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The Ethnic Clarinet The C4 standard

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Re: Improvisation

Author: Wes
Date: 2012-11-26 04:23

It seems to me that one should identify several popular tunes that one wants to play and memorize them. The chords, if applicable, should be memorized and the scales or modes, also. One can do this from records or written music. You really have to know some tunes, regardless of the culture.

I used to play at Jewish affairs but it was mostly reading from the Kaman book or from hand copied lead sheets with essentially no improvisation. We just played the melody over and over and the crowds loved it. Is there a Macedonian tune book to copy from?

Now I play at some "real book" sessions where we play the "head" from a lead sheet and take turns at improvising. Generally, I can do fine just following the chords but it seems a good idea to stick in a quote from the melody or to make up a short phrase and repeat it, modified to fit the harmony, perhaps several times. I almost never use prememorized licks but once in a while will quote a bit from another tune. As Don Ellis said when I studied with him, he did not dare practice any of Charlie Parker's solos,as he did not want them to surface during one of his solos.

A significant technique is needed for fluent improvising. Try the "key of the day" idea where you work on one key(or mode) only a day, playing scales and made up exercises in one key only per day. Good luck!

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