 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Vova Doob(UA)
Date: 2011-07-26 11:39
There are many similar topics everywhere, but i can`t find answer. I play the clarinet 10 years. last year i start try to improwise, but i cant play those, that i want, etc.... I read Aebersold books, and some other..., i train blues and dorian scales, but they don`t give me those result, that i want. Can someone of clarinetists show me the way to feel comfortable during jam or concert performance. I want to know daily exercises (as clarinetists play to develop their sound, etc...). Please help me, i don`t know what i must to do.
Thank you!
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2011-07-26 14:22
Jazz is a very broad category. Who do you want to sound like? What style of jazz are you interested in pursuing? Those are a couple of preliminary questions to sort out. Once you do, I'd recommend a couple of things:
1. Transcribe players you like--those whose style and sound appeal to you. By transcribing Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, or whomever you admire, you'll learn a couple of things: their musical language (which you'll begin to assimilate) and how their tone concept relates to their technical ability.
2. Learn about their 'set-up' (Instrument, mouthpiece, reeds, etc). If you want to sound like Sidney Bechet or Johnny Dodds (or many many others) you won't be able to get there on a polycylindrical bore. *
Your frustration is probably twofold: you probably need to start developing actual jazz 'language' via transcription rather than just practicing scales and exercises, and you probably are running into equipment that won't yeild the sound you're looking for.
* Caveat: Buying an Albert system or German bore instrument won't make you sound immediately like one of the old masters, but choice of instrument makes a big difference in sound.
GOOD LUCK AND KEEP SWINGING!
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: redwine
Date: 2011-07-26 14:37
Hello,
The best bet, in my opinion, is to listen, listen, listen. Listen to recordings of many different players. Play along with the recordings, assimilate, as Marlboroughman says.
You don't want to become a clone of another player, but want to develop your own sound. This happens by taking what you like from some players, throwing out what you don't like, and that "gumbo" turns into your sound.
Standard classical technique and music theory will suffice for preparing your vocabulary, you just want to add that jazz accent to your playing. Don't try too hard, as it will sound "hokey". Adding modes, etc. will be necessary for more modern styles of jazz.
This will not happen quickly. It will probably take years of doing it before you are happy with your performances. Think about how long it took you to play the clarinet well while reading music! In improvisation, you will now be composing and performing at the same time.
Playing along with Aebersold is great, but you will eventually want to play with live musicians--adding another element to improvising--not knowing exactly what your colleagues will play.
Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: William
Date: 2011-07-26 15:12
I would recommend first starting to learn all of your scales--major and the three forms of the minors (natural, harmonic & melodic)--so that you can play them from memory. Same for the scales in thirds and for the arpeggios, which will help you understand basic chords. Beyond those are the diminished arpeggia and the whole-tone scales, which should also be memorized. This may take a long time, years to perfect, so be patient. My next recommendation would be to LISTEN, LISTERN and when you are done with that, LISTEN some more. Woody, Artie, Benny, Eddie, Sidney, Pete, etc--all have different ways of playing "jazz" and you can pick up on many basic jazz "licks" that you can expand on and use in your own work. One way that I like to practice and help develop my "ear" is to turn on the radio and play along with whatever is on. Just you, what you hear and what you play to fit the harmony and style. Just being able to play what you hear is key to improve and the demon many beginning jazzers really struggle with. The more you practice that, the better you will become--it just takes persistance with a little preparation.
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Author: Joe Bloke
Date: 2011-07-26 16:46
Vova -
Good advice given by all.
Also, keep in mind, that if you are listening to jazz improvisation from recorded music, you are probably hearing some of the virtuoso players of the clarinet. In my humble opinion, what these great players are able to do represents a very special artistry that might just be impossible (for us mere mortals) to duplicate.
Play on!
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-07-26 16:56
For me, the path to improv has been entirely a "jump in the deep end" experience. I'd sit in with some groups, and just start playing. I play a note, and listen to how well it works. If it works well, I play another note to build on it. If it works poorly, I try to find a note that makes the previous note make sense (by turning it into a passing tone, appogiatura, intentional-sounding out-of-key moment, etc.). Everything becomes an "I meant to do that!" situation. Over time, different strategies have evolved for me.
If you're improvising jazz in particular, you'll probably want to have a decent handle on blues scales. When you improvise, you tend to fall back on the vocabulary that is drilled into your fingers. A person who plays lots of majors and minors and arpeggios and classical rep will be quite apt to improvise in classical styles, and much of those transfer to jazz. Blues scales will get you further in jazz. If you're looking for more versatility and free playing, you might try practicing from more atonal exercise books and methods.
I've heard a lot of people free improvising over the past couple years, not intending to be jazz, but also not intending to not be jazz. It becomes pretty evident what kind of music they tend to play and what kind of patterns they drill by what their free improv sounds like tonally.
I'd recommend listening a lot to the styles you're going after, though I don't see the value in transcribing others' solos, unless you're looking to cover those particular solos (which were probably one-time events, if it was actual improv).
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Wes
Date: 2011-07-26 19:29
If you can buy the Band-in-a-Box software, you will find that it will help a lot. It is much more useable than the Aebersold records in which the piano voicings are way too complex to follow easily. Once the student gets lost with an Aebersold record, it is hard for them to recover. Those records seem to be "too hip for the room".
Take a tune like "Autumn Leaves" and go through it slowly, only playing the thirds and the sevenths of the chords. You can almost make a solo on those notes alone, as they will define the tune.
When you play along with records, try using headphones so that you hear the record more clearly above your sound. Don't play very loud when practicing improvising so that you can hear the record.
Try to find friends who want to play tunes and play with them weekly with the Real Book No. 1, available at Amazon at a low price. Just a duet with a guitar player would be enough. Play simply, starting solos with long notes on the chords.
Practice the scale tone sevenths(C E G B) and go through a tune slowly playing them for each chord. Good luck!!
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Author: 2cekce ★2017
Date: 2011-07-26 22:00
I pondered improving for months on clarinet as I did it well with saxophone and flute, the clarinet being the instrument it is proved a bit difficult for me,
so I stuck to classical,concert and marching band stuff where I read the music.
then one day minutes just before a performance with my marching band, a
group of guys started just playing around, next thing I know they are asking
me to jump in. so I did and the thing that worked I guess was hearing to see
what key they were in and once I did that It kinda just flowed naturally for me.
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2011-07-27 02:33
Dear Vova,
I learned how to improvise with the Jamey Aebersold CD (and accompanying music book) called Avalon. I wore out the first CD and then bought another one! I could not play a note of improvisation until I tried it with his CD. I just sat and stared at the music! But, little by little it started to come to me, and now that song, Avalon, is my favorite song to improvise to. This was 12 years ago. So I still haul out that particular book and CD once every six months or so. I am lucky to have the opportunity to play with "jammers" at the three jazz clubs I belong to in the Bay Area. I used to take a little $25 tape recorder along with me and recorded all the sets. So I got a good variety of music to practice with at home. I also bought fake books. I bought music books with Benny Goodman songs in them, and also Artie Shaw music books, these are scales in all keys and other goodies. Also, I listen, listen, listen as others have mentioned. Can't say who my favorite jazz clarinet player is because they all are sounding good to me.
Have a nice time learning and don't give up, and don't forget to practice. With me, it is still one hour a day.
Carol
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Author: Tony M
Date: 2011-07-27 03:49
There has been a lot of good advice already but as you specifically asked for daily exercises then I think that the Jerry Begonzi Inside Improvisation series is good. I've only worked with the first few books in the series but they helped me.
http://www.jerrybergonzi.com/books.htm
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Author: Buster
Date: 2011-07-27 04:05
-transcribe as many solos as you can
-learn ii-V7(alt.)-I ; iidim- V7(alt)- i in all keys
-learn "standards"; play scales, arpeggios and guide tone lines over the chord changes
-there are many ways to apply certain scales to chord changes for me to address in a post here: but, learning the modes of the major and melodic minor scale are essential for a basic approach
learning pentatonics and how to apply them; for example, over a Cmaj(M7) chord you can play C maj. pentatonic- C,D,E,G,A (1,2,3,5,6) or D maj. pentatonic- D,E,F#,A,B which emphasizes the 7th, 9th, #11 (or tri-tone), and 13th for a completely different sound (Woody Shaw loved that one)
-learn both diminished scales in all keys (starting with half and whole steps). The dim scale starting w/whole is great for minor chords. Dim. scale starting w/half is essential to learn over the V7alt chord (gives you the flat9-#9 line that is such a basic device in jazz after the 40's)
that should give you enough homework for now!!
-remember, improvisation is not truly composition on the spot. rather, you learn your vocabulary (like ii-V-I's) to connect ideas and phrases that may arise on the spot. every good jazz improviser approaches a solo with a loose game plan- from this spontaneity may occur; but to start with you need an outline
-listen to more than clarinet if you wish to be a well versed jazz musician. Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker are a wonderful source for stealing ii-V's or "licks" and style/articulation/phrasing.
-as an experiment play a line from some Bach with be-bop articulation and see how much it resembles a be-bop solo. (Should show you how important scales and arpeggios are in improvisation.)
listen to Louis Armstrong (can't forget Pops!!!), Freddie Hubbard, Coltrane, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Lester Young, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, Ken Peplowski etc... to open your ears. If you don't learn the style along with the "notes" you'll never sound like a jazz musician.
CHECK THIS OUT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoL1nu79cpY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRVxmjqFelY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwnkkAod6lg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHGPl5mvclM&feature=related
These are all recordings of Clifford Brown practicing. There are examples of him playing ii-V's in all keys; Cherokee, Donna Lee etc....
anyone that listens to these and thinks they are just him "noodling" around has no clue..... this is a prime example of Clifford Brown developing his vocabulary to use in improvisation. Granted, he is a monster (remember he died at only 25 years old!), but this is what real jazz musicians do. I have listened to these recordings literally hundreds of times (still in amazement) and hear new things all the time- this man was a true monster.
Should give you a start
-JH
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Author: Buster
Date: 2011-07-27 04:48
Just to follow up-
listen to Clifford on this solo- it is a prime example of him implementing the devices he was working on in the practice tapes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8xZTCIeJIY&feature=related
Check out how many "simple" scales, arpeggios and sequences he uses. He was only 23/24 when this was recorded- he had just begun to find his voice and would tragically die a year or so later.
I know this is not clarinet, but there is so much in his articulation and style that can be learned......... I have always had his jazz articulation in my ear (even though I am playing saxophone or clarinet when I play jazz)
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