Jazz: The Art of Improvisation, Creativity, and Self Expression

Creativity, self expression, and improvisation these are the words that describe Jazz.  Of course this is subjective, as many things are, but I think in its essence creativity, self expression and improvisation are key elements of jazz music. It's true people may disagree with me but that doesn't matter.  I've been wanting to write about how I personally feel about jazz music and improvisation in general so this is that description.

When I consider what draws me to jazz music and what joy I get from it, the three elements that always come up are creativity, the ability to express oneself, and of course improvisation.   So in simple terms jazz is the art of improvisation, creativity, and self expression.  So why do I say this?

First jazz has always been a flexible music.  It is always evolving and changing.  This can only happen when there are opportunities to be creative.  From the early days of jazz you see the desire of the musicians to tell a story in there own creative way.  The first jazz musicians didn't follow the tradition of western music instead they took the sounds surrounding them and made them their own.  They weren't afraid to be brash sounding or wild.  Whatever communicated their story the best was what they used.  In this creativity we also see their individuality and voice.

With all the freedom that jazz seemed to have you can see how it easily became a great form of self expression.  There really wasn't a right or wrong way to play as long as it told your story.  The whole history of jazz music is about musicians being creative and telling there own stories through written and improvised music.  From what I can tell creativity , improvisation, and self expression all come together.  Really the greatness of jazz and its vitality all stems from these traits.

When I look at my own experience with jazz music I see these same traits.  The first time I remember hearing jazz music the thing that grabbed my attention the most was the life the music had.  It was so expressive, and colorful.  It was full of emotion.  I thought it was wonderful.  Until I heard jazz I had never had music really strike me, but jazz did.  The reason jazz struck me so much was because it was a true expression of the musicians and there feelings.  I also believe it struck me because of the improvisation.  Most music repeats the melody over and over again, but jazz didn't just repeat the melody it changed and made new ones all in the same song.  The music became organic.  This can only happen because the musicians truly expressed themselves and weren't afraid to be creative, and they did this through the medium of improvisation.

Now today when I play jazz myself these same traits are what makes me love it and want to explore it so much.  The opportunity to improvise and express myself is such a fulfilling experience that I keep coming back for more.  I think that we all have the desire to be creative and express ourselves in our own ways.  For me jazz music provides that opportunity to do so and to grow at the same time. It is my hope that others will feel the same way or at least see and appreciate the potential that jazz music has.  For those who truly want to do there own thing and wish to tell their story through music jazz is a great option.

Well there you have it.  In my opinion jazz music is the art of improvisation, creativity, and self expression.

Until Next Time,

Caruso

Saxophone Tip #4: Take One Step at a Time

It's time for another Saxophone Tip.  Today's Saxophone Tip is inspired by the holidays or I should say today's tip is inspired by the Christmas movie Santa Clause is Coming to Town.  This was one of my favorite holiday movies while growing up as a kid.  There is one particular part I especially like.  It is the song " Put One Foot in Front of the Other."  If you haven't seen this movie I suggest you get it and check it out.  It is full of great messages.  Today I want to focus on one particular lesson which is contained in the "Put One Foot in Front of the Other," song.

Here are the Lyrics.

Put one foot in front of the other

And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

You never will get where you’re going
If you never get up on your feet
Come on, there’s a good tail wind blowing
A fast walking man is hard to beat

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If you want to change your direction
If your time of life is at hand
Well don’t be the rule be the exception
A good way to start is to stand

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If I want to change the reflection
I see in the mirror each morn
You mean that it's just my election
To vote for a chance to be reborn

Ok, So what does this have to do with playing the Saxophone?  How can Putting one foot in front of the other be a Tip?  The answer is simple.  When learning to play the saxophone you have to remember to take things one step at a time.  In my last Saxophone Tip Enjoy The Journey I made reference to this idea.

Learning the saxophone is very rewarding and fun, but if your not careful you can become distracted from your goals or discouraged because you feel that there is too much to master.  What I want to stress today is you can accomplish anything as long as you have a plan and you take things one step at a time.  That's what I like about "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" Christmas song.  The song mentions that until you take the first step your not going to get anywhere.  It also mentions that by just focusing on one thing in this case taking a step one at a time soon you will be walking through the door.

This relates to the saxophone in the way that by practicing a little everyday you will make progress.  By focusing on something long enough  you will reach your destination.  You can't let the big things scare you to the point that you don't do the little things.  When it comes to learning to play the saxophone mastering the little and simple things leads to mastery and the accomplishment of big and great things.  So take one step at a time and you will be amazed how much you will grow musically and how talented you can become.  Use this Saxophone Tip with all the aspects of your life and you will see great growth.

Until next time

Caruso

 

How to Make Your Own Jazz Etude

It's been awhile, but I'm back to teach you how to make a jazz etude of your own.  If you haven't already read Jazz Improvisation: Two Types of Etudes make sure you do.  This article explains why making your own jazz etude is more beneficial than using someone else jazz etude.  After writing that post I figured I should give you some tips and show you how to make your own jazz etude.

To get started you need to decide on what your jazz etude should focus on and teach you.  The best way to come up with a good focus for you own jazz etude is to think about the aspects of jazz improvisation that you feel weak in and would like to improve upon. You can also think about varying elements that you would like to add to your saxophone playing too. I suggest making a list of the areas that you would like to work on.  What this will do is give you a resource of topics for future jazz etudes.  Once you have your list look it over and see what area seems most fitting to focus on right now.  Remember your jazz etude should be something meaningful to you so choose a focus that really speaks to you personally.

Now that you have your focus for your jazz etude it is time to come up with a harmonic background to base your jazz etude around.  To start with choose a chord progression your familiar with such as a blues or jazz standard you enjoy.  Later you can choose chord progressions from songs you want to work on, or progressions that you find to be challenging.

Once you have the harmonic foundation for you jazz etude it is time to start composing.  First make a basic sketch of the melody or ideas that you are focusing on.  Once you have a basic sketch figure out the best way to incorporate the main lesson you want to learn from your jazz etude into the etude in a convincing manner.  You want to write your jazz etude in such a way that it sounds natural and organic.  Most likely you will have to do some experimentation before your etude sounds just right.

While writing your jazz etudes keep in mind the harmonic structure.  This really is your guide to building a melody that fits.  Also remember to have varying rhythms, and don't be afraid of space either. Remember your jazz etude can be as long or as short as you want it.  The etude could cover one chorus or many.  Have fun with it and be creative.

There is one last thing concerning how to make your own jazz etude.  Depending on the topic or focus you choose for your jazz etude you may have to do some research.  This shouldn't be hard though.  There are many resources online that can help you.  Don't let this scare you.  Think of it as a great learning opportunity.

So lets sum it up, the steps to making your own jazz etude are as follows

1. Choose a topic to Focus on
2. Do any necessary research
3. Build a harmonic structure
4. Start composing

There you have it four simple steps to developing your very own jazz etude.  Have fun.

Caruso