"The Art Of Improvisation"
Improvisation-- To create spontaneously without the aid of memorization or notation.
Improvisation is not just playing random notes! It is a whole art form unto itself. It can be very difficult to play technically correct and logically resolving music while improving if you do not practice that and your theory applications everyday. It takes a lot of thought and skill to do it correctly until you know your stuff well. To get things started, it was stated by jazz great Charlie Parker, “Learn all your scales and modes and theory, then forget all that sh*t and just make music!” Analyzing this statement, no he did not just let his theory and proper playing fall right out the window, he just got to a point where he knew it so well it just happened without even thinking too hard about it! Just listen to the man play! That is the point you should get to with your technique as well. When your theory and applications are so ingrained that you think of what you want to do, then just do it with hardly trying at all, you can handle proper improv!
When you are improvising, always remember to try to play actual lines, not just notes! Any concept you use will lend a coherency to your lines anyway, so just pick something to do as a guide. For example, you may think to use certain chords or major or minor sounding scales or think of a mode you’d like to stay in. Then play! Even try to sing the lines in your head before or during play. Also, you should make your phrases relate to each other. You can use landmark notes that the piece you are playing centers around. If you are soloing, play off of something interesting that a rhythm section player just did or if you are improvising a backing part (or vamp) play something off the soloist and use it. You are all playing together after all! You may want to try using different dynamics, loud at times, soft at other times to add interest. Also, maybe you’ll want to alternate between complex and simple lines. Always being complex may sound show-offish or just get boring after a while, but always remaining simple may sound lazy or, again, boring. Bounce around a little and make your music fun, varying and interesting!
You can even use improvising as one of the most effecting practice tools ever! Think of a technique you would like to work on. This will be your improv guide. Pick any scale, mode, chords, etc, and improvise a piece out of it. Stick to your plan and do not leave your chosen techniques or theory stuff you picked! Improving like this will be a fun and powerful way for you to learn your modes, scales and chords, while at the same time, you will learn what all those scales, modes, and chords sound like for future use. Who knows, you may even end up writing something you like to keep! You can also find play-along cds on the internet to play with, or simply grab a record from your collection and listen to a solo and transcribe it and play it, especially if the part isn’t played on your instrument on the record! Just listen, then copy it and play off of it.
Just do it!,
Solo Bassist, Mark McAnaney
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