I personally don't try and learn any melodic ideas.
I just transcribe, and play the transcriptions once in a while.
When I'm soloing the ideas will naturally come into my playing.
The same ideas will come out in different keys and you need to
use your ear to find them.
At first it may be difficult to do this at tempo but with practice
you'll be able to.
Regarding Marians spontaneously playing in different keys for the
challenge....
People make a big deal out of being able to do that but none of
the great artists could that so you have to ask yourself what the
whole point of that is.
If people didnt brag about playing some tune in B, nobody would
even know.
That means it's some kind of non musical agenda that we have to
be told about because otherwise we wouldnt get it.
Musicians don't care. Do you think that any great player is going to
go to a gig and call rhtyhm changes in Gb? I don't think so. Not
unless they decided to work on it in that exact key for the gig.
Usually very insecure musicians bring this 12 key independence
up all the time to elevate themselves above others and really
just hide their insecurity. It's also great if you are selling
music lessons because introducing the 12 key stuff means you
can stymy the student for at least another 20 years.
Marian tried to get Bill Evans into that 12 key trip during his PBS
interview and Bill flat out said he couldnt do that. Of course then Marian
say's she
can.
Great artists never care about it because they are too busy trying
to communicate important musical ideas and don't get caught up
in all of that.
Bill Evans couldnt spontaneosly play in different keys, neither can
Herbie or Chick or Oscar or McCoy or ....
I mean as professional musicians, of course they have some facitility
in that area but they never do it in public or on record because their
playing will suck compared to what they will do in the key they play the
tune in.
They don't want to suck, they want to play the best music they can.
I'm bringing this up because I fell for all that key independence BS
and wasted lots of time in my own development.
Don't strive for that unless you want to dilute your resources
for no perceptible musical improvement.
All that you will achieve is the bragging rights that you can play
spontaneosly in different keys.
reed
Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com