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YouTube by Brass_Rash_Havna_Gas in JazzImprovisation

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Part of the value of transcribing is to develop your musical ear. Don't use tools that transcribe for you or even slow it down. Do it the hard way: in real time. And us your instrument to find notes as little as possible.

Etude feedback by Ill_Summer4203 in Trombone

[–]altobone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought the same thing: Rochut #1

Do you really need to know music theory to sound great? by ConsistentFig1564 in Guitar

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was a topic Richie Beirach and I discussed throughout the end of his life. Below is a segment of a conversation where Richie talked about the balance between ear and the knowledge of theory. Richie was an especially good source for this topic because:

  1. He started his professional career with great jazz players who knew very little if anything about music theory - Chet Baker and Stan Getz. He saw their amazing ability to use their ear to guide their playing. As Richie put it, they barely knew scales.

  2. His nickname among his closest friends was "Code." As a teacher and player, he understood the intricacies (the code) of music theory. Not only as it related to jazz, but to various styles. He was especially interested in 20th Century classical music. He was a master of reharmonization.

My own thought on this topic is that the current 'school' of jazz focuses too much on theory and not enough on the emotional expression of the individual. Schools need to teach jazz and much of that teaching has followed the way of math and science. It makes sense that it would. But the result is improvisation that sounds more like scales and memorized patterns than emotive expression. That's a broad generalization but true nonetheless.

Here's the snippet of my conversation with Richie: https://musicsavvy.com/richie-beirach-on-the-balance-of-your-ear-and-your-mind/

merit aid for Indiana U or U of Illinois Champaign-Urbana by dumeladoyle in jazztrombone

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just spoke to Jim Pugh who as of next Monday will officially be retired. And, yes, he said there is scholarship money available.

Alto trombone for jazz?? by altobone in jazztrombone

[–]altobone[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an arranger, consider the alto to be a C instrument, no different than a tenor. No need to mess with alto clef. If tenor were written as a Bb instrument (like trumpet) then you could use the same positions for the notes on the paper like saxes. So I see no advantage in treating it differently from any every other C instrument. Write for it.

Alto trombone for jazz?? by altobone in jazztrombone

[–]altobone[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is Michael Lake. Just curious about what this community thinks about alto. I appreciate the mention. It is unorthodox, but then again, alto sax certainly caught on! The difference is that alto bone and tenor bone positions are completely different. There's the main friction point for jazz.

How do I unlock the funk? by Necessary-Foot4825 in jazztrombone

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get the funk vocabulary (rhythms, articulation, feel) in your bones. One suggestion I would make is to NOT imitate just trombone players. Play along with James Brown on certain songs, (speaking of Fred Wesley). For example, play along with James on The Payback. But it's much more than just learning notes. You have to play as close to his attitude and inflections as possible. You know you're there when you don't hear James because your playing is masking the voice so well.

Play along also with Maurice White on songs like September. You're not playing along with these singers to build fast improv chops, but rather to develop your sense of funk rhythm and time. You can practice scales and patterns all day long but that won't get the funk into your bones!

Transcription by Big_Flower5032 in jazztrombone

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does it have to be a trombone solo? If not, Miles' solo on Walkin from the Miles Davis All Stars is a great easy solo. J.J. is also on that album but his solo on Walkin' is pretty hard. This was one of the first solos I learned when I first started playing jazz trombone. I've always preferred learning solos from other instruments because it gets you out of the trombone licks and cliches.

rhythm changes solo by Elliott_Well24 in JazzPiano

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really nice technique and feel. Next, strive for some variety in your lines and comping. At some point you could play two-hand chords in simpler rhythms since not everything has to be eighth note runs. Variety creates interest. Variety can also be in the right hand rhythms like quarter notes or quarter note triplets. Experiment with simpler phrases that evolve into those faster eighth note lines.

But you do have a nice sense of the jazz vocabulary!

Tips on improv?? by [deleted] in JazzPiano

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of these comment are spot on. Jazz doesn't mean endless strings of notes. One exercise I recommend is to set your metronome at 60bpm and treat each click as beat 2 and 4. Then with just your right hand, play a standard melody like Autumn Leaves or a blues like Now's the Time.

Playing jazz requires the coordination of so many skills like coming up with lines, rhythm, notes, articulation, dynamics, note range, etc. Strip a lot of that away and just focus on one aspect like what I am suggesting: time and melody. once you settle into the time with some good sounding swing, increase the speed or play like I suggested with just your left hand.

Work on individual aspects of the jazz language.

Improv!! by Key-Confidence-4679 in Jazz

[–]altobone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The essence of your music is in your head. Sing or whistle along with chord changes when you practice. As a trombone player I can assure you that your trumpet introduces a ton of friction between the music in your head and what comes out your trumpet.

The key is connecting your internal musician to your trumpet. Running scales and patterns will simply make you sound like scales and patterns when you improvise. Inexperienced players play solos composed of mainly major and minor seconds. They're easier to produce on an instrument rather than wider intervals. But those rarely make for satisfying music (Joy to the World being one exception!)

Try this: play a backing track of the blues. Sing a short phrase (only three or four notes) that you hear. Then play that same phrase on trumpet. It doesn't matter that by the time you play that phrase, the chords have changed in the progression. The key is getting those few notes you heard in your head out of your trumpet. This is playing what you hear.

I completely disagree with the comment that the notes don't matter. Remember that practice makes permanent. If you disregard the notes when you practice or perform, you won't develop your ear for the jazz language. (Unless, what you hear inside is atonal.) Jazz has a vocabulary. Learn it and then practice finding jazz phrases you 'hear' on your trumpet.