PLAYING
SOLO JAZZ, BLUES & ROCK
PIANO
I
can't think of anything
more difficult to execute
properly than playing solo
in front of a discerning
ears. Here you sit musically
naked; stripped of sidemen
, ready to rock the world
except you face one enormous
problem; you've never done
this before. Now you're
talking about high art.
All those rehearsals and
gigs where you hid comfortably
playing a basic rhythm pattern
or specific part can't rescue
you this moment. Let me
shed some light on a rather
tenuous situation.
On
occasion students approach
me hoping to unravel a number
of misconceptions concerning
performance. Most have to
do with perception rather
than reality , especially
if you sing to your own
erratic beat. Did I say
beat?
Let's call it pulse, rhythm
or whatever will get you
to play with consistent
meter to the music. In the
early stages, everyone has
a tendency to ride the pulse
according to the emotional
temperature of the song
being performed. That is,
as emotion increases , the
heart accommodates the soul
and paces itself accordingly.
This is a common mistake.
Once you establish time,
the rhythmic pulse should
rise and fall with quiet
precision. In order to erect
a foundation to your performance
piece and keep the beat
constant , bass lines must
be designed to shape the
music. I learned the art
of playing bass lines by
practising organ or synthesiser
with a drummer. I'd walk
lines like a jazz bassist,
then cop a few James Brown
figures, working my left
hand until it kept a steady
groove.
There
exist a number of bass books
with terrific walking lines
you should review and assimilate
structurally. The best place
to start is with a basic
twelve bar blues.
Take
a key like C , begin playing
a logical succession of
notes extending the length
of the scale. If you have
a drum machine or a live
body, try playing for three
to five minutes without
dropping a beat. Work our
patterns which can help
navigate from one chord
to the next without disrupting
the flow of music. I suggest
picking up recordings from
groups like Stevie Ray Vaughn,
James Cotton or Roomful
Of Blues , memorise a series
of bass lines and
try them with a rhythm source.
Listen carefully as the
bassist moves from chord
to chord . Focus on the
subtle use of passing tones
making each transition a
seamless affair. Part two:
place your accompanying
chords between the bass
lines and melody. If you're
singing, fill in harmonically
in the mid section of the
keyboard. Try to stay away
from the upper regions of
the instrument unless there's
a specific colour added
for arrangement sake. Keep
things simple. Remember
you're orchestrating at
all times. One moment your
a string section, another
brass or rhythm section.
Use a fake book. Pull a
song with great personal
appeal. Write the chords
and melody separate sheet
of piano score manuscript
paper. The write a bass
line with half notes and
quarter notes. Add simple
chord voicings correctly
tailored to fit beneath
the melody. Pick a slow
tempo and try to balance
the three. Play just melody
and bass. Play harmony and
bass. Play a bit of melody
with harmony added. However
you pace yourself, please
take it slow. Do an enormous
amount of listening.
Art
Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Teddy
Wilson, Marian McPartland,
Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett,
Dick Hyman, and the incredible
series of solo pianists
heard Live at Maybeck on
Concord, should give a wealth
of ideas and inspiration.
Written by : Bill King
