Blues Improvisation 001

[jason_sioco]

This Blues Improvisation is based on 6 licks played in different order.

[themeandvariation]

Jason, i only listened for a couple of minutes, but felt you could have messed with the melodic cells quite a bit more.. It seemed like very little improv going on.  Also,  i thought i should mention that your right wrist in particular seems very oddly positioned - and hardly changes in movement - and appears stiff.. I think some attention is definitely needed there.
I am assuming that you do not take lessons from a teacher In Person.  With all your effort, and emotion shown from your other posts, I think your path would be much more rewarding - and would develop much easier with some 'proper' hands on, instruction.
All the best.
T

[jason_sioco]

Jason, i only listened for a couple of minutes, but felt you could have messed with the melodic cells quite a bit more.. It seemed like very little improv going on.  Also,  i thought i should mention that your right wrist in particular seems very oddly positioned - and hardly changes in movement - and appears stiff.. I think some attention is definitely needed there.
I am assuming that you do not take lessons from a teacher In Person.  With all your effort, and emotion shown from your other posts, I think your path would be much more rewarding - and would develop much easier with some 'proper' hands on, instruction.
All the best.
T

I am working on my right hand position each day and every time I have lessons with my teacher. When I am playing at actual speed, the bad right hand position shows up, but if I slow down and reset my hand position from time to time, playing at an extremely slow speed, it does obey. I just need to do it more. Also try watching, the video for full length. You won't get what I am doing if you watch for only 40 seconds.

[themeandvariation]

No, it was, as i said a couple of minutes.. Which told me enough..(i teach this stuff).. But at your prodding i jumped ahead - at a couple of minutes - several times, until about the 14 minute mark.. and you're still playing the same 4 notes in the rh.. with very little variation.. Your sense of 'change' , morphing, is Way too micro - and over too large a span of time to get what the idea of improv is all about.. It more sounds like just plain repetition.. tirelessly.. too careful. (I am not sure why you would post this, unless you were looking for feedback..)
Of course, this is just my opinion.. but id have you doing an exercise that is far more expansive..  But,  if you are happy, to each his own. cheers

[ted]

My musical processes are odd at the best of times and I know little about either classical or jazz. However, I tend to understand blues as a rather complex musical ambiance and not as a rigid set of harmonic and rhythmic patterns. This in much the same way as a fugue has gone beyond the old sets of rules, and ragtime means more than a binary collection of phrases and answers.

Therefore, I suggest you free up your playing both physically, in the manner of technique, and musically. Would you not be better off without that electronic device ? I do not think it improves your music. Is your teacher an experienced improviser ?

[j_tour]

I think it's a good start.  You can say with confidence that you know those licks, and that's not nothing.

I think the metronome you should keep in your pocket until you get more advanced and have some specific time issues to deal with, if any.

Playing along with records, or, obviously, the best is with a real drummer and maybe some others, should keep you on track.  Since that's not always possible, especially if you're younger or in a "non-blues-centric" area, there's a lot you can still do with just solo blues piano.  And in a legitimate style, the way someone like Otis Spann did on the Folkways recordings, or Dr. John, or whoever.  

I'd work on that -- know how the masters played solo blues, and rely on your own sense of time.  When you kill the groove (and you will, just like everyone does eventually), move onto another rhythmic style and keep playing.  By that I mean, there are a whole bunch of LH styles/grooves/rhythms you can go over, so if you lose the feel or drop more than a few beats playing "She Caught the Kady," you can go over and start another groove. 

If I may, just stick to one key while you're starting out.  A regular key, like Bb or A or D, or whatever.  You'll want to be able to play in all keys, but as long as you're not cheating with the transpose button, you've got plenty of time.