Cameron

What thoughts do you have on playing lines? I have no trouble playing over chord changes and playing melodic ideas, but I'd like to make my ideas have more longevity and sound less vertical. I understand 251 progressions. I want to make every note count and not just play eighth notes just for the sake of playing eighth notes. I listen to a lot of Clifford Brown, yourself, and Woody Shaw and I'm curious to know what things I can do to sound more like these players and play more lines rather than licks.

-cm

commakozzi

Hey, I know you want a response from Jensen first, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents. Work on doing short solos, and then lengthen them gradually. The key being to make a complete phrase within the time allotted. So, if you're doing 4's make a complete phrase in 4 bars, and so on until you're doing as many as you want. Now, I know that you said that you can run eighths, but do this with sixteenths if you're at that level. It doesn't matter what you're doing really! Just make a full, fun, exciting, interesting, etc. phrase in the time allotted. Easier said than done, but get back to the basics. Do it with majors and minors in one key. Then go to your progressions, etc. This is where I am right now, and the work is paying off!!! Oh yeah, forgot to mention (as should always be mentioned) you gotta be transcribing and learning those solos for a limited time at least (I mean don't expect to commit them to memory for absolutely forever, but know them well)!!!

bachstrad72

Bump. I'm really interested to get Ingrid's take too. I've been having a similar problem.
Thanks in advance!

__________________
~Perry Sutton~
BM Mason Gross School of the Arts '05
MM Rowan University '07

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