A PRACTICAL GUIDE                                            TO IMPROVISATION

INTRO

for the intermediate player.

This book is a collection of practice notes that have been kicking around for too many years. I decided on a serious reorganisation of my practise material, notes and exercises. Because there was so much stuff, I thought it best to set my notes and thoughts down in a logical fashion. So that's how the book was born.      

                                                                                                                       sax solo.wav

                                                                 The book has a transcription of this sax solo with analytical notes.

   The book charts my progress as an aspiring improviser. It will open a new world of  possibilities and further challenges and suggest many more ways to be creative.

Below we've got most of the opening introduction from the book followed by a second intro: 'Using the Book'


WHEN YOU'RE SMILING
A Practical guide to Improvisation
By Harold Kemp


INTRO
THE DIATONIC TRAP !

I was caught in the diatonic trap for too many years. One day I took a closer look at the scale I was playing and decided that I would like to flatten a note or two. I'd played the same scale notes a thousand times. It was time for a change ! Ok, I changed some of the notes in the scale to make the scale sound the way I 'd like it to sound.
When you play your new scale during an improvisation against the unaltered scale/chords supplied by the rhythm guys you'll realise that something interesting has happened to your playing.
This 'something interesting' happens only if you're playing your 'altered' chords against the 'straight' chords on the pad. If the piano, guitar and the bass play the the same chords as you, you'll sound great, of course, but the tension won't be there, and you'll wonder why you bought the book, you'll get the grass out, phone up you're mum, trim your nails, roast a squirrel...
NO NEW SCALES.
This book is not about new scales(except for the Diminished scales).
This book is about using known scales to use in improvisations against the existing scales/chords in the pad, as played by the rhythm section. This book does its best to make life easy for the improvising musician by providing graphic formulas to aid in the selection of substitute scales.
What's different about this book?
I hope this book conveys the feeling that you, the musician, are in charge of the scales and how you want to play them and not the other way round.
You're in control of the sound you make!
AND FINALLY
I hope you enjoy this book and find it useful.




USING THE BOOK

Page 5 shows the chords for 'When You're Smiling', an old tune with simple chords. We'll look at each set of chords that are bracketed and try to find the best way to replace these chords with ones that bring to the progression a feeling of momentum, colour and freshness.
It may be best to start at the front and work your way through because as new stuff appears it is built into the examples that follow. However, if you want to dip into the book here and there you'll find that there's a fair amount of cross-referencing, should you want any clarification or reminder.

There are choices to be made as to which of the many scales on offer are to be included as part of your technique. I feel almost apologetic about presenting so many options without being able to say, 'this is the one to concentrate on'. All I would say is that once you've tried tried out the several alternatives then choose one and stick with it for a while before coming back to consider another.

There are a couple of sections that can lead to depression ! The first is the chapter on diminished scales and the second is any mention of harmonic and melodic minor scales. There's no doubt that these areas are tricky but don't feel that these scales can't be sorted- they just need more time to sink in. Also, the harmonic and melodic minor scales may be considered by some as 'advanced' stuff, so don't be overawed by the challenge.

If there are any irksome blunders of grammar, notation, theory or logic (logic!) please let me know by emailing me at :
haroldkemp@btinternet.com
Please feel welcome to email me if anything needs clarification. I'd also like to know how you get on with the book, what's really useful or would make a useful addition, what needs changing or leaving out because it causes confusion.

It's useful to have Band-in-a Box, version 6 or above, installed on your computer so that you can try out various chord sequences/combinations from the book played by one of the several program's backing groups. You can also watch a notation window and observe your chosen soloist improvising on any chords that you type in. It's a clever bit of software- I'm not on their payroll !
To find out more about this program visit the website at: www.pgmusic.com It's possible to download a demo of this program (or the full version) from the site.
The tune 'When You're Smiling' can be downloaded from a site such as Napster.
All the best !
HK

This, then,  is a record of the ideas I use to create the sound I want make. I've found that there's more than one way of playing a scale, more than one way of playing over a progression; more than one way to make your music.                                                         HK  Dec.2008

 
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