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Talking about Time/Rhythm -- I was taught to break up a line in smaller chunks. Somewhere along the lines of short-short-short-short-long. A short line being typically shorter than a bar, long line being longer than a bar.

Now this was not meant as an actual limitation since Keith Jarrett is known for having particularly long never-ending lines.

But the idea with the short phrases was to be able to synch back with the rhythm more frequently. For someone like me with rhythmic challenges, I should apply this rule. Sometimes I forget. The reason I forget is that phrases in my head can be long ones.

Again my teacher didn't say to not have a long idea, but by inserting ghosted notes (non-played notes) in the line, you achieve the same thing and add space which can be used to synchronize time.

Lots of top players use short phrases. Unfortunately for me, learning Chick Corea stuff isn't helping since some of his phrases are 12 bars long

BTW - the short....short-long concept also has a tension and release aspect to it. Short lines add tension. The long line can really be part of the resolution both in shape as well as harmonicically speaking.

Thought I would just post up something I was practising today, ATTYA in 7
Doing it in different time sigs is really good exercise!

http://www.divshare.com/download/10379503-aec

Neat Beeboss! Ala Brad Mehldau How well versed are you in odd times? I'm just wondering how long it took to be comfortable in 7/4. I think 5/4 I can do comfortably with ATTYA. 7/4 is a little unusual. For one, getting a backing track. You're lucky that you can make your own.

I think Melhdau did it both in 7/4 and 5/4 if I remember right.

Beeboss, I didn't want you feel alone so here's my practice session.

This was done using my keyboard with Swing Drum Patch, bass, guitar, and Vintage EP. Done live so it kind of sounds like a gig

My Romance

http://www.box.net/shared/r04v1uv50h

Here I was practicing using dotted quarter rhythmic motifs. At least that was the intent but it didn't carry to my actual recording as it was distracting when recording. I'll try again and focus on it. It's something I picked up from Kenny Werner and his version of this tune which is about the same tempo. Except he did it solo piano.

I specifically needed to rhythm section to time it. I've tried it with just piano and I couldn't really get the beats right.

This was just one try so lots of errors (well I did it was practice ).

One shot recording of Stella. I didn't plan it out in my head clearly enough so I was wavering on whether to play it fast or slow. Because I was planning on Rubato initially, no metronome here.

Stella by Starlight

http://www.box.net/shared/41f8cco447

Hi Jazzwee, I find 7 to be easier than 5 somehow but can play in either ok. The more I do it the more I relax into it. I am trying to practise at fast tempos at the moment cos its such a struggle.

Here is a tune I recently played in 5 ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQtQGDsCixU

Good work on Stella and my romance. It could do with some bass though.
Send me a pm if you want a couple of backing tracks

Neat Beeboss -- I appreciate the offer. I see how quick you are at making these! Will PM

That Zurich sounded really good! I get really drawn to unusual rhythms, not that I can play it, but it catches my interest.

This sounded like Monk playing in 5/4 The harmony is fascinating!

It's by Hermeto Pascoal. He is a very interesting musician, a genius I think.
His style really appeals to me, it's the infectious Brazilian rhythms maybe.
It's great practice playing over an ostinato like that, for developing some independence between the hands.

beeboss,
Thanks for putting up such an entertaining, lively, well-executed piece! I've not heard of Hermeto Pascoal until now. I like the atonal sounding passages combined with a driving drone bass line and heavy influenced latin rhythm in 5 around it. No easy task, for sure. Fantastic!

Glen

Hi Glen,
Glad you liked it.
If you have never heard Hermeto's music you are in for a shock. It's like nothing else on this planet.
Here is a little classic Hermeto from the 80s...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrFFEpick3A

Beeboss, since some of our goals are the same, I'm just wondering how are specifically addressing practicing at fast tempos?

This has always frustrated me but then I see Dave Solazzo (one of our Jazz thread buddies) have these superfast fingers and I get encouraged somehow. Dave S., if you're reading this, I'm just amazed at how fast you trill between 4 & 5 fingers. Obviously it's equal to the speed of any of the other fingers. I think I need to conquer that.

Anyway, after weeks of frustration, something felt different today. Maybe it's all the practice of Matrix. Not that I can play anything near the complexity of Matrix on my own, but somehow it's had an effect on my articulation, which is one of my developmental issues at fast tempos. Maybe all the odd shapes in this solo has created some new neural connections. Or maybe it's the practice of trills using 3,4 &5.

If it's from Matrix, that's good because I was beginning to wonder why I'm spending so much time on this. But my teacher seems to think it's important.

Although I can play the Matrix solo at close to tempo, when I started putting the LH in there, my mind just about blew up. It was too much going on and Chick was doing these subs and comping chromatically (I think he's playing fourths). That's when I realized this was too complex for my brain. My teacher said I wasn't ready for the LH yet and now I can see why.

Hi Jazzwee,
Apart from generally trying to get my technique in decent shape with some Hannon and Bach I find the only thing that helps me improvise at the faster tempos is just doing it, and doing it a real lot.

With a metronome or backing track I just work on one tune over and over for at least 45 minutes, and after a week of doing this every day it is more comfortable. Rhythm changes is always a good one to work on as that is always called very fast at gigs, but I am trying all the bop tunes at the moment, donna lee confirmation scrapple ornithology etc

Beeboss, just for establishing a comfort level, what is "very fast at gigs"?

300bpm? 250bpm? I'm just wondering what's typical.

BTW Beeboss, this was incredible! Stylistically that was so unique and so rhythmic. Though I can't place exactly what category to put this Rhythm in. It's almost like a merging of Fusion + Cuban

I guess 250 is comfortable and 300 is uncomfortable, on average, for me. I certainly wouldn't want to play any tune at 300 on a gig unless I was fairly sure it wasn't going to fall apart.

Sometimes I think of 300bpm as starting to lose musical value and becomes like a macho competition. Not exactly laid back Right now I'd be uncomfortable maintaining a pace beyond 220bpm, unless I think half time, in which case it's fine.

But do you really get a lot 300bpm tunes at gigs? Or is it unusual?

Not at lot at 300 but a couple of tunes at 250 or faster I guess. Whether it sounds musical or not is down to the players, some guys can play at that speed seemingly without effort.
I find the faster I get the more I have to rely on patterns and things that I know will work ok. There is less room for creativity and freedom and always a disaster not far away.
I do like contrast though. Also practicing at fast tempos speeds up the brain so that when you play at a more normal tempo you suddenly have extra brainpower to spare.

Now that is so true. I specifically focused on building speed up the last many months and my objective as "headroom"...

So I too practice at high tempos (280bpm is the fastest on my keyboard), but I really don't expect to be playing at that speed.

Then when I play 200bpm, it feels so relaxed. I'd say 220bbm is my old 180bpm.

My weakness though is the LH. It loses its place at fast tempos. It's a combination of a form thing and trying to play too much. My LH hasn't gotten used to the concept that playing fast requires a different approach (less). But it's getting better.

Beeboss, how fast can you do the Donna Lee head? I just realized that I'm barely comfortable with it at 220. Realistically, I probably couldn't really play it consistently above 210.

It's a nice speed test in a way since this head is a little bit finger-busting and continuous streams of 8th notes. It's not a piano-friendly melody with the fingering.

But the good news is that I used to not play this above 180.