Where Do I Start?
June 20, 2004 in Articles
olsonco writes “I learned to play saxophone in high school and have decided to take it up again as an adult approaching my late thirties. I have discovered that learning to improvise is a far different process than that used to teach high-school band students how to play.
After relearning my major and melodic minor scales, I bought some Jamey Aebersold play-along books. So far so good … I’m very slowly beginning to hear some sounds that I think are not entirely offensive.
What suggestions can the experienced players offer on where I go from here? What other teaching aids would you recommend? Should I engage private lessons? Are there any recommendations for finding a compatible teacher? And how can I find people to jam who are at my level?”
Private lessons are probably the single best way to get better.
Secondly, go get Jim Snidero’s Jazz Conception books. Play those. Then get Bob Mintzer’s books. Play those. You need skills, and these etude books will expose you to a variety of styles, and you can hear how things sound over chord changes.
Third, go get the Charlie Parker Omnibook. This is a great repository of jazz. And get the recordings so you know how it is supposed to sound.
Fourth, set reasonable goals for yourself. I’d aim to do a Snidero etude or two a week, plus maybe jam on a Aebersold playalong using different scales/patterns.
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Funkislife said on July 2, 2004
It sounds like you have a great approach to starting. The best advice that I was given when I started to play was listen, listen and listen some more. The more you listen to your favourite players the more stylistic influences start to creep into your playing. I mean they are your favourite players, be it for sound or lines or the like, you have an ear for something they are doing. If you let this come out in your playing through time you will develop the technique, with time and energy, to mold this influence into a style of your own.
There are also some great books out there by Jerry Coker called “Patterns for Jazz”, and by Jerry Bergonzi (“Patterns for Pentatonics” and a few others) but I would agree with the previous writer that you should go with the Omnibook and the others previously mentioned. But you should never discount your ear in all of this. Besides, Jazz and music in general is an audible art and should be learned that way as well. In conclusion, use some of the things you like from your favourite players, build your technique using some tried and true methods provided in some great books, and then mold that to fit your own playing style over time. Have fun and good luck with all of that.
warmdaddy said on July 3, 2004
i’m in the same boat as you. I learned sax for six years in high school and now I’m in third year uni and i picked it up again for fun. I have found the best way to get back into form is not to place too high expectation on yourself, try and enjoy yourself, not get good. At the very end of high school my teacher told me, after I had purchased my own sax, to ‘just enjoy playing it’. And I am, even though i didnt pick it up for two and a half years. I agree with all of the above, get the omnibook and play out of that. The solos aren’t that hard when played slowly and they are great for technique building. Play lots of etudes as well, like Lennie Neihaus Jazz Conceptions, beg, intermediate, and advanced and work on classical or jazz pieces with lots of rhythmic, melodic and tonal variation, this should work on most aspects of your playing. Use a metronome, and don’t forget to have fun.
zed said on July 7, 2004
Do what you can to find a jazz player to study with. … Today there is plenty of software to slow down the CD. .. very much like Barry Harris. … I’d never practice so much.
Make a lot of phone calls. Some repair men know or call a Musicians Union.
Before I taught, I did all of the above. I was a pro as a young kid. But My teacher who had played with Buddy Rich made me play the Omnibook. It was like learning a new language
Later, I studied with Dave Glasser and he knew how to teach bebop scales, tranposing, and what is going on on piano and sax, scales chords but only when one applys them to a tune
You know you found a good teacher for sound production when you work on overtones as a warm -up every day. Some one has to give you the heart of Dave Leibmans book.
If I did not apply the chords and scales to tunes or to analyse Bird’s solos
It may help to learn some jazz sax history and study old solos and new stuff like Brecker. This will give you a sense of time.
There is a guy selling King Curtis solos on the net anything that keeps you interested,,and keeps you playing is good.
yamaha_sax said on July 12, 2004
Well im only 13 so i havent been around the loop too long but i found that just learning one or two blues scales and actully improvising for a couple of minutes really helps. Like the other guy said just have lots of fun while doing it.
zed said on August 5, 2004
Private Teacher first! Make sure he can play Jazz and you must speak with his students to see what he is like. for Compatability– if you understand WHAT he wants you to practice, and you have the daily time to play the lesson over and over, then you are on the path. Save time to play with the radio or blow off steam with a blues. You should be required to have a keyboard to understand theory and chord progressions and things like leading tones.
If you want to wait — write and play the major scales and the diatonic 7th chords. Be able to play Maj, Min, Dominent and diminished scales and chords up and down the horn. Slowly work till you are very fast and even in time.
Listen to real Jazz. Not smooth Jazz.You can not learn Jazz from a book alone.
Next year hit the bullitin boards in all nearby music stores. Speak with the guitar and keyboard teachers who may have students who are looking for band members. Speak to everyone you know and their cousins — often someone knows someone who knows someone! Warning!!.. unless it is just to jerk around, It helps to practice and know how progressions work, first, before the band trip. People admire sax players who are musicians. WELLYou ask the right questions. but..Can you sit in a chair and practice the same line repeatly? That is what you must do. Before you take the spotlight. Best Wishes!
Anonymous Coward said on August 15, 2004
Having fun is cool, but what you’re talking about requires very hard work first. Those scales and chords that zed mentioned are exactly where its at
man. I would only expand on that by saying that the when practicing your scales and chords move beyond the first position, be able to play them in inversions without a book in front. Also, pick up whole tone scales. They sound weird at first but in a very short time you’ll dig ‘em. Also, Memorize the scales and chords dude. Eventually, you’ll be able move through all twelve keys in about 20-30 mins, strictly by memory, that’s cool! Always play some long tones, both with and without vibrato, you’ll need that for ballads.
After you’ve done all that, then have some fun with the written material.