>
>I personally don't try and learn any melodic ideas.
I suggest learning several melodic ideas from many sources: classical
studies, fugue subjects, bop lines, excerpts from solos, pop melodies, folk
melodies. Short excerpts, 2-3 note motives, 2-4-8 measure phrases, entire
pieces.
>
>I just transcribe, and play the transcriptions once in a while.
>
Transcribe, play them. Pick out choice that appeal to you. Manipulate those
items, change modes, be creative and add to them, take some notes away,
create sequences with them, practice recomposing fragments and developing
your own ideas, internalizing your own concepts as you develop pieces and
ideas lifted from other artists.
>When I'm soloing the ideas will naturally come into my playing.
>
After developing practice methods from the above, you will have a much
better chance of it coming naturally into your playing. The reason so many
top athletes make it look so natural is they have isolated hundreds of tiny
elements of their game and practice them individually, then put them
together, and to us, it looks as though it just comes naturally to them. We
don't see the hours of practice that it takes for them to look so natural.
It is the same with music. It is insulting to say that a player (athlete or
musician) is a natural because it gives them no credit for the hours of
work it takes to make it look or sound natural.
>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.
>
If you practice some of these ideas in different keys you will have a
better chance of finding them.
>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.
>
>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.
>
>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.
I don't know any teachers whose intent it is to stymie students for job
security. My idea is to teach them how to teach themselves and move them
on. I have actually stopped teaching some, telling them it was time for
them to put the pieces together themselves.
I am not sure what the fuss is about NOT playing in all keys. What keys are
inherently bad to play in? Which keys should we not play in? I consider
myself a SECURE musician because I am confident in many areas and in many
keys. What keys did Bach leave out in his studies? There is a long
tradition of 24 major and minor keys. Any key is difficult if you don't
practice it, and conversely, the hard keys get easier with practice. I
agree that musicians are trying to communicate important musical ideas,
which is precisely why I have practiced in all 24 keys, so I won't have to
think or fret about the technical problems, and just concentrate on the
musical ideas.
>
>All that you will achieve is the bragging rights that you can play
>spontaneosly in different keys.
>
No. What is important is the musical ideas being communicated. Familiarity
with all 24 keys with help you cut to the important stuff and not sweat the
"odd" key here and there. Again, here is a list of commonly called tunes.
These are not obscure tunes listed here for the sake of argument, but tunes
which have been called in a typical set in countless jazz clubs and jam
sessions. These tunes are not called by insecure jazz musicians wishing to
prove their machismo by playing in "strange" keys, but by musicians wishing
to express themselves on common jazz vehicles. The tunes are listed with
the basic major keys in parentheses. (There are other keys that are
suggested by other secondary dominants, but I am just showing the main key
areas.)
Cherokee (Bb, Eb, B, A, G, & F)
Body and Soul (Db, D, C)
All the things You Are (Ab, C, Eb, G, E)
I'll Remember April (G, Bb, E)
Joy Spring (F, Gb, G, Eb)
All 12 major key areas occur. Which key should we not be prepared to play in?
_______________________________________
Bert Ligon
Director of Jazz Studies
_______________________________________
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
Voice: (803) 777-6565
Fax: (803) 777-2151
http://www.music.sc.edu/Departments/Jazz/
bligon@mozart.sc.edu
_______________________________________