JAZZ LESSON NO. 3: Learn how to improvise jazz (Part... your instrument!) T

3rd edition
February 2014
DEAR FRIENDS,
This is the late
February edition of the GSBB newsletter. In this edition you’ll find really helpful tips
for improvising Jazz (part II: things to do WITH your
instrument) and an interview with our trombone player/
composer/arranger Rob Spelberg.
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As
usual, we’ll start with some news from the Groningen
Student Big Band. We’re still working on new repertoire
every week. Especially Swing tunes because of the upcoming Swing Nights in cooperation with a dancing
school in Groningen. The idea is to turn this gig into
a monthly event where people come to swing and listen
to our music. Another very special gig has been con-
The
firmed last week: we’re going to play at
Big
UPCOMING GIGS
Saturday, 12th of April
The Big Battle @ Het
Gele Kasteel (Utrecht)
Time: 20:00
Info & tickets
Battle
in Utrecht. It's a battle for student big
bands throughout the whole country, organized by
‘Studenten Big Band Big Mondays’ in Utrecht. Every big
band will play for 40 minutes. Previous to the gigs,
there will be masterclasses given by great musicians
like Anton Goudsmit, Efraïm Trujillo, Ilja Reijngoud
and Frank van der Poel. If you want to stay up to date
about this gig, follow the event on our Facebook page.
Another news fact is that we’re currently working on a
Thursday, 22nd of May
Music Matters Lunch
concert @ Harmonie
building RUG (Gron)
Time: 12:00
Info & tickets
vocal trio.
At the beginning of this month, we welcomed two great vocalists: Loes Quittner and Irene Bakker. Together with our singer Peggy, they form a trio
which will perform one or two tunes with the big band.
Their first tune is called Rum and Coca Cola, an oldie
by the Andrew Sisters.
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JAZZ LESSON NO. 3: Learn how to improvise jazz (Part II: WITH
your instrument!)
This is the second part of the Jazz improvising lessons. Improvisation is a musical
conversation. When jazz musicians improvise, they’re playing the notes that they
‘hear’ in their mind; they ‘hear’
these notes just a split second before
they play them (just like when you are
talking, you ‘hear’ the words in your
head just a split second before you
say them.
If
you’d like to learn how to improvise Jazz, there’s so much information
out there, that knowing where to start
is a complete nightmare. That’s why we
made a checklist to get you started
learning a bit of jazz improvisation.
Last month we discussed things you can
practice without your instrument like
listening to jazz and understanding
the jazz culture, chords (theoretical
and aural) and the two-five progressions. This month, we’ll continue the
checklist with the things you can
practice with your instrument. Just
simply go through the checklist and
you’ll be well on your way to becoming
a fluent jazz musician.
Things
to do WITH your instrument:
1.
Pick a tune to study. Find a recording of any standard that you love where the
instrument playing the melody is the same as your instrument. Some suggestions
of what tune you might pick: a blues (any tune with a blues form) or a rhythm
changes tune (any tune with the chord progression from Gershwin’s ‘I got
Rhythm’). First learn the melody note-for-note by ear (transcribing software
makes navigating any track much simpler and saves you hours of time). Put the
tune into your transcribing software, loop the first phrase of the melody and
copy it note-for-note until you can play it perfectly. Then onto the second
phrase. Then connect the first two phrases. Next, add the third and so on and
so forth until you’ve learned the melody completely by ear from the recording.
Once you’ve got the melody down, it’s time to turn to the harmony. The sooner
you get into learning melodies, harmonies, and rhythms straight of the recording, the faster you’ll get to playing how you want, not to mention having a
ton of fun.
2.
Learn your first piece of jazz language. As you’re learning your first tune
from the recording, start to pay attention to what the soloists are doing. In
your hours of listening, just as you found a tune you love, you’re bound to
hear a line on that particular recording that makes your jaw drop. Your next
step is to rip that jazz language right off the recording. Again, match it note
-for-note, writing nothing down as you go. It may be quite difficult at first,
but if you stick with it, you will get it.
3.
Absorb the feeling of jazz. This is one
of the most important things to do, yet
very difficult to describe to another
person. Play along with that same tune
that you’ve been working on and really
try to emulate the feeling, the vibe of
what you hear. Pretend that you actually
are the soloist. So try to feel as if
you were, for example, Miles Davis. How
would he stand? How would he hold the
horn? The idea is to get into his head
as much as possible. Only then will you
truly absorb the feeling of what’s going
on.
4.
Set a goal. As you start to learn jazz improvisation, you should have a clear
vision of what your goals are. Your goals as you start out should be to develop
solid fundamentals through building the right practice habits: 1) listen to
jazz everyday: enjoying it and feeling a true passion for the music. 2) Learn
and study tunes recordings rather than reading them from sheet music. 3) Transcribe and learn language from recordings. 4) Understand how chords are built
and why each chord “exists” in a tune, and how and why each chord progresses to
the next in a progression. 5) Make sure to use your ears and learn to hear and
recognize these chords aurally. Your long term goal: transcribing your first
solo, with the aim of emulating language and concepts from the soloist and integrating them into your own playing.
It may sound like a lot of work to start out this way, but not only will you excel
at lightning speed if you begin this way: you’ll build the strong practice habits
that will keep you improving and having fun playing your entire life.
Use this
checklist as a jumping off point to get started; not everything is covered here,
but don’t let that be your excuse. You have the knowledge to get started in jazz
improvisation, so make it so!
Next month we’ll discuss 5 steps to mastering sight-reading.
AN INTERVIEW WITH... Rob Spelberg (TROMBONE)
This month we interview Rob, our trombone player and arranger/composer. He studied
jazz-trombone at the Prince Claus Conservatory where he graduated in 2007. In 2009
he moved to Graz, Austria, to do a master in composition and arranging.
Let’s
just start with the question David wanted me to
ask you so bad: what is your musically guilty pleasure?
T’pau – China in your hand. ‘It was a theme she had, on a
scheme he had, told in a foreign land’ The lyrics are
just too good to be true!
You
studied composition at the Kunstuniversität of Graz
(Austria). What did they teach you there which was completely new for you or gave you new insights about music?
Two things: from my professor I learned that
every
single note is there for a reason,
so you got to
treat every note as if it is the most important note in the world. During my studies there I also had a few lessons with the great composer and conductor Jim
McNeely, and he gave me valuable insights in the mental part of conducting a large
ensemble.
You
conduct, compose, arrange and play the trombone. Which one of those three do
you enjoy most?
I don’t know, it’s all very cool in its own way. When I play the trombone, I’m
part of making a beautiful sound. When I compose I invent a beautiful sound, and
when I conduct I listen to a beautiful sound, and I try to help other people making the sound even more beautiful. As you can see, it’s all about being a part of
making beautiful sounds.
Click
band.
Your
here
to listen to a YouTube version of Rob’s piece ‘Orpheus' Dream’ for big
wife lives in Croatia. How do you make a long distance relationship work?
Skype. And not visiting any other countries than Holland and Croatia for seven
years. She lives in Brussels now by the way.
What
would you’ve become if music didn’t exist?
A cook. But in a kitchen with no stress, so a very relaxed one, in a restaurant
where the guests don’t mind waiting a bit longer for their diner. We’ll sell good
wine for a low prize, so they have something to do during the waiting.
You
arranged some tunes we play with the big band. What is your favorite GSBB tune
and why?
I have to go for two songs if you don’t mind. Sing Sing Sing, because it swings so
hard I still can’t believe it, I love the energy. The second song is Isfahan, because it’s a beautiful ballad by Duke Ellington, who is the master of course, and
because
What
I very much enjoy listening to Kristin playing the melody.
has been your greatest lesson in life?
Go for what you want, don’t give up on it because of insignificant things such as
money or what other people say about you, and you will end up in a good place.
Maybe not the place you expected, but still a good place.
Are
there any fun things we should know about you (about your cat, for instance
because I noticed that you love to talk about that)?
My cat is very, very cool. He lives with my parents, because I move around too
much to obey all the demands he’s making and he doesn’t like that. My parents work
hard to make him happy, and he seems to be quite satisfied. Another fun fact is
that I’m going to record my first big band album in Berlin soon. We’ll be recording the music of Tom Waits ,and the tunes will be sung by Eva Krisper, a wonderful singer from Austria. Our readers can support this project
Who
here.
do you want to be interviewed next and why?
Eriko, because I want to know what live in Holland is like for a Japanese trumpet
player.
DID YOU KNOW…

Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye recorded most of the vocal parts for their 1973
duets album in separate studios. A pregnant Ross was worried that Gaye's
marijuana smoking would damage the health of her unborn child.

Stevie Wonder partially lost his sense of smell in a 1973 car crash.

Michael Jackson is said to have spent three weeks working on the bass line
for Billie Jean.

Prince played 27 different instruments on his debut album For You.
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