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The best thing about teaching or learning how to play music is the balance between technical information and whatever your heart and soul feels. Hopefully the technical information is only the vehicle for what you're really trying to do. I want my students to stay focused through the ups and downs, and to trust in what they believe in. I try to reinforce that they should learn as much as they can and be as versatile as possible, because the competition is very high. I also tell them to respect and learn from the past as they're trying to go forward.
You have to have roots, and also have really studied.Times have changed a lot, and the music industry has changed a lot, but if you're a really well-rounded player, the industry and the times can continue to change as much as they want to; you'll be fine. My personal musical passion is within the jazz idiom, be it mainstream or straight-ahead; however, being well rounded and versatile is what allows me to play a jam band gig and smoke it. The skills are always applicable. It all depends on what you know!
My job is to provide the fundamental training for musicians to succeed in the world they live in. That said, the student has to work.
I tell my students- you can always get more money, but you cannot always get more time, an idea that emphasizes the importance of time management, particularly for musicians. If 80 percent of life is showing up, the other 20 percent is being on time. It is no longer true that an artist is given much latitude because of his or her talent.One of the roles of a teacher is to help students gain a panoramic awareness of music, and what to work on. I try to expand my students' awareness. It's important to develop a rhythmic quality and robustness of sound that ignites the imagination of the performers and listeners, and a groove that has a transformative effect. A common pitfall is to play too busily, instead of understanding one's role within the group. I tell my students that we need to listen beyond our own performances in order to clearly hear and identify with the sound of the whole group. Thank you for reading this it is something important to me- Tim Price........
- For all intents and purposes,unless you experience it...it's not on the radar screen.Going deeper educationally than just a degree or diploma.Because of that it sure can go unnoticed but in some quarters even distained by the mainstream community. After all, the street meets the music is part of the world you should strive to be a part of.
Things could lean to experimental and the unorthodox or even home-grown. I noticed this as a student back in 1969, at Berklee when it was called Berklee School before even Berklee college. As I got older, and experienced_road bands_on a day to day level, I started to be grateful for this school. This UNTOLD SCHOOL....goes further into the70's and 80's in a thriving musical community that only exists these days among those of us that paid the dues to be part of it. 
....Maybe you could call it a working educational brotherhood? Networking for forward motion and being into it for the sake of music- on it's own terms. I felt this as I started todo rehearsal bands at Berklee with pros that were way over my level as a 18 year old student. Players like Jimmy Mosher,Hal Grossman, Gary Anderson, Joe Viola, Charlie Mariano,John LaPorta, Andy McGhee,Major Holley, Alan Dawson, Dean Earl, John Neves, Alex Elin, Lennie Johnson and more gave many of us a real world walking talking example of how to become your own man. Have a commitment in music that feeds off your passion. This knowledge, much of which was based on personal experience not found in book, gave us a renewed spirit and confidence in the days ahead. Sure, some things could be sad and heart wrenching, but at the same time refreshing to know that we all can survive in music and live to tell the good news. WHY? Because it was about the music- on it's own terms. Think about it....more to come in future blogs on this.
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....WANT SOME STUFF TO SHED. . LOOK HERE ;
I practice everyday, and I practice for at least 2 hours before I do anything. I do it because it's the one thing in life that has been a constant for me. So few things in life ever remain the same, if any.
But the saxophone < and my woodwinds > is the same every day.To me, it's the best ever deal you can make in life. If you work hard and practice at your saxophone , you get better. It's that simple!
Think about it. Still grateful to be playing and learning. Looking forward to each gig and rehearsal and student, trying to stay in that vibe. And learn what I can from it.
All human beings are linked together through the timeless, universal chain of history and events.The musician links to the practice room and the bandstand. Various life developments have been born in both environs.
~ The first stage of the artistic process involves absorption of principles and techniques that have already been accepted as standard in the field , the artist personalizes past and contemporary styles, meaning active participation in real world. This is why, I've always felt the need to play with all kinds of musicians, any age and of course working heavily with students to develop their "real world" skills.
So- till next week - practice hard and eat more vegetables and fruit. Don't forget to do something nice for somebody too, remember compassion is essential with each other.
Here's some things to work on also ;
STUFF TO SHED FROM TIM PRICE....
Check it out and enjoy....
also- for some more ideas....check through these ;
IF...you want some ideas on ii-v's...look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/iiV.pdf
If your looking for a nice warm up / sax sound study-look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/sax_warmup.pdf
for info on tune study; look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/learningatune.html
reed info, look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/dealingwreeds.html
sax players food for thought:look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/creativepurity.html
A nice jazz line using II-V.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Dec00.html
And a I-VI-II-V...of course
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Jul01.html
If you check my web page- you'll find some intervallic studys on II-
V.
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/intervalic1.jpg
For those interested in some Bird & bop to shed...check out;
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Bird-ologyStudy.html
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Bird-ologyStudy.html
THANK YOU. Tim Price
....For her newest musical pursuit, Mindi goes headlong into vintage rock and soul territory, harkening back to the days when saxophone was an integral part of the musical landscape, with her newest recording, Wild Heart. She was kind enough to give me a copy of this amaz9ing CD when we finally got a chance to meet at her CD release party at Berks Jazz Festival. Which is my home town turf. What a soulful complete human being which extends through her playing as well.I loved her sound live, the conviction and depth she played with- and to me this new CD is spot on as far as something I knew she had inside her. In hearing her- I could always tell she told a story on her saxophone when she played. Mindi Abair is a modern day storyteller, she starts to tell you her tale, as she tells you , you note all of the themes are there – This is a master at work, the melody is always perceivable yet very deep with soul and great saxophone playing. Ladies and gentleman this is a master.She's lived it and it is coming out of her horn. Beautiful thing indeed.
............. Her new solo album will features guests like Booker T, Greg Allman, Joe Perry, Keb Mo and Waddy Wachtel to name a few. This is one super outstanding recording,everything is first class! The atmosphere-vibe is great and special guests are playing off the hook great and simply awesome,and fantastic. In short- I LOVE IT. This girl not only rocks and kicks ass-but she brings the listener into her travels as well.To be honest- THIS IS WHAT MUSIC NEEDS THESE DAYS. She has brought it! Without a doubt- one of the very best and most rewarding CD's I've heard in the last few years.When you hear this new recording by Mindi Abair you know that you've witnessed one of the bona fide highlights in your life.
...I'll tell you what I always dug about this young lady- she's for real- and you can hear that grit, soul and rocking saxophone sound in her music.She has a hauntingly beautiful sound, with enchanting depth of feeling and passion. She comes to play-and that is so obvious. I find her truly amazing.I'm so glad I finally got to meet her,both of us being D'Addario artists as well. Glad to have heard this CD and express how I feel about it as well.DO NOT hesitate to buy this Cd. Till next week- keep on your path - Tim Price.
Jackie Kelso- Saxophone solo on Sam Cooke " Twisting The Night Away".
Listen and learn right here ...http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/premiumjackiekelso/index.html
.....What Jackie is talking about in the above Wrecking Crew video is -Honky Tonk Part 2 by Bill Doggett. Clifford Scott used it in his 4th solo. Jr. Walker performed the effect on Shotgun. Joel C. Peskin on a more recent 1989 Top 40 hit titled With Every Beat of My Heart by Taylor Dayne. Check Bobby Keys' solo on Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones. Jackie on the Sam Cooke hit was the crystallization of this effect heard world wide on a pop hit. Off the hook greatness by Jackie!!
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To learn this effect, read this chapter from my Hot Rock Sax book ;
Several other examples:
Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy - Gil Bernal - Tenor; The Stroll - Diamonds - King Curtis - Tenor ;Urgent - Foreigner - Jr. Walker - Tenor.
John Joseph Kelson Jr. (February 27, 1922 – April 28, 2012), better known by his stage name Jackie Kelso, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Kelson was the eldest child of John Joseph Kelson Sr. and Lillian Weinberg Kelson.[1] He started clarinet lessons at age eight, studying with Caughey Roberts. At fifteen, Jefferson High School classmate Chico Hamilton urged him to take up the alto saxophone, and he soon made his professional debut with Jerome Myart. By the time he graduated from Jefferson, he was playing with Hamilton, Buddy Collette, and Charles Mingus at clubs on Central Avenue.In the 1940s he played with C.L. Burke, Barney Bigard, Marshal Royal, Lucky Thompson, Kid Ory, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, and Roy Milton. He enlisted in the Navy in October 1942 with Marshal and Ernie Royal, and, after training at Camp Robert Smalls, he was stationed with the Royals with the St. Mary's College Pre-Flight School band. In the 1950s he also performed with Johnny Otis, Billy Vaughan, Nelson Riddle, Bill Berry, the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut, Ray Anthony, Bob Crosby, and Duke Ellington. He joined Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps in 1958 and is featured on several fine recordings from that period, including Say Mama, She She Little Sheila and Ac-centu-ate the Positive. He worked as a studio musician between 1964 and 1984, in addition to recording with Mercer Ellington and Mink DeVille, touring worldwide with Hampton, Ellington, and Vaughan, and appearing in The Concert for Bangladesh. He semi-retired music in 1984, but returned to performance in 1995 with the Count Basie Orchestra, where he became a regular in 1998. He reverted to his birth name of Kelson that year as well. He died on April 28, 2012, in Beverly Hills,California.
- - Jackie Kelso was a musician's musician- a brilliant example of a humble together man at one with his music. Study that solo and study the beautiful vibe Jackie had while explaining it too- What a fantastic musician he was.
Till next week- TIM PRICE
Being a well-rounded saxophonist and making the most of your ultimate musical
skill, which is the melody:
Let's start with looking at the market place today from a professional standpoint. I feel
your training and education must be at a very high professional level. There are few
college-level teaching positions and sometimes even fewer gigs, so our key in the
marketplace is being well-rounded.One of the basic approaches to this, I found, is keeping an open mind. Don't shut
yourself off to saxophone quartets, rhythm and blues gigs, teaching beginning students,
or playing in big bands. By doing these and embracing many styles musically, you will
start to develop skills that are as diverse as they are vital to your survival.
If you can play the Omnibook of Charlie Parker solos, you should also work with
Guy Lacours (28 Etudes), which all are on altered dominant scales. I use it a lot in my
teaching.
Another great book for sight-reading which I feel all students, no matter what
level they're at should be checking out, is my buddy Fred Lipsius' book called "Reading
Key Jazz Rhythms," published by Advance Music. This book is a must!
Those are some key things to consider before I start my main topic of melodic
improvisation below.
Learning to Use Basic Melody
Music is communication. In order to communicate your ideas to others, you must
speak the same language. Whether you choose to speak with slang, proper English, or
beatnik poetry, there are certain spelling and grammatical conventions required to talk
musically.
Musical Ideas
When musical phrases are constructed of basic elements such as chords or scales,
they are organized into ideas and sentences much the same way that speech is just a
combination of spelling and grammar. Phrases, like sentences, have beginnings and
endings. This is one of the most important aspects. We separate our phrases with space
and pauses. We punctuate our ideas with accents and rhythms. The tools and tech of
music are there to help us express our ideas in much the same way language helps us
speak.
Melodic Possibilities Within Personal Musical Style
There are as many melodic possibilities as there are people to play and hear them.
The beauty of jazz and improvising is that you should be able to communicate your own
ideas. That is the difference between reciting someone else's story and telling your own.
Learn to believe in yourself and let your own musical personality enhance the melody.
Whether it's the melody of a tune or your improvisation.
Tracking
Tracking is the ability to listen to yourself. This is one of the most crucial things
in melodic playing. Tracking is the ability to identify your own ideas and build on them.
Music is not the combination of as many different ideas as possible in the shortest
amount of time, (e.g. playing a lot of notes fast and all over the place) but,
the flow and
elaboration of a few ideas in a logical and coherent manner.
The secret of tracking is to listen to yourself. Again, each idea should have a
beginning and an end. Pause and listen to your last idea. Your next idea should be
related to the last. Whether you repeat a rhythm, note, shape, or even stop and begin with
a new idea, this will help you to direct your lines and phrases into a specific area.
What you will hear coming out of yourself will be your own musical ideas. They
are shaped by your feelings and the interactions of the people you are playing with, as
well as your technical condition. All this will grow richer as you study more and practice
harder and learn the repertoire.
The secret is to create in the now and not simply play all your memorized licks.
The more you practice, the more you will be able to hear, and your abilities as a jazz
improviser will grow and expand. Remember, what you hear is more important than
what you know.
The Three Aspects of Melody
#1- The Melodic Curve
#2- Harmony
#3- The Melodic Rhythm
The melodic curve is a melody's linear or graphic structure. A melody is basically a line
of notes that can move up or down by step or
by skip. It can be primarily horizontal or
very vertical in shape. The melodic curve is the horizontal and vertical shape of the
melody.
The melody- harmony relationship refers to the relationship of the melody note to
a chord progression. This aspect of melody corresponds to the concept of modality. The
melody notes we use should have varying degrees of consonance or dissonance within
the harmony.
Melodic rhythm refers to the length and time feel of the melody and the phrasing.
Melodies tend to sound like sentences and tend to have pauses in between ideas. The
pauses and space between ideas can also be a form of rhythm as it defines the larger
pattern of the phrase relationships. Play in phrases. Your going to study a lot here- take your time- and enjoy= = TIM
I practice everyday, and I practice for at least 2 hours before I do anything. I do it because it's the one thing in life that has been a constant for me. So few things in life ever remain the same, if any.
But the saxophone < and my woodwinds > is the same every day.To me, it's the best ever deal you can make in life. If you work hard and practice at your saxophone , you get better. It's that simple!
Think about it. Still grateful to be playing and learning. Looking forward to each gig and rehearsal and student, trying to stay in that vibe. And learn what I can from it.
All human beings are linked together through the timeless, universal chain of history and events.The musician links to the practice room and the bandstand. Various life developments have been born in both environs.
~ The first stage of the artistic process involves absorption of principles and techniques that have already been accepted as standard in the field , the artist personalizes past and contemporary styles, meaning active participation in real world. This is why, I've always felt the need to play with all kinds of musicians, any age and of course working heavily with students to develop their "real world" skills.
Here's some things to work on also ;
Check it out and enjoy....
also- for some more ideas....check through these ;
IF...you want some ideas on ii-v's...look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/iiV.pdf
If your looking for a nice warm up / sax sound study-look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/sax_warmup.pdf
for info on tune study; look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/learningatune.html
reed info, look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/dealingwreeds.html
sax players food for thought:look here;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/creativepurity.html
A nice jazz line using II-V.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Dec00.html
And a I-VI-II-V...of course
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Jul01.html
If you check my web page- you'll find some intervallic studys on II-
V.
http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/intervalic1.jpg
For those interested in some Bird & bop to shed...check out;
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Bird-ologyStudy.html
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The best thing about teaching or learning how to play music is the balance between technical information and whatever your heart and soul feels. Hopefully the technical information is only the vehicle for what you're really trying to do. I want my students to stay focused through the ups and downs, and to trust in what they believe in. I try to reinforce that they should learn as much as they can and be as versatile as possible, because the competition is very high. I also tell them to respect and learn from the past as they're trying to go forward.
You have to have roots, and also have really studied.Times have changed a lot, and the music industry has changed a lot, but if you're a really well-rounded player, the industry and the times can continue to change as much as they want to; you'll be fine. My personal musical passion is within the jazz idiom, be it mainstream or straight-ahead; however, being well rounded and versatile is what allows me to play a jam band gig and smoke it. The skills are always applicable. It all depends on what you know!
My job is to provide the fundamental training for musicians to succeed in the world they live in. That said, the student has to work.
I tell my students- you can always get more money, but you cannot always get more time, an idea that emphasizes the importance of time management, particularly for musicians. If 80 percent of life is showing up, the other 20 percent is being on time. It is no longer true that an artist is given much latitude because of his or her talent.One of the roles of a teacher is to help students gain a panoramic awareness of music, and what to work on. I try to expand my students' awareness. It's important to develop a rhythmic quality and robustness of sound that ignites the imagination of the performers and listeners, and a groove that has a transformative effect. A common pitfall is to play too busily, instead of understanding one's role within the group. I tell my students that we need to listen beyond our own performances in order to clearly hear and identify with the sound of the whole group. Thank you for reading this it is something important to me- Tim Price........
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