note for note
Fred Dabney
learning
>a blues masters licks note fore note?
It's done all the time.
In the classical world, one method of teaching involves having someone copy
out, note for note the score of another musician. Bach and Mozart used this
approach while studying. Lots of jazz musicians speak of trying to play
along with records of older musicians while trying to learn their axes.
The good ones always go on to develop their own sound, their own style as
they mature. The lesser ones will always sound like copies of their idols,
some fair, others not so good.
It's not the technique you use to learn, not the models you pick to learn
from, it's what you make of them yourself.
BTW- in the old days, computer programmers did the same thing when they were
learning.
Fred D.
L.A. Jones
>> I'm curious. What do y'all think about a novice blues guitarist
>learning
>>a blues masters licks note fore note?
>
>out, note for note the score of another musician. Bach and Mozart used this
>approach while studying. Lots of jazz musicians speak of trying to play
>along with records of older musicians while trying to learn their axes.
>
>The good ones always go on to develop their own sound, their own style as
>they mature. The lesser ones will always sound like copies of their idols,
>some fair, others not so good.
Yes I believe that you have to know what has been done in order to take it
to the next step. Learning Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian and Freddy
King note for note is a great way to develop everything musical, including
your ear and technique.
"om peace peace peace"
from L.A. Jones & the Blues Messengers
blue...@loop.com
562 591 6202
please check out my website at
http://www.ivs.net/lajones/
new cd "Live at the Dead Goat Saloon" available
William Sakovich
>>> I'm curious. What do y'all think about a novice blues guitarist
>>learning
>>>a blues masters licks note fore note?
>>
>>In the classical world, one method of teaching involves having someone
copy
>>out, note for note the score of another musician. Bach and Mozart used
this
>>approach while studying. Lots of jazz musicians speak of trying to play
>>along with records of older musicians while trying to learn their axes.
>>
>>The good ones always go on to develop their own sound, their own style as
>>they mature. The lesser ones will always sound like copies of their
idols,
>>some fair, others not so good.
>
>Yes I believe that you have to know what has been done in order to take it
>to the next step. Learning Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian and Freddy
>King note for note is a great way to develop everything musical, including
>your ear and technique.
>
And I've heard some musicians take this a step further and say that you must
learn to play -everything-, not just the particular style you're into. And
by everything, they mean the background music to old Popeye cartoons and TV
commercials.
I saw a TV program here in Japan showing a few days in the life of Paul
Jackson (I think his name is), the bass player on Herbie Hancock's
Headhunters disc.
Jackson lives in Tokyo now. He bought a soft drink at a neighborhood vending
machine. Some vending machines in Japan play little electronic melodies when
you buy a drink. He was intrigued by this particular melody, went home, got
out his bass, and improvised an interesting tune based on the vending
machine jingle.
There is a story about Miles Davis (I don't think I heard it here) playing
live outdoors in NYC at a place near the river. While he was in the middle
of a solo, a tugboat going up the river let out a blast on its horn.
Though the note from the tugboat wasn't even near what he was doing at the
time, Davis echoed it and used that as the basis for continuing his
improvisation.
Hey, it can't hurt, and you never know when doing something like this might
come in handy...
- Bill Sakovich
Jim Wells
In the immortal words of Th. Monk... "There are no bad notes; there's
only bad resolution..."
Rgds...Jim