[Smokey651]

I had jazz band practice last night, err... not really practice but tryouts. And basically the way he is deciding for alto saxophones is pretty much on how well we improvised. Well, i had practiced improvising at home a lot but last night was my first time improvising with people listening. And it was pretty awesome, i did really well!

Anyways, my band director had told everyone whether they made it into jazz band or not except alto saxophones... he said he had to think more.

Ok so now that i have that story out of the way i need tips.
I have the basics of improvising down i think.

1. Play what you feel
2. Stay in key (lol)
3. And if chords are written try to use them some (for instance if your playing a song thats based on the jazz scale 'G Bb C C# D F G' and a Cma7 chord is written you can replace Bb with just B.

So do you have any tips for me next time i improvise publically?

(sorry if this post didnt make any sense, there were a lot of things i was trying to write down)

 

[harmonizerNJ]

I am just scratching the surface here, but you can start by listening to recordings of some of the greats improvising (for starters, Parker Adderley Coltrane Davis). Trying to improvise over these recordings can't hurt. See if you can get another situation to get further improvising time (combos, open mike, etc). Practice lots of scales, arpeggios, and other patterns in all 12 keys, to build your technical ability to execute what you think of. Don't ignore rhythms. Make sure you can hear what you actually end up playing (for me, this is not always the same as what I tried to play). Let yourself play a real melody (whether conventional or less so), and don't feel compelled to play lots of notes.

 

[crazydaisydoo]

I don't have any problems improvising, but in front of other nerves can get the better of your creativity. This is where you need a few licks and tricks to help you get out of trouble. You get these by regularly practicing your improvs (I use aerbersolds) and by transcribed solos by others.

For some good phrases you can borrow:

Jamey Aebersold Blues in All Keys + The Lennie Niehaus book cd that goes with it

Jamey Aebersolds II V7 1 book

I would say only about 15% of my improvisation is pattern or phrase based, most of it is by ear, but it is an important part of improvising. Listen to the greats, they all repeat little trademark riffs and runs.

 

[playitfunky]

I don't have any problems improvising, but in front of other nerves can get the better of your creativity. This is where you need a few licks and tricks to help you get out of trouble. You get these by regularly practicing your improvs (I use aerbersolds) and by transcribed solos by others.

For some good phrases you can borrow:

Jamey Aebersold Blues in All Keys + The Lennie Niehaus book cd that goes with it

Jamey Aebersolds II V7 1 book

I would say only about 15% of my improvisation is pattern or phrase based, most of it is by ear, but it is an important part of improvising. Listen to the greats, they all repeat little trademark riffs and runs.

That's the book I have been working through. Lennie's stuff that goes along with abersolds stuff are great. The David Baker stuff is good also but a little more difficult. I'm to Db in the Blues in all Keys book and it's been challenging for me. I'm envious of the guys on here who can just shed right through that stuff sight reading.

 

[TooSaxy]

Well you got 3 rules... ready for rule 4?
4) Break the rules

 

[milandro]

I guess that the best thing is to listen to the music and practice improvization by singing, at first without your instrument, break it in small pieces, just few bars in the beginning. I am a decent improviser (when it comes to easy keys ) and don't do too much of this singing practice as I should but interiorizing music is the way to express it when you have to.
Once you have a inner picture of what you want to lay on the canvas. Start playing and dealing with the part of technical difficulty. Do not try to memorize your impro, that will be detrimental to the impro itself. But you need to know the box that your in and if there are any windows you can explore.

 

[Saxplayer67]

I improvise 100% by ear; I did have a look last year at the Aebersold Vol One and the II V7 I book and nowt sank in. :? So until I find the time to go through the Aebersolds properly, it's ear all the way.

Strange thing is, I know the concepts behind improvisation and how to do it and explain it to others but putting it into practice myself is another matter...

 

[clarnibass]

First thing to do - listen to music boardering insanity (i.e. a lot!). Other than that, I'm not exactly sure of your level but learning all the scales and chords and noticing what others are doing in the same type of music you are playing would help.

On a more, hmm.... "philosophical" side - I completely disagree with crazydaisydoo. Learning licks and tricks can be great but actually I think that's better for practice for technique and understnaing what others are doing. For concerts it is best do your music and to play your own ideas. Usually licks would sound out of place because it is something someone learned but there is no real reason to play it exactly where they played it (not always, but usually). Of course there are places where licks, tricks, etc. would be great, but for non-purely musical reasons, like a praphrase on another song, maybe a philosophical or social idea that is said by this, or a good reason to quote someone else specifically.

 

[Saxplayer67]

I'm not exactly sure of your level...[endquote]

Nor am I! I played violin at school (to ABRSM Grade 2) back in the seventies/eighties, eventually got to sax in 1995, took twenty-three lessons over a year but other than that I consider myself essentially self taught. Teaching sax successfully and one of my students (autistic) decided to take grades on sax and found him a school teacher to be his accompanist (I don't play piano) and he sailed through first three grades with distinctions.

 

[crazydaisydoo]

First thing to do - listen to music boardering insanity (i.e. a lot!). Other than that, I'm not exactly sure of your level but learning all the scales and chords and noticing what others are doing in the same type of music you are playing would help.

On a more, hmm.... "philosophical" side - I completely disagree with crazydaisydoo. Learning licks and tricks can be great but actually I think that's better for practice for technique and understnaing what others are doing. For concerts it is best do your music and to play your own ideas. Usually licks would sound out of place because it is something someone learned but there is no real reason to play it exactly where they played it (not always, but usually). Of course there are places where licks, tricks, etc. would be great, but for non-purely musical reasons, like a praphrase on another song, maybe a philosophical or social idea that is said by this, or a good reason to quote someone else specifically.

I was answering the specific question of playing out, where have a supply of your own licks and tricks really helps with nerves. Look at Cannonball Adderley with his famous trill, or Charlie Parker with his Klose inspired runs, often repeated.

I have yet to see anyone who does not use these little personal phrases linked by new and spontaneous thoughts. With the exception of free jazz, truly spontaneous music is very rare.

I was not suggesting for one second that you just copy phrases and stick them in your solo any old how, I was suggesting that you have a vocabulary of your OWN phrases, adapted from, stolen, borrowed, these transcriptions and by listening. You have to practice them to make them your own.

I see these phrases as thinking time, maybe just a few seconds to get your brain into the next original thought, or to connect new ideas together. It really helps with nerves.

 

[milandro]

we all have forms and patterns (which you might very wel call licks) in our mind and improvising will dig deeply in those , the trick is probably use them as a thinking pause in the mono-pluri-logue of the solo.
Like all the : " Well..., You see..., Errrr, You know..." all to common in English or any other language. A lick is nothing else than that, if fact it is, or should be, nothing more than a pause to gather mometum and spin into action again. Especially be-bop!

 

[Dave Wright]

Lets not give the guy overload. Theres no way he's ready for Aebersold blues in every key and I doubt he knows what a ii V I is.

Just for the record, the scale you mentioned is usually known as the ' blues scale ' and no, you can't just replace the bb with a B and play over a major chord.

I don't know if you know what penatonic scales are but learn some and play on one chord with them. ( you can use some different Aebersold backings for this ) Learn how to get a good feel and utilisation of the scale. Play it until you can sing it your sleep. Use the blues scale ( or jazz scale ) in the same way too.

To answer your question- it sounds like you did well the first time, whatever you did...do it again and keep doing it. Have the same confidence and belief in what you're playing, always . Don't try to play beyond your ability- use what you know and enjoy it. ..thats so important- enjoy your practice and your performance.

Good luck

( sorry if I underestimated your ability )

 

[SaxyJ]

Improvisation is a joy and a freedom of expression...

At the parish I belong to, improvisation is a must for instrumentalists. The main reason for this is due to the music provided: all in the key of C!

Sure, transposing is something I can do as well, but when you play the same notes that the choir uses, the music can feel a bit boring and monotonous. To spice up the mood, I tend to do a lot of improvisations.

Luckily, the music director loves this and encourages me to do more. In addition, many more parishioners have been attending masses and have been giving me warm, inviting compliments. (Also, it has provided me with more dates.. )

Sure, there are many books and techniques for improvisation, but my main advice is this: Deeply feel the rhythm of the music. When you have done so, improvisation will come as a normal conjure.

 

[Saxby]

90% of my sax playing these days is improvised work!

I've found that soloing to everything and anything (I've tried death metal but it doesn't work, so skip that) is great practice for honing your ear. Jazz, rock, classical, funk, chillout, classics, try anything and see if it works.

Try to think/feel in colours (practice this first it might make you play better or sound terrible).

Make sure you put a few wrong notes in to vary it up (Wrong notes that work, that is). I find that a semi tone below leading up to the correct key note works a treat sometimes. or even a quick well placed dissonant lick back to key.

Listen to famous sax players to see how they've created licks, then make up your own simple ones. You'll probably repeat them every now and then, make sure that you aren't playing the same phrase over and over the whole solo. Some people do it instinctively. *I used to back in the day..., my friend also used to*

Build your solo's based upon the backing music and other players, LISTEN! I'm still perfecting my backing music reflections

Really get into the music, bend into the sound, move with the music, move soft or loud based on your playing. As Buddy Knox told me over and over - "don't f**k with the groove" - of the band - let it flow (sorry about the language).

Use dynamics!

Try to cover a wide range of notes on the sax, separating the notes by at least a few tones.

Have fun with it, people love solo's and so should you!

When it gets to the point where you can solo to anything by hearing it, it's fantastic.

Everytime there's a music festival/ music night/ jam night on, I can just grab my sax and hit it up on stage. the other night at my local Uni bar I laid out a wicked solo to marvin Gayes sexual healing with a mate on guitar and vocals and another guy on bongoes. 100% spontaneous!

fun fun.

Well you got 3 rules... ready for rule 4?
4) Break the rules

I'm liking this advice.

also - what is this abersold blues you speak of?

Sounds intriguing...

 

[JazzyMercedes]

If you have problems with nerves (like I did for a while), the best way to overcome them is to perform more and more. I would join some community bands and get involved with some different groups, the more exposure, the better. I attend an arts school where we have just about weekly performances, and I find it very helpful in getting over my fears.
For blues and rhythm changes help/amazing licks, check out the John Racina Patterns and Etudes books. Not only do they help you with riffs and make you comfortable with changes, you get great sight reading experience.
Cheers, I hope this helped;
Mercedes

 

[asaxman]

You MUST know the theory - what scale goes with what chord! It's not very difficult.

 

[vonbraig]

www.myspace.com/christoperbraig free lessons