Re: Practising in 12/24 Keys
Bert Ligon ( BLigon@mozart.music.sc.edu )
Wed, 12 Feb 1997 19:59:37 -0500
>What I'm enjoying about the debate on practising in 12 keys, and in
>several other debates where Reed has taken some controversial positions,
>is that I feel increasingly liberated from a lot of mythologies. Now I'm
>a religion professor, and for me "myth" is not necessarily a bad word. A
>myth is narrative pattern that is appealed to to justify a belief or
>practise. The "practise in all 12 keys" doctrine, or the "sing solos to
>transcribe" doctrine, like the "learn all scales and arpeggios by
>drilling patterns and licks" doctrine, are usually justified by
>appealing to a variety of stories (myths) about the Great Ones like
>Charlie Parker's practise habits, Bill Evans, Tristano, etc.
>
>It is important, however, always to question these "doctrines" and
>reexamine the stories they are grounded in. That's why debates about how
>Charlie Parker "really" practised, or whether or not Wes was a closet
>sight-reader (JUST KIDDING) are pertinent. We're checking the myths for
>ourselves. Reed and Clay do this very well by offering an alternative
>"myth"--their own struggle to become fine players. They have bucked the
>standard doctrines and claim to have achieved significant progress. I
>haven't heard Reed play, but I've heard Clay and would love to play like
>he does. These guys have emphasized a new "center" for jazz study:
>transcribing and composing. They have also argued for a different
>priority in the goal--excellence in live performance of actual tunes,
>not "virtuosity" described in non-performance terms such as the ability
>to play in all keys. These are not new beliefs, but by putting
>them in the center of the process, ahead of scale and pattern drills,
>ahead of singing-as-you-solo, ahead of 12/24 key mastery, they really
>are offering an alternative paradigm that they claim works. The more
>paths we can find to becoming excellent players, the better.
>
>I'm glad this mailing list is not dedicated to perpetuating the same
>orthodoxy we can read about in expensive books on playing jazz. I'm
>glad that we also have articulate defenders of the standard doctrines,
>who uphold the orthodoxy of the reigning generation of jazz educators.
>
>What won't work here is probably the implacable appeal to ultimate and
>unexaminable authority--i.e. musicl mysticism. The musical equivalent of
>"God Told Me So" is something like "Bird Did it That Way." Everything
>has to be open to examination and testing.
>
>Bert and Reed are great examples of two highly opinionated people who
>don't pull any punches in debate, but who keep the focus on trying to
>move twoards being an excellent, creative musician, and who can be
>convinced if clear, strong arguments are made.
>
>It seems to me that this process of testing the older orthodoxy and its
>foundational stories, and of proposing some alternatives is wonderfully
>illuminating. It has gotten my playing out of the paralysis that gripped
>it and moved me on to enjoying my music more while actually working
>harder at it.
>
>--
It is interesting if I am considered to be the advocate of the orthodox
educational view. I learned all that I know from transcriptions, playing
and composing; never from books or popular methods. I usually am considered
the challenger to the orthodox view. I am glad I am perceived as one who
keeps the focus on being an excellent, creative musician.
_______________________________________
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
_______________________________________