For a jazz soloist, the mark of a mature improvisor is that they can start, play and end phrases with immense clarity. They choose notes with confidence and deliver it without hesitation.
Q: How do you get to this point?
A: You keep doing it with these concepts in mind.
I attended an amazing guitar workshop by Adam Levy years ago in San Francisco and he taught us a phrasing exercise that I still use until today.
- Pick 4 bars of a song.
- Improvise over those 4 parts with a clear line or phrase.
- Start and end clearly (optional: decide where to start/end on the downbeat or upbeat)
- Stop.
- Restart the exercise and repeat as many times and necessary.
Recording the exercise and listening back to it is a great way to examine whether the line you played worked. The most important thing is to NOT LOOP the chord progression but to start, stop and repeat the section.
Try this out and let me know how it goes! :)
Do you have a favourite exercise to practice improvisation? Please share it in the comments section of this post. :)
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If you're interested to learn more in depth on this topic or level up your guitar playing ,music theory or songwriting or composing skills. get in touch with me for private lessons in Kuala Lumpur or worldwide via Skype/Zoom/Facetime etc.
Contact me here: http://www.azsamad.com/contact
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My new e-book, Jazz Guitar Licks and Etudes is now available:
http://www.azsamad.com/book2
My first e-book, Jazz Improvisation Uncovered is here:
http://www.azsamad.com/book
[Az Jazz Guitar Lessons]
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #1: The importance of listening
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #2: Learning the 5 Essential Jazz Chords
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #3: Seven Guitarists to Check Out
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #4: Enjoying the Process & Your Present State
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #5: The Importance of Rhythm
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #6: Learning Songs by Ear
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #7: Learning the 5 Essential Jazz Chord Arpeggios
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #8: Introducing the II-V-I Progression
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #9: Learning the 5 Essential Jazz Chords - Part 2
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #10: Learning the 5 Essential Jazz Chord Arpeggios - Part 2
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #11: Modal Jazz Basics 1 - Classic Recordings
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #12: Modal Jazz Basics 2 - Dorian Lines
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #13: Improvising on Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #14: Scales for Spain (Chick Corea)
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #15: Bossa Nova and Samba - Classic Recordings
Az Jazz Guitar Lessons #16: Performing Brazilian Music over the Years
[Podcasts]
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP01 | 18.05.2018
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP02 | 19.05.2018
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP03 | 20.05.2018
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP04 | 21.05.2018
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP05 | 22.05.2018
Az Samad | Az Jazz Guitar Lessons EP06 | 25.05.2018
[Performances]
Zee Avi & Az Samad - Cry Me A River
Chendering (Malaysian jazz song) with Roby Lakatos, Denis Chang, Az Samad and Zulhilmy Zulkifli
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How to learn music
If we have the Internet, why do people even need guitar lessons?
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I wanna be a full-time musician... should I?
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