I remember when I first started playing jazz guitar. I was simply overwhelmed by everything that I had to learn. So many tunes, chords, scales, arpeggios, licks…. It was crazy. How was I supposed to learn all this stuff in a reasonable time. But I was really passionate about the music and the instrument and I was determined to figure out how to improvise. I bought every jazz guitar book I could find. Some of them were good. Most, however, were very limited (as I later realized). It was just too much!!
One day I was talking to a saxophone player friend of mine and he said something that really stuck with me. He said that when you’re learning to improvise, “you can’t start at infinity”. In other words, you can’t improvise while thinking about all of the ideas and techniques that you could be using all the time. Take one idea at time, work with it—work it into your vocabulary and then move on to the next idea. You actually improve your soloing by purposely limiting yourself and the possibilities when you practice.
This idea eventually led me to an idea that has improved my improvising. What is it? Planning, Structuring and Writing out solos. Now I have to admit I haven’t done this as much as I should. But I’m doing it more and more and I encourage you to do it as well. Of course, this isn’t a novel idea. Horn players do this sort of thing all the time. I don’t think guitarists do this even half as much as other instrumentalists, though and we’re really missing out.
Don’t get me wrong here. This idea is not to learn how to rattle off solos from memory. Of course, this wouldn’t be improvisation. But to the extent you can do this during practice, I believe it can really help integrate and solidify your jazz vocabulary. The things you can work on are unlimited. Let’s say you want to work on triads. Well, write out or tab out a really good solo over a chord progression using triads and memorize it cold. Don’t you think that would help you learn to play triads better than some boring technical exercise? What if you had a number of solos memorized over common chord progressions like the blues, for example? Don’t you think you would be more confident when improvising during a performance of a blues tune? Again I’m not advocating memorizing solos just for the heck of it. The idea is to build and solidify your jazz vocabulary so that when you do improvise, you’ll not only know your vocabulary better but you’ll be more confident as well.
Some jazz players might balk at this idea, however. Those who like to “keep it real” and “pure”. They say “anything other than true improvisation would is unacceptable”. Remember, improvisation is only the creative and impromptu reorganization what you already know . Why not at least structure or plan out a solo so that it has a logical direction? Seems like common sense to me.
Here’s an analogy. If you were supposed to give a speech, would you just start spouting off at the mouth randomly connecting miscellaneous ideas and hoping that by the end of the speech your audience gets your point? Actually, I’ve heard speeches like that and usually I end up saying to myself, “What the heck was his or her point?”
So, why not have a plan and a direction for your solo before you start playing? Have a plan for how you begin the solo? What about the middle and ending? You don’t always have the luxury of doing this. But believe me it’s much better that just “hoping” that your solo will somehow come together. The more you work out solos in the practice room, the more your improvised solos will have a natural, logical organization.
Believe me it works! Give it a try.
Leon
Well said. Robert conti has the best approach I’ve seen. Learn a bunch of solos. Note for note. Then patch together phrases from these solos over other songs. You have to get the lines under your fingers. You play what you practice.
Hi Leon,
Thank you very much for this lesson. I am now stuck in the practicing as you said. This is much helpful to me now.
Any way, can you give one of your solo plan as the sample?
it’s all ok. but… improvisation its not a lick or shapes..and i disagree -“Remember, improvisation is only the creative and impromptu reorganization what you already know”. i think its true but not exacly.. in real improvisation you HAVE TO play somethimes ideas what you dont understand-this make your improvisation really yours:) like said miles. in jzzz mainstream maybe its improvisation but i dont think its only one good point to think off improv.- when you play someething that you really know its only one level- you play some good notes to chords, you can choose what notes triad , from scales, but its to small head.. its only making a “new melody” to some song. IF you dont try to hear and play together with people who play in background then its not jaz for me..its 4 people in quartet who play what they see on the paper and only change a little thing.you have to play in deeper level. in this improvisation of your think the best choise i think its sing some melody to track and try to play this in guitar. i tried play scales triad and other thing. now i only try to play from my head some ideas. that really helps me. lisening chords and try to play what im hear. but its 1 level improvisation. not big deal!!!!!!! too many words and book with lessons:) deep improvisation starts over this. i mean like abercrombie, or bach chopin in the past . that guys was really true improvisation. in the same time chords melody and more, a TRUE CREATION PROCESS!!!you have to imagine sound hear in your head and then try to explore this and play on your instrument..YOUR IDEAS YOUR!! not a other player. in USA you have many, too many good players, but they dont have this thing like coltrane davis monk had..only great copies. so I can only say the same thing like John Scofield said in book “on improvisation” “SCALES NOT EVERYTHING” your plan its super but its only first level. but you have to right. we have to plan ours lessons and try to build solos but only on room..but not to be one more copy of benson…i try explore to my language and expresion, and build my songs. on the stage important its fogeret everything and play what you hear inside, in this moment an build your ideas in big interaction with other players your life your choise:) if thin a real inspiration for me was Theo Jörgensmann and his teory of improvisation. i dont read his book but some article in Polish webside. i play some other stuff. not free jazz:) but his voise really helps me and for myself i think jazz improvisation its not big deal. you only have to hear the background and react for this. when you really hear chords and other stuff you have create all. django or montgomery propably dont know nothing about scales and jazz strukture, but really have big ears and the talent. books are for dummies:) tabs……. now i try ear tryining courses and this really help me to play jazz.
keep swinging
Gwizdek from Poland
I write out solos over tunes everyday as part of my practice routine away from my instrument using specific concepts that I’m working on. For example, I’m currently practicing Coltrane Cells and patterns over many of his tunes. I write out solos using the patterns to tunes like “Giant Steps” and practice what I’ve played until i can practice it to the Aebersold Tracks (225 bpm and 308bpm). Now I don’t know why, but my written solos usually sound very mechanical,but when I go to actually improvise I seem to have a better command of the material. Now I never ever perform or memorize my solos and use them in a live performance, but simply as an improv etude. My former improv teacher, Charlie Banacos used to suggest doing this and even said that it was the best thing a student of improvisation could do and actually speeds up everything. Improvisation is basically spontaneous composition. When you write out solos, you just slow down the whole improv experience and put more thought into it. I recommend doing this for everyone. I’ve even wrote solos out on a tune in all 12 keys and learned it, but remember that it’s just a practice procedure, and not a performance procedure (at least in the jazz sense)
You can tell most of the greats have done this when you listen to multiple takes on recordings. Their solos on these takes have similarities that obviously come from using such an approach.
For anyone who thinks this approach is too rigid, you can try just planning out every other measure, or the first two measures of four bar phrase sections, playing freely in the unplanned measure(s), as a call and response type variation.
Using this modified approach will assure you that you are still working on developing your creativity, without forsaking vocabulary and coherence.
Great post.I saw a youtube video once on creating lines.The pros do have their own licks already prepared and thats how all the great players tend to rattle of licks without thinking-its been rehearsed before.To improvise impromptu we need to have the vocabulary-the speech example analogy is clear cut.Just as with speaking-we learn a word a day and slowly learn a sentence or phrase.When we have enough vocabulary that same sentence can be rephrased out with different words but with same meaning-that’s improvisation
Thanks for the info: i too love the smooth playing of guitarist Calvin Keys. I have been playing for over 30 years and it’s still good to get over there to learn a few things. You can play for 100 years and still learn a lick or two. Just learn of your web and want to see and hear it all….
“You actually improve your soloing by purposely limiting yourself and the possibilities when you practice.”
GREAT line!… GREAT advice!
AND playing less really helps you to define yourself… get to the ‘distilled YOU’ (playing the licks/sounds that YOU like)… and develop your own individuality.
Isn’t that what guys like Miles, Maceo, Jr. Walker, Coltrane, Albert King, David Sandborn, Lage Lund, Chuck Loeb did/do?!… all individual sounds.
Writing or even recording solos is a great idea for anyone who plays an instrument or even, let’s say, is a rap artist. Eminem did lot’s of rhyme writing, writing out his ideas, which gave him more tools in his arsenal as he “battled” it out doing freestyle rap. Listen to and transpose Stevie Ray Vaughan solos both recorded and live and you will hear very similar elements and licks in different solos, with variations in tempo in many of his songs. He may not have written these out on paper (he didn’t read music) but you can tell he catalogued his ideas. Same with Carlos Santana. Writing your solos helps you store memorized patterns that you can vary spontaneously during a live, improvised performance. HOW you vary a prewritten pattern on the spot leads to your new discovery. Hope that makes sense!
good talk, i have learn t some thing.