Jazz Soloing

  • Thread starter Thread starter CalebMcC
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Light said:
Learn the theory first, THEN leave it behind. It's important to know the stuff first, as the real purpose of theory is to teach you how to play the things which you are hearing in your hand.
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Hearing in your head, maybe? :D

Another important purpose of learning theory is to acquire a common vocabulary with which to discuss and communicate musical concepts with others.
 
mshilarious said:
Oh, I should add never play octaves. It's been way overdone. As soon as you hear a jazz guitarist go for octaves, you know he's officially out of ideas. Or if you must use octaves, break it up with other intervals. Do a measure or two at the octave, then swap out for a major seventh, then maybe a minor ninth. Mess with people's heads a bit by doing the unexpected.
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Are you saying don't mess with Wes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXOrj7QAc8M
 
soundchaser59 said:
...you have to know the rules to break them...
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God I hate that phrase. Nothing personal - it's been overused by people for as long as there has been music. But it fails in one major way: music theory doesn't teach you rules.

Music theory NEVER tells you what to do, it tells you how to do what you already had in mind. Music theory exersizes will tell you what to do DURING THAT EXERSIZE, but it's not a rule for music, just a way to learn what the teacher is trying to teach you.

Music theory is not, and never has been, a set of rules. There is NOTHING you can do which is outside the realm of theory, and if you think you are "breaking the rules," you are just using something you haven't learned yet, and probably don't have a very deep understanding of theory. Which is fine, by the way, as it is up to you how deep into it you want to get, but please don't tell me you are "breaking the rules," or even worse, that you don't want to learn theory because you don't want to be "limited by the rules." (Why is it, by the way, that the guys who say theory is limiting almost never use anything but the most basic of diatonic harmony?)


ggunn said:
Hearing in your head, maybe? :D

Another important purpose of learning theory is to acquire a common vocabulary with which to discuss and communicate musical concepts with others.
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Yes, exactly, on both counts.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
mshilarious said:
Exactly! It was his idea, think up your own!

As for blues guitarists, bending the fourth of a minor pentatonic scale on the third string is now illegal. It doesn't mean you are being expressive, it means you're being unoriginal :p Bend the third up to the major, that I will listen to ;)
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Did you listen to 'Jingle'? Not only does he play strictly with his thumb but he plays tasty, smooth melodic riffs and brings the solo to a climax with his trademark octives. There may be things you don't wish to copy, like his right hand technique but the structure and content of his solo is worth studying. Don't mess with Wes!
 
dogonjon said:
Did you listen to 'Jingle'? Not only does he play strictly with his thumb but he plays tasty, smooth melodic riffs and brings the solo to a climax with his trademark octives. There may be things you don't wish to copy, like his right hand technique but the structure and content of his solo is worth studying. Don't mess with Wes!
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OK, fine, if you want to do that from time to time, go ahead. The problem is that a lot of guys do it all the time, and they never spend any time developing their own style. Which is really annoying. When Wes did it, it was original and cool. If I were to do it, it would sound like I was trying to be Wes, but I'm NOT Wes, so it would suck.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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