Quinn’s Essential Solitude

Improvisation requires musicians to take creative risks. During improvisation musicians risk sounding bad, making mistakes, and becoming lost or unfocused. When musicians first begin to improvise, they often have no idea what they will play or how it will sound. Despite these hurdles, these first awkward steps in improvisation play an important role in helping musicians develop critical skills. These humble beginnings help musicians learn about form, time, and the individual intervals and sounds within a

twelve-bar blues.

In the previous chapter, musicians worked to develop modest technical fluency with a blues scale. Often beginning improvisers can’t decide what to play despite their technical prowess. Limiting the options that musicians have during solos can help them overcome this indecision. There are three primary ways that musicians can limit creative options and improve their improvisation.

The first way musicians can improve improvisation is to limit the notes that may be played during a solo. Limiting note choices forces musicians to think creatively about rhythms, space, and the proper use of stylistic inflections, dynamics, and articulations.

By limiting note choices, musicians remove any perceived technical hurdles and are able to focus solely on the creative and stylistic aspects of improvisation. The second way musicians can improve improvisation is to consider the melodic contour used during solos. When musicians focus on melodic contour while soloing, they limit the range and shape of melodic lines created during improvisation. The third way musicians can improve improvisation is to limit the physical location of phrases played within a blues form. When musicians focus on the location of phrases played during a solo they become sensitive to form and the effective use of space.

In the exercises 3-1 through 3-5, musicians will experiment with improvisation using only limited notes from a blues scale. Musicians should focus on exploring the scale and memorizing the sound of the different intervals. Later in this chapter, we will examine how to use melodic contour to construct phrases within solos and will practice techniques that maintain awareness of location within the twelve-bar blues form.

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CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

Exercise 3-1: Two Note Solos

In exercise 3-1 use only the first and second notes of the blues scale during improvisation. Focus on rhythmic variety and articulation, stylistic interpretation, and the use of different registers.

Exercise 3-1: Two Note Solos with Rhythms-Example Solo

One technique that can be used to add rhythmic variety to a solo is to improvise notes while reading different rhythms. Be sure you can sing and count these rhythms before playing them on your

instrument. Listen to the example solo and practice improvising your own solo using only the first two notes of the blues scale and the following rhythms.

CD Track 13 (demo) Chapter Three: Beginning to Improvise

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CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

Exercise 3-2: Three Note Solos

In exercise 3-2 use only the first, second, and third notes of the blues scale during improvisation.

Focus on rhythmic variety, articulation, stylistic interpretation, and the use of different registers.

Exercise 3-2: Three Note Solos with Rhythms-Example Solo

One technique that can be used to add rhythmic variety to a solo is to improvise notes while reading different rhythms. Be sure you can sing and count these rhythms before playing them on your

instrument. Listen to the example solo and practice improvising your own solo using only the first three notes of the blues scale and the following rhythms.

CD Track 14 (demo) Chapter Three: Beginning to Improvise

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CD Track 4 (play-a-long)

CD Track 4 (play-a-long)

Exercise 3-3: Four Note Solos

In exercise 3-3 use only the first, second, third, and fourth notes of the blues scale during

improvisation. Focus on rhythmic variety, articulation, stylistic interpretation, and the use of different registers.

Exercise 3-3: Four Note Solos with Rhythms-Example Solo

One technique that can be used to add rhythmic variety to a solo is to improvise notes while reading different rhythms. Be sure you can sing and count these rhythms before playing them on your

instrument. Listen to the example solo and practice improvising your own solo using only the first four notes of the blues scale and the following rhythms.

CD Track 15 (demo) Chapter Three: Beginning to Improvise

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CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

CD Track 2 (play-a-long)

Exercise 3-4: Five Note Solos

In exercise 3-4 use only the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth notes of the blues scale during improvisation. Focus on rhythmic variety, articulation, stylistic interpretation, and the use of different registers.

Exercise 3-4: Five Note Solos with Rhythms-Example Solo

One technique that can be used to add rhythmic variety to a solo is to improvise notes while reading different rhythms. Be sure you can sing and count these rhythms before playing them on your

instrument. Listen to the example solo and practice improvising your own solo using only the first five notes of the blues scale and the following rhythms.

CD Track 16 (demo) Chapter Three: Beginning to Improvise

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CD Track 4 (play-a-long)

CD Track 4 (play-a-long)

Exercise 3-5: The Complete Blues Scale

In exercise 3-5 use the complete blues scale during improvisation. Focus on rhythmic variety, articulation, stylistic interpretation, and the use of different registers.

Exercise 3-5: The Complete Blues Scale with Rhythms-Example Solo

One technique that can be used to add rhythmic variety to a solo is to improvise notes while reading different rhythms. Be sure you can sing and count these rhythms before playing them on your

instrument. Listen to the example solo and practice improvising your own solo using the complete blues scale with the following rhythms.

CD Track 17 (demo) Chapter Three: Beginning to Improvise