Klarinet Archive - Posting 000041.txt from 1995/05

From: Doug Cook <cook@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Improvisation
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 17:33:04 -0400

On May 1, 4:33pm, Fred Cicetti wrote:
> Improvising successfully takes years of devotion to learning chords,
> progressions and a variety of scales. There are no shortcuts.

Yes, but there's no reason to wait years to start. One thing I've
always found useful, in conjunction with woodshedding on the required
technique and theory, is to just get out and play with people. There's
no substitute for that... I've been really lucky when I've found
musicians better than I am (that part is not too hard!) who are patient
enough to jam with me while I learn (that's the difficult part). I'm
surprised at how many really wonderful musicians are also patient
enough to play with substantially less experienced people.

> The question I'm posing is where would you tell the student to start?
> What are the baby steps on the path to becoming a mature improvisor?
> Technical proficiency in your instrument is a given here.

Technical proficiency is key, as you mention. It really helps to have the
chords & scales down cold. There are some books that try to cover aspects
of technique & theory; one that I've seen recommended is "Patterns for Jazz,"
by Jerry Coker et al.

Listening to solos by musicians one respects, and learning them (while
thinking about them in terms of "what is the musician doing here?", not
just memorization) can really help. This seems to be the way that a lot
of great musicians learned their first licks. I had an opportunity to
hang out a little with Herbie Hancock a while back (I am not worthy...)
and demo for him some computer software of mine. I used "Giant Steps"
as some sample material, and Herbie sang along with Coltrane's solo,
note for note, at speed. I said "You've got that down cold!" and he
responded, "Yeah, I had to learn it once." But it was obvious he'd
spent the time listening to it and picking it apart, thinking about
what Coltrane was doing.

-Doug

Doug Cook, cook@-----.

"Slab and Esther, uncomfortable with each other, stood in front of an easel in
his place, looking at Cheese Danish #35. The cheese danish was a recent
obsession of Slab's. He had taken some time ago to painting in a frenzy these
morning-pastries in every conceivable style, light, and setting. The room was
already littered with Cubist, Fauve, and Surrealist cheese Danishes. 'Monet
spent his declining years at his home in Giverny, painting the water lilies in
the garden pool,' reasoned Slab.'He painted all kinds of water lilies. He liked
water lilies. These are my declining years. I like cheese Danishes, they have
kept me alive now for longer than I can remember. Why not.'" -Thomas Pynchon