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Building a Solid Improvisational Concept Part 3 by Igor Saavedra
Hi my friends, it’s great to be writing for you on this very first 2012 issue. I hope you had great holidays and that you are prepared to work and to improve on your musicality. I can tell you that I’m already studying new things because I’ve got a lot to learn!
On the previous articles we’ve already covered the Philosophical, “Quantum Physics” and Poetical and Lyrical aspects of improvisation. So on the very last part of this “Trilogy on Improvisation” we’ll be covering the Esthetical and Psychological aspects, which in my opinion will close the circle for the main aspects of improvisation that have nothing to do with topics like scales, technique, chords, licks, chops, etc.
How the Esthetical aspect works on Improvisation
I’d like to introduce you to the subject of Esthetics.
– First of all you have the Esthetical Object, which is the idea of what you want to do or create.
– Then you have the Esthetical Result, which doesn’t necessary belongs to its’ creator, and mainly belongs to the audience.
– So as you can see in Esthetics you have what is called a Double Reality; from the point of view of the creator, the more the Esthetical Result reflects what it was for the Esthetical Object, the more the creator increases his/her sensation of Beauty from his/her creation; this specific sensation can only be achieved by the creator… so that’s great for us as improvising beings, isn’t it?
– Finally…. I suggest never forgetting to consider that “What has been made… has beauty on itself”.
What is beautiful or ugly is obviously something very subjective… and when it comes to music this gets even more critical, but there are indeed some objective aspects in Esthetics that I suggest you should also consider.
If you have studied a little bit about Esthetics I think you’ll agree with me that this concept is closely related with another concept, which is Proportion. The concept of proportion at the same time is closely related with mathematics and with another very important concept, which is Equilibrium, or most commonly said, “Balance”.
Think a little bit about how these concepts relate themselves with the Improvisational context and you’ll end up finding a lot of connections. To make it short I’ll suggest some tips about what to do or not to do when you are improvising so as to be able to walk within the ranges of Proportion and Equilibrium.
– Always consider the length of the solo… don’t exaggerate! How many times have you heard a musical piece that is 3 minutes long and one of the Solos is 20 minutes long! Not everybody is Charlie Parker or Keith Jarret, so those are not good examples to validate extremely long Solos. Exceptions will just confirm the rule. If you cross that fine line you can transform what could have been a beautiful solo into an ugly, heavy, boring and disgusting “self gratification” speech.
– Don’t exaggerate with the length and the amount of chops and licks… Don’t play them in any moment of your Solo just “because.” Know when and how to play them so as to relate them with the climaxes or “sub climaxes” of your Solo; usually those are the right moments for them.
– Same with dynamics… Build dynamics carefully, increase the volume just when needed, don’t play “flat”… people usually play loud all the way… you must leave some room so as to be able to grow on dynamics while the Solo starts to grow on intensity… obviously again there are some exceptions to this so called “rule”.
– Balance the speed of your playing… know when to play fast and don’t do it all the time. Don’t use this amazing musical resource to show that you are fast and skilled as this is the most unmusical thing to do… speed up when the musical tension asks for it and follow your ear and your feelings.
– Don’t be too Diatonic or too Odd… again, know when to go into each different texture. In general terms I’d recommend going odd when the musical tension increases.
– As you can see, a combination of odd notes, fast runs, intricate chops and loud volume will surely contain a bunch of energy and tension, and you can obviously imagine what will happen with the opposite situation. You can make use of all these elements in order to achieve the different tension states you are looking for. Finally remember that the whole musical speech is exactly about that!
What about the Psychological aspects in relation with improvisation…?
It’s important to say that this specific aspect is closely related with the Stage and the Audience, because when you improvise at home in your room or studio the psychological reality is quite different.
– Attract the attention of the audience! Have you seen those TV Jazz Festivals where the TV Director knows nothing about Jazz and the Keyboard player is improvising amazing notes and chords while the TV Director is showing the Saxophonist or the Guitar player instead? Well, he is showing and broadcasting the guy who calls out the most attention in terms of rating, and many times the attitude of some musicians who aren’t even improvising is so great that they call everybody’s attention! That’s what you have to do… “Increase your stage rating” or nobody will pay enough attention to your Solo. I’m not meaning that you jump all around the stage like those Glam Rock Bands of the eighties, or do any kind of crazy things on stage. I’m a very relaxed guy on stage and sometimes kind of nerdy – hahaha… but we are talking here about subtle ways of keeping the audience with you.
– Being shy on stage is something you don’t want… you have to leave that home. “On Stage you can maybe express Tenderness, but not Shyness”. Play with Confidence, the audience has to Believe that you indeed know and trust what you are doing; that is called Scenic Magic!
– Talking about shyness… you also have to have a personality strong enough to respectfully but clearly communicate to any of the musicians in your band to lower the volume if they are too loud or to get “unbusy” if they are overplaying and jeopardizing your improvisation… so “Take full control of your Solo!”
– “Play” with your fellow musicians… and when I say “Play” I mean the verb in the extended sense of its meaning! For example listen to what they are playing while you improvise and answer or copy their ideas, and they should do the same with you so as to sometimes help boost your improvisation, (just listen to Chick Corea while any member of his band is improvising). That also applies to the audience… so “Play” with them too. Choose specific people and get in visual contact with them; usually go for the one who looks more interested in what you are doing, that guy will increase his/her interest if you get in contact and you send your energy back. The good news is that this guy’s going to act like an antenna sending, broadcasting and spreading the energy to the rest of the audience…
– Show the band and the audience that you are somehow happy to be there and not quite the opposite… happiness is contagious and takes the best energy of the people who surrounds you…
Well my friends, as you could see on this trilogy there are many aspects of improvisation that are really important, even though they have nothing to do with the theoretical aspects like scales, technique, chords, licks, chops, etc. Consider them as equally important… I’m basing this advice on more than 20 years of playing music and improvising on stage and learning through the process…
I’m traveling all the way from Chile to perform at NAMM 2012! I have four different appearances including Markbass, La Bella and Nordstrand booths as well as coverage from Bass Musician magazine! So stay tuned from lots of NAMM coverage soon!
I wish you all the best for this 2012… see you in the next issue!
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
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FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
