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linear jazz improvisation


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a while ago I posted a query to see if anyone had used this stuff. took a jump and have been playing around with a couple of Ed Byrne's books for a few weeks now - I have to say, I really like his approach of not caring about scales and chords.

 

I bought the method book and the songbook for blue monk. it's a pretty neat way to play - you do the exercises, sing them, mix and match them, play them all over the neck.

 

anyway, it's not easy - i have lots of trouble focusing on it and can really only practice it for about 30-45 minutes - BUT it sinks in my head and i can usually hear all the exercises later in the day if I get some quiet time at work.

 

it's good stuff and worth a look if anyone's sick of running scales over chords. mostly for jazz/blues, but i guess you could apply it to anything.

 

http://www.byrnejazz.com/

 

he's got a pile of free jazz stuff up here too:

 

http://www.freejazzinstitute.org/showposts.php?dept=lji

 

:thu:

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Ed's the man. You can hit him up at allaboutjazz.com forum's. There's a lot of guitarists over that have used to book and even have done reviews of the book from a guitarists point of view. This might give you even more insight into the depth of the book. (Ed is a trombonist with cred to die for)

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I plan to get Ed Byrne's book after I finish learning all the etudes in the Jazz Guitar Etudes book.


Byrne is a HUGE proponent of etudes,
especially those you write for yourself
.

 

 

That Jazz Guitar Etudes book looks killer too. It's one I've been meaning to get.

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Who is the Jazz Guitar Etudes book written by?

 

 

Greg Fishman and Mike Allemana

 

http://www.gregfishmanjazzstudios.com/jazzguitaretudes.html

 

Greg Fishman is the sax player who originally wrote the etudes. Mike Allemana is the guitarist who wrote the tab. Mike added a note in the book that essentially says "you can use the tab to get started, but if you want to get the most value out of the book, memorize the etude then experiment with your own fingerings".

 

I first heard about this book during a thread on how to phrase more like a horn player. I think Byrne, who obviously is also a horn player, was also mentioned on that thread.

 

I've been practicing these two etudes regularly (demonstrated by other guys below):

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

What I have gotten so far out of it, besides technical improvement (esp. being more comfortable switching hand positions more smoothly), are ideas on how to use augmented triads in realistic solos, and of course general ideas for creating more interesting solos over blues and bossa nova (several bossa tunes share the same changes as "Take The A Train"). Before learning these etudes, I understood the theory and the sound of augmented triads but was unable to apply them to real music.

 

I just started learning this "rhythm changes" type etude, even though it will take me at least twice as long to get up to the tempo of 264 bpm (8th notes):

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

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have any of you guys worked through this? it seems like exactly the way i'd like to approach my lead improvisation without sounding scale-y.


A Melodic Approach to Jazz Improvisation


49-449503.jpg

 

Since you are in Chicago, I would suggest looking up Mike Allemana (mentioned earlier in this thread) and scheduling some time with him instead. Allemana and Greg Fishman are both based in Chicago. He would probably show you similar material, but you'd learn it faster because of the "human teacher advantage".

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have any of you guys worked through this? it seems like exactly the way i'd like to approach my lead improvisation without sounding scale-y.


A Melodic Approach to Jazz Improvisation


49-449503.jpg

 

this book sucks. i had garrison as a teacher before. he is a piece of {censored}. all he does is talk about his house in paris and how he's friends with so many jazz greats. he teaches nothing

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LOL... Yeah, Garrison Fewell is a pompous dude, from my recollection.. I never took from him at Berklee, but he is a fine jazz guitarist. Nothing OUT OF CONTROL, but a skilled guy, nontheless. His book is ok. But then again, I think most books are pretty good, especially for beginners... or intermediate players.. If you apply knowledge and EXTRAPOLATE as much as you can from one idea in any book, you can discover tons of stuff YOURSELF....

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hahaha thanks for the input guys, but that all sounds personal. i read some things saying that the methods in that book will unlock a lot of improv freedom for you

 

I have nothing against Fewell myself, but I've seen more enthusiasm for Byrne's books than anything by Fewell. This thread was originally about an Ed Byrne book after all:

 

product.php?id=17

 

Notice that guys like Mike Dodge (gennation) give Byrne huge props. Check out the All About Jazz forums and see for yourself what kind of respect he commands there.

 

But if I were you I'd try a teacher in Chicago. The right teacher will unlock your improv freedom faster than any book. A great jazz city like that should have plenty of teacher options for you.

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I have nothing against Fewell myself, but I've seen more enthusiasm for Byrne's books than anything by Fewell. This thread was originally about an Ed Byrne book after all:


product.php?id=17

Notice that guys like Mike Dodge (gennation) give Byrne huge props. Check out the All About Jazz forums and see for yourself what kind of respect he commands there.


But if I were you I'd try a teacher in Chicago. The right teacher will unlock your improv freedom faster than any book. A great jazz city like that should have plenty of teacher options for you.

 

Ed's history can speak for itself, I just mentioned it because I know him (in the virtual world) and think others should too. I mean the guy is on albums with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Maynard Ferguson, and others. Which means he's played with Ron Carter, John Scofield, and other legends. Side note, I saw Maynard a few times from 1974-1979 which means I've probably seen Ed a few times too!

 

He deserves huge props, even with his cred he's out helping others just like we all do.

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the more i work with it the more i think the real goodie from the method is practicing along with the finale files. they really work the stuff into your brain/ears. i actually just bought the cheapo finale and am making up my own stuff to do over other tunes. it's a really neat way to turn your brain off and turn your ears on!

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Ed's history can speak for itself, I just mentioned it because I know him (in the virtual world) and think others should too. I mean the guy is on albums with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Maynard Ferguson, and others. Which means he's played with Ron Carter, John Scofield, and other legends. Side note, I saw Maynard a few times from 1974-1979 which means I've probably seen Ed a few times too!


He deserves huge props, even with his cred he's out helping others just like we all do.

 

I knew where you were coming from.

 

I was just trying to help the guy who hijacked the thread with his Garrison Fewell book inquiry. ;)

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thanks for the pointers. i forgot to change that, i actually live in Boulder, Colorado now. music is pretty huge here, too. i dont have the money for a teacher right now : i've kinda taught myself everything i know up to this point. its rough!

 

 

I don't think there is any one book that will help everybody break out of the "prison of scales". I have been using a very dumbed down version of what Ed Byrne recommends. My personal escape from the "scale prison" was to start doing some real work: copying pieces of solos by great soloists, learning tunes, creating my own solos in the flavor of the solos that I studiy, learning tunes, practicing jazz etudes (common in the horn players' world, not in the guitarist's world for some reason), learning tunes, etc.

 

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way, but you may need some fundamentals worked out before taking on the likes of Byrne's Linear Jazz Improvisation. I personally am becoming a fan of Jon Damian's book as a possible starting point to filling some fundamental holes you might have:

 

http://www.jondamian.com/media/books/the-guitarists-guide-to-composing-and-improvising/

 

Danny (meganutt) always says to figure stuff out yourself, use your imagination, etc. These things are indeed important to developing your own "voice". Damian's book is packed with ideas to help you think more out of the box as well as teaching some useful theory like counterpoint so that later on you can take on Byrne, Goodrick's Advancing Guitarist, etc.

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Sup guys,

I got a few questions about the books and the method.

 

The Method is about:

 

1. Reduce & Memorize Melody.

2. Derive & Memorize Guide Tone Lines.

3. Learn Root Progression.

4. Apply Chromatic Targeting to Each of the Above. (Linear Improvisation Has 10 Chromatic Groupings.)

5. Identify & Simplify Basic Rhythms of Specific Compositions.

6. Develop & Permutate These Rhythms.

7. Combine Chromatic Targeting with Rhythmic Development.

 

There is a pdf of the first pages to download on Ed's website.

On those shows the 10 chromatic groups, so what else the books talks to?

Examples?

http://www.byrnejazz.com/upload/portfolio/17_2.pdf

 

The books:

Book I concept.

Book II (for all instruments) applies the concept of chromatic targeting to triads.

Book III (for all instruments) applies this concept to the 11 seventh chords.

 

Those above is for practicing only, same as books 4 and 5, right?

 

Should be better to choose the song books where has the method applied to full songs, right?

 

I saw the pdf examples but I didn't understand, can you guys explain how this works? Book II and III.

 

http://www.byrnejazz.com/upload/portfolio/2_2.pdf

 

What's more, Is this methodology for jazz only or can you apply it to diatonic melodies/songs? Even to 4x4 songs?

If take out several notes from a diatonic melody and put chromatic notes it should clash with a simplier chord progression, or at least gives more undesired tension, right?

 

Thanks.

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LOL... Yeah, Garrison Fewell is a pompous dude, from my recollection.. I never took from him at Berklee, but he is a fine jazz guitarist. Nothing OUT OF CONTROL, but a skilled guy, nontheless. His book is ok. But then again, I think most books are pretty good, especially for beginners... or intermediate players.. If you apply knowledge and EXTRAPOLATE as much as you can from one idea in any book, you can discover tons of stuff YOURSELF....

 

 

Garrison is a good dude, and he does teach. He just doesn't have a lot of patience for entitled untalented babies, which unfortunately you see a lot of at Berklee. One or two of these can really drag a class, especially if they're noodling the whole time and not following directions, and those are the only times I've seen him get close to unwound. Way too many kids see Berklee as some sort of guitar camp and not a serious educational experience, which is a shame given how expensive it is.

 

But hey, it takes a certain type of person to do his one and only undergrad there. The kind of idiot who will argue that his intonation isn't way off in an ear training class, or refuse to finish a coffee outside when asked to. Simple, swallow your pride situations in which anyone who's been in the real world for a meaningful amount of time knows how to conduct himself. Sure, I did know lots of great people at Berklee who were getting their first degree there, but they were invariably great musicians that had dedicated a lot of time and pain to their craft and were therefore at least mildly acquainted with humility. These days that's like 3% of the student body, and I can empathize with any teacher that has to put up with the rest.

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Sup guys,

I got a few questions about the books and the method.


The Method is about:


1. Reduce & Memorize Melody.

2. Derive & Memorize Guide Tone Lines.

3. Learn Root Progression.

4.
Apply Chromatic Targeting to Each of the Above. (Linear Improvisation Has 10 Chromatic Groupings.)

5. Identify & Simplify Basic Rhythms of Specific Compositions.

6. Develop & Permutate These Rhythms.

7. Combine Chromatic Targeting with Rhythmic Development.


There is a pdf of the first pages to download on Ed's website.

On those shows the 10 chromatic groups, so what else the books talks to?

Examples?

http://www.byrnejazz.com/upload/portfolio/17_2.pdf


The books:

Book I concept.

Book II (for all instruments) applies the concept of chromatic targeting to triads.

Book III (for all instruments) applies this concept to the 11 seventh chords.


Those above is for practicing only, same as books 4 and 5, right?


Should be better to choose the song books where has the method applied to full songs, right?


I saw the pdf examples but I didn't understand, can you guys explain how this works? Book II and III.


http://www.byrnejazz.com/upload/portfolio/2_2.pdf


What's more, Is this methodology for jazz only or can you apply it to diatonic melodies/songs? Even to 4x4 songs?

If take out several notes from a diatonic melody and put chromatic notes it should clash with a simplier chord progression, or at least gives more undesired tension, right?


Thanks.

Sorry I don't have Ed's book, but I used to read a lot of the draft ideas for it when he posted them over on allaboutjazz. I really liked his approach, because it chimed with the way I'd always played instinctively - and I played that way in the first place because it was how I heard blues and jazz improvisers on recordings play. In contrast, all that chord-scale business - while being intellectually attractive - seemed like a diversion, an irrelevance.

 

Anyway - I think you should be able to tell from those excerpts whether it's going to be worth getting the book(s). Does the concept make sense? Does it switch a light on? Or does it make you think "well yeah, that's obvious, I know that already"?

Personally I lean towards the latter. I look at the excerpt about chromaticically targetting chord tones, and that stuff is all in my head already. I've been doing it for years - because I learned by listening to records.

I'm not taking away from Ed here. It's good to see it all laid out systematically, and he's a great writer. But it really ought to be common sense to anyone who's listened to enough jazz (or blues), and hasn't had their head filled with chord-scale nonsense.

 

The basic concepts are really very simple:

 

1. Improvisation begins from melody, and embellishing the melody.

 

2. The other thing you need (and this should be second nature for guitarists) is a comprehensive knowledge of chords - shapes/voicings as well as theory.

That's not so you can apply various scales to those chords. It's so you can break progressions down in various ways, to see how the voices lead through. (A chord progression is a set of 3 or 4 voices moving horizontally.)

The melody is only like an embellished top voice of the progression anyway.

 

3. "In" vs "out". Diatonic vs chromatic, or resolution vs tension. Jazz improvisers always play one off against the other.

 

4. Rhythm. This also works in a binary "in-out" way, "up-down", "on-off", or "tense-release". You can be on the beat, or off it. In time, or syncopated. All jazz rhythm reduces to that dance between the two. (Latin music has built-in concepts of this duality, in the "clave" - and of course it derives from African music originally.)

 

 

I know this is not addressing your questions about Ed's book! Normally I'd say contact him yourself - he was always very generous with his info on the allaboutjazz forum. But I guess now he may be more commercially minded. Still worth a shot tho.

Also try checking out these links on AAJ - you may find longer examples from his ideas there (I just did a search for his name):

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/googlesearch.php?cx=005595936876858408448%3Ahfhqnzuknl8&cof=FORID%3A11&q=ed+byrne&sa=Search+Website#0

 

BTW, as to whether it applies to non-jazz music... good question. It's obviously (given the title!) about improvisation within jazz, and the idioms of that genre. Having said that, many (if not all) of the concepts ought to apply in any other western music with similar sources to jazz, which use improvisation to some degree, such as blues and rock. Of course, jazz has developed improvisation a lot further than blues or rock have done. Again, it depends on where you coming from and where you want to go!;)

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