Playing varying rhythmic texture in solos

[Jules]

Ok- I’ve been listening back to quite a few of my own gigs recently and picked up on something in my own soloing that’s bugging me. Rhythmically I tend to get into a rhythmic pattern and stick to it, something that- I feel- detract from the tension/dynamics of longer solos.
Anyone got any good tips & or exercises to try & make myself more rhythmically diverse?

 

[compound]

Hi Jules,
Do you ever slip quote's in your solo's, might be one way to vary the rhythm.
Rob.

 

[Martin]

Ok- I’ve been listening back to quite a few of my own gigs recently and picked up on something in my own soloing that’s bugging me. Rhythmically I tend to get into a rhythmic pattern and stick to it, something that- I feel- detract from the tension/dynamics of longer solos.
Anyone got any good tips & or exercises to try & make myself more rhythmically diverse?

I'm aware that I do the same thing.

I'm trying to improve it by transcribing and learning other peoples solos, in the hope that eventually my style will comprise of something from myself PLUS something from many different people...all with different styles. A bit of this and a bit of that...It's not going to happen over night though!

Cheers,
Martin

 

[ArtyLady]

We learnt a technique at my Jazz class where we dragged the notes out a little longer to get off the beat just here and there without overdoing it - don't know if that helps at all? 🙂

 

[Jules]

We learnt a technique at my Jazz class where we dragged the notes out a little longer to get off the beat just here and there without overdoing it - don't know if that helps at all? 🙂

Intriguing, that's certainly worth trying out..... ta..

 

[Nick Wyver]

I suppose you've done the usual practising solos with just 2 or 3 notes. Forces you to think rhythmically.

 

[Jules]

I suppose you've done the usual practising solos with just 2 or 3 notes. Forces you to think rhythmically.

my forte! It's when I get too many notes in that i tend to 'play safe' rhythmically.....

 

[Nick Wyver]

So did Charlie Parker.

 

[Jules]

So did Charlie Parker.

and there the resemblance ends 🙂

 

[Nick Wyver]

Join the club.

 

[half diminished]

Jules,

I'd say start from the premiss that 'less is more;. As you know Karen Sharp's my teacher and it never ceases to amaze me how fantastic she can sound using just 2 or 3 notes, maybe 1st, 3rd and 7th and moving through the changes with the odd bit of embellishment/chromaticism. A few mordents, triplets and of course silence in the right place is a must. All sounds easy which makes it all the more amazing that I sound so rubbish in comparison when try to do the same.

Also check out different versions of the same song by various sax players and I'd highly recommend listening to Sonny Rollins for some fantastic rhythmic ideas. Tenor madness is a great one to listen to and compare Rollins and Coltrane back to back.

 

[thomsax]

Ok- I’ve been listening back to quite a few of my own gigs recently and picked up on something in my own soloing that’s bugging me. Rhythmically I tend to get into a rhythmic pattern and stick to it, something that- I feel- detract from the tension/dynamics of longer solos.
Anyone got any good tips & or exercises to try & make myself more rhythmically diverse?

Practise to play solo with one, two , three tones .... . Here is some exercises. Think as your tounge is a drumstick and the reed is is a drum. Try to play the riffs adlib.

1. Try play the same tones but change the order.
2. Same tones but add some effects/accents.
3. Transpose the scale to diffent keys.
4. Play your own patterns in the same way.

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=Rhythm.jpg

The samples above is Uffe Anderssons (ABBAs sax-woodwindplayer). He is using a pentatonic scale in a afro-latin way/style.

You can also practise John Paulsons masterclass for saxophone Journal, Minor Blues Workout (sep/oct 1997): 1357 arpeggios, 7531 arpeggios, 3579 arpeggios, 9753 arpeggios, mixed arpeggios, intervals (3rds), intervals (4ths), motive rhythms, phrase rhythms ….. .

David Liebman did a good masterclass for Saxophone Journal called ”Expessives Techniques” (vol 20, #3,nov/dec 1995.

Send a PM if you want more info (mp3, doc).

Thomas

 

[Morgan Fry]

So did Charlie Parker.

I really couldn't disagree with this more. The way Bird would displace the harmonic rhythm implicitly with his articulation might be the hippest thing about his playing.

Jules, obviously there's no quick fix, but two things might help. First is since you're listening back, find where you start and end phrases. Make yourself practice licks that start and/or end on different beats to what you're accustomed to. Second, listen to more afro-latin music, less jazz and R&B. Basically more rhythmically based music that is different to what you usually listen to. Gotta get more different rhythms to live in your head. In jazz especially, rhythmic content is too often ignored.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I really couldn't disagree with this more. The way Bird would displace the harmonic rhythm implicitly with his articulation might be the hippest thing about his playing.

Hmm...possibly. But I still think he played better when he didn't stick so many notes in.

<edit>
I suppose what I'm getting at is there is more rhythmic complexity in a Bird slow blues than there is in something like Ko-ko, just as there is in a Bach Adagio compared to a Courant.