Stablemates Etude

This morning I was working on an etude or written out solo over Stablemates. I was pleased with how it turned out and wanted to share it.

Though my only real focus was to write something different from what I usually play on this tune, I did end up with some recurring themes. Polyrhythms turn up on the regular basis. The etude opens up with a 3 beat repeating rhythm, creating a 3/4 metric feel over the underlying 4/4 meter. The B section, starting at measure 14, uses the same 3/4 over 4/4 feel with the fourth and final occurrence of the rhythm being displaced early by one eighth note. Finally, the opening of the final A section has a 3 and half beat repeating rhythm starting on beat 2 of measure 23. You can also observe some repeating 3 eighth note rhythms in measures 4-5 and in measure 28.

Some of the other things I ended up using a lot include anticipated and delayed resolutions and switching between melodic ascent and descent multiple times withing a phrase. Anyways, here it is (links to PDFs in various transpositions below).

Stablemates Etude Bb.pdf
Stablemates Solo C.pdf
Stablemates Solo Eb.pdf

Keeping a Vamp Interesting: Texture

This is the first in a series of posts that will address improvising over a vamp (a relatively short repeated section of music like a repeated bass line, i.e. Chameleon ). Because their isn't usually a huge amount of harmonic movement in a given vamp, it is commonly one of the first settings that musicians become comfortable improvising in. However, its sweetness soon sours as the musician's ear and ability matures and some of the difficulties of creating a complete musical statement over static harmony begin to rear their head. In fact, vamps can present a real challenge for telling a story or making an improvisation really feel like it goes someplace. Too many canned pentatonic or blues licks over a repeated chord progression or bass line can quickly bore the listener and the player. This series of posts will be dedicated to exploring different methods of propelling a vamp-based improvisation forward and keeping yourself from falling into a musical lull. Of course, all the concepts are also readily applicable to other musical settings.

Today's post will deal with texture, loosely defined as the musical mood established by the combination of  articulation, dynamics, and rhythmic and melodic content. Texture can be a very useful and relatively easy to use tool in your improvisation. You can use it to set up contrasts or establish a unique musical landscape, and as long as you are familiar with the different elements that create them, you will be able to compose various textures on the fly. Following are examples of some different possibilities, each with a notated example (I had originally intended to include an audio example as well, but those will have to wait for the next post). The notated examples are should be played at a medium tempo (quarter note = 100-120) and played with a straight eighth feel.

Like a Melody

An easy way to create musical textures is to simply copy one you are familiar with. For example, one possibility would be to play melodically, generally using longer rhythms like you find in the average melody that accompanies a lyric. Classic jazz standards come to mind like Autumn Leaves or All The Things You Are. These melodies contain longer resolution notes, and smooth voice leading. Here is an example of a few bars of improvisation loosely within this texture.

Crunchy

Articulation can be a powerful and easy tool in setting up a musical landscape. Any articulation used in a repetitive or even semi-repetitive fashion can establish a mood. One example could consist of staccato notes and accents regularly used in a phrase.

Giant Steps

There are a variety of textures you can create by focusing on intervals, but one might consist of medium size intervals like thirds and fourths, the building blocks of arpeggios. This can definitely lead to some interesting territory.

Elvin Jones

Continuing in the Coltrane theme, a repetitive rhythmic element can also establish a certain mood. The following example uses a repeated three 16th note pattern (two notes and one rest), a polyrhythm, which can establish a very dense and energetic mood.

Perks of Exploiting Textures

Not only will employing textures in your improvisation  fight the potentially static feel of a vamp, but it can also give the solo unity and focus. While you can use them to increase intensity or transition to a new musical setting, they also give the ear something to latch on to. Sometimes I'll remember a particular solo on an album because of the specific unique textures it uses, and I think we sometimes remember compositions in that way too.

A good introductory exercise would be to list a few musical textures that appeal to you and experiment with them all over the same vamp or tune. With continued experimentation you will soon find new favorites which will not only help develop a given solo but eventually become an integral part of playing.

Inflection and Improvisation

EDIT: There has been some confusion over this post, and I just want to make it clear. The point of this post is not that inflection is bad. The point is to warn of technical and artistic problems that commonly rear their head when inflection is used in improvisation. Whether you are a player who uses a lot of inflection or just a little, you should be aware of these issues.

This past week I had an opportunity to take a lesson with Walt Weiskopf, an amazing saxophonist and great teacher. I had studied with him during my undergrad at Eastman, and on various occasions I had heard his philosophy on inflection. It came up in our lesson this week, and I think, for the first time, I really understood the points he made.

The basic premise is that inflection can be problematic for a number of reasons. It can detract from time feel and content, and it can become a crutch. Walt is an advocate of minimal inflection for those reasons and others. I would like to outline those points in detail because many of them get at the basic mechanics of improvisation, and whether you play with heavy inflection (Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Chris Potter) or much less (Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Walt Weiskopf) you need to understand how to deal with inflection. You do not want it detracting from your playing no matter your aesthetic. Following is a laundry list of guidelines that will keep you on the right track.

• One of my favorite points that Walt made was that inflection takes time, just a moment, but it often adds time to the execution of an idea. Because of this it can detract from time feel and groove. It can ruin the forward momentum and feel of an improvisation if you let time feel take a back seat to inflection. Don't do it!
• Inflection can also detract from content. Walt made the point that you can only focus on so many things at a time, and if inflection becomes your priority, content can suffer. 
• I would add that inflection can get in the way of execution of an idea. Sometimes an idea is hard enough by itself and trying to inflect it adds to the difficulty and stunts your ability to play it. This has happened to me, and I have heard it happen to the best of players.
• Inflection easily becomes habit. A great exercise, Walt's suggestion, is to improvise while trying to keep your playing free of all inflections. This will show how much of your inflection comes by choice and how much comes by force of habit. Every inflection should be an artistic choice.
• Finally, inflection can become a crutch. As an improvisation progresses, some player rely more on inflection to carry their solo, instead of musical content. It can be a tell-tale sign that you are uncomfortable or running out of steam. At times like these it is important to keep focused and continue improvising creatively instead of resorting to a stylist-only approach.

I realize that is all pretty negative, but sometimes a good dose of cold hard reality is the best thing to improve your playing. For some, these guidelines will result in less inflection, and for other it will mean they need to execute their inflection more carefully, avoiding detracting from the groove or the execution of their content. Again, no matter the aesthetic, these guidelines can be helpful in maintaining a high level of playing and in focusing your improvisation.

Making the Most of a Transcription

Transcribing plays a vital role in most jazz musician's development whether it's outright transcription or just trying to capture and figure out what a player is doing. This week's post is dedicated to different ways you can approach a transcription and how to make the most of it.

Transcriptions are one of the major avenues of musical discovery, and should be used heavily when developing a command over jazz vocabulary. Every great player I've read about goes through a development phase where they learn the ropes through transcription of some type or other. At one point Charlie Parker learned to play many or all of Lester Young's solos on record. You can also find a lot of Don Byas' vocabulary in Bird's playing. Coltrane was influenced by Dexter Gordon. Sonny Rollins loved Coleman Hawkins, and you can certainly hear his influence in Rollins' sound. Joe Henderson learned the ropes transcribing Coltrane, and the list goes on. A modern day example, Chris Potter, spent a lot of time in high school learning how to play like Bird and then explored Brecker's playing. If you are still working towards a command over the jazz language, transcription should be an obvious and utilized tool. What if you've already made it a fair way through your development? I'd suggest that transcription is an easy way to explore unfamiliar sounds that you can't reproduce. Whether it's a harmonic progression, a time feel, or a certain sound on the saxophone, transcription can help you learn and understand it.

The Transcription Process

Here is the part where I tell you to do some of the obvious things you're dreading in the transcription process, but I'll also give you an easy out first. There are three different levels of learning from a master player, at least in my mind. The first level, which is the loosest, is where you simply listen to the player and then try to reproduce that vocabulary or specific aspect of their playing while you improvise. This works really well for me with players I've already done some serious transcription on, or for occasions when I'm trying to reproduce a tone or time feel alone. The second level is learning from a written transcription someone else already completed and made available. If you put all the proper work into it you can still get a lot out of a solo someone else transcribed and wrote out. The 3rd, and most intense level, is actual transcription, figuring out what a player is doing note for note, rhythm for rhythm all by your lonesome. I personally feel like everyone should do level three transcription at some point during their development, but both level 2 and level 3 transcriptions can be taken through the paces.

Here are the steps I would suggest following in the transcription process:

1. Write out the transcription as you go. Include the song's chord changes as chord symbols above the measures to make analysis easier.
2. Analyse the solo picking out specific modes or suggested harmonic substitutions and progressions. This will make it easier to apply concepts learned from the transcription in other places and keys.
3. Learn to play the solo flawlessly. Spending a few months or more on a solo is just fine. Let it get in your bones.
4. The last step would be to memorize the entire solo. I don't know that I've ever memorized an entire solo, but memorization certainly plays an important role in the process of learning music.

Approaches from Dave Liebman and Steve Wilson

Once you can really play the transcription you're ready to put the transcription to work for yourself. I have heard advice from Dave Liebman and Steve Wilson who both suggest making the transcription your own.

Liebman's is a macro approach. After mastering the solo, practice it progressively injecting more and more of yourself into the solo. The first time around try playing 90% of the original solo and 10% of your own injected improvisation changing how lines end or begin, changing rhythms and changing colors. The possibilities are really limitless here. The next time around try to play 80% of the original solo and 20% your own. Continue the process until you've arrived at 100% your own. At this point you've likely assimilated some of the vocabulary from the transcription into your own improvisation.

Wilson's, in contrast, is a micro approach. In lessons he had me take some lines I liked from the transcription and explore ways I could make those lines my own. Again any musical aspect of the line or riff is fair game. For example we could take this typical Bird line, and transform it as shown below (click here for a larger version).

The first line is the original lick (click here to listen), the opening from Bird's solo on Anthropology with a basic outline of the chord structure above. The second line (click here to listen) has some harmonic variations introduced in the middle and the suggested chords are indicated below the original chord symbols. I've substituted an A half diminished chord from the minor ii-V over the A minor, and I've substituted an Abmin7 over the D7, a type of tritone substitution or chromatic movement. 

Finally, in the third line (click here to listen) I've taken the most liberties building on my first variation and changing mainly the rhythmic content but also changing some harmonic and melodic content. My approach to changing the rhythmic content here was to shift the accents which naturally happen as the line peaks in various places throughout. The melodic changes typically serve the purpose of shifting the rhythmic peaks and accents which was my main goal in this last variation. My additional change to the harmony is the added sharp 11th over the G major in the last measure.

An Additional Improvisational Approach

Another method that I personally use the most as it lends to the most improvisation, is the listen, repeat, and recreate method. I'll first master the transcription. Then on a given day I'll listen to the original recording, play the solo through one or two times, then embark on my own improvisation practice session. During this time I will try to recreate some of my favorite aspects of the solo.

For example, one of my favorite parts of Bird's playing is his rhythmic jabbing or the shifting accents within his eighth note phrases. I have worked on recreating that in my own improvisations, first predominantly using Bird's vocabulary, then applying the same shifting accents to lines of my own creation.  

You can and probably should zero in on one specific musical trait or concept at a time when doing this. With this kind of focus you will most likely make more progress, however you'll still have the rest of the transcription in your ear lifting and affecting your playing. Following are some specific concepts to zero in on in a transcription:

• harmonic devices - substitutions, extensions and sequences
• melodic building blocks - motives and shapes
• rhythmic content - cross rhythms, polyrhythms and accents
• phrasing -  phrase beginnings, phrase endings, phrase length, anticipating chord changes and delayed resolutions
• time feel
• sound
• energy or intensity
• use of dynamics and use of articulation

I'm sure there are many others, but I think this list covers the basics. Hopefully, while going over it you've already had an idea of something that one of your favorite players can do that you can't do. That is exactly what you want to tackle!

Memorization and Transposition

One additional way to make the most of a transcription is to take some of your favorite licks or, better yet, some personalized variations and transpose them into all 12 keys. The goal here is to be able to play the lick from memory in any key. This will pretty much guarantee that a specific idea will show up in your playing.

Transcription as Problem Solving - A Practical Example

Personally, I find transcription and transcription practice an excellent form of problem solving. An example from my own practice was tackling rhythm changes. In my formative years I was assigned the blues and variations thereof many times, but for some reason I never really worked on rhythm changes. That resulted in never being completely comfortable over rhythm changes, and in recent times I had wanted to fix that. My approach was to study two rhythm changes solos, Parker's solo on Anthropology, and Don Byas' solo on I've got Rhythm. I went through many of the processes I've described in this post, but two things I really honed in on were Parker's ability to keep his lines melodic while still defining the many changes, and some of Don Byas' harmonic substitutions over the A sections of the changes. After some serious practice (and some breaks from it) I feel comfortable over rhythm changes, and I feel like I've arrived to a point where I can create over the changes instead of just outlining them.

Here is an example of where I've arrived too after a few months of practicing rhythm changes off and on:

The first bridge starting at 0:14 begins with some playing that is really almost directly quoting Bird's playing. Of course, you can hear Bird's influence in less direct playing throughout the clip. Don Byas' influence comes in a place that really doesn't sound like him at all. The first half of the A section at 1:05, though fairly modern sounding, is really just based on one of Don Byas' harmonic devices. My point is that you can hear the influence of these players I've focused on, and they've made a positive impact on my playing. Through this process I've improved my playing specifically on rhythm changes, but I've also expanded other limits of my playing at the same time.

Transcription and practicing said transcription have been some of the primary forces in expanding my basic tool set. I have made some of my biggest leaps forward in terms of improvisation directly related to periods of intense transcription practice. Hopefully, this post has given you some new ideas, or at least some reminders of how to approach transcription in a way that will help you focus on and achieve the next level in your playing. Good luck!

The One Man Band

One of the best practice tools I've found for improvising is playing through a tune all by your lonesome, but still keeping the time, harmony, and structure all consistent and feeling good.  This is something I've spent a good deal of time doing and I feel has definitely payed off. As good as it is for you it should still be balanced with playing with a rhythm section and locking in with other musicians.

Here are some experiments to do while practicing this:

• Keep the time by beating your foot on 1 and 3. This has been very helpful in my development.
• Carry one idea throughout an entire chorus (painful at times, but worth the focus).
• Try the tune in a different key.
• Work with contrasting tempos. Try a slow tune fast, or fast tune slow.
• Put in your harmonic substitutions, and see if you can carry more advanced harmonies all by yourself.
• Record your performance and see what your strong and weak points are.

Here is my latest effort. Certainly not perfect, but a good document of where I am with this kind of practice: Ben Plays Green Dolphin Street.mp3

Memorizing Tunes

One problem all jazz musicians face is the memorization of tunes. Even if you play mostly original material the majority of the time, you want to have a repertoire of tunes you know for several reasons. Most importantly memorizing melodies and harmonies will help build your foundation in understanding music. Many players' first improvisational vocabularies are based on the melodies they have heard or memorized. Also, your ability to navigate chord changes increases as you fully assimilate various harmonic possibilities. Secondly, you always want to have tunes you can fall back on and play with other people. So, whether you're the kind of musician who plays a lot of jam sessions or jazz standard type gigs or the kind of musician who plays mostly original material, you're going to want to know tunes.

Following are some tips on memorizing songs:

• Listen to recordings of the song you want to learn. Whether you listen to various versions to explore the possible interpretations or if you just have a favorite version you check out over and over again, listening is a significant and important way of first memorizing a song. Listening gives you a chance to internalize the song without worrying about what the details, and over repeated listening you can memorize the soundscape of the entire tune, changes and all, without having a clue as to what the notes are. When you approach learning a tune this way you'll be much more sure footed and confident once you tackle the actual notes.
• Sing along with the melody on a recording. Then sing it all by yourself. If you can do this you've probably done more than half the work of memorizing the melody already.
• If you have time transcribe the melody, especially if it's a song you've already internalized through listening. This will help strengthen your ears and make the process of memorizing tunes faster and faster in the future.
• Memorize the melody on your instrument and play it with the record without looking at written music. Finally, play it from memory all by your lonesome.
• Again, if you have time transcribe the changes. If you need a process, start with the bass notes and then determine the chord qualities.
• Memorize the changes and improvise along with the record without looking at written chord changes. Now, practice improvising through the changes with only a metronome.
• If you're looking to further internalize the tune, I would suggest transposing it (in your head, and by ear) into a few different keys. If you need to internalize the melody further transpose the melody, or if you only need to better internalize the chord changes just transpose those. For this exercise I would suggest thinking about the harmony functionally, so instead of a CMaj7 chord in the key of C think IMaj7 and instead of Dmin7, G7 think ii7 , V7. That way you can more easily transpose to any key. What's the ii7 chord in the key of Gb? Even if answering that question isn't easier than transposing Dmin7 up a diminished 5th understanding the harmony of a tune from functional perspective will help you internalize it on a deeper level and prepare you for mass transposing on the spot.

These are all things that I've done in the past that have helped me memorize tunes. I rarely do everything on this list for a single tune. In fact, I probably only do a few for each tune I learn. The most helpful technique I've discovered is repetition, playing the tune over and over again. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments.

Improvising on Difficult Tunes

This post is for anyone who is intimidated by tunes with difficult or fast moving chord progressions. I chose Serenity as an example tune because, while it's nowhere as hard as a tune like Countdown, it's still has some unique harmony that can present a challenge. I wrote the etude below as an illustration of where to start with a difficult tune, and I'll be referencing measure numbers of the etude in my tips The links below it are to high quality PDFs for tenor and alto and two recordings of the etude in varying tempos.

PDFs: Tenor, Alto

Audio Clips: Fast, Slow

Outline the Basic Harmony - One of the first things you want to do be able to do on a new tune, difficult or not, is outline the harmony clearly. You'll need to figure out the exact modes and chords that the melody implies, and then make sure you can cleanly and clearly make your way through the changes even if it's just playing a bass line through the changes. If you notice my etude doesn't step out into any harmonically advanced territory until the 5th measure and even then it's just a #11 which is pretty standard on dominant chords. Some of you might be looking at measure 2 and wondering how that's basic harmony, but if you look at actual melody of Serenity you'll see that the F (the #5 or b13) is being held for over half the measure bringing me to my next point...

Use the Melody as Your Guide - The melody is your best reference for how to treat the tricky parts of the tune. In measure 3 of the melody Joe Henderson basically guides the melody in a pattern down the #11ths of the BbMaj7(#11) and AbMaj7(#11). I took my cue from him and did a similar pattern descended down the major 7ths. Another good example is on C7(#9) in measure 12. I used the exact same notes from Joe Henderson's melody, just in a different order and shape. 

Use Good Voice Leading - Using good voice leading will help your improvisation sound smooth and melodic. Angular improvisation can sound great, but being able to first transition between tonalities smoothly by step will help you hear the harmony more clearly. I tried to use mainly smooth step transitions between tonalities in my etude like half step motion moving from the B7 to the Gmin7 in measures 4 and 5 or moving from the AbMaj7 to the G7 in measures 9 and 10.

Memorize the Changes - Memorizing the chord progression will allow you to hear the progression more intuitively. Knowing what the next twist in the progression is before it happens will help you transition more  smoothly into the new tonality.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition - Sometimes there are no shortcuts. Repetition is often the key to learning new tunes. Practice improvising over and over again.

Chris Potter's Solo on "Ducks in a Row"

In 2009 my brother John and I recorded our debut album, Uncertain Living, and asked Chris Potter to guest on a couple tracks. We were floored when he agreed to do it, and when it came time to record we were doubly floored by his playing. So much, in fact, that we transcribed his solos. I personally transcribed his solo on my composition "Ducks in a Row." Following are a link to an mp3 clip of the solo (I'm only sharing because I own the copyright to the music), links to the transcription for Bb, concert, and Eb instruments, and a fairly thorough analysis of Potter's solo.



MP3 Clip: Chris Potter's Solo on Ducks in a Row.mp3
Transcription PDFs: Transcription in Bb, Transcription in C, Transcription in Eb

Analysis 

Note: I'll be referring to the Bb Tenor transcription in the analysis.

Harmonic Approaches

There are three main harmonic approaches found in this solo. One is Potter’s use of both chord tones and upper extensions of the chord to form basic musical building blocks with a different tonal center than the original root of the chord. Another is the anticipation and delayed resolution of certain chords. The last is his ability to create chord progressions that coast over the top of the original underlying chord. He uses this approach to melodically and logically arrive at destinations far away from the original chord and then to get himself back again.

The first two approaches are used primarily in the solo’s first section, which happens over a moving chord progression. Following are examples of the first approach in which chord tones and upper extensions become other musical sounds. Potter extracts a number of different sounds from these chords, and one of the most prominent is the pentatonic scale and its variations. In measure 1, Potter plays notes forming an F minor pentatonic scale (F Ab Bb C Eb) over an original F#Major7(#11)/F chord. The F minor pentatonic scale is formed using the 7th, 9th, 3rd, 11th, and 6th of the F#Major7. Because this is a slash chord the bass is playing an F and the F minor pentatonic sounds strong and natural. Potter uses a filled out F minor sound in measures 5 and 7 over the same F#Major7 chord. On the F#Major7 in measure 3 Potter uses a Bb minor pentatonic scale (Bb Db Eb F Ab), which uses the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th of the F#Major7. In measure 15, on the same chord, he uses a simplified Bb minor sound. In measure 9 on beat 3, during the same chord, he outlines an Eb minor arpeggio (Eb Gb Bb Db), which uses the 6th, root, 3rd, and 5th of the original chord. These same type of formations are used over the other major chords that occur throughout the solo up until the vamp, which starts in measure 25.

Dominant chords receive a necessarily different treatment. A D713(#9) in measure 12 has both a B minor triad (B D F#) and an Ab Triad (Ab C Eb), which use the 6th, root, and 3rd, and the #11th, 7th, and b9th of the D7. Potter plays an A major pentatonic b6 scale (A B C# E F) over the G7(#11) in bar 18 using the 9th, 3rd, #11th, 13th, and 7th of the chord. In the first half of both measures 23 and 24, Ab13#11 and Bb13#11 respectively, there are augmented major 7 arpeggios based on the 7th, 9th, #11th, and 13th of each chord. Potter plays a major arpeggio off the 9th, #11th, and 13th on the second half of measure 23, and on the second half of measure 24 he plays a variation using an augmented triad instead off the 9th, #11th, and 7th. Generally there are a lot of triadic colors of all types as well as a few extended colors.

The delayed resolutions and anticipations happen consistently in the first section of the solo. The first anticipation occurs in measure 4 which is a D13(#9). The last half of beat 4 includes the note Db which does not relate to the D13(#9), but it is the 5th of the chord that follows in measure 5. In measure 6, which is DbMaj7#5, there is an Ab on beat 4. Ab, technically dissonant to DbMaj7#5, works as an anticipation being the 9th of the F#Maj7#11 that comes in the following bar. In bar 7, an anticipation on the last half of beat four includes the two notes of E triad, B and G#. The B only works in context of the chord that follows in bar 8, an F#min7 chord. In bar 8 (F#min7), the 4th includes an A# as a resolution, which is an anticipation to the F#Maj7#11 in bar 9. Beat 4 of bar 9 (F#Maj7#11) includes the notes G and A as part of a clear DbMaj7#5 sound in anticipation of that chord in bar 10. There is a possible anticipation using an Ab major triad (Ab C Eb) on beat 4 of measure 12, which also works as an altered sound over the measure’s chord D13(#9), but the Ab triad could also be seen as an anticipation of the F#Maj7#11 in the following bar. Another anticipation occurs on the second half of beat 4 of bar 15, where a D is played foreshadowing the E713(b9) that follows in the next bar. These are all the significant anticipations in the solo.

Delayed resolutions happen less often, but they are another way Potter varies harmonic rhythm. The first delayed resolution happens on the first beat of bar 3 (F#Maj7#11) where he continues to play the same DbMaj7(b6) sound that he played in bar 2 (DbMaj7#5). The other delayed resolution happens in bar 21 (EbMaj7b5) on the first beat where Potter plays an Ab minor triad (Ab B Eb), which is a continuation of the Dbmin11 sound that happens in the preceding bar. There is also one instance in bar 10 where not only is the chord from the preceding bar (F#Maj7#11) continued over the DbMaj7, but the resolution could be argued to not come until beat 3 or 4 or even not at all. Delayed resolutions, though few, do play a part in creating the malleable harmonic canvas of the solo.

When measure 25 hits a D7 vamp begins, and Potter switches his harmonic approach and begins to create progressions that shift over top of the vamp to explore territories that have some, little, or no relationship to the original D7. The first hint is given in measure 29, which starts out with an enclosure of the 5th (A) of the chord but then shifts to an enclosure of Bb and then Eb suggesting an EbMaj7#11. The Eb tonality is resolved back to the D7 in the following measure much like a tritone substitution resolving to its I chord. The Eb material could be drawn from either the D altered scale (D Eb F F# G# A# C) or from an actual shift in the implied harmony to EbMaj7#11. In measure 34 Potter plays on Ab Major or F minor and then continues to Bbmin7 in the following measure. The Bb minor is then resolved back to the D7. Since Bb minor shares so much in common with Eb7 the resolution back to D7 is again very similar to a tritone sub resolution. In measure 36 Potter picks right back up with the Bbmin7 and resolves it to an E tonality accentuating the consonant notes E and B only. Following on beat 4 of measure 37 and continuing on into measure 38 Potter descends a minor 3rd to DbMaj7#11 foreshadowing the descending minor 3rd motion that happens in measure 39. Following the DbMaj7#11 material he moves to an Eb7 tonality. The Eb7 is resolved in the following measure but only for a moment. In measure 39 Potter moves through a progression of tonalities descending in minor 3rds spending only 2 notes on each tonality. This is the bare minimum of the 5th moving to the root. The progression moves through the tonalities D, B, F and D, but then he breaks from the pattern by defining a B minor triad on beat 4 and then moving down to Bb minor in measure 40. This entire progression is ended by a climatic ascension back into D7 in measure 41.

Coming into measure 45 Potter begins his harmonic explorations again. The last three 16th notes of measure 44 (Ab B F) define an Ab dimished triad, which is used to tonicize the augmented Eb triad which comes on beat 1 of measure 45. The Eb augmented triad is decorated with neighbor tones, and it is followed by consecutive ascending parallel sounds seen very clearly by the top note of each phrase which ascend in whole steps. Because augmented triads are symmetrical at the Major 3rd they each could be called by 3 different names, but for the sake of simplicity I will refer to them from their lowest note which also happens to be the first note of each phrase. The ascending parallel sounds consist of the original Eb augmented triad at the beginning of measure 45, followed by an A augmented tonality, and in the second half of measure 46 a B augmented triad completes the parallel ascending sounds. The first tonality could be alternately analyzed as an Abmin(Maj7) when analyzed starting from the Ab at the end of measure 44. This alternate analysis illustrates the ascending voice leading which happens with the lowest note of each consecutive phrase (Ab to A to B). Combining the augmented triads in measure 45 results in the Eb whole tone scale, which could have been the source for this progression. This Eb7#5 again suggests the tritone sub of the V chord, which is exactly what we get as the final B augmented triad resolves to an A half-diminished in measure 47 with a neighboring Ab diminished triad in the second half of the measure, which resolves through descending half step voice leading (B on beat 4, Bb on the and of 4, and A on beat 1 of) back to D7 in 48.

Potter finds another point of departure in measure 51 where he superimposes F7 which continues through measure 52. A fully diminished F#7 arpeggio is introduced in Measure 53 which becomes an Ab7#9 arpeggio. On beat 2 of measure 54 there is a quick appearance of an E major arpeggio which is followed by an F#min7 arpeggio continuing through the end of the measure. This is followed by a descending Emin7 arpeggio in measure 55 and then an Ebmin7 arpeggio. Following, in measure 56, comes Bb minor pentatonic, and from here we get our familiar resolution from Bb minor to D7.

The last significant harmonic departure comes in the second half of measure 67. On beat 3 there is a quick appearance of a B tonality (B and D# only), which shifts to Ab major going into measure 68. The Ab major is followed by Db major, which resolves back up to D7. The Db major shares all its notes with Bb minor and Eb7 and appears to be another variation of the Bb minor or Eb7 to D7 resolution.

The most common theme appears to be the exploration of the Ab Major scale including Bb minor, Db Major, and Eb7. Potter gets a lot of mileage out of a few sounds by creatively varying the way he uses them. There were also some directional progressions like the tonalities descending in minor thirds in measure 39 and the descending minor 7 arpeggios in measures 54 and 55. Potter manages to completely depart from the D7 tonality in all of his harmonic departures, and he manages to take the listener with him through his musical logic and melodic ingenuity.

Melodic Structures

Potter uses many of the normal melodic elements you would expect to find in a jazz solo including modes of the major scale, melodic minor scale, and diminished scale, arpeggiation of major, minor, augmented, and diminished sounds, and blues and pentatonic sounds. Potter decorates these sounds approaching and surrounding goal notes using both neighbor tones from the original scale and chromatic neighbor tones. As discussed above these sounds appear in consonant settings as well as in very dissonant setting. When used dissonantly the natural strength of these melodic structures give the ear something to hold on to. One device that he uses, less easily explained by traditional jazz theory, is his intervalic structures or lines which are formed primarily by a common interval or set of intervals.

The first appearance of an intervalic line is in a consonant setting starting in measure 31 continuing to the down beat of measure 33. The main interval used is a tritone and is the naturally occurring tritone in D7, C to F#. These notes are decorated by chromatic lower neighbors B and F, which are twice played consecutively giving the line a second tritone. At the beginning of the line the C and F# tritone takes aural precedence, but as the line progresses the B and F tritone becomes an important part of the line.

A progression in measure 39, mentioned earlier in the harmonic analysis, also has a very strong intervalic component. This line consists of ascending perfect fourths descending in minor thirds. After the line breaks its sequence the perfect fourth remains an integral part of the phrase. The opening sequence of perfect fourths does imply harmonic movement but also stands by itself without the harmonic implications due to its intervalic integrity.

Other than these two examples the melodic sounds in this solo are generally easily defined, and Potter mostly uses conventional melodic techniques here. It is his unconventional harmonic setting and rhythmic setting of the common material that keeps it fresh and personal.

Use of Rhythm

There are a wide variety of rhythmic techniques used throughout this solo. Hemiolas, diminution, poly-rhythmic phrases, as well as the idiomatic techniques of triplets and alternating accents are all found in the solo. Potter tends to intermix all of these techniques freely giving the rhythm an element of unpredictability.

The opening pre-vamp section of the solo is characterized by shifting in between 16th note based rhythms, 32nd notes, 16th note triplets, and even the occasional quintuplet or septuplet. Hemiolas also help create rhythmic interest in the prevamp section. The first hemiola begins on beat 4 of measure 7 and is formed from four 16th note triplet beats. Three of the triplet beats are given the pitches of a descending triad and the fourth is a rest. The hemiola continues until beat three of the following measure where it shifts into a snaking descending pattern. The phrase is ended by two consecutive occurrences of the original hemiola pattern displaced by the inserted descending pattern. A diminution forming a hemiola is found in measures 15 and 16. The original rhythmic pattern is made up of two sixteenth notes of an unvarying pedal pitch on the upbeat followed by an 8th note of a varying higher pitch on the down beat. The pattern is introduced on the second half of beat 1 in measure 15. The diminution is found on the second half of beat 4 in the same measure when the pattern is shortened to a hemiola group of three 16th notes. The first 16th note receives the original pedal pitch and the second 16th receives the varying higher pitch. The third 16th of the group is simply a rest. This diminution of a duple pattern forming a hemiola gives the phrase a strong forward energy.

Once the vamp starts there is a stronger emphasis on the16th note subdivision. Though the subdivision becomes more stable there is still a wide variety of rhythmic techniques present. In the first measure of the vamp, measure 25, Potter starts a short phrase on the second half of beat one. The first note of the phrase is then used to start a variation of the same phrase only this time its played starting on the beat. This is a rhythmic displacement of a similar phrase, and it strengthens the groove. There is a diminution in measure 29 when a pattern of four 16th notes played on beats 2 and 3 is shortened to a group of 3 16th notes on beat 4. Potter also shifts the accent from on the beat on beats 2 and 3 to off the beat on the second half of beat 4. More rhythmic displacements can be found in measures 37-38 and 39-40. One last example of Potter’s use of rhythm is a poly- rhythmic phrase starting in measure 61. Its starts with a quintuplet spanning beats 2 and 3 moving into a triplet. The phrase continues shifting between triplets and groups of 4 over three 8th notes on the last three 8th notes of the 7/8 measures. Though the subdivision switches back to duple in measure 66 the 4 over 3 continues to be found in the next 7 bars until the end of the solo. These examples were the more prominent examples of rhythmic variations found in the solo, but, as mentioned in the introduction to this section, there are other techniques and examples found throughout the solo.

Conclusion

Potter is extremely creative both in harmonic movement and in rhythmic variation. He manages to take the same melodic material traditional jazz musicians have been working with for nearly a hundred years and make it sound fresh and appealing. Similar to Charlie Parker, Potter drives his lines forward rhythmically giving the solo a continuous forward momentum building lots of energy on the way. It is also important to note that even in his most climactic moments there is a strong rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic accuracy. The strength of this solo is shown in these climactic moments where Potter continues to creatively improvise despite the velocity and intensity of his playing. His creativity, sometimes unconventional, and clearly expressed ideas make this a truly great solo.

Up Tempo Playing: Common Problems and Fixes

Charlie Parker, one of the best up tempo players

Today, I want to write about playing fast tempos. It's something I think most people enjoy hearing, and something we all work on at some point or other. Today's post is aimed at addressing a couple of common problems that manifest themselves more dramatically when saxophonists play at fast tempos. The fact is that when we play music that is more technically demanding it's easier for us to lose focus and we often do, so here are two of the major things you can easily lose sight of.

Tongue Position, Air Support & Playing Up Tempo

Tongue position and breath support are easy enough to let slip a little especially after you've been playing for a while. Simply being aware of your air support and tongue position can have a great overall effect on your playing. For those of you who are asking what this tongue position nonsense is, I'm talking about the position of the back of your tongue in the back of your mouth. That is part of what helps focus your air and therefore affects your sound and intonation. A low tongue position results in dead and often unsupported sound as well as low intonation problems. A high tongue position focuses your air, sends it faster through the saxophone, and results in a more vibrant sound, a generally supported sound, and less work for your embouchure. Here are two examples, the first with a low tongue position and the second with a higher tongue position (forgive the reediness of the reed).

Scale without proper tongue position.mp3    Scale with proper tongue position.mp3

The first has unsupported sounding messy intonation, and you can even hear the extra pressure my embouchure is giving to try to compensate in the extra edge, fuzziness, and more strained sound.  The second clip in contrast  has a more supported in tune sound, and the sound is freer and more relaxed as my embouchure is doing less work.

A great way to train your tongue position is through doing various overtone exercises. I also suggest experimenting with different tongue positions while recording yourself and see what you can figure out. As far as air support goes, it's widely known that good air support is required for a good sound even when playing softly.

Articulation, Time & Burning

Articulation can be problematic for several reasons. A major problem can present itself when our articulation interrupts our tongue position. Interrupting tongue position interrupts the focus of the air flow and then wreaks havoc on our sound.

Here is an exercise, allegedly suggested by Joe Allard. Play a nice loud low Bb. While sustaining the note tongue the note repeatedly, but tongue it with the lightest possible articulation. You should maintain a high volume while tonguing very lightly. I have found that this exercise trains my tongue to maintain a good position while articulating. I often use this as part of my warm up, and I find my articulated playing is immediately better afterwards.

Another common problem with up tempo playing and articulation is when a player doesn't articulate much at all. The result is often not fantastic time, and playing that is less rhythmically interesting due to total lack of accents. Accents add depth to the rhythmic palette and are a significant part in the up tempo playing of guys like Bird and Cannonball. Following are two examples. The first lacks articulation and the second includes it.

 Up tempo without articulation.mp3     Up tempo with articulation.mp3

Articulate!

Follow up on Rhythmic Ideas

I wanted to follow up on my post of rhythmic ideas with some recordings to demonstrate a few of the concepts.  Rhythm needs to be felt as well as understood, so hopefully these recordings will help.

The following are just a few points from original post found here. 

Phrasing

• Try connecting a few melodic ideas you would normally play separately, or just try extending a phrase  farther than you normally would.

                     Extending a phrase.mp3

• Try playing a series of shorter phrases, or break up a longer phrase into shorter phrases. Also, try breaking up longer phrases by inserting held notes.  

                     Breaking up a phrase.mp3

Cross Rhythms and Polyrhythms

• Experiment with basic cross rhythms, grouping your 8th notes into melodic ideas that accent every third or fifth note.

                     3 over 4 cross rhythm.mp3    5 over 4 cross rhythm.mp3

• Try the most basic polyrhythm, triplets. Try playing phrases of continuous triplets instead of 8th notes.

                     8th notes vs. triplets.mp3

Rhythmic Ideas for Improvisation

Sometimes players spend a lot of time learning harmony, scales, and related concepts for improvisation, but they don't always spend enough time developing their rhythmic command. Today I wanted to give you some different ideas for practicing and expanding the rhythmic element of your improvisations.

Syncopation and Articulation

Time feel is defined in part by the which notes are articulated and accented. Here are some simple ideas to expand your ability to articulate and accent in different ways:

• Practice the most basic jazz articulation, tonguing the upbeats.
• Grab an omnibook or transcribe one of Charlies Parker's solos, and play along with the recording. Make sure you are articulating and accenting along with him. You'll find he alternates between upbeats and downbeats depending on the phrase.
• Experiment with some of your favorite melodic ideas, accenting their various peaks (like Charlie Parker often did). Experiment accenting other notes in the phrase instead. The more you familiarize yourself with the possibilities you'll find combinations you like and come back to.
• Try tonguing every third note, which creates a 3 over 4 cross rhythm.
• Experiment with different kinds of articulations in various combinations including legato, staccato, or tonguing every note in a given phrase.

These concepts can all be heard in the solos of rhythmic players like Parker, Rollins, and Potter.

Phrasing

The rhythm of a phrase is equally as important as its melodic contour. Following are some techniques for developing the rhythmic framing of your melodic ideas.

• Try starting on different points in the measure including each beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and the & of each beat as well.
• Practicing beginning your phrases with different rhythmic values including eighth notes, quarter notes, longer held notes, and various triplets.
• Make sure you punctuate your melodic ideas. Give each phrase an ending, as opposed to playing running 8th notes ad nauseum. 
• Also, experiment ending the phrase at different points in the measure and ending with different rhythmic values.
• Try connecting a few melodic ideas you would normally play separately, or just try extending a phrase  farther than you normally would.
• Try playing a series of shorter phrases, or break up a longer phrase into shorter phrases. Also, try breaking up longer phrases by inserting held notes.  

These techniques are meant to give you more possibilities. Take what you like and throw out what you don't.

Cross Rhythms and Polyrhythms

Cross rhythms can easily add intensity and energy to a solo while polyrhythms add another level of rhythmic interest.

• Experiment with basic cross rhythms, grouping your 8th notes into melodic ideas that accent every third or fifth note.
• Try the most basic polyrhythm, triplets. Try playing phrases of continuous triplets instead of 8th notes.
• Now play cross rhythms with your polyrhythms. Group your triplets into melodic ideas that accent every second, fourth or fifth note (Ouch!). Also, try articulating every other triplet note similar to a basic jazz articulation.  

If you've made it this far you should be able to think of some other things to try out all by your lonesome.

To finish it out, here is a solo over a Bb blues where I use a fair amount of the above ideas.

Improvising with Large Intervals on Standards

A few weeks ago I posted an introduction to improvising using larger intervals, and I wanted to continue that train of thought with some ideas on how to get started using large intervals over chord changes.

Drop 2 Triads

Arpeggios are the saxophone players quickest tool for outlining the harmony, and, though in their basic form are made up of smaller intervals, they already create an intervalic mood. Voicing arpeggios in more open voicings (not closed position where their notes are as close as possible) will transform them into large interval constructions. The easiest large interval voicing is the arranger's 'drop 2' voicing. The basic idea is to drop the second to highest note in the original structure to the bottom. This is illustrated with the C triad below. The E, the second to highest note, is dropped below the root, and the interval construction transforms from its original 3rds to the combination of a 6th and a 5th.

Arrangers use this voicing technique, especially in horn sections, to fatten up the sound and give the top note clarity, but when you arpeggiate these type of voicings you discover large interval harmonic building blocks.

I would suggest mastering your drop 2 triads in their various positions throughout the range of the horn. The triads will be applicable as not only basic harmonic illustrators, but also as illustrators of the upper extensions of the harmony Below is an example of all the drop 2 inversions of the C triad arpeggiated throughout the range of the saxophone.

For those of you who need some application suggestions, the C triad can be used for CMaj7, C7, B7sus4(b9), BbMaj7(#11), Bb7(#11), Amin7, AbMaj7(#5). G7sus4, F#7(b9,#11), FMaj7, Fmin(Maj7), Emin(b6), E7(#9,#5) Eb13(b9) D7sus4, Dmin11, C#dim7(Maj7), and I probably missed some!

Hopefully, its obvious that it would be worth it to lay the foundation by learning your major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads in all keys in all drop 2 inversions (though you'll want to learn them in normal closed inversions first).

7th Chords and Rootless Voicings


The next step is to apply the drop 2 technique to your favorite 7th and 9th chords (and beyond).  Experiment and see what you come up with. A bebop line might transform from:

to:

This is a very limited example, and the applications of these arpeggiated drop 2 voicings are only limited by creativity or closed mindedness.

One final suggestion is to apply the drop 2 technique to rootless voicing, similar to the voicings a piano player might comp with in their left hand. The two common 4 note voicings build from the 3rd (3,5,7,9) and 7th (7,9,3,5). So in C major in closed position they would be:

When piano players comp they switch the voicing they according to what will maintain the smoothest voice leading. They try to maintain smooth motion and avoid leaps moving from one voicing to the next. Following is a classic example of a 2-5-1 in C using these rootless voicings:

What I've found helpful, is to practice arpeggiating drop 2 versions of these voicings through chord progressions. This has extended my harmonic vocabulary and brought these large interval constructions to my fingertips instead of the being left in the recesses of my mind. Here is the 2-5-1 in C arpeggiated with drop 2 voicings:

I'd like to stress that these are just tools, and just like you wouldn't spit out arpeggio after arpeggio in a solo, these are not meant for verbatim insertion! 

To sum everything up I'd like to play an example of this. Due to being on vacation I won't be able to record something today, but check back later in the week for a recording of Confirmation applying these concepts to the improvisation.

Finally, I recently did an interview with Doron Orenstein over at bestsaxophonewebsiteever.com covering various musical topics. Check it out here.

Introduction to Improvising with Large Intervals

Need some large interval exercises?

Throughout the music's history the occasional jazz musician has been interested in creating melodies and improvisations that incorporate larger intervals. Anything larger than a major 3rd usually qualifies. Coleman Hawkins was one of the first saxophonist to incorporate them, and many have followed since then including Wayne Shorter, Eddie Harris, and modern saxophonists like Mark Turner and Chris Potter. Larger intervals have always interested me, so I wanted to share some of the ways that I've worked on them.

Developing the Technique

Before you can start improvising these lines you'll need to have the basic ability to play large intervals cleanly on the saxophone. Following are a couple sets of exercises that worked well for me.

This first set of exercises is based on a scale. Lets start out using the C major scale and the interval of a 4th. Start out on the first note, C, and jump up a 4th to F. Then start on the 2nd note, D, and jump up a 4th to G. Repeat the process unil you reach your upper limit, whether it be the top note of the scale or some real or imagined upper limit of the saxophone. Then descend in a similar fashion. Keep all the notes within the scale meaning you'll sometimes play an augmented 4th. Here is a one octave example written out:

This is a very limited example.  You could play this exercise with any scale, and more importantly with any interval. I would suggest trying it with 5ths, 6th, 7ths, and octaves. The object here is to be able to play quickly and more importantly, cleanly. Pay attention to intonation, entrances, and tone quality.

Another set of exercise I found really helpful are from Walt Weiskopf's book "Beyond the Horn". These are based on 7th arpeggios and octave jumping. The idea is to ascend up the 7th arpeggio 2 octaves and then descend, however you jump to the opposite octave for each arpeggio note. Here it is written out for CMajor7:

Again practice for cleanliness, tone, and speed. This might not sound great, but it's a fantastic technical exercise. Apply it to any 7th arpeggio or variation you'd like.

A Simple Start


An easy way to get started creating with larger intervals would be to write a simple vamp or bass line. This is no longer just an exercise, so work to make it sound musical. You might want to combine larger and smaller intervals, but there are lots of ways to approach this. Here is a simple vamp that serves as the bass line in my composition, "Ducks in a Row":

You don't need anything long or elaborate, just something simple and fun to work with. Once you've got something you like, try improvising using the vamp as a jumping point, creating variations, etc.

Eventually you're going to want to write a melody, which will give you a chance to dig a little deeper into the colors larger intervals have to offer.  Here is the original melody (it has since been edited) to the A section of  "Ducks in a Row":

If you'd like to see it larger you can find a link to a PDF lead sheet of this tune (and a play-along mp3) at the bottom of the article.

With a large interval melody in hand you should be on your way to improvising with your developing intervallic language. I would suggest repeating this process with some other vamps and melodies, and, of course, practice improvising over the vamps as well. Once you feel ready, move onto something with moving harmony, which can be more challenging. I'll be writing in a future post.

Here is an example of me messing around with my  vamp as an introduction to the song at a live performance.  Though I admit much of what I'm playing is based on smaller intervals, there is a fair amount of larger intervals at various points during the introduction. If you let the whole thing play through you'll hear the melody as well.

Also, here is Chris Potter playing an absolutely fantastic solo over my same tune. Plenty of larger interval lines to check out here.

For those of you who are really interested in using the tune as a practice vehicle here are links to a play-along of it and PDF lead sheets in various transpositions.

PlayAlong DucksInaRow.mp3

DucksInaRowTenor.pdf

DucksInaRowEb.pdf

DucksInaRowC.pdf

DucksInaRowTrumpet.pdf

John Coltrane's Solo on I Mean You

 I recently pulled out this transcription I worked on a few years ago of Trane's solo on I Mean You from the record Discovery at the Five Spot.  I was listening to the album and wanted to check out what Coltrane was doing harmonically and rhythmically during some of his crazier lines.  This phase of Trane's playing is marked by his use of all the extensions of the arpeggios up through the 13th, and combining that concept with some delayed resolutions and chromatic movement really sum up what he is doing harmonically.  Click on the link and check it out for yourself below.

Transcription (Bb instruments) >> I Mean You Trane Solo.pdf

Learning Odd Time Signatures

Something that you don't get in a well rounded college education, or at least it wasn't seriously addressed in mine, is how to learn to play in odd time signatures.  Just do it?  Well, of course that will help but here is a process that helped me.

First, figure out a rhythmic pattern that fits well with and defines whatever odd time signature you'd like to learn. For example, the following example is an easy pattern that nicely defines 7/4.

Once you've mastered the basic rhythm try applying it to a chord changes.  Here is an example clip where I play something that basically sounds like a bass line. It follows the 7/4 rhythmic pattern above and I take it through a blues in concert C. 

Ben plays a bass line in 7.mp3

After you can play through the changes with out getting lost or losing the rhythm begin to elaborate, embellish, fill in holes, leave space, etc.  You might start out just filling out a certain part of the pattern with 8th notes for a start.  Here is an example of what I call stage 2, embellishing the basic pattern. 

Ben elaborates on a bass line in 7.mp3

Once you feel like you can leave space or stray from the pattern without losing the next down beat, you're ready to start really improvising in the odd meter.  Begin by experimenting with starting and stopping your phrases in different spots of the measure.  You could try ending on the and of 6 or beginning on beat 2 or any of the other many possibilities.  Find the ones that are most challenging and concentrate on those.  The best test is of your ability with a given odd meter is to record yourself improvising unaccompanied and then listen back and see if you can hear the meter and changes clear.  Here is an example of stage 3, freedom from the original pattern. 

Ben plays in 7.mp3
Ben plays in 7 outake.mp3

After all of that, here is a list of things to do that will undoubtedly help you continue along the odd meter journey.

•  Playing unaccompanied will make you a strong independent player, but its also necessary to practice playing odd meters with a rhythm section as that will add its own surprises.  I have some odd meter play-alongs below for those of you who would like to play odd time signature all day long while your band mates are at their day jobs.
• Transcribe some great players and see what they are doing rhythmically over odd meters.  Duh...  Again, see below.
• Finally, take any musical concept rhythmic or otherwise that you like to use in 4/4 and  figure it out in the odd meter. 

Practice resources for odd time signatures including play-alongs, lead sheets, and even some transcriptions of Chris Potter in 7/4 and 13/8 visit www.thebrittonbrothers.com and go to the free stuff section. 

Time and Feel

One common factor to all the players I love to listen to is a fantastic time feel, and a consistent time feel, to me, can make the difference between a good solo and a great one.  I wanted to share some of the things I've learned from great players that have helped me as well as some of my own thoughts.

my metronome.

• Tap your foot on 1 and 3 (feel the beat in terms of 1 and 3). I've found feeling the pulse in terms of 1 and 3 will give you a clearer idea of where the down beat is than tapping or feeling 2 and 4, and it will give you a more relaxed and even time feel than feeling 1, 2, 3, 4. Two great saxophonists gave me this advice ironcially on the same day, Jonas Ganzemuller and Steve Wilson.
• Various Metronome Exercises. Putting the metronome on 2 and 4 is a great exercise, and is one of the main practice methods Walt Weiskopf gave me. Steve Wilson and George Garzone both suggested that you balance that practice with putting the metronome on beats 1 and 3 as well.  George Garzone went on to give me two other important exercises. The first is putting the metronome on each quarter note of the measure.  This proved to be the most instrumental metronome exercise for me as it allowed me to learn hear my 8th note lines in exact relationship to the pulse.  The other exercise is putting the metronome on each 8th note in the measure, and I'll talk about this one a little more later.
• Lock in with the ride cymbal pattern (swung 8th notes). Various guys have given me this suggestion including Steve Wilson and Clay Jenkins. The idea is that you can hear both the constant quarter note pulse and the swung 8th note pulse in the drummer's ride cymbal pattern. I have to agree that locking in my 8th notes with ride cymbal is the fastest way to sure up the time and make it feel good.
• Don't let the articulation get in the way.  The fact is, every time we tongue a note there is a small break in the sound.  This break can be small and well placed, or it can be cumbersome and badly place. Heavy tonguing can really bog down a time feel and delay tongued notes so they sound behind the beat.. Lighter tonguing lends to a lighter more forward moving time feel. Chris Potter and Rich Perry were the two guys to make this suggestion to me. Rich Perry and George Garzone also both suggested practicing without any articulation at all and then carefully adding it back in.
• Exercise for locking in your 8th notes. This is an exercise and not an end result, and it's based in some exercises George Garone gave me.  The idea is that you straighten out your 8th note so that you can feel each quarter note and 8th note more accurately.  This exercise is great when combined with the metronome on all 8th notes.  First, practice improvising with straight 8th notes locked perfectly into the metronome which is also on 8th notes.  Once you feel comfortable and feel like each 8th note is perfectly locked in.  Switch the metronome to quarter notes and keep your 8th notes straight.  Once you have the even feel locked in perfectly with each quarter note begin swinging your 8th notes, but make sure you maintain your quarter notes perfectly locked in. Transfer that feel to playing with a rhythm section and locking in with the ride cymbal.  At first this exercise feels really constraining, but the end result is great control of the time feel and swing feel.
• Listen to and emulate time fees you love. When you listen pay close attention to how the players time feel relates to the rhythm section.  Listen to those who you like best, play along with them, and then try to emulate the time feel while playing with a rhythm section.  This last one might be the most important!

Improvisation Kickstart Part II: Motif Based Improv

In the first post I suggested writing out a solo exploring some concept or idea, and gave you an example solo that I'd written out over the changes of All Of Me.  Well, this time my suggestion is even more ambiguous.  The exercise is to improvise using a motif or small musical idea, and the point of the exercise is to force you to create new lines and practice a more complete improvisation.  Focusing on motifs tends to make you play new things as opposed to following the normal lines and variations you might usually play while soloing.

The motif or musical idea you pick can be anything.  The only rule is it needs to be simple and short enough that you can remember it and easily use it.  Then, you improvise on it changing and varying it freely as you go along.  Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic variation summarize the possibilities, and you'll probably do all 3 at the same time as you explore a given motif.  First, try the exercise without chord changes.  Improvise on a motif over one chord, a vamp, a free texture, or some other context that doesn't force you to follow the harmony.  Once that becomes comfortable and fun, try the exercise over a simple chord progression, maybe a 12 bar blues.Finally, try the exercise over your favorite tunes.

For my example, I chose to improvise over the chord changes to Donna Lee.  Normally, I would be starting and stopping a lot as I try to iron out any kinks during the exercise, but for the sake of the listener I push write on through in this example. The exercise starts out with the following motif:

In the first half of the first chorus this idea gets morphed, varied, and eventually changed into arpeggio-type lines. Various versions of this line reappear throughout the entire example. Going into the second half of the first chorus a new motif is introduced, which  consists of 3 descending notes which are repeated down an octave.  This new motif is explored for the entire second half of the chorus.  Throughout the example other ideas are introduced and explored.  I'm not keen on analyzing my own playing in depth, so I'll spare you the details, but here is my example of motif based improvisation for today:

Ben Plays Motif Based Improv.mp3