jazz education Love and Theft
(Two Essentials for Developing Improvisers) Mathew Buchman, WMEA State Chair, Jazz Education
Artists steal ideas
from each other all the time, but the value of thievery can sometimes be a tough sell to cre- ative students who place a premium on originality. We’ve all probably heard
the axiom, “Good artists copy, Great artists steal,” different versions of which are attributed to Picasso, Stravinsky and Faulkner, among others. But what’s the dif- ference between “copying” and “stealing”?
When you steal something, you make it your own. In musical terms, this means changing the particular details of an idea while retaining more generalized characteristics. In the study of jazz im- provisation, stealable ideas come in all shapes and sizes: scale patterns, phrases of various lengths which fit a specific harmonic context (i.e. ii-V-I), rhythms, or unique sound manipulations (i.e. alternate fingerings, growls, etc.). Trumpeter Clark Terry puts it another way: “Imitate, As- similate, Innovate.” Innovation is usually the result of turning stolen ideas into your own while assimilation is the long process
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Example 1. Wynton Kelly solo, third chorus mm.1-6, "I'll Close My Eyes" (1960). Fmaj7
Example 1. Wynton Kelly solo, third chorus mm.1-6, "I'll Close My Eyes" (1960). Fmaj7
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3
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œ bœ œn œ bœ œœ œ œb 3
3
œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ# œ# œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ# œ# Eø
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Example 2. Variation of Example 1. Fmaj7
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Example 2. Variation of Example 1. Fmaj7
3
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3 œ œ œ œb œ œ œ# œ#
No Correct Starting Point for Falling in Love I vividly remember listening to my first jazz recording. I was a high school sopho- more freshly recruited to play in the jazz ensemble, so I went to the library and brought home the only album with a name I recognized: Miles Davis. I hated it. I don’t know the exact album, but my guess is something from the late 60s, perhaps even In a Silent Way or Bitches Brew. But not long after, I somehow got turned on to Spyro Gyra, and from there I discovered Weather Report and then Chick Corea (who we sadly just lost on February 9). I fell in love with all the synthesized sounds, the infectious grooves and the mystifying solos (how do they know what notes to play?!). Of course, the irony is that my musical journey of discovery ultimately led me back to Miles’s recording since Corea and some members of Weather Report played with Davis in the late 60s. The point is that you might not love – or even like – the artists you’re “supposed” to admire. Don’t worry about that. Find
Love and Theft - Musical Examples Love and Theft - Musical Examples A7(b9) œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ A7(b9) Eø A7(b9) Eø œ œ œ œb œ œ œ# œ#
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Example 3. Rhythmic Variation of Example 1. Fmaj7
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Example 3. Rhythmic Variation of Example 1. Fmaj7
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by which that transformation happens. But notice imitation is the first step. How do we choose what to imitate? The answer is simple: imitate what you love.
“Find something you love, and then work like crazy to
learn everything you can about that music.”
something you love, and then work like crazy to learn everything you can about that music. One of the best methods is transcription.
Dmin7 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ
Petty Theft First œ œ œ œ œ œ
Dmin7 œ œ ˙
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Transcription need not be a daunting task. If we start small – with what I call surgi- cal transcriptions – we build confidence and learn a lot. For instance, just learning to play the melody of “Autumn Leaves” exactly like Miles Davis is a form of tran- scription. Since the melody and chords can be found in a fake book, all that’s left to learn is Miles’s rhythmic treatment and his melodic embellishments. I gave that assignment to an 11-year-old student who
œ œ ˙ Dmin7 œ œ œ œ œ œ Dmin7 œ œ œ œ# œb œn œ# œ œ œ œ œ# œ# œ œ œ A7(b9) œ œ œ# œ# œ œ# œ œ
bœ œ œ œ œb œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ# œ# œ œ# œ œ Eø
œ œ œ# œ# œ œ œ œ A7(b9) œ œ œ œ œ œ Dmin7 œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ Buchman
Buchman
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œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ April 2021
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