TOM'S IMPROVISATION LESSONS
Sept 17, 2024
These are the topics we covered: Listening and imitation are our focuses • also rhythmic integrity • C Jam Blues: dig in to the style more by accenting the 2nd note in a pair of eighth notes • St. Thomas - play the head just like Sonny Rollins • we discussed form: Blues and AABA; All of Me is?
Put up more blues Beatles and Tracey Chapman and Poet Laureate blues poem
Repetition and contrast are the bread and butter of all things, including improvised solos - put up examples
put up 1-note solo examples
put up playlist
link to piano comping page
Keep working on your jazz/subtone embouchure - thinking of opening your jaw and letting your lips hold the air in seemed to help today. It's coming along!
Practice the Pentatonic sheets below in the EXERCISES section.
Practice the melodies (heads) to All of Me and KC Blues so that you sound like the recordings below.
Practice the 1st solo chorus of A Prescription for the Blues and really grab onto those A minor pentatonic/blues licks.
TUNES-
Practice the head to C Jam Blues along with these recordings. Use your EARS: if you don't remember it, use your ears to figure it out.
Try to match the groove/pocket and the articulation/style of how these artists play this melody.
Remember to use headphones when playing along with recordings.
This is Madame Fitzgerald's 1st solo chorus on C Jam Blues - it begins at 2:05 on the track. Play this a lot. Listen to the recording a lot. Play with the recording a lot. Memorize this solo and play it just like Ella:
Do you know how to slow down the tempo of recordings on YouTube? Select the settings wheel at the bottom of the video and then you'll see the option to change playback speed. Such an awesome thing!
-Ye Olde Stuffe-
LINK to the Great American Songbook page
