Chapter 11__What to do Next 129
XI, WHAT TO DO NEXT?
Listen
The examples in this book are a part of what goes into a great jizz solo. Listen 10 entire solos by these
and other artists Listen for developing ideas. Listen for exciting shapes and rhythms, Listen for balance
and contrasts between harmonic clarity anc! generalization; motivic development and harmonic change
running; rhythmic complexity and simpheity, space and heavy, thick texture; blues ideas and specificity
Find musical excerpts you like. Tey and find something in the excerpt that will help you remember and
tunderstand it See if you can apply any devices from this book or your own experiences and further
develop and personalize the excerpt, Practice being creative in your practice time.
PRACTICE
| watched a high schoo! baseball team practice the routine of throwing the ball from the outfield to the
cutoff man who relayed to home plate. They practiced this routine for at least forty five minutes. Any
fone of them was intelligent enough to be told how to do it and remember: any one of them could have
Wen it aS an answer on a test the following week. They practiced it over and over so the routine became
lutomatic; so there would be no thought, just reaction. To be prepared for a game a team will practice
all of the parts of a game, individually tuning up each par: hitting, boning, catching, throwing, base
running, defensive plays. This is how to practice improvisation, The whole is learned by taking apart and
ailing the components which are ultimately put toyether again,
(One young student of mine was not playing his scales very well ata lesson. [asked him how often he
practiced through them every day. He said at least once. 1 knew he played tennis. 1 asked him bow many
limes he practiced his serve when he was at the courts. He said about eight hundeed times. It was no
mystery why he was (and sill is) a better tennis player than piano player. This is how to practice
Improvisation: repeat dnils until they can be played automatically,
Connecting Choris wih Tincaar Harmony130___ Chapter 11 What to do
‘TRAIN YOUR EARS
Train your ears so that when you hear a line, you could instantly play it on your instrament; when you
see a line written down, you instantly imagine what it sounds like, Sound, fiagening on your instrument
and the written notes on the page should all be connected in your mind. These three areas form a
twiangle: the aural form, the written form (notes and chord symbols) and the physical experience of
creating or recreating on your instrument. Integrate them all in your practice routine. Ear taining is
lifelong; itis not a class that one finishes and checks off the lst.
‘Aural Sound
win tn 2 7
Playing your
instrument
PLAY
Play. That is what we do. Be playful in your approach to practice and performance. Listen to the other
Performers and be prepared to react. If you have practiced and spent considerable time thinking about
‘what you should and can do musseally, then you will rust your instincts
“Conmrecting Chords wei Lancar Harmony