First, I want to apologize to Richard for sending off a response to his
posting when I was frustrated with all jazz teachers. While obviously
well-intentioned, Richard filled his message with the music theory
expressions that are now beginning to sound like jabberwocky to me. I'm
sorry if my message seemed snotty.
I've been lurking on this list for months now. It's been my last ride on
the train to confusion. Maybe it will help other beginners and teachers
on this list if I share some of my experience.
I've always wanted to play jazz. Four years ago, I took up the clarinet.
Since then, I switched to alto sax, because I found it easier to express
myself with this horn. I've been practicing about 15 hours a week during
this time and I'm happy with my progress executing melodies.
Started with a jazz teacher about six months ago. Prior to that, I read
a lot of Coker, did the Aebersold tapes, learned patterns, played
Haerle's scales, bought solo transcriptions, etc. I've been a regular
jazz-education consumer.
I've been listening to--and loving--jazz since I was a kid at my
father's Victrola 50 years ago. So I know what it's supposed to sound
like. But I couldn't make those sounds come out of my horn.
Then, recently, I came to an important conclusion...for me. I realized
that there are thousands and thousands of hours of jazz in my head and
my heart. And the best way to get the music out is to stop bottling it
up with too much music theory.
So, what I started doing is this. I take a tune and spell out the chords
on the sheet music. Then I take four-bar segments. First I play the
melody. And then I play the chords. Over and over again until I get a
reasonable idea of what the story line is. (I'm a writer by profession,
so the development in a tune is like a plot to me.) I do this for the
entire song.
Then I "rewrite" the song until it sounds like a lovely jazz tune
similar to the original. In doing this, I follow the advice of Paul
Desmond. Desmond was once asked if his improvisations were vertical or
horizontal. He said he tried to create "diagonally".
And, you know what? I'm finally starting to come up with some decent
stuff. Eventually, I'll get some of these "rewrites" memorized and play
them with a new riff here and there so people will think I made them up
on the spot. In time, I'll have a repertoire of memorized improvs, play
in front of great audiences...
Then, when a struggling young improvisor comes up to me, I can tell him
about how I couldn't have done it without transmogrifying Phyrigian
tritones into augmented 13ths.
fred cicetti