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KeyboardMag.com >> This Month >> Learning A Linear Language
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Learning A Linear LanguageWhen you think about linear improvisation, or, single-note right-hand lines, your first thought is usually about scales and modes. If you’re new to linear improvising, though, scales and modes can be an overwhelming topic. With seven or more notes to choose from for each chord change, how do you make informed decisions on which notes to play, particularly if the chords are changing rapidly? A more user-friendly approach is to limit your note choices to chord tones and embellishments of those notes — the notes right next door, in fact. It’s a simple idea, but is it too simple? Will this approach help you sound like you know what you’re doing when you improvise? You bet. This neighbor-note approach is an integral part of the syntax of jazz. When you apply the simple ideas in these exercises to your soloing, you’ll be expressing yourself very clearly with the linear language of jazz. All of the great players use these techniques as part of their jazz language, be it in the eloquence of Tommy Flanagan, the angularity of Thelonious Monk, the clarity of Sonny Clark, the velocity of Oscar Peterson, the lyricism of Keith Jarrett, or the counterpoint of Brad Mehldau. If the notes are the alphabet, then the way you arrange those notes are the words. When you put the words together in an understandable sequence, then you can express complete thoughts. With jazz improvisation, players need this musical language in order to communicate with the audience and other musicians. Let’s begin our language lesson with the root, third, and fifth of an F minor chord. Linear Language Practice Tools Books: Connecting Chords With Linear Harmony, by Bert Ligon (Hal Leonard) Tons of Runs For The Contemporary Pianist, by Andy LaVerne (Warner Bros. Publications) Play-a-longs and books available at www.aebersold.com. Get video of this lesson at www.keyboardmag.com. |
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