Short excerpt from a practice session yesterday playing “Solar” which is a 12 bar blues. One of the ways I like to practice is to play non stop with sort of a “stream of consciousness” approach with little planned as possible. Sometimes some good stuff and sometimes not so much. Ha!Ha!
Translation for Chinese students 中文翻譯:
CYDT 是Can You Do This 縮寫，
這個系列都會有一些小小的有趣練習可以挑戰。
這一集我們來做一些關於音階的練習：
影片中，Tony以F大調音階開始，
內棒兩隻還是演奏原來的音階進行，
左手外棒的部分，加入了在音階中的三度和聲進行，
（聽聽看Tony的示範）
試試看把同樣的觀念運用在任何你知道的音階上面，
例如影片中的：diminished scale
這個練習可以幫助我們：
1.改善只用外棒演奏單旋律的習慣
2.在演奏單旋律的線條時，也能夠加入一些和聲的色彩
Tony說剛開始的時候，他沒辦法一次做到，
花了幾天的時間才完成 ;
因為很久沒做這個練習，
現在有些生疏，所以他有空時也會繼續持續這個練習，
讓自己的腦袋持續保有豐富的點子！
我們也來試試吧！
I THINK I SAY DAMPEN I MEAN PEDAL!!!!!!!!
中文翻譯:
CYDT 是Can You Do This 縮寫，
這個系列都會有一些小小的有趣練習可以挑戰。
這集來說說踏板止音，
我們來試試，左手演奏四分音符（影片中Tony以C大調為例，左手演奏G C）
右手來演奏旋律，並專注在旋律上，目的是以思考旋律為基礎，來使用踏板止音，
演奏出乾淨的旋律線條。
你可以觀察看看，在做這個練習的時候，是不是自然而然的多以左手的和聲來思考，
運用踏板，如果是的話，先以慢速開始，大腦會慢慢知道我們的目的是要聽到乾淨的旋律線條，
多做幾次這個練習後，就可以自然而然的達到這個目的囉！
Check this photo out. This was my M55 back in the day and it has the custom pedal, Mbraces and the bladder damper pad. This is the only photo I have of the instrument that I know of. The pedal was very cool. It had a horseshoe-shaped object with two spurs similar to bass drum spurs that were adjustable. The spurs would come down on each side of the pedal (right and left) and poke into the floor for greater stability.
"Skating in Central Park" - A beautiful song in 3/4 composed by pianist John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. I've been working with songs in 3/4 for my solo vibraphone book that I'm in the process of writing. I'm making headway on the book with many of the music examples finished. I just started formatting the layout of the book along with the accompanying text for the music examples. Still along way to go though. Meanwhile, my book Voicing Concepts for the Jazz Vibist is available from Amazon.
Solo vibraphone version of a new composition titled "Someone Close". The lead sheet can be downloaded here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JRJ_f-K74wDDxL2y1gl1w-Uw5ZCW-N0_/view?…
First, this is a short sample of some rough practice time. Be aware. Just being accountable and looking for any feedback as to whether I'm on the right track. I do feel like this is helping.
One of the hardest things for me, personally, as I develop as an improviser, is "hearing" lines inside of the chord structure that AREN'T the actual chord tones, OR similarly....hearing lines that don't follow a diatonic pattern, e.g. up/down the scale. I realize this is probably very common at my early stage of learning, but it's non the less a bit frustrating...
Hey Everyone,
Check out Good Vibes, August edition, at my website, www.gloriajazz.com. Players from Red Norvo to Joel Ross.
Featured album for June and July has been Anthony Smith's Songs From a Lighter Planet. Have you heard it yet?
Keep cool,
gloria
"It Could Happen to You" - Fun working with vibist Lucas Amorim yesterday on this classic with a focus on playing lines along with left hand accompaniment. Lucas is an excellent vibist who studied with Gustavo and I while enrolled at Berklee here in Boston. A real pleasure to have as a student. Here's a few minutes of what we were working on.