Re: Learning jazz

Clay Moore ( cmoore4@ix.netcom.com )
Tue, 20 May 1997 05:47:54 -0500

Antoinette Denofrio wrote:
>
> I'm not to sure where the reference of Reed saying the little bit about the
> sixteen year old learning jazz. I'm not even to sure if this is what you are
> talking about, but here it goes! I am 16 and I have been playing jazz for
> about 2 years. I'm said to be the best jazz artist at my school. To tell you
> the truth, I really couldn't tell you one thing about cord changes or dorian
> modes or any of that stuff. I think that to be a good jazz player, you have
> to 1.LISTEN!!! All I do is listen to other cd's of jazz greats, and 2. Play
> what fits, not only with the style but with the key. Jazz improve is an
> expression of yourself and thats that.
>
> Antoinettte
> "Winning isn't a sometime thing, its the only thing."

Antoinette,

I hope you will take the time read this and my previous post on the
subject. I am going to attempt to offer some constructive criticism,
which I do not intend as a slight on your abilities or accomplishments
to date.

You state that you know nothing about changes or modes, and that you are
considered the best jazz player at your school. Unless you are attending
an arts magnet school in a major city this is probably not too
significant. I was head and shoulders above my peers after a couple of
years of playing also, but the truth is most high-schoolers are not
putting much time and study into really learning to play. I know I was
still woefully green as a musician at that time, no where near able to
play gigs with accomplished players. And, in the last 20 years of
teaching lessons I've taught hundreds of students, many of them the best
players in their high school, but I only know of two who went on to be
professional level jazz players.

In my opinion pursuing jazz study in a serious way mandates that you
learn about all the aspects, including things like harmony and
chord-scale relationships. You would be very hard pressed in this day
and age to name a contemporary jazz musician who hadn't studied these
things. I've seen a lot of talented but unstudied players, particularly
horn players, fall flat on their asses when they got out of the realm of
tunes and keys that they know well. This is not the '50s, and I think it
is naive to assume your ear alone is going to get you by, especially
when you are going to find players with extremely well developed ears
who also know everything there is to know about theory and such. Don't
carry a chip. Learn harmony and theory. Be humble. You probably still
have a long way to go.

-- 
Clay Moore


We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. Yet, it sometimes
seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but
its own talents as well. -Bruce Lee