[Keith Ridenhour]

I had this discussion with a friend. and he practices doing unusual intervals and odd phrasings that hopefully will become his "style" . I think at some point inour development we all want to do "different " and be something special. i'm still working on basics but im looking more and more how I stucture phrases Things I want in my soloing are , heavy rthymic feel (think playing for dancers), interestiing harmonic additions, some 'licks" that are identifiaby as me? Am I there yet, no. Maybe never, but why not try. K

 

[GCinCT]

I do a lot of work trying to combine different rhythms in various ways. I sometimes listen to drum solos to find interesting things I can try to phrase a line to.

 

[mmichel]

I don't really get this. I don't think you really need to try to "be different".

In my experience, most people who pursue "uniqueness" for its own sake wind up sounding contrived.

I just listen to lots of music, try to play the things that I hear in my head, and practice the phrases and licks that sound good to me.

No one listens to exactly the mix of music that you listen to and/or has exactly the same tastes you do. As long as you don't make a concerted effort to sound exactly like some particular player, I don't think you're in danger of sounding like someone else.

I don't think that you should have to make any explicit effort to cultivate your "unique" sound. Life's too short to worry about that nonsense. Just play what you like.

 

[jondelucia]

I don't really get this. I don't think you really need to try to "be different".

In my experience, most people who pursue "uniqueness" for its own sake wind up sounding contrived.

I just listen to lots of music, try to play the things that I hear in my head, and practice the phrases and licks that sound good to me.

No one listens to exactly the mix of music that you listen to and/or has exactly the same tastes you do. As long as you don't make a concerted effort to sound exactly like some particular player, I don't think you're in danger of sounding like someone else.

I don't think that you should have to make any explicit effort to cultivate your "unique" sound. Life's too short to worry about that nonsense. Just play what you like.

I agree that you can't force it. I spent a few years trying that and it never quite came together. It's best to just take in everything you can, and also do what you did by keeping track of things that are important to you, your musical priorities. Now I feel that I have a style as the result of years of experience, but it isn't necessarily what I set out to do. You can't run away from your own uniqueness even if you try!

Buy Jon's book, Bach Shapes, diatonic sequences from the music of JS Bach for saxophone, at http://www.bachshapes.com or on amazon prime: https://amzn.to/2QSmtAc

 

[rcpayne]

You're going to sound like you as a matter of course. I believe things like rhythmic figures will evolve in your playing naturally as it's something we all hear a lot of. Same for playing with a blues feel. I just keep working on my playing, trying to single out weak points, recording myself, and taking time to really practice improvising a lot and not spending all my time doing exercises and the like. That's important too but it's only one aspect. Also the better you get the more critical you get so while you might think you aren't progressing you actually are, it's just perhaps your standards have risen as well.

 

[Benjamin Allen]

When reading your question I can't help but think of Wayne Shorter during his early albums. He sounded so much like Coltrane it was confusing at first to hear snippets of licks from him and distinguish him from Coltrane. But even then he had a certain uniqueness that I eventually was able to rather easily distinguish him from Coltrane. Whatever Wayne Shorter did after his early albums to stop sounding like Coltrane would be an interesting analysis. I have not read his biography in about a decade; perhaps I need to attack that again.

 

[1saxman]

I don't really get this. I don't think you really need to try to "be different".

In my experience, most people who pursue "uniqueness" for its own sake wind up sounding contrived.

I just listen to lots of music, try to play the things that I hear in my head, and practice the phrases and licks that sound good to me.

No one listens to exactly the mix of music that you listen to and/or has exactly the same tastes you do. As long as you don't make a concerted effort to sound exactly like some particular player, I don't think you're in danger of sounding like someone else.

I don't think that you should have to make any explicit effort to cultivate your "unique" sound. Life's too short to worry about that nonsense. Just play what you like.

Good advice.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

I read somewhere that Michael Brecker used to show up at sessions with a huge book of transcribed Coltrane solos. ( I think Tim Price told me that in our lessons when he talked about transcribing) I can hear stanley Turrentine, Trane, Joe Henderson and others in his stlye.

If you listen to 25 Brecker recordings or 25 parker recordings, or 25 whomever recordings you will hear things they do or techniques they chose somehow or developed that set them aside from others in their timeframe. When I was coaching at a high school a few years ago with a very good music program the tenors were all trying to be trane, or redman, and the altos kenny garett , etc. Nothing wrong with using ear training to improve your level of hearing and nothing wrong with deliberatly throwing in things you consided to being "your statements' >

When reading your question I can't help but think of Wayne Shorter during his early albums. He sounded so much like Coltrane it was confusing at first to hear snippets of licks from him and distinguish him from Coltrane. But even then he had a certain uniqueness that I eventually was able to rather easily distinguish him from Coltrane. Whatever Wayne Shorter did after his early albums to stop sounding like Coltrane would be an interesting analysis. I have not read his biography in about a decade; perhaps I need to attack that again.

 

[nvilletele]

I don’t need to practice to set myself apart from other players.

The poor quality of my playing already sufficiently distances me from most other players.

And no one has yet duplicated the specific manner and quantity of the errors I make.

So I guess I am truly unique.

 

[JL]

I don't really get this. I don't think you really need to try to "be different".

I don't think that you should have to make any explicit effort to cultivate your "unique" sound.

+1. I'd submit it's next to impossible to not set yourself apart from other players. You are going to come up with a unique sound no matter what you do. The real idea is to try to sound good and get a sound you like. And that takes a lot of work.

However, there's nothing wrong with looking for interesting sounds such as the odd intervals or unusual phrasing your friend has been exploring. That's all part of it, but I don't think you need to go out of your way trying to sound 'different.' At least that's my take. I want to sound good, period. To that end, if I steal some licks & ideas that I like from other players, I don't worry that I'll end up sounding like them. I won't, but I might add some good sounds to my own repertoire. And then even when I learn a certain lick or phrase, I usually end up changing it some extent, so that helps make it unique.

 

[whaler]

Your sound is what makes you unique. All the other stuff has been played by somebody out there.

 

[Reet McVouty]

I don't really get this. I don't think you really need to try to "be different".

In my experience, most people who pursue "uniqueness" for its own sake wind up sounding contrived.

I just listen to lots of music, try to play the things that I hear in my head, and practice the phrases and licks that sound good to me.

No one listens to exactly the mix of music that you listen to and/or has exactly the same tastes you do. As long as you don't make a concerted effort to sound exactly like some particular player, I don't think you're in danger of sounding like someone else.

I don't think that you should have to make any explicit effort to cultivate your "unique" sound. Life's too short to worry about that nonsense. Just play what you like.

+100

 

[Sidepipes]

I agree with JL: I play tenor in the NASA Ames ARC jazz Combo, and a frequent sub in their big band. There are several different sax players coming through on different evening rehearsals, and if I closed my eyes, I could tell you who was soloing! -- the Indian, not the arrow!

 

[GaSax]

I don';t need to practice to set myself apart from other players.

The poor quality of my playing already sufficiently distances me from most other players.

And no one has yet duplicated the specific manner and quantity of the errors I make.

So I guess I am truly unique.

LOL!

I don't play jazz and I don't necessarily try stand out. But I do practice long tones a lot to improve my tone. So I'll at least sound good when I make a mistake. ?

 

[clarnut]

Years ago I remember a Miles Davis documentary where he said "Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself"

 

[Budget Explosion]

I spend considerable time composing instrumental tunes when I should be practicing. Most original jazz heads are terrible. I'm trying to set myself apart by writing catchy original tunes.

 

[turf3]

I spent a lot of time as a young player playing rock and roll sax on the bandstand, where you need to immediately catch the audience's attention; make a clear and concise statement; and you've got 12 or 24 or maybe 32 bars to get the job done and get out of the way. Under those circumstances you have to develop some individuality. Also, I never did any transcription to speak of; which definitely slowed my progress in some ways (so I am NOT recommending that one eschew transcription); but it also forced me back on my own resources rather than learning how other people did it.

Even now, I often find myself envious of young players who have such a command of the "standard jazz language", but on the other hand after listening to a couple of choruses many of them all sound the same. I have been TOLD that my playing is immediately recognizable (and I THINK that "because it's so awful" was not what was meant..)

So if I were asked "how to practice in support of developing an individual sound" I would probably say to spend a lot of time on tone building exercises (I like to practice outdoors) and playing along with records (actual recordings in preference to Aebersolds, because with an actual recording you've got to figure out the chords on your own, and because the music will run away from you with the least inattention - though I use Aebersolds and Band in a Box a lot too, especially when I'm trying to really nail down a chord progression and reduce it to deep inner memory). And then get on the bandstand and actually play a lot for audiences.

 

[Grumps]

… some 'licks" that are identifiaby as me?

Once you find those, the next step is not using them.

 

[thisidigofyou]

I think people sound unique enough without trying to go out of their way to force uniqueness. As others have said, we're all drawn to different things, like different things, etc, and if we continue to pursue those sounds we hear others play that we like, the sounds we hear in our head that we like, and the sounds we discover through playing/practice/experimentation that we like, we have no choice but to be unique.

Or not. What do I know. Ha!

 

[Roundmidnite]

The more the music comes directly from the heart and soul of the player, the more unique and musical it is. It's all about saying something meaningful and real, which is completely dependent on true emotion being conveyed. The sound and ideas are just the vehicle.