support Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces

Absolute Beginner

Chris Smith UK said:
Hi everyone - this is my first attempt at adding some basic improvisation to this song. It goes... verse, verse, impro, verse...
Would love your feedback - what can I add to the impro section to make it more interesting?
View: https://youtu.be/9itUTS6QGKE
Click to expand...
Enjoyed that... Keep plugging away at improv and listen to other sax players for inspiration
 
You're doing really well, @Chris Smith UK! I thought your timing of notes was very good and had variety too. I also liked your improvisations on rhythm (note values) which added to those in the melody. Like everyone else, I just hope you keeping learning and trying out new (small) variations and gradually broadening your experience. Kudos for starting out on improvisation after only 3 months!

An easy way to improvise on the melody is to play the notes that are written out in a different order/rythme. You already know the notes 'fit' the chords. Playing them (perhaps in a different rhythm) in a different order (bottom to top instead of top to bottom) is improvising

You and your teacher will get around to these topics when he/she feels you're ready (and other learning priorities have been ticked off!) but some of the things that (in time) will help your ability to improvise are:
- getting some understanding of chords/scales (the main one!)
- learning to play in the higher octave too
- making more use of expressive 'dynamics' (playing hard and soft)

I'm a lousy improviser but IMHO, improvisation skills are IHMO built on a foundation that you're just starting to establish. I personally don't think that there is any shortcut to building this foundation. The foundation is mostly experience (trial and error) but also knowledge (implicit or explicit) of chords, scales. changes, etc. There are many recordings on the cafe (SOTM, BOTM, etc) in which members have included improvisations. These are well worth listening to.

Without some understanding of chords (and the scales that go with them) you're pretty much 'flying blind' when trying to improvise on the melody (unless you're a gifted musician:)) . You can do a lot by trial and error: playing some different notes to the backing track and listening to whether they 'fit" (as ''harmonising notes' or 'passing/bridging notes' or don't at all. If they seem to sound OK, you can use them in your improv (even if they are different to what's written). Another approach is just to sing a simple harmony (1, 2 or 3 notes). I realise that some people are better at this than others :). Any notes that seem to harmonise are ones you could use to improvise on.

In time, you'll learn more about chords/scales/transitions and be able to recognise that "these bars are in F# minor (3 sharps) and these bars are in B minor, etc.) and know which notes correspond to which key. That's further down the road :).

The octave key allows you to extend your tonal range which can provide some variation in improv.




Chris Smith UK said:
Hi everyone - this is my first attempt at adding some basic improvisation to this song. It goes... verse, verse, impro, verse...
Would love your feedback - what can I add to the impro section to make it more interesting?
View: https://youtu.be/9itUTS6QGKE
Click to expand...
 
MikeMorrell said:
You're doing really well, @Chris Smith UK! I thought your timing of notes was very good and had variety too. I also liked your improvisations on rhythm (note values) which added to those in the melody. Like everyone else, I just hope you keeping learning and trying out new (small) variations and gradually broadening your experience. Kudos for starting out on improvisation after only 3 months!

An easy way to improvise on the melody is to play the notes that are written out in a different order/rythme. You already know the notes 'fit' the chords. Playing them (perhaps in a different rhythm) in a different order (bottom to top instead of top to bottom) is improvising

You and your teacher will get around to these topics when he/she feels you're ready (and other learning priorities have been ticked off!) but some of the things that (in time) will help your ability to improvise are:
- getting some understanding of chords/scales (the main one!)
- learning to play in the higher octave too
- making more use of expressive 'dynamics' (playing hard and soft)

I'm a lousy improviser but IMHO, improvisation skills are IHMO built on a foundation that you're just starting to establish. I personally don't think that there is any shortcut to building this foundation. The foundation is mostly experience (trial and error) but also knowledge (implicit or explicit) of chords, scales. changes, etc. There are many recordings on the cafe (SOTM, BOTM, etc) in which members have included improvisations. These are well worth listening to.

Without some understanding of chords (and the scales that go with them) you're pretty much 'flying blind' when trying to improvise on the melody (unless you're a gifted musician:)) . You can do a lot by trial and error: playing some different notes to the backing track and listening to whether they 'fit" (as ''harmonising notes' or 'passing/bridging notes' or don't at all. If they seem to sound OK, you can use them in your improv (even if they are different to what's written). Another approach is just to sing a simple harmony (1, 2 or 3 notes). I realise that some people are better at this than others :). Any notes that seem to harmonise are ones you could use to improvise on.

In time, you'll learn more about chords/scales/transitions and be able to recognise that "these bars are in F# minor (3 sharps) and these bars are in B minor, etc.) and know which notes correspond to which key. That's further down the road :).

The octave key allows you to extend your tonal range which can provide some variation in improv.
Click to expand...
@MikeMorrell thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed response. So many great ideas there. At the moment my impro is limited to some small dynamics (a little louder, a little softer...) and using some of the notes that are already in the melody. ☺
 
Good point, @Chris Smith UK and very well made! Learning a piece at a slower tempo and gradually increasing the tempo is an excellent way of learning. That's how I do it too. Your presentation style/confidence/content is IMHO steadily improving.

I really liked the way you demonstrated 50%, 60% and your current 'challenges' at 70% of the written tempo for Tequila.
I'd like to offer 2 tips (unrelated to your sax playing or presentation):
- maybe highlight (in text) which app (Samsung/Apple) you use
- bring the volume of the backing track up a bit

I'm a fan, Chris. I think that you're doing a valuable job through posting your videos.

Mike
 
Hi Chris, you're doing great and obviously really motivated - keep it up, we're rootin' for yer.

I notice in your last vid you're using a smart phone app for your backing tracks.
If you have a laptop (Windows or Mac) you may want to take a look at "Transcribe".
I use it amost daily, it's an indispensable tool, to be honest I don't know what I'd do without it.
You can import whatever music you want to learn whether it be an original or a backing track.
You can add and save markers for sections, bars and beats. You can make and save loops.
You can adjust the speed - to name but only three of the facilities that I use.
I must stress that I'm not an endorser, I've been using it since the early days when it was a free program.
These days it costs $39 and all updates are free.
Just a thought to help you and anyone else and looking for a learning aid.

Crack on Chris. I can only concur with @MikeMorrell you're doing a valuable job through posting your vids.
 
spike said:
Hi Chris, you're doing great and obviously really motivated - keep it up, we're rootin' for yer.

I notice in your last vid you're using a smart phone app for your backing tracks.
If you have a laptop (Windows or Mac) you may want to take a look at "Transcribe".
I use it amost daily, it's an indispensable tool, to be honest I don't know what I'd do without it.
You can import whatever music you want to learn whether it be an original or a backing track.
You can add and save markers for sections, bars and beats. You can make and save loops.
You can adjust the speed - to name but only three of the facilities that I use.
I must stress that I'm not an endorser, I've been using it since the early days when it was a free program.
These days it costs $39 and all updates are free.
Just a thought to help you and anyone else and looking for a learning aid.

Crack on Chris. I can only concur with @MikeMorrell you're doing a valuable job through posting your vids.
Click to expand...
Thanks @spike I haven't heard of Transcribe before, but it sounds really useful - I'll take a look. :p
 
Slowing down things is a great way to learn accuracy, rather than guessing. I don't know if anyone has mentioned the free program for Mac/Windows and Linux called Audacity. It is made for audio editing, but it can also change pitch without changing tempo or change the tempo without changing the pitch. It can loop and mark passages, too. I've never heard of Transcribe, but I do use iRealPro on both Mac and Android. It's got a couple thousand tunes on it that are good to practice to. While I'm at it, I can mention there are numerous metronome and tuning apps on both mobile platforms.
Cleartune (I couldn't find a site, that's a link to their Facebook page) is a super tuner app for iOS and Android.
Attached is an example of the head to Song for My Father where the complicated part is slowed down.
https://soundcloud.com/randulo%2Fsong-for-my-father%2Fs-FCsTM

If this is against site rules I apologize in advance, but I think this 10 seconds isn't legal under Fair Use.
 

New Posts

Latest: Members' Recordings

Share this page

Support Cafesaxophone

Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces
Back
Top Bottom