Q. I'm a freshman at a performing arts high school and I am a trumpet player in the jazz program. I don't know where to begin. =/ I know I need to listen to some of the great players but I only know a few: Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, John Coltraine and Dizzy Gillespie. Other than listening to others, what else could I do to improve on my jazz? [mainly improvisation]
A. Always work on developing your ears in as many ways possible. Get a piano or keyboard; learn how to play chords so you can hear chordal sequences. Remember that eye hand coordination does not benefit an improviser; improvising requires acute ear hand coordination.
The improvising guru Jamey Aebersold once said that if he were to learn how to improvise all over again, he would play every truly familiar melody he knew in all twelve keys by ear to develop the link between ear and hands If you choose to do this I encourage you to start off with the simplest melody (or even melody fragments or hooks) possible. By the way, Duke Ellington wrote "Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me" from hearing one of his trumpeters (was it Cootie Williams?) use that motif played in all keys as a warm-up etude.
If you are a strong reader, I recommend studying transcriptions of solos by jazz greats. Start with those who play your instrument (if for no other reason, because these will tend to lay better on your horn- I've studied for years out of the Omnibook and find Bird solos lay better on alto than on tenor simply because they were played on alto), but later branching out to transcriptions of saxophonists, pianists, etc.
Four transcriptions of classic Clifford Brown (my favorite trumpet player ever) solos can be had via download in .PDF form at www.brownie.com
That's the Clifford tribute site- read up on this giant who barely lived past his 25th birthday yet left us a staggering recorded legacy.
piano chords?
Q. does anyone by any chance have a big picture or PDF file or something that has all the piano chords or alot of the nice basic and advanced chords do yall? ive looked all over the internet and i cant find anything. ten points goes to the first person who can get me these please. if you need to, email me files to alexdra9015@yahoo.com
thanx and god bless
A. Mark Levine's book Jazz Piano is the only place where all of the way modern jazz chords are voiced is explained. I don't think you could ever right them down in one big picture, there are too many.
It is better to understand them the way Levine breaks it down, for example, two handed chord voicings in fourths, voicings based on upper partials, etc.
Good website to find Jazz Piano and Guitar Chords for Jazz Music?
Q. I want to learn Jazz! Or even some Blues!
A. here are the titles of jazz books that I currently have:
The Harmony Of Bill Evans (Piano Score)
The Giant Steps Studies
Sonho (Samba) - Big Band Score
Salsa - Afro Cuban Montunos For Guitar
Oscar Peterson Jazz Exercises (Piano Music Score)
Les Wise Bebop Bible
Kind Of Blue Transcriptions
Jazz Riffs for Piano
Complete Book of Harmony
Coltrane Patterns
bossa nova guitar
Bill Evans Fake Book
Bill Evans - Signature Licks
85 - [Tunes You Though You Knew (Reharmonized Standards)
The New Real Book Vols 1-3
all are in pdf format. if you want you could pick from the list and i'll email them to you.
here also are some transcriptions that are in jpg format
Body & Soul - Hank Mobley
Tenor Conclave - Hank Mobley
Very Early - Bill Evans
St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins
Two T's solo - Michael Brecker
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Title : I need help with learning jazz?
Description : Q. I'm a freshman at a performing arts high school and I am a trumpet player in the jazz program. I don't know where to begin. =/ ...