ...) where the previous one left off. So, to the extent we're emulating that experience, it makes sense to play as if you're playing the head and the first solo. Otherwise, whatever you do comes off as kind of context-less. That's mainly why I've played the head in most of my posts, though I've also used these threads as a reason to learn heads I didn't know. All that said, TBH, I don't especially want listen to a whole bunch of attempts at the head, and I imagine I'm not the only one who feels that way. So it cuts both ways. And sometimes I don't play the head, either to spare you, or because I don't want to (just because, or for time constraint reasons). So basically, it's all good.

All that said, I think it's always a good idea to learn the head of a tune. Period. Full stop. So, yes, learn it. But don't feel obligated to post it.

[wzpgsr]

In the real world, solos start after the head, and usually the first chorus builds on melodic ideas from the head. Each soloist typically picks up `(at least somewhat ...) where the previous one left off. So, to the extent we're emulating that experience, it makes sense to play as if you're playing the head and the first solo. Otherwise, whatever you do comes off as kind of context-less. That's mainly why I've played the head in most of my posts, though I've also used these threads as a reason to learn heads I didn't know. All that said, TBH, I don't especially want listen to a whole bunch of attempts at the head, and I imagine I'm not the only one who feels that way. So it cuts both ways. And sometimes I don't play the head, either to spare you, or because I don't want to (just because, or for time constraint reasons). So basically, it's all good.

All that said, I think it's always a good idea to learn the head of a tune. Period. Full stop. So, yes, learn it. But don't feel obligated to post it.

I view it as sort of a test for my performance skills. Goal for me would be to play the head well, and immediately follow with a chorus or two of decent improv—without having to record more than a few takes to get there. I’m well aware of my own deficiencies in this regard: I recorded 30 takes or partial takes last night before settling on the take I posted above (warts and all). Screw up the head? New take. Head is fine but you realize halfway through the first chorus of improv that you’ve been playing in F# instead of F? New take.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Hurray!!! We're still spry enough to survive a red eye flight across the country! I have't touched a guitar in 9 days, and I really missed it. We got back from our trip with just enough time to whip up a plate of Scrapple before the next tune is unveiled.

[ragman1]

I suppose I ought to say something...

I have played it several times already but bebop's not my thing. I'm also entirely sceptical of the idea that I'll learn something by playing it, although others possibly might. When the solo arrives I understand completely how it ought to become an extension of the head, continuing it in the same spirit, as it were. But, you know, the changes are what they are and one's style is what it is. Playing over them isn't difficult, they're not obscure, just good ol' swing changes, but I'm no bebop player so it probably wouldn't amount to much.

So, all in all, I'm happy to leave it to others. Just not my thing, that's all.

[kris]

Hurray!!! We're still spry enough to survive a red eye flight across the country! I have't touched a guitar in 9 days, and I really missed it. We got back from our trip with just enough time to whip up a plate of Scrapple before the next tune is unveiled.

There is a lot of optimism and positive energy in your recording.Nice playing.

[John A.]

I view it as sort of a test for my performance skills. Goal for me would be to play the head well, and immediately follow with a chorus or two of decent improv—without having to record more than a few takes to get there. I’m well aware of my own deficiencies in this regard: I recorded 30 takes or partial takes last night before settling on the take I posted above (warts and all). Screw up the head? New take. Head is fine but you realize halfway through the first chorus of improv that you’ve been playing in F# instead of F? New take.

I try to not to fall into that particular hole, which is why a lot of my posts are pretty sloppy, but I don't always succeed. One of the problems here is the process itself -- improvising in a room by yourself to a recorded track, which is inherently dissatisfying and prone to crappy results, using tools that allow for infinite re-tries. The perfect can be the enemy of, if not the good, at least the good enough for these purposes. And that usually happens within the first few tries.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

There is a lot of optimism and positive energy in your recording.Nice playing.

Thanks!!! I was able to play most of this one without looking at my hands, which is my goal for this year. But I notice when listening to this that I’m not always damping the low strings. So I have to work on that.

I’m also working on a more consistently light approach with a thick, rounded pick on the Tele, for a fatter, jazzier tone from it. I maintained it OK through the head but got too aggressive in parts of the improv. The plink from pushing it is obvious in the last go ‘rounds, so I have to work on that too. I’m using an 11 and a 15 on it because I use it on some blues gigs. But I may go to 12 and 16 to tame the slight crinkle when I push them hard.

[wzpgsr]

I try to not to fall into that particular hole, which is why a lot of my posts are pretty sloppy, but I don't always succeed. One of the problems here is the process itself -- improvising in a room by yourself to a recorded track, which is inherently dissatisfying and prone to crappy results, using tools that allow for infinite re-tries. The perfect can be the enemy of, if not the good, at least the good enough for these purposes. And that usually happens within the first few tries.

True—I have taken these weekly recordings as the hub around which the rest of my practice revolves around, for the most part. It's not really in the spirit of Mr. B.'s original concept, but with limited time, I find that just playing the hell out of a song every week checks a lot of practice boxes for me.

[John A.]

True—I have taken these weekly recordings as the hub around which the rest of my practice revolves around, for the most part. It's not really in the spirit of Mr. B.'s original concept, but with limited time, I find that just playing the hell out of a song every week checks a lot of practice boxes for me.

Nothing wrong with that at all. Working intensely on one tune a week is a good cadence, especially for part-time musicians like us. At the moment I'm not able to put much time into these JGF jam tunes and am more focused on learning them quickly (or calling tunes I already know ...), but at one point I was doing something similar.

[kris]

I have great doubts if you can learn a piece well in one week.
You can instantly get to know the tune
-that is, to know the title and character of the composition.

[John A.]

I have great doubts if you can learn a piece well in one week.
You can instantly get to know the tune
-that is, to know the title and character of the composition.

OK, but when all you have is a week, you do the best you can.

[pcjazz]

The downstroke triplet is a real bear for me.

I play the head up an octave and the triplet as a downwards sweep.

[wzpgsr]

I have great doubts if you can learn a piece well in one week.
You can instantly get to know the tune
-that is, to know the title and character of the composition.

It’s true. I think a good sign of knowing a tune really well is having played it so many times that you can recall it easily after having not played it for a while. Most of our “jam” tunes I’ve forgotten, but recently I’ve been trying to keep working on certain tunes: Donna Lee, Poinciana, Invitation, Misty. I’ll probably throw this tune into the mix as well—I got a lot of mileage out of Donna Lee and Invitation because I was working on tritone sounds and they have some built into the heads.