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Thread: Playing Jazz

  1. Playing Jazz

    Im in my schools jazz band but im still not exactly sure what i need to do to play better jazz style then concert style on my euphonium. and tips or tricks?


  2. #2

    Playing Jazz

    1) Get recordings of the pieces you are working on and listen (many times) to all the parts. Try to play some of them without music.
    2) Get a feel for the "groove" and "texture" of what you are listening to. Practice the groove without music.
    3) Learn the chord structure of the music (your teacher can help). Learn the associated arpeggios and try some improvisation with them - without music.
    4) Have fun. Work up solos that you are comfortable with. "Tasty" is better than "flashy".

    That should keep you busy for a long time! I hope it's helpful.

    - Carroll
    Carroll Arbogast
    Piano Technician
    CMA Piano Care

  3. Playing Jazz

    my solos are horrible


  4. #4

    Playing Jazz

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with writing your solo's out. Especially if you are new to jazz.



    Improvisation is a skill that is learned, and takes practice. Write you out a solo or if there is one there practice it as written. Start slowly by just adding ornamentation, grace notes, and rips.


  5. Playing Jazz

    The best Advice I can give you is you listen to a lot of good jazz .Not just jazz euphonium but all jazz instruments and all styles. Try to work on your "ears" and transcribe solos ( this is how all the good players became great)
    Don't be afraid to work at it slowly but surely !

  6. #6

    Playing Jazz

    STEP ONE:

    Listen to some really fine jazz players practice. Even the pros will often spend time working out "licks" in various keys. Try this yourself on some simpler licks.

    Pick some good performances. You might start with YouTube, and search for Clark Terry. He's a great jazz trumpet/flugel player. His solos usually have some very nicely-formed licks that are tuneful and attractive. (And most of his solos would translate very well to euphonium.) Pick one or two and work them out. Then practice in a few different keys. You might want to find some of the older recordings, such as ones taken from the tonight show or anything where he doesn't look like a retired guy. He still plays well, but the older recordings (from the younger Terry) are better examples.

    The idea is to build up a mini-library of copied licks to start with. Work them into your solos. You may need to study each one just a bit to see how it might fit into a chord structure of any given piece.

    If you get that working, create a couple nice-sounding licks of your own. Gradually that library in your head can help you form nice solos. If you listen a lot to Clark Terry you would hear that he uses some favorites that he has found effective over the years. And yet he is a very creative person.

    You will use this library to connect phrases or fill for a minute while you get to a point where something new is waiting to get out of your head/horn. Anyway, it's a place to start and may give you a good foundation.

    STEP TWO:

    Go to this site:

    http://pubcs.free.fr/jg/jazz_trumpet...t_english.html

    You will find transcriptions of jazz trumpet solos as PDF files. (Many are only available as MIDI files, so skip those). Pick some of the simpler ones and work them out yourself. You'll learn a lot about style. There will be some rather complex rhythms on the PDF files because someone tried to notate a freely-ad-libbed solo, but hang in there. Try Stardust by Billy Butterfield, Stardust by Roy Eldridge, and Stardust by Bobby Hackett. Those will give you an idea of the way different players may bend the same phrase.

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  7. Playing Jazz

    You can't play jazz without listening to jazz. As mentioned, you need to get a fell for the rhythm and texture. Arpeggios are extremely important to jazz. Once you have the basic arpeggios down (as well as the pentatonic notes of the chord), it is a matter of mixing them together. Jazz is about the passion, not about the btwn the line notes and eventually, you'll get to the point where you 'feel' what will fit rather than needing to read it off a page.

    You won't have much to draw from as far a jazz euphonium goes but it is more important to listen to a good musician rather than just someone playing the instrument. To that end I'd recommend listening to Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollings, Wynton Marsallis and of course, Miles Davis. The album 'Kind of Blue' is essential listening for anyone wanting to learn jazz. John Coltrane is also amazing but his soloing is pretty advanced to listen to when starting out.

    If you read bass clef, buy a copy of the Real Book Vol. 6, for bass clef. Then, listen to a particular song out of the book, many many times, and then play it.


  8. Playing Jazz

    thanks!


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