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The Language of Jazz Improvisation

Jazz as Language

Is a jazz solo related to speech? Yes, according to Jeff Ellwood: click here


This implies that there is a relationship between the grammar of music and the grammar of speech. Let's investigate this relationship.

First of all, what is the purpose of speech? Its most basic function is to communicate something: an instruction, a warning, or an intention. But at a more sophisticated level, speech can communicate an emotion by telling a story.

Music does the same thing: it transmits emotions by telling stories using harmony, melody and rhythm.

Let's see what kind of stories music can tell.

Many musicians, like Italian jazz pianist Andrea Pozza, maintain that the story is the chord progression, and when we solo over the chords of a song, we are presenting our version of that chord progression: click here

There are literally millions of songs, each with its own fixed chord progression, and how we solo over a song's chord progression will determine the flavor and feeling of the story we tell with that song.

Fortunately, chord progressions follow certain patterns, and may songs share the same chord sequences. This enables us to practice the more common progressions and prepare interesting interpretations.

Ralph Patt did an excellent job organizing jazz standards according to their harmonic commonalities. His website.

The way we can change how we describe a song's chord progression is analogous to the different ways we can tell a story with words.



In musical terms, the vocabulary corresponds to musical phrases, and these phrases should describe the chord progression, which means playing the chord tones (mainly the 3rds and 7ths) at the right time.

Here is a musical example:



In order to tell an interesting story over the chord progression, you have to have a well cultivated musical vocabulary. In the words of Bruce Harris: click here



You can learn jazz soloing vocabulary by transcribing solos, or copying licks out of a phrase book like this, or making up your own lines, but make sure your phrases describe the chords of the tune you are playing on.

Example 1:   Example 2:

Otherwise it is like scrambling the words in a sentence:



On the other hand, the correct placement of phrases sounds like this:

Why is it important to enrich your jazz vocabulary? Why not just use the same 25 licks over and over? Here's what a limited jazz vocabulary would sound like verbally:

Little to no vocabulary:



Maybe the improviser has one or two motifs which he or she uses over and over. This lack or variety is the equivalent of repeating yourself:



Now that we understand the parallels between story-telling with words and story-telling with music, I'd like to conclude this segment by listening to an interesting idea developed by Charlotte Wassy. She is showing us how the inflections, pauses, rhythms and phrases of a solo can be interpreted as verbal descriptions of a very specific story. The story here is about a shop attendant trying to sell products to a customer.

Rhythm

Good story-telling also has rhythmic considerations. Timing is everything! All your notes should fall on a clear beat. Failing to do this makes the solo sound awkward. Here is a verbal equivalent:

Awkward:

With good rhythm, the delivery is smooth:

Improvisers should work on a smooth articulation of the notes.

Steve Sandner has some good advice on how to practice rhythm His website.



Always practice every musical motif or phrase with a good time feel. Practice swinging with a metronome, the iReal, or over the original recording.

Barry Harris frequently intersperses his solos with single note rhythmic pattern: click here and click here.

Here is an example of how piano, bass and drums combine in a perfect rhythmic driving force: click here.

Here is another example of a swinging trio. This is what jazz musicians call "pocket": click here.

Furthermore, you should be able to swing your vocabulary (however limited) by yourself: you shouldn't rely on the drums or the bass to swing. Here are two examples of a piano swinging by itself (but this applies to any instrument): click here and


While phrase complexity can be variable, the rhythmic delivery is not negotiable if you want to play authentic jazz. Remember the statement "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing". This holds especially true when you solo.

Learning to swing can only be learned by imitating a master musician. Pick a solo, learn it, and play with the record, absorbing its time feel. Alternatively, you can practice soloing over a Frank Sinatra track from the album Sinatra and Swingin' Brass: click here.

Unfortunately, an inexperienced rhythm section can completely destroy a solo by killing the swing feel and obfuscating the articulation of phrases. When drum fills, comping chords, or bass notes are in the wrong place, it can negate the swing feel, as well as hinder the proper breathing between phrases. The responsibility of the rhythm section is to inspire the soloist and make his/her lines sound smooth and effortless, and, where possible, to reinforce the musical ideas they are trying to express. Here's an example of a supportive rhythm section click here.

To continue our verbal analogy, imagine a solo which has an awkward rhythm, and/or is not playing the correct chord tones, and/or is not playing discernible phrases. This is what you could sound like verbally:




The next section is some advice intended specifically for the jazz players in the audience.

How To Build Your Jazz Vocabulary

Step 1: Educate yourself on the building blocks of improvisation, like major scales, dominant scales, harmonic minor scales, bebop scales, chord tones, guide tones (3rd and 7th), passing tones, approach (or leading) tones, enclosures (or surround notes), pivots.

Next, be sure to know what scale apply to each of the chord changes in the tune you are preparing to improvise on.

Use resources like the Jason Fabus worksheet, the John Walsh course, or the Barry Harris Institute of Jazz courses.


Step 2: Before learning vocabulary it is important to decide what style you want to play in.

I would suggest distinguishing between intervallic soloing (Modal) and chromatic (Bebop) soloing. There are other styles, like Ragtime, Blues, Traditional (or Stride), Swing and Free, but let's focus on these two major styles.

===== Examples of Intervallic soloing =====

McCoy Tyner on What Is This Thing Called Love click here.


Benito Gonzales on Giant Steps (composition that facilitates intervallic playing) click here.

Will Fulkerson on Passion Dance:

Kellin Hanas suggests that you can incorporate both intervallic and chromatic language in your solo, for contrast:

===== Examples of Chromatic soloing =====

Barry Harris on What Is This Thing Called Love click here.


Conte Candoli on Owl Eyes (C blues) click here.

 

If you choose the intervallic approach (which is a little easier), you start with a single motif and transpose it to the different chord-scales (i.e. modes) in the tune, with minor rhythmic modifications. Gary Burton describes the process like this: click here.


If you choose the chromatic approach, you should start by learning phrases. Identify a player that you really like, preferably a great master. Recognize the masterfully crafted lines and emulate the ones you find most desirable. Find or create a transcription and isolate individual phrases, like this.

Then copy some of these phrases. How do you know what phrases to prioritize? Cross-reference solos to find salient or most frequently used phrases. For example, comparing I'll Remember April with No Name Blues. see here

As you play through transcribed solos by the masters, analyze the phrases in the solo. Here's an analysis by Nathan Graybeal. click here.

Starting a solo is also very critical. You want to draw the listener in with some simple yet intriguing notes. Here is an example by Rusty Bryant on the changes of I Cover The Waterfront: click here

Some musicians can create an interesting solo by virtue of their originality, creativity and verve, and can get away with not playing standard language just by being rhythmically daring. Listen to this example by Bob Boguslaw:




A common misconception about improvising is that it gives us the license, or freedom, to do whatever we want in our solo, but, in the words of Bill Evans, if we don't have an "aesthetic guiding force" we could end up sounding like "an infant crying in its crib":

Step 3: Learn how to order your growing vocabulary in a logical and beautiful way. In the words of Eric Alexander click here.

Tone

Your tone is a very important part of how you present yourself as a soloist. Follow Sherman Irby's advice on developing a good tone: click here or here

And by the way, intonation is not an opinion. Being in tune produces harmony, resonance, and a sense of unity with the other instruments in the band.

Whatever solo you attempt, try to make your sound beautiful, not screeching: click here

Embellishments



Some Psychological Considerations



Conclusion

So if we agree that a solo tells a story within the framework of chords changes, then each improviser must decide what kind of story he/she wants to tell over those chords: lyrical, pensive, cautious, virtuosic, motif-oriented, phrase-oriented, pentatonic-oriented, rhythmic, bluesy, chromatic, quote-oriented, chord substitution-oriented, etc.

In answering this question, you have to be realistic about your technical level and set realistic performance goals that are within your reach.

One goal could be to discover (and extend) your true musical potential. Being a jazz musician means committing to growing as a musician. This requires constant, daily study. Otherwise you will always sound the same when you improvise. Musicians who don't want to be creative (and change) can be good section players in an orchestra or big band, or could play a style that doesn't require improvisation.

Cultivate a vision in your head of what you want to achieve sonically, and pursue it. Don't leave things to chance, or you will risk becoming the 'cavaleer' soloist:



Approach learning the language of jazz improvisation like doing Duolingo: create learning streaks! Learn new phrases and tunes every day, and reach points where you can execute certain phrases with ease. Constantly add vocabulary, and practice controlling your rhythmic feel.

Regularity, repetition and perseverance WILL lead to improvement.