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Practicing ii-V-I

toddc 3 June 2010

I was thinking about practicing and was asking myself how I could make practicing ii-V-I more interesting.

So I thought it would be cool to collect a list of ii-V-I licks from great players and work on them in all keys. Fortunately I've got the Charlie Parker Omni book and I'm looking through it and see a bunch of really nice lines over these changes. Transpose to all keys and use the Aebersold ii-V-I play-along and you've got a real interesting and structured way of honing your ii-V-I skills.

I want to say that I have a lot of the pattern books too. But playing licks you can hear the masters play, adds articulation to the mix, and articulation is 90% of the music. Its not the notes, it's how you play them that defines the quality of your music.( This is just my personal opinion. Don't take it too seriously)

btw: The topic of articulation would be a nice lesson. Its a real challenge on vibes.

Just a thought....
-Todd

Comments

Marie-Noëlle Thu, 06/10/2010 - 08:46

Anyone to comment on this?
(saved from page two...)

tonymiceli Thu, 06/10/2010 - 17:21

don't use the books. i read non stop, i love reading. but learning licks from books is not cool IMHO.

learn a tune, learn the chords, get a bunch of the masters playing the tune and cop!!!

i just copped the whole cello suite 1 prelude in G major just for that reason. i wanted to discover the music with my ears.

i must be BORING to learn licks out a book. your eyes? really? your eyes are looking a music in black and white. NO. use your ears, get the 'amazing slow downer' to repeat and slow down if necessary the licks and study them like a scientist.

man you're a bad ass drummer, what if a student came to you and said, he is there a book out where i can learn about philly joe? wouldn't you control the laughter and recommend that the student get cds and listen listen listen listen.

this is the ONLY way to learn all this.

now after you've got a whole bunch of licks down by ear if you want to cheat that's cool.

and the last thing is you have to make music when you play each lick. it has to be fun and if it's not you have to think about it and figure out how to make it fun.

i LOVE transcribing solos. i feel like i'm looking in someone's soul.

and you're an older cat, you get it i think and i think you'd love to peek inside bird's ears and NOT his eyes, right!

sorry! that was fun though!

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Tony Miceli
www.tonymiceli.com (new)
s k y p e: tjazzvibe
tony@tonymiceli.com
www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Miceli/604414578
http://twitter.com/tonymiceli
http://www.myspace.com/tonymicelivibes

toddc Thu, 06/10/2010 - 18:04

Since I've been playing vibes its become easier to transcribe so I attempt it more often.
I always thought I should be able to sing solfege and know whats happening but never developed it enough to use it.

I'm always confused as to why people see transcribing as an exclusive tool.
Are you saying that if that's all I did, I'd be a much better player?

The more patterns I learn to play and HEAR. The more things pop out at me when I listen and transcribe.

For example:
Yesterday evening I was working on the first eight bars of rhythm changes. This morning in the shower I could not sing the line I was working on for bar three. I figured it out on my drive to work but it wasn't smack on. If I can't sing it I won't hear it other places and will constantly make mistakes when playing. But I didn't come up with that pattern and I didn't hear it on a record (consciously). I read it in a book, liked it, and tried to incorporate into my vocabulary.(I think its a really common line too).

What is so wrong about that?

Anyway playing vibes has been a God send to me. I feel Like I've found a voice I've been missing for years. I really love it.

Todd Canedy
Don't stop asking until you understand. Once you understand constantly confirm it.

tonymiceli Fri, 06/11/2010 - 01:00

well first i went off on a little tangent there!

but i personally think that this is where it's at. you listen listen listen and then you check out what somone is playing. you're working on your ears, you're studying harmony. you take a phrase or a lick, and play it all over the place get the sound and then move on. that sound you just learned is a characteristic of the music, it represents a chord, a harmony.

if you're going to learn a parker solo out of a book then make it an etude, really play it well.

i just really really believe that if you take tunes and solos and licks and ideas and learn them off of cds and then put them in all different keys that you're really getting inside the music.

forget about the fact of whether you remember it tomorrow or not, just get into the process, eventually it will stick. think of how many songs you can sing in your head. so you can remember a lick or a phrase then. it just might take time.

and for the sake of the argument, there are people on the site who disagree with this philosophy. so you're going to have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself and make your own decision. i just think for most part books don't really have the answers like the cds do.

but not it's not exclusive, just include it with everything else.

IMHO

------------------------
Tony Miceli
www.tonymiceli.com (new)
s k y p e: tjazzvibe
tony@tonymiceli.com
www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Miceli/604414578
http://twitter.com/tonymiceli
http://www.myspace.com/tonymicelivibes

toddc Fri, 06/11/2010 - 10:37

When I'm honest with myself I don't really want to read that much. I mean nobody is asking me to play lead alto in the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Band.

If I could develop my ears to know what anything is that I hear and be able to apply it to my instrument, I'd be incredibly happy. Free at last.

Todd Canedy
Don't stop asking until you understand. Once you understand constantly confirm it.

tonymiceli Fri, 06/11/2010 - 11:20

Knowing that it's a long process. And the process is what counts. Man the way it seems that you love to practice we are prob similar in oir views that it's the process that's exciting. The end result comes in second.

------------------------
Tony Miceli
www.tonymiceli.com (new)
s k y p e: tjazzvibe
tony@tonymiceli.com
www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Miceli/604414578
http://twitter.com/tonymiceli
http://www.myspace.com/tonymicelivibes

toddc Fri, 06/11/2010 - 11:34

OK your on...
I'll make a concerted effort to work on transcribing stuff.
Let's start with Joe Locke's Big Town recording because I love the whole thing.
The melody is already memorized so I'll tackle the solo now.
See you with this in 2012 :)

Todd Canedy
Don't stop asking until you understand. Once you understand constantly confirm it.

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