Scales and Lines

You ever hear about a concept maybe the second or third time and then it just hits you like a sack of bricks, and suddenly you hear this thing everywhere from then on?

I've been playing and studying vibes for about 20 years. I've taken lots of classes and lessons ... but no one has been able to answer this question to my satisfaction --- why is the altered chord called the altered chord? In other words, what is altered in the scale of the altered chord that makes is so unique, it takes the name "altered chord"? Lots of scales and chords have alterations to some notes so that can't be the answer. Today I found a website that gave what I consider the perfect answer. Here it is:

I found this video, "Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment," a jazz clinic given at the 2012 NYSSMA conference by Mike Titlebaum, director of jazz studies at Ithaca College.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQOa1q8QL6o

I thought it was really good...a practical approach to something that is of course a bugger for me - creating melodic improvised "lines"...

Fair two mallet technique/skills, decent understanding of basic theory/harmony/scales, etc. How then to "jump in," to apply that skill/knowledge to getting a line going on the instrument, to get up and running in real time? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

I didn't really know where to post this, or if we could/should even post these types of things, but I thought I'd share a little bit of playing with you guys. I'm always talking to players about lines, concepts, etc., but it would be cool to get some input from fellow vibes players! Let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvbn4UNODY4

Alec

Hello VibesWorkshop community!

I'm a graduate student (working on my DMA) at Southern Miss. I am studying jazz vibes with Toni Miceli and just now have begun learning improvisation.

The bebop language for me devotes constant attention. I would like to bring up the topic and see what ideas, concepts each of us have.

MY current study has me re evaluating where i play my lines with in the changes and more over where they lie in the rhythmn. Where to place chord tones such as 5th 3rd and 7th? the use of leap and steps, neighboring tones, passing tones ect ..

what really stirred up my interest is that in studying a milt jackson i notice on a triplet line

I'm wondering what people here recommend for method books to help me improve my improvisation of bebop style lines.

It's something I personally have not worked on enough, and struggle with. I was wondering what some of the pros' approaches are to playing in 5 and 7? Also maybe a list of good recordings in those and other odd meters. Obviously Take 5.... what else do you guys got?

Thanks,
-Drew

Hello all,

I'm wondering if all proficient players hear what they are going to play before they play it. I was a drummer before going to vibes, and I was able to ear what to play before I would play it. Hearing and instantly knowing how to play spontaneously created melodies is a whole other dimension, though. I feel this especially when I listen to someone like Joe Locke -- he's hearing this stuff? And he immediately knows how to play it?! Good grief.