Repertoire is another area that might grate. If a musician who is used to performing grade 8 or higher-level repertoire is suddenly presented with basic blues or riff themes, they are likely to question the validity of what might seem to be such elementary material. The simplistic nature of these themes, of course, is to eventually inspire and develop improvisational ideas and not to be treated as the sole source of thematic material. But it is sometimes difficult to persuade the student that these basic themes are worthwhile.
Students and listeners alike often ask how, as a jazz musician, I know implicitly which is the beginning, middle and end of any piece as it is going by. This is known as 'keeping your place in the form'. An internal command of the song form is necessary for any improviser, as a guideline to give a sense of where an improvisation is going.
Many orchestral musicians, while being expected to know about this as well, will nevertheless often rely on the conductor to bring them in. Knowing instinctively where to come in is particularly difficult if the tune to be improvised is longer than the standard 32-bar form or has an unusual or uneven number of bars. While developing this skill may seem daunting at first, it is one that can be relatively easily learned and become second nature.
Success in improvisation is as contingent on group interaction skills as it is on individual musicianship, instrumental technique and command of the idiom. If the musician's experience has been largely in solo or duo settings, as is often the case with recitalists and accompanists, interacting with other players in an ensemble for improvisation can bring about new challenges.
The acoustical settings of a jazz group or combo might take some getting used to in the case, for example, of a violinist or flautist who has never played with a kit drummer or electric guitarist before.
Playing with musicians from different social, educational, and economic backgrounds can also affect group dynamics. Improvisation can often require more discussion and intimate social interaction than classical music. In an orchestral context, most of the verbal communication will be filtered through the conductor, who has a central role in the ensemble. But improvised music requires a more direct player-to-player approach even than classical chamber music. |
|
If, for example, the saxophone player wishes their solo to be accompanied by bass only, it will often be up to them to speak to or signal the pianist and drummer not to play. Cultivating the ease and confidence to do this freely is a process that doesn't happen overnight. The interaction often requires the players getting to know and relating to each other personally as well as musically so that both sides of the relationship become a unified whole. It may take weeks or months before the level of communication and familiarity allows for creating mutual pathways of improvisational harmony together. This is less likely to happen if players from diverse backgrounds and musical training or skills find themselves placed in the same group
One important link between classical musicians and today's jazz players is that they both tend to initially learn from books or other written material. This literacy-based style of learning is one of the reasons why more and more jazz qualifications can now be offered alongside existing classical ones at music colleges and universities in the UK. But too many teachers overdo the emphasis on books at the crucial, early stages of improvisation.
Using books won't hamper some students as they might already have an idea of what they are after, having listened to or studied improvisation previously. But with others, the words can get in the way as they spend too much time and energy reading and trying understand to the detriment of making music spontaneously.
Many improvisation concepts and challenges are not easily explained by written means. Playing by ear and trying to feel and grasp the rhythmic pulse of the piece is an important starting point. This is especially true for the beginner who is already disoriented and is looking for handholds to provide guidance in this challenging new musical area.
These are but a few of the many hurdles faced by classically-trained musicians embarking on improvisation. While overcoming them might initially seem daunting, the gradual process of becoming familiar with them will help to build confidence and make the prospect of improvising much more of a reality - and a highly enjoyable one, too!
Frank Griffith.
Tell me more about Frank Griffith |
