The Lick

I love this video.  If you haven’t seen it you have to check it out. How many musicians can you identify? Is this lick in your bag of tricks? It wasn’t in mine, but just for fun I used it several times tonight and it sounded good.

 

The world in a grain of sand

Here’s a video on learning jazz licks that really resonates with me.

For a long time I collected music, loads of it, with the dream that some day I’d transcribe it and know tons of licks. I’d learn a cool lick but rapidly forget it because I was on to the next cool lick. I worried that life wasn’t long enough to learn all these licks, especially if I forgot them as fast as I learned them. 

Lately, I’ve gone the other direction. I’m taking a few licks and going crazy learning them every which way, working through all keys, modifying for major and minor, starting at different points in the measure, finding new ways to get in and out of them, etc. This seems to be what Hal Garper is advising in the video, and what David Liebman meant when quoting William Blake, ”see the world in a grain of sand.” It’s definitely working for me.

The tough life of a jazz musician

Saxophonist and animator Allen Mezquida’s take on the jazz life….

Practicing towards perfection

At age 25 I began a college education. Determined to be a good student I sought out books on study techniques, applied the concepts and did well. Likewise, when I became serious about the saxophone I searched for the most efficient ways to practice. This information is not so easy to find.  After years of trying different practice approaches I finally have a method that works for me. It is an approach based on bits and pieces gathered from books, teachers, and the internet.

If you are on this same search I found an internet discussion that can save you time and frustration. The discussion begins with a saxophone teacher bemoaning the lack of dedication of his students, and then evolves into a  conversation of practice approaches that work. It’s a lengthy read (so read it on a break from practicing), that gathers together a lot of wisdom, experience, and resources in one place. Here it is: “Practicing towards perfection.“

Practicing music: the role of visualization and sleep

Molly Gebrian is a violist pursuing a doctorate in music and cognitive neuroscience at Rice University. If you’ve ever been pressed for practice time, unable to practice because of injury or travel, or just interested in practicing as efficiently as possible, then you should read her article summarizing recent research in this area. I’ve incorporated these ideas into my practice regimen and it’s definitely made a difference.

Charlie Parker: Techniques of Improvisation

This is just too cool.

Recently, I came across a reference to a dissertation by Thomas Owens, “Charlie Parker: Techniques of Improvisation. Although obscure, it is considered by some to be the most comprehensive and in-depth analysis of Charlie Parker’s style. Owens transcribes 250 solos and extracts out 100 of the most used licks.

I just had to have it. I searched everywhere but it was not for sale. Finally, I found it at WorldCat and ordered it through inter-library loan. The thick two volume set (almost 900 pages long) set on my desk for a week while I created the new Madison jazz calendar. When I’d caught up on my sleep I grabbed volume one and glanced inside. This is a remarkable document! My first impression is this book would be considered the bible of bebop if it had been published.

Here’s the dissertation abstract: Abstract of T. Owens, “Charlie Parker: Techniques of Improvisation”

I don’t plan to study and learn all the motives listed here but it does have me pondering the merits of memorizing a bunch of licks. If it worked for Charlie Parker why not for me?

Anyway, the cool part is I found a way to buy the book. There is a service called UMI dissertation services that claims to be the only central source for accessing almost every doctoral dissertation accepted in North America since 1861. After calling UMI a friendly woman guided me through the process of ordering a PDF copy via their web site. Minutes later it was in my computer. Ah, the wonders of technology!

To order this or any other dissertation go to this Proquest page and follow the instructions.