However, after working all year, by listening to and playing other tracks, and receiving guidance from Steve, my teacher. I've found myself faced with a bunch of licks and riffs that I now use almost constantly. I will list a handful of examples, along with accompanying videos.
Blues Licks
These are all in the video - I play them in the order seen here.
I call them blues licks because if I was to use them all in my jazz solos all the time, I'd be spat on by jazz critics. These are mostly used in any blues/rock and roll solos I do.
VIDEO - 1) Triplet run. Very quick m7-6-5 m3-2-1 descending run that can be used in a wide variety of places. This one can work very well in jazz pieces if you play it in a different key of the tune you are playing, working especially well if played in the subdominant of said key. Also works if mixed with other chords, eg. when I performed "Peace Piece" by Bill Evans, I played this run in C along with an F#9 chord and ran down 4 octaves during my improvisation at the end. It seemed to work well.
VIDEO - 2) Descending tritone/blues note based run.
VIDEO -3) m7 - 1 - m3 triplet run. Basic blues riff. Can work well in jazz solos if followed by a chromatic run.
VIDEO - 4) b5 - 5 - 8 triplet run. Another basic blues riff. Works well in jazz solos if emphasis is placed on the b5.
Riffs I have under my belt for Jazz
Here are some of the things I've picked up this year that I use in my solos. They are basic ideas and will often be embellished or altered whilst playing.
VIDEO - 6) Tonic triad, Tritone triad. Two major (or minor) triads straight after one another. If in the key of C, would be C-E-G F#-A#-C# or vice versa. Picked this up from listening to Evans and Oscar Peterson. I'm not sure if it's exactly what they played, but with the timing I play in the video, it's a well used riff that opens up space for a fast, continuous onslaught of notes. I like to play a blues scale just after this.
VIDEO - 7) Chromatic run. If I feel I need to do something quickly, make my solo more jazzy, transition to the next chord or even forget where I am, I use this. I couldn't for the life of me understand how so many jazz pianists made their solos sound so discordant but in key at the same time. I thought this was a particular lick that I just wasn't getting, but then I discovered it was just a chromatic run. I use this a lot.
VIDEO - 8) Suspended 4th run. Heard at the end of the "Belief" solo, this is one of my favourites to play.
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