Bb lesson question
Hey Jim-
I am spending some time back with the Bb Jazz/Blues lesson and I was wondering about something you said at 3:19 in the third MP3 (Simple Triads Over Changes). To paraphrase (and so folks don't have to go digging), you have just played the triads over the loop and say "it's kinda hip. It doesn't sound great..." (which makes me laugh every time) and then you say "eventually it'll be..." and you play some nice phrases that encompass and outline the triads you have just demonstrated. This is where I always sort of end up shaking my head...how do you make the leap to fluid improvisation while still being mindful of the chord tones while remaining musical at the same time?
This is the biggest stumbling block in all of my playing. I can comp changes and play blues in all keys with reasonable variety around the neck but I just can't seem to juggle melody and chords and mindfullness all at once. Does it just come with time and practice? After you put in a ton of time (a lifetime?), can you sort of forget to think about this stuff and just play or are you always seeing the changes go by in your head and locating the chord tones etc. in real time as you play? I would appreciate any insight into how this works.
Thanks,
Jeff Zelevansky
I am spending some time back with the Bb Jazz/Blues lesson and I was wondering about something you said at 3:19 in the third MP3 (Simple Triads Over Changes). To paraphrase (and so folks don't have to go digging), you have just played the triads over the loop and say "it's kinda hip. It doesn't sound great..." (which makes me laugh every time) and then you say "eventually it'll be..." and you play some nice phrases that encompass and outline the triads you have just demonstrated. This is where I always sort of end up shaking my head...how do you make the leap to fluid improvisation while still being mindful of the chord tones while remaining musical at the same time?
This is the biggest stumbling block in all of my playing. I can comp changes and play blues in all keys with reasonable variety around the neck but I just can't seem to juggle melody and chords and mindfullness all at once. Does it just come with time and practice? After you put in a ton of time (a lifetime?), can you sort of forget to think about this stuff and just play or are you always seeing the changes go by in your head and locating the chord tones etc. in real time as you play? I would appreciate any insight into how this works.
Thanks,
Jeff Zelevansky
Comments
First off, most of the phrases you like, and that we all like, are played, demonstrated and written in "Jim Tab" at the end of the lesson, in the actual Bb blues solo solo.
Did you learn that solo buddy? The first lick in that solo (kind of a BB King/Jimmie Rivers phrase) totally arpeggiates a Bb7... the 2nd phrase arpeggiates an Eb7)
But my advice is, after learning the solo note for note ... start SMALL!
It's not easy, but it's absolutely something YOU, or anyone can do! I promise, I've seen dozens of guitarists accomplish this, and they were regular folk, with jobs, with kids, with limited free time...
I recommend playing over two chords, 4 bars each, and "play over the change". I would recommend a blues change with dominant chords - I to IV (Bb7 to Eb7). In the best case scenario, although it's not absolutely essential, the guitarist would benefit by having a Looper (a Boomerang, a Jam Man, a Boss RC 20) but a simple cassette tape recorder served me for over 20 years. Anyway, after recording the two chords, play the "simple" triads by approaching the chord tones by 1/2 step, or the actual licks that are demonstrated in the solo (the licks are clearly identified by what chord they represent). Play them backwards, forward .... sing and learn what you are singing... and don't forget to play the pentatonic scale like you've probably always done. Have some fun simply expressing yourself without thinking or struggle. Learn other solos too. Try to analyze why the phrases sound good and appeal to you. In the context of a Bb7 chord - You might find that Major 3rd, lowered 7th (in Bb - D natural and Ab) are reoccurring and present.
Okay - Do this for 6 months (that's about what it took me) and you'll be able to play over those two chords fairly successfully. Then, in the context of a simple Bb blues, you only have one more chord to go... F7! Simply move your Eb7 phrases up a whole step. Record Eb7 to F7, 4 bars each and play over that for 3 months ...
That's how I did it, And as I said, I've seen dozens of guitarists accomplish their goals this way. It's amazingly simple and yet so difficult. If one starts SMALL, it becomes a a natural thing, almost like jamming in open E, or wherever your comfort zone is now.
I really hope this helps you Jeff.
Does anyone else here ave any advice?
Interesting stuff. something Jim said really caught my attention. The bit about approaching
the chord tones by half steps. I started to find when playing over some standard Jazz type progressions that my improvisations didn't sound interesting at all until I started to use "wrong"
notes.Kind of hard to explain, but if you pivot onto a chord tone from a half step down for example, you get a kind of tense or blue shade that brings you onto to the chord tone very nicely.I don't mean to get too technical here but you can just minimally chase a third or a fifth or a seventh through any of the standard progressions, sometimes it's referred to as"target notes"
and as you do this your ear will start to get a grip on the harmony flow of the changes and you can use those as jumping off points.
In the meantime...my quest for a sort of periodic table of scales and chords has sent me to this: http://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=FREE&Store_Code=JAJAZZ
Third item down: THE SCALE SYLLABUS !!! (a free PDF to download)
Jamey Aebersold creates great jazz educational materials. My dad (a lifelong horn player) turned me on to some of the play-along records and books and there's some great stuff for sure...and no shortage of material.
I'm going to keep monitoring this thread...it gets to the heart of what I'm trying to figure out about how to become a more knowledgable, adept and musical guitar player.
Great posts. I like Jim's six month blues plan and have started in on it. I've been geeking out on these jazz progressions and stuff like 2,5,1 2,5,6,1 etc.. and maybe overlooked the blues too much. Thanks you guys for the inspiration