How I come up with melodies like that? That's a very hard question
to answer accurately. My first thought was to answer with something
like: "Heck ... I don't know... they are in my head." But probably
there's more to it than that.
I started very late on jazz guitar. I took my first lesson at the
age of 38. I'd been playing for 25 years at the time and I was a
good blues and rock player, never short of melodies in that
department, though obviously the vocabulary was limited to the blues
and rock vocabulary, so largely minor and major pentatonic and
probably some modal sounds too. But I did not know that at the time.
I remember in my first lesson how I had to improvise on Autumn
Leaves as a kind of benchmark and my teacher thought it sounded good
already even though I did not have ANY theory down whatsoever and
knew little to no jazz vocabulary.
Of course I went the same road as most with jazz voicings, scales
and arps and chord melodies. Later I studied transcribed solos. I
played a lot and still do.
I never went for the theory thing though. I know the basics (scales,
arps, subs etc.) but that's pretty much it. I never read any of the
theory stuff here or on any other newsgroups. Playing by ear has
always been way more important to me than applying theoretical
concepts. You have to internalize the typical jazz sounds and
there's more than one way to do this I guess. I use my ears.
I used several books. On my website you can find a list of books I
like.
I think in the end playing jazz is just about hearing melodies in
your head. Not about knowing things. I think theory can be as much
of a pitfall as a tool if it does not translate into your playing.
Knowing how to climb a mountain is not the same as actually being
able to do it.
Mmmmm ... I still tend to answer your question with ... "Heck I
don't know." But that's probably not what you want to hear.
Regards,
Dick
--- In jazz_guitar@..., "leeflindall2003"
<lflindall@h...> wrote:
Lovely video Dick, just how did you learn to play like that? What
methodologies get one to play like that?
I dont suppose any one book can do it, do you mind me asking how
long you have been playing, and do u have any advice for someone
who
knows their scales and arps, but just cant come up with the
melodies
that ur improv displays, I mean, where do those melodies come from
when ur improvising like that?
My problem is I know the scales/arps, but frustrated that I cant
come up with such "jazz"
Many thanks, and great playing,
lee
--- In jazz_guitar@..., "Dick" <d.onstenk@c...> wrote:
On the Tal Farlow. You can see the flames even through the video
compression blurr! Some pocket problems in the second chorus,
but
hey ... this is no tune to play first thing in the morning when
out of
bed on a Saturday morning....:)
The Tal is a gorgeous guitar. I got mine in my favorite finish
for
this model (Viceroy Sunburst). You can see it well on this vid.
Regards,
Dick
