Play It Like You Mean It
Ok, this is pretty much true all the time. We should always strive to play with
conviction. Still, if you're going to go out on an improvisational limb, it becomes
especially important. Nothing will make you sound as if you don't have a clue more
than sloppy attacks and weak phrasing
Exercise 1: play random notes. Try to avoid anything resembling a known
scale,
arpeggio, or chord. It's harder than you think. Try to play every note with a good
clean attack. Be mindful of your phrasing, try to maintain rhythmic interest. A
metronome or drum machine can help. Listen attentively to what you play. If you
produce a "little gem", try to repeat it and develop it.
This exercise can seem pointless at first. Give it some time. Work with it for a
while. I think you'll be amazed at what will happen.
Functional Dissonance
I owe this concept to Mick Goodrick. There are two kinds of dissonance:
dissonance by structure and dissonance by function. An E7#9
chord is a dissonant structure. A C major triad is a consonant structure. If it is used
for A minor, it is consonant by function. If it is used for F#7 alt it is dissonant by
function.
How does this relate to playing "out"? Well, by using consonant stuctures to create
dissonance, we can give our lines that inner logic we're looking for. While the notes
we play may be technically "out of key" relative to a given chord progression, they
still relate to each other in a familiar way.
Exercise 2: Take the groove included in this lesson. It's a one-chord funk
groove in E. Play along for a while, really lock in. After you've got a good groove
on, play a line in a different key. Any other key... it doesn't really matter. If
you need some suggestions, for starters you might try, F#-, D-, F, or Bb. Really
listen to what you play. Try just one bar first: say a bar of F#- then back to E.
Next, try some longer lines. Move to a new key, then work your way back to E
again. Look for common or chromatic tones you can use to bring your line back to
E. Lather, rinse, repeat.
