More Modal Tunes.

Due to strikes/staff days/aliens, today was the first improv lesson we'd had in 3 weeks.  Or 2.  However many weeks were between this post and the date stated on the last post.

It appears my group doesn't have a bassist at all, so I'm playing rhythm 100% of the time now.  Which is good, actually, as it provides me with much needed practice in playing rhythm parts.  We stuck to So What/Impressions today (both are in the same key and use the same chords) so today I was mainly playing a rhythm part with Jason, our drummer.

At first, as always, my timing was awful, but once I relaxed and started thinking about how many bars I'd played, I managed to get the key changes (from D Dorian to Eb Dorian) right 99% of the time.

I didn't do too much in terms of improvisation today, as we played a funked up version of Impressions.  Which was a tad annoying, as I'd been practicing the original versions of both So What and Impressions, and had been listening to them a lot over the past week, listening to what both Davis and Evans play during their improvisation sections (much more so Davis, though) in So What.  I'd prepared myself for playing those tunes, with firm idea in my head of what I could be playing (I'd learnt the basslines for both songs too incase our bassist was missing again) yet when it came to today, I was playing a completely different and more 'complicated' bassline than I expected, due to it being 'funked up'. I say 'more complicated'.  I don't mean that.  It was simpler, if anything.  The rhythm just wasn't as driving, and I found myself jumping around the lower register of the keyboard a lot.  Meaning when it came to my turn to solo, I was too busy trying to concentrate on keeping this new bassline going to a funk groove, meaning any solo/licks/passages I'd memorised for my improvising went straight out the window; the rhythms I wanted to play in my right hand were too different to what I was playing in the left hand.  Which, fair enough, with a little bit time to practice, I would have been fine doing, but on the spot, it led to my 'improvising' being a mess.

When it was in D, all I was thinking was 'right, play that bassline like that, simplify it, play it in one octave rather than 3.  Good, now play this lick here with your right hand when your left hand pauses and you know what, fuck it.'.  I was lucky most of it was in D, as my strategy turned to 'play the bassline as in time as you can and just hit any white note you can reach.'

When it came to Eb, I just thought '...hit any black note you want, don't touch any white note bar C and F and oh look you hit B, that's fine, play it as a passing note but oh no, you just hit E too.  It's fine, don't panic, just transfer your attention to your bassline now; try and make that sound decent at least an--oh look your left hand is playing Gb Diminished -9 +13 or something.  Just smile, avoid eye contact and pray that someone else starts soloing or that Simon says 'stop' and relieves you and everyone listening to you of this torture.'

When I can see into the future and start practicing the right thing for the next improvisation class I'll be able to start walking out satisfied with what I've played.  Because right now, after every class I'm walking out thinking 'I thought my improvisation was improving.  What the hell was that?!"  

But seeing into the future isn't what improvisation is about.  It's about adapting to the current situation.  Maybe that's what the college is trying to teach me.  I just need to relax, think, and adapt.  Without a score in front of me.

How I hate being classically trained.

Wednesday 23rd November Class

Today was the first day in which we played in our assigned groups for this improvisation block, Knife and Fork.  I can't remember which one I'm in, but I knew which room I was supposed to be in, so I just went with it and walked in, and asked Simon if this was my group.

It was.

We worked on one song today; So What, by Miles Davis from his album "Kind of Blue" (I'm getting a tad sick of the amount of times I mention that album in my posts).  We were given two songs to learn last week (the other being Impressions, By John Coltrane).

The group was without a bassist today, so instead of doing any improvising or melody playing at all, I was tasked with providing a walking bass on my left hand.  Which, shockingly enough, I hadn't really done before.  So that was a bit new.  I made it too simple; I just went up the D Dorian Scale, added a Db in before I hit the octave D and played alternative notes on the way down.  Or something.  A dead bear could have played what I played today, meaning I need to look up playing effective walking bass lines sooner rather than later, because it will no doubt come up in something else at some point in the near future.

The focus today was playing the AABA structure, which consisted of 4 rounds of D Dorian, 2 rounds of Eb Dorian, then 2 rounds of D Dorian, wash, rinse, repeat.  Once we got that structure in our heads (which admittedly, took longer than it should have...) it was just a case of us, the rhythm section, comprised of Jason on drums, Mario comping on his classical guitar, and myself playing the bassline on my left hand, playing as a backing for our two violinists, Aimee and Lauren, and our singer, Fiona.  They seemed to improvise rather well, Fiona especially, seeing as she managed to sing through the key change rather seamlessly, unphased.  This may have been a fluke.  She said it was, at least.

For our next class, I intend to learn the two songs inside out and have a go at both improvising and waking along with a bass line (because bassists are unreliable).  I'll also read up on what Simon told me to read, which is a chapter in The Jazz Piano book which uses so what as an example of modal improvisation.

Seems every week, I'm learning something new.  Even if that thing is me learning that there's something I can't do and need to work on.  Which it is most of the time.

Three Pieces

Here are three of the pieces I have been working on in some way, shape or form towards improving my improvising;

Thelonias Monk - Straight No Chaser.

Many people in the class will be doing this, I'd imagine, as it's one we actually did in class.  With this one we simply were told to listen to it and compose a solo for it.  One would say "but composing isn't improvising!".  Composing a solo that works well over a jazz chord sequence in a specific song, then having said solo analysed by an experienced jazz player who then gives feedback is helpful as it we then know what sounds "right" and "wrong", and will use this knowledge when it comes to improvising in future.

Another piece I've been working on is Freddie Freeloader, from Miles Davis's critically acclaimed "Kind of Blue";

I've simply been learning the song so that once I start improvising fully, I'll have things to play into.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've given transcribing a brief go.  One of the songs I did was 'How Deep Is The Ocean?' by Bill Evans.
There are many versions of this song, and I couldn't find the one I used with the exact lick I transposed.  You can get an idea from this live version I found, however.  I spent ages going over 3 seconds of music, rewinding, playing, rewinding, playing (this was on my phone; my computer doesn't work at the moment) and scribbling down the notes on paper.  Eventually, I got what I thought was it and transposed it into all 12 keys.  I will start uploading any work I do soon.

An update; what I've done, and what I plan to do.

Our first assignment for improvisation class is simply to write document our current strengths/weaknesses when it comes to improvising, remind Simon, our lecturer of what we've already done, and explain what we're going to do between now and the next performance block in eight weeks time (not including holidays).

Before the course started, I thought my weakness was simply this;

 "I can't improvise.  I can hear what I want to play in my head, but I can't play it on my instrument."

This was simply because I hadn't practiced enough to be able to think about what each note on the keyboard sounded like - I couldn't go from one note to the other in half a second and be confident that it was the note I wanted to play.

Now, however, after having listened to more jazz than I previously had, having researched, transcribed and transposed music etc, I've been able to detail my weaknesses and strengths.  I will start with my strengths:

-I know what I want to play - the melodies used in improvising aren't completely unknown to me.  This has always been the case.
- Having listened to more music with improvising in it, I've started to get a feel for it; don't constantly play.  Leave space.  Repeat the rhythm of melody lines but use different notes.  Less is more.
-Due to practicing and transposing, I am starting to find it easier to play things in different keys;  tunes, modes, chords, etc.
-I know what kind of rhythms I want to play.
-I'm starting to get to the point where I can go from putting the notes in my head onto the keyboard.

My weaknesses, however:

-I need to sit down and listen to a piece over and over and over, and then be given a few minutes to work out what I'm going to play; I still can't improvise on the spot.
-When it comes to more technical improvising, using modes, etc, I know the modes and notes in them I'm to play with, I just don't know how to use them.   My head is the toolbox and my fingers are the joiner.  The toolbox has all of the right tools, but in this case, the joiner doesn't know what to do with them.
-I can't transcribe rhythm to save myself.
-If someone were to ask me to play a solo on the spot (which they have done) I can't.  Or I can, but it doesn't work.  At all.

That's not to say I am completely useless and will be for the rest of time, though.  Since I first started working on the course, I've started to feel myself improving.  

I've been transcribing pieces; Bill Evans and John Coltrane, mostly.  I've made a start on Miles Davis and some of the Esbjorn Svennson Trio's work, but not as much as I should be.  What I have is terrible, and needs work; over the next week or two, I will begin uploading and blogging more frequently, showing all of the work I do, no matter how good, bad or humiliating it may be.

Details of my past futile attempts at transposing can be found in this post; http://jhopehndimprov.blogspot.com/2011/10/week-34.html

Once I transcribe a piece, I transpose it.  Which is something else I've started doing; transcribing.  It is, as Mark Levine says, one of the most important things any aspiring jazz musician can do.  It helps your transcribing due to the fact that you're constantly looking at notes and going over key signatures; it helps your playing; playing Autumn Leaves, for example, in G minor is easy enough.  Transpose that to Gb minor, however, and it becomes a different thing altogether.  Or it was.  For I'm starting to try and transpose everything I play into the first key that pops into my head, and due to the work we've been doing in classes (Theory, improv, etc) as well as research I've been doing myself, I'm starting to find that transposing songs into another key is something I may well be good at, if I put more work into it.

Until now, I've made a start on transcribing, transposing, reading up on Jazz Piano books, practicing licks and playing along with songs; made a start.  I will admit, I am in no way doing half as much work as I could be doing.

I'm getting a flat in the next 2-3 weeks, cutting travelling time by about 10 hours in a five day week.  It will mean I'll be able to practice at home. I won't have to rely on college practice booths being available for me to practice properly, on a piano that works well enough.  I'll have time to reformat my computer, so that I can install/download musical applications and programmes.

With this in mind, my goal between now and the next improv block is simple; practice more.  Transpose more.  Transcribe more.  Study more.

Instead of practicing for two hours at college, I will practice for two hours at college and two hours at night.  I aim to learn all of the 'basic' jazz chords (basic as in not added 9ths and 13ths) so that I can play any of them, in any key, without thinking about it.  This goes for all of the modes, as well.

I also aim to transcribe two phrases from at least three different songs a week, in every key, until then.  Instead of one every two weeks.  And I don't mean on a computer; I mean on manuscript paper, with a pencil and eraser.

I aim to practice any tune I try to play in at least two keys other than the original (to start with).

I aim to finish reading Mark Levine's jazz piano book, even if I'm not at the stage where I'm playing half of the things he mentions; I'll read it all, and then refer back to it when I start to get further in depth with playing jazz.

I also aim to download an Apple app which I will post about here once I get it working; in short, it allows me to play along to any genre in any key in whatever tempo I set it at.

I plan to actually work and do more than I'm asked, rather than just do what I'm told to do and leave it at that.

This all comes into effect once I start living in Edinburgh, which, as I say, will be in the next two weeks. Once I start living here, I'll have more than enough time on my hands to do all of the above.

Hopefully.

My Other Blog and Website

Here's a quick link to the other general blog I'm doing for everything else course related;

http://jhopemusicalprogression.blogspot.com/

I need not explain it here, as there's a description there.

Also, here's a link to my Weebly website: http://jhopemusician.weebly.com/

In time, that will hopefully become a .co.uk site, once I get finances sorted.  And, I suppose, once I start doing enough work to warrant paying for a website under my name.

Week 3/4

I was ill last week so I missed the class.  An update on what I've been doing, however;

I purchased "The Jazz piano Book", written by Mark Levine, a renowned jazz pianist.  It's probably the best thing I've ever bought.  If you know your theory and all 12 keys in both major and minor, the book is perfect for any wannabe jazz pianist.   It goes through the circle of fifths, the II V I chord progression, modes used for improvisation, and many other things I haven't yet covered.

Along with reading that, I've been listening to a lot more jazz lately.  Since my phone's been cut off due to lack of bill paying, I can't use spotify on my phone.  And my computer needs reformatted, so I can't download anything new.  This means I can only listen to the little jazz I have saved to my phone when not at home.  Meaning all I have to listen to is Bill Evans.  Which I have no complaints about at all.  I've started transcribing some of his songs.  I've made a start on some of the licks in "How deep is the Ocean?".  I've nothing to slow it down, though, so my transcribing basically means me sitting at a table listening to the same three seconds of music over and over and over and over again, and even then I'm likely getting the wrong notes because he plays so bloody fast.  However, it's helping me realise that I can't actually write rhythms down very well.  I will take what I do into Simon for analysis.  Hah.

Once a lick has been written down, I transpose it into every single key possible.  Which is a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I've not tried playing any yet, but I will eventually.  I'm not seeing a difference in my improvising yet, but once I start learning the licks I'm transcribing on the piano, I'll be able to use them while soloing.  Maybe.  Hopefully.

Improvisation - Week 2

Today, everyone brought their instruments in.  There was a wide variety, ranging from guitars and violins to pianos and synth keyboards.

After going round the class, discussing which Basie song we'd listened to, while singing back key melodies from the piece picked, Simon set up another drum loop for us to play over.  This time, however, rather than singing our name or whatever, we had to play on our instruments.

To start off, Simon introduced the Blues scale to those who hadn't used it before (though I think everyone had - just some more than others, depending on the course they were on) and had us playing back and repeating melodies that he played, emphasising on getting the rhythm correct.  This actually opened my eyes a bit, as when I heard what he played, I immediately thought "Oh, this will be easy.  That note there's a G."  And I was right about what the starting note was.  But when it came to playing the rest of the melody, on many occasions, I was using a trial and error approach when trying to play the next note, rather than listening and thinking "ah, that's a Bb now, and that must end on the C."  I couldn't immediately work out the notes he was playing when faced with a keyboard myself.  Which is very, very, very bad.  Everyone else (who was on their primary instrument) seemed to know exactly what to play without thinking.  This is something I'll have to look into.

Afterwards, we went around the group to the preset drum beat, told to play a 'blues phrase'.  "Blues phrase".  That was what we were to play.  Had I listened properly and understood, I'd have been fine.  Playing a blues phrase on any instrument is easy, you just use a typical blues rhythm and play almost anything you want using the blues scale.  Some of us, however, ended up trying to improvise on the spot with just the 'blues scale', which would have worked if we weren't just to play a phrase lasting two bars.  Simon then made it clear the difference between improvising and composing on the spot.

Some people also decided to throw in a D and an A, the second and sixth degrees of the C Major scale, respectively.  Simon then explained to us his theory of how a 'blues scale' doesn't actually exist, and that it's just a group of notes used to play over certain things, and how by throwing in the D and A, notes not associated with the standard 'blues scale', these people weren't 'wrong' at all.  Which is true enough.  If it sounds right, a person shouldn't be restricted on what notes he's allowed to play/not play.

For next week, more Basie is to be listened to.  We're "more advanced than first thought", so Simon Says, so we'll be put into miniature Jazz bands soon.  This coming week, hopefully.  Will update next on work done with the Riffy Rhythms sheet we were given.

Week 1; Introductions and Count Basie

The Improvisation class, taught to the HND1 class by Simon, is a class that every student in the Music Box at SCE now has, apparantely.  Which is pleasing, as I believe improvisation to be a vital skill every musician should possess.  Hearing that we'd be have classes in it this year pleased me to no end.

This blog will document said class, from what we do whilst in it to what work we do for it at home.  With any luck, if will also document any progress I personally make with my playing thanks to the class.  Expect thousands upon thousands of typos, as well as spelling errors and grammar bad enough to make a person vomit.

The first class was a tad awkward at first; improvising rhythms while introducing yourself to the rest of the class at the same time.  After that, we to improvise a rhythm and add melody to it.  At first, I was shy (as were most) and put little effort into it.  Once everyone had had a turn, however, and everyone got settled in, we were told to skat sing over a 12 bar jazz loop in the key of F.  I did this without feeling embrassed, as did most people - which is how it always should be in a course dedicated to performing.

Anyways, for next week we've to listen to a single Count Basie song and learn one of the various licks or solos played over a 12 bar blues section.  I've picked 'Honeysuckle', from an album I'm not sure of.  The one I've got simply says 'The Best of Early Basie'.  I will most likely use the piano melody heard at the very start, or the licks used by the brass section near the end.