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.
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