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Different solos

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Different solo forms

1. Stating the melody

It has nothing to do with improvisation. State the melody of a song note for note as it is written.

2.  Solo behind the melody

IT takes the background, behind the melody.

A good lead line helps to fill in the gaps behind the vocalist without overshadowing the vocal performance.

This type of solo is more felt than heard.  It provides counterpoint to a melodic line.

It’s not a traditional accompaniment, not a series of chords or arpeggios

it’s also improvised on the spot just as you would on any other solo

You typically hear this tpe of solo at the end of melodic phrases or played softly behind a melody or even snaking it s way around the notes in the melody like a kind of counter point.

3.  Trading fours

  • this one alternates 4-bar phrases
  • two soloists take turns
  • you are required to improvise in short bursts; don’t have to come up with long, through composed melodies.

4.  Taking a verse

  • this is traditional improvised solor form where you play over a et of chod changes
  • the solo lass at least an entire verse or chorus
  • you can choose to build your solo on the melody or start from scratch  by improvising over the underlying chord changes
  • you can stay as close to the melody as you want or go outside as the music warrants

5.  Cadenzas

  • not fequentely encountered; very special
  • true solo solo
  • make up anything you want
  • showcase


Different approaches:

1. interpret the melody

  • this is easiest to learn
  • you take on the song’s existing melody
  • you don’t have to improvise a thing
  • all you do is to play the melody in your own interp
  • just play the melody, relatively straight and with feeling and bring it all home.

2. embellish the melody

  • instead of playing the melody straight, add a few flourishes here and there t make things interesting
  • this might vary the rhythm, or embellish the melodic line, or play a melodic line related but not identical to the original melody.

3.  Riffing

  • very common approach to solo; fancy licks to solo; as fast as you can and as frivilous and letting it rip to end a long solo

4.  scale based horizontal improvisation

  • improvising is composing a melody on the spot
  • one way is to improvise a melody is to base your solo linen the notes of the underlying scale
  • it is horizontal as it ascend or descend scale
  • it is linear in its approach
  • moving either stepwise or in larger intervals.

5.  Chord-based (vertical) improvisation

  • vertical improv is based on the notes of the music underlying chords
  • scale flows horizontally, a chord is built vertically
  • it is like playing arpeggios
  • it tends t  move in larger intervals than a scale-based solo and consequently tends toward more disjointed melodic and rhythmic lines

    6.  Through form (melodic) improvisation

    • the ultimate goal is to create a solo based on flowing melodic phrases
    • you don’t think in terms of riffs, or scales or chords
    • instead you think in terms of an entire multiple measure melody
    • think like a composer, construct melody in phrases
    • it takes a lot of practice to develop this type of melodic improvisation.
    • you create melody on the fly
    • you have to think in terms of long phrases, learn how to build and release tension over an extended number of measures
    • the best melodic solos use a series of motifs and variations, which requires a bit of planning before hand, the ability to think on your feet and build a musical structure on the fly

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    Solo

    Friday, April 17th, 2009

    What makes a solo great?

    What you need to play a terrific solo

    Transcribe great solos

    Great musicians make soloing look easy. They close their eyes and let it rip.

    What could be easier than making up music on the spur of the moment?

    Soloing isn’t near as easy as it ooks.

    Soloist who makes it appear so effortless actually spent countelss hours practicing his scales, learning just the right fingerings, and working thru thousands of chord changes in his head.

    Think about it.

    when you hear a great singer, a beautiful melody, are you impress with how fast she is singing?

    No.

    You are ipmressed by how she is singing, her technique, her phrasing, the way she interprets and sells the melody. It’s not showig off, it’s about making a connection with the song, with other musicians and with the audience.

    A great solow is more than just stringing together a lot of notes one after another.

    In a great solo, the notes combine to crfeate melodies.

    It’s the quality of the melodies you create that define your solo.

    Soloing is nothing more than composing melodies really fast.

    Your improvised melodies, like those of a songwriter have to make sense, to have a musical form.

    You must improvise in coheive phrases, building interest and tension over the course of the solo and the solo peaks, the tension released.

    A good solo, like a good melody tells a story.

    there is a defined beginning, middle and end, with each part of the solo building on and referring to what came before.

    The solo is not just one note after anotehr, or even one phrase after another.  It goes somewhere, and the trip from beg to end is an interesting one.

    To become an accomplished soloist, you learn to improvise in melodic phrases.

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    Improvisation

    Friday, April 17th, 2009

    Improvisation is a language.

    If we would approach improvisation in the same manner that we learn to speak verbally, we might be more successful.

    When we speak, we are in fact improvsing through our linguistic skills.

    One learns this musical langauge — improvisation — in the same manner, by listening and imitating.

    As the person grows thru imitatio, he develops a musical vocab that expresses what he wishes to communicate.

    As these improv become more refined and sophisticated, the player will eventually begin to develop his own voice, but in music, like speaking, this development takes place over an extended period of time. And in the case of musicians, usually by only those who have been hooked by the music.

    Improvising through life on a daily basis is something that most of us take for granted. Each day, events happen that require us to alter our plans and improvise.  It maybe momentary or it may be life-changing.  WE adapt and survive for the most part by being flexible.

    Experience usually pays off when unexpected events happen and cause us to veer off our normal paths.

    Jazz masters — a strong desire to play music, a certain lack of fear of experimenting, not prejudging the outcome of a solow, an dmuch parctice so that mind and fingers cooperate spontaneously.

    Improvising a memorable solow is a lot like composing a memorable melody.

    Great soloists do just that. they improvise great melodies.

    They have tons of techniques and play lots of fast licks and fancy scales, but they use all that technique to fashion solos that contain real melodies, they say something and go somewhere and stick in your head long after the tune is over.

    Learn how to improvise melodically.

    To get to that point: learn the baiscs first.

    • learn how to base a solow on an existing melody.
    • learn how to play all different types of fancy chords
    • learn all manner of scales and modes
    • and how to apply those scales to specific chord progressions
    • learn the little tricks that make your solos more exciting.

    After you master all that, combine all those techniques to create melodic phrases

    When you can improvise melodically, you have audiences hanging on your every note.

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    Solo and Improvisation

    Friday, April 17th, 2009

    Solos and Improvisation – by Michale Miller

    1.  Soling the Easy way

    • varying the rhythm
    • embellishing the melody
    • playing in harmony

    2.  Learning Improvisational techniques

    • soloing on chords
    • soloing thru chord changes
    • soloing on scales and modes
    • going beyond the written changes
    • improvising on modal tunes

    3.  Putting it altogether

    • develop patterns
    • turn patterns into phrases
    • make your solo more interesting
    • create melodic improvisation

    4.  Soling in style

    • play rock solos
    • play the blues
    • jazz improvisation
    • scat singing

    5. Playing with the pros

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    Intervallic Improvisation

    Friday, April 17th, 2009

    All melodies and chords are composed of intervals.

    In tonal improvisation, these intervals typically imply a scale or a chord but occasionally they are used to depart from or to avoid the implication of a predetermined harmonic structure.

    The chromatic scle consists entirel of 1/2 steps and contains all 12 notes used in the western musical tradition.

    Intervals may be used over chod changes as connecive material or as a means of obscuring tonality.

    There is no chord progression for this chapter.

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    4 note groupings derived from pentatonic scale

    Friday, April 17th, 2009

    Jazz musicians frequently improvise with groupings comprising 4 — 8th notes instead of complete scales.

    In a tonal context, these 4-note groups maybe used to delineate a chord change.

    1-2-3-5 groupting to outline major anddom chords

    1-2-b3-5 groupings to outline minor chords.

    In contemporary improvisation, 4-note groupings are often used to go outside the key center.

    This can be accomplished by squencing a 4-note grouping through foreign key centers, before resolving back to the correct key.  This technique is often appiled to modal tunes, where the imporivser has time to establish the sound of the correct chord, leave the key center, and come back to the original chord.

    Return to key center with ii7 V7 I

    Playing outside in a tonal context:

    There are many possible combinations of 4-note groupings.

    The most common ones are derived from the major pentatonis scale.

    1. The first 4 notes in the scale yield a 1-2-3-5 groupings  C D E G
    2. 1-2-4-5 grouping  D E G A
    3. 1 b3 4 b6 grouping  E G A C
    4. 1 -2-4-5 grouping  G A C D
    5. 1 b3 4 5 grouping A C D E

    The 1 b3 4 b6 not used cuz it lacks a perfect 5th and it tends to be unstable and vague.

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