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Dave, I was blowing on the RH. I was basically just forgetting the rhythm function on the left hand. But the problem is that I had the tendency to play quarter notes like walking. So it took a mental effort to concentrate on an alternate rhythm.

Fortunately, I don't have to think too much when blowing on the RH. I was just doing some simple stuff.

I'm able to Walk while soloing but not consistently. Usually I just try to memorize a standard bassline and just vary it once in awhile.

The challenge on the LH is (1) Rhythmic variety, (2) Fingering. To do melodic lines on the LH requires some thought as the approach to fingering is so different from the RH. I have an additional technical limitation of a weak left hand. Not as much control so tone is bad.

Thanks for taking the time to comment, folks! (Hi Dave, I don't think we've been formally introduced).

I'm taking all of this on board.

Scales: Knotty, I'm afraid, I just don't understand that. Beyond the fact that it's complex. However, I can cope with doing a plain and simple G, and I found the exercise here (thanks for pointing me there jazzwee).

Composition/improvisation: I suppose composition is just improvising slowly, so I should give it a bash.

Autumn Leaves: I decided I was getting bogged down with arpeggiated baseline, so decided to skip that and walking baseline. I can come back to these later. So I tried out the 2+3 which is *way* juicier than anything I think I've ever played! Quick question: do I do anything rhythmic here, or just do chords? I clearly can't do the melody in the RH while keeping the RH still.

Another question: the word 'extensions' came up (this is lesson #6) for the first time. I've heard it bandied around, but I don't know what it means in a jazz context. Any clues?

hey tlt,

nice to "meet" you.



i think you're right. bill evans talks about that here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYXB6pQvJcg

TLT, when doing 3 + 2 or such chords, at the beginning, you can just play whole notes. But as you get more sophisticated, you play "comping" style. Dave has a nice video explaining that maybe we can repost the link. Basically, you play the chord when the melody is quiet. The pattern on the LH is still "Charleston rhythm" but you skip some of the charleston beats when the melody is busy. That's the way I play most of the time.

Got it, thanks.

hey jazzwee,

michel petrucciani gets into some of the improvisational bass stuff here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwpBPUvAu1o

Cool Dave! BTW the one by Fred Hersch is actually more complex. Maybe I can record it from my computer.

jazzwee,

i couldn't find the hersch recording. i'd love to hear that.

Ok Dave, let me see I can embarrass myself here. Here's an attempt at this two handed stuff. I just went for it without thinking much. Let me know what to change here.

Two handed Improvisation Attempt - All The Things You Are

http://www.box.net/shared/14r2lhylqy

hey jazzwee,

bravo! that sounded great for your first venture into it!

in your left hand you were playing some broken shells ( root and 7th, some root and 5th) along with some passing/approach tones and the like. that's the way to start. really sounded great man!

try introducing a motif in the right hand (you can cycle it a few times too, if you wish) then pass it off to your left hand, and vice versa.

in this style of playing, even though there are lines being played in both hands, one hand plays more of a lead line or melody line, while the other plays kind of an obligato part. it's like a bach invention, where one hand takes the lead motif (maybe in 16th notes) while the other hand plays an accompaniment line in 8th notes. then the process switches, and so on. it's a conversation between the hands.

but hey, i really think that was a wonderful start!

i'll try to get mine up here before the weekend is over.

Dave, Thanks! That was a random beginning, I was just seeing what was possible. This was more of a rhythmic LH test. There's something freeing about trying it like this. I just tried it again now and was seeing how aware I can be of the note choices. I guess that comes next.

I guess even as a comping style it was interesting. Which was really mostly what I was doing since I don't have the dexterity to do fast lines on the LH.

I think I might get addicted to this and make it a style thing for me. I'm thinking that I should work out some LH lines just to practice fingering. Boy, you really inspired me here. This was a 1st try (one shot at the Little Red Light ) nothing planned out. I'm just excited at where I can take this in a month or two.

This is so much fun! I just tried it on My Romance...

What I need to do here is do a lot more listening. I'll be excited to hear what you do. This is new so my brain isn't attuned to all the possibilities yet. We need to find more Youtube videos.

Nice work jazzwee!

Quick question about lesson 6 (2+3 voicings)

I understand I am playing notes in the RH that serve as one thing for one LH chord, then when the LH chord cycles down the 5th, the same RH notes serve as something else for the new chord. So, my top RH note starts out as the 9th, and then it's the 13th for the next chord.

With one exception. And I hear that this works but it puzzles me why. For the F# half-dim I take that note down a semi-tone to the b13 (minor 6th). Why?

As an aside, my fingers picked this up very easily. I don't know why because I've never done it before. They just seemed naturally to know where to go without having to think about it a great deal.

Jazzwee - you ROCK (as the kids would say). I am going to enjoy following your progress here as a student.

Barb

TLT, what you are learning there is called "voice leading". If you put good thought into the motions, you use common tones for the chord pair of a ii-V where you can. Later when you use "rootless voicings" you will see the same thing. One finger moves to change chords. After awhile you have to get this memorized.

In fact you ought to also memorize the hand shape for 2 + 3, or 3 + 2 at all times for all 12 keys in major, minor, dim, half-diminished. By the way, the terms "3 + 2" were coined by Randy Halberstadt in his book. The technique though I learned from my teacher.

The major aspects of jazz are Voicings, Improvisation, and Rhythm. So there's a lot to learn here. You should be able (after a few years) to recall all chords in whatever 1 hand or two hand combinations in milliseconds. Can't do it in a week though

Now on F-m7b5, the next chord is B7b9, which is really a diminished chord. So is that what you are referring with the b13?

Thanks Barb and TLT! Got a lot to learn myself. Now I can self criticize. Obviously very distracting to do two hands so it was very hard rhythmically (LH especially). The good news was I did it without any thought to what was going to come out. I found that it was almost like letting go and just watch your fingers... (something Kenny Werner would say).

I want to see if I can make something passable in time for the Recital deadline. That should kick my behind

Dave's great isn't he? I'm excited to hear his version.

Nice stuff jazzwee, reminded me of the keith jarrett video of all the things.

looking forward to more.

oh no...now the pressure's on. now i'm nervous.

Dave, how many years of catching up do I need to even play close to you? 10-15 years

I noticed BTW, that I wasn't handing off much to the LH yet. My solo was completely RH driven. So gotta put more importance to making melodies on the LH. Darn, that's hard because my LH is so weak. Maybe I have to slow it down.

And you said I was to do 16th notes with this? Are you crazy man?


Knotty - thanks and you reminded me where to hear that Jarrett thing. I was scouring my recordings and I couldn't find where he did the solo piano on ATTYA. I need some guidance...

Knotty - you made me laugh hard! You expect me to sound like this? Maybe when I'm 100.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCGWh-VZhI

Jarrett is just amazing...