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An
Introduction to Jazz Improvisation compiled by MSG Gary McCourry Many people think that there is something magical about jazz improvisation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone can learn to improvise. The most important factors are determination, dedication, and discipline. Jazz players practice scales, chords, patterns, and melodies in every key, with or without a live rhythm section. They develop their skills by trying out ideas, using trial and error over a period of time. Learning to hear chord progressions and to pre-hear melodies are very important skills for an improviser. Listen to as many live jazz performances and recordings as you can. The more you sing and play along with the masters on recordings, the more authentic your improvised solos will sound. A good way to start coordinating your ear with your fingers is to play simple nursery songs or other melodies totally by ear, starting on a different pitch and playing in a new key as soon as you get the song right one time. Mastery of scales and chords/arpeggios are of paramount importance in developing technical facility in jazz improvisation. Additionally, all jazz musicians have mastered basic chord progressions, most importantly the blues and the ii-V7-I progression. Jazz tunes often change keys in a very short period of time, and several times within a given chord sequence; therefore, it helps to know how chords function and relate to each other within a given key. Since improvisation is "composition on the fly," writing out solos and short motifs often helps students develop a sense of melody, which can carry over into their improvisation. In order to learn to improvise, you must take a leap and just do it, as often as possible, without dwelling on "mistakes." Start out very simply, and progress to more difficult situations. Try making up melodies over a modal chord progression, (chords that last for several bars before changing). Then, progress to simple 12-bar blues progressions. Do this with a live or recorded accompaniment. Jamey Abersold play-along volumes 1, 2, and 24 are good for this, and the booklets that come with the play-alongs clearly lay out the established scales that go with all types of chords. Scale/chord relationships and many suggestions for what to think about as you improvise can be found in these and other volumes. Following is a basic approach to preparing to improvise over a set of chord changes over a tune. Use these steps with a rhythm section, play-along recording, or even a metronome. This approach may seem mechanical at first, but it is an approach that the majority of jazz players have used at one time or another. Always try to sing these steps as well as play them on your instrument, as the goal of a jazz player is to pre-hear everything. Many professional musicians apply similar procedures when confronted with complex chord changes, such as those to "Giant Steps," by John Coltrane. A similar but more detailed approach can be found in the text Improvising Jazz, by Trent Kynaston and Robert Ricci. Step 1: Play and sing the roots of all chords in a given progression as half notes and whole notes, depending on each chord’s duration. If you have some music theory background, write out or think of the chords in Roman numeral form to understand their relationship to keys. Step 2: Continue to play and sing chord roots, but write out and improvise rhythmic variations. Step 3: Outline each chord in arpeggio fashion. Jazz is based on four note chords, often with extensions to the 9th, 11th, and 13th. If needed, write these out in simple 8th note fashion, going up to the chord 7th (and eventually extending to 9th, 11th, and 13th). Use ascending and descending arpeggios. Play with legato articulation, or articulate the up-beats, as this is the most common articulation in jazz. "Swing" the 8th notes unless playing in a rock or Latin feel. (Play with a triplet feel, the downbeat like a quarter note triplet, the up-beat like an 8th note triplet.) Step 4: Continue to outline the chords, but vary the rhythm. Concentrate on changing chords at the correct time, with a solid sense of rhythm and continuity. Step 5: Relate each chord to its scale as determined by its function. Use the most common scales at first. A scale/chord function chart, such as one found in Jamey Aebersold’s "Jazz Aids," can be very helpful. Use descending as well as ascending scales. Step 6: Alternate ascending and descending scales through the progression. Step 7: Try connecting chords by ear, using half and whole steps with sustained notes. Be especially aware that chord 7ths usually resolve down to chord 3rds, and that flatted 9ths usually resolve down by half step to chord 5ths. Major 3rds have a tendency to resolve up to the next chord. Step 8: Practice a combination of chord arpeggios and scales over the progression, starting with eighth notes, and progressing to a variety of improvised rhythms. Change from scales to arpeggios at random. At this point you may want to try some alternate scales. Step 9: Practice simple patterns, such as scales in 3rds, and short melodic motifs over the entire progression. Step 10: By singing and playing these steps, you should now have the sound and duration of the chords and scales in your head and under your fingers. Combine what you know to create your own melodies. Start inserting chromatic passing tones between scale and chord tones. Jazz musicians often emphasize chord extensions, such as chord 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, both lowered and raised by half steps. (The unaltered 11th in a chord with a major third needs to be handled with care.) Use your ear and play what sounds good to you. Vary your rhythms, and try to keep a good sense of time. In order to maintain a good sense of melody, think about what you would sing, and use your instrument as an extension of your voice. Use repetition and sequence (repeated motifs at different pitch levels) to develop your solo. Do as much as you can by ear. Band directors and students can write out exercises based on the above steps, and these exercises can be used to teach the above concepts in a group, as well as individually. Ultimately, improvisation skills are learned and developed as a person practices and experiments on his or her own, playing along with other performers whenever possible, using play-along recordings, studying jazz theory concepts, and transcribing and imitating recordings of jazz masters. |
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