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I've been waiting for that on Youtube, Dave! I can do a limited amount of it but then I lose focus and the time goes bad. It's not something I've worked much on. But it's nice for adding variety.

So what's the secret to this LH/RH coordination? Isn't it a minute transfer of brainpower to each hand at frequent intervals?

What's the practice strategy for this?

I got the whole entire thing from soup to nuts comin out soon bubbie! My video editor is finishing a movie on Elmo and the bassline project is his next..basically, it's a matter of gettin totally solid on the LH, then introducing simple repetitive patterns for RH improv, then stretching the RH lines bit in terms of complexity and phrase lenght..

DF

Well I was too excited to wait Dave

That short tip is good enough to start something. I think I left the RH fixed patterns too soon to have solid time on the LH.

I remember it took me a year to memorize a walking bass pattern where I could solo on the RH. This was when I worked on it a lot. Then I actually got to a point where I can vary my LH a bit instead of a fixed pattern. Then I gave up from frustration.

I think it was because a prior teacher told me not to do it at all if I can't play it with good time. He just told me to record separate tracks. Well, that's why I never developed it as a solo piano skill.

I know this improvising with two hands is big among Tristanoites...It's an awesome skill and very few can do it well.

be able to improv a steady bassline, slow (met 60ish), on a tune with a simple comper in the RH

Add RH simple rhythmic patterns of improv (once the improv bassline feels real solid), like 1/2 1/2, 1/4 1/4 1/2, etc.

Do this until your housemates start screaming.

Much more to come!

DF

Fantastic Dave. I'm finding that this is an issue of apportioning brain power between the two hands. I'm probably doing LH 20% RH 80%. But it's so memorized that I'm able to play to 140bpm or so, until the RH gets too complex. Then the time wavers a bit on the bass line. Arghhh!

Looks like it's time to go back to basics.

I guess I will think more of the LH if I look at it while I play.

Jam from last night:

Blue In Green
http://www.box.net/shared/behr9siivv
I was so worried about just not getting lost. But it turned out ok. Such a beautiful tune that if you don't do anything crazy it comes out ok.

Autumn Leaves (Ballad)
http://www.box.net/shared/kpd2rscm90
It was a little uncomfortable as a ballad when I was doing it, but it didn't sound too bad here.

Giant Steps
http://www.box.net/shared/xld3n1mgyg
This is a little hard to listen to. The guitar player is completely lost. The bass player is sometimes lost. Only the drummer and I were in good shape. I guess I'm realizing now that this tune is too hard core for most people and that's even when I'm playing very slowly.

Blue Bossa
http://www.box.net/shared/ytteknzca4
The problem is some of these people know so few tunes so you end up playing the same thing over and over. I ask for Stella, Dolphin Dance, and I get Autumn Leaves or Blue Bossa. Anyway, let's see if you can hear me above the din of the guitar player with wrong changes.

As usual, I'm not seeking kind words. Be honest and share your opinion. Obviously there are limitations depending on the player you end up with. But in general I'm finding myself no longer at the bottom of the pile and I feel like there are little improvements every 2 weeks.

One on my objectives was to lay back a little as I'm always pushing the beat. One other problem that I've been noticing is that gentlessness on the dynamics doesn't wotk with guitars and drums. I'm always drowned out compared to other players. I guess they discovered this early on. I'm doing solo piano mostly so this is showing up as a problem.

I can't necessarily here it on the stage as it is amplified but from the audience perspective, I'm playing too softly.

hey wee, just heard a bit of your Blue in Green. Sounds nice. Where was it recorded, the sound seems muffled a bit. So there's you on piano, guitar, drums bass.

I'll listen to more and give you some feedback.

ToT, there were microphones in front of the stage. But the problem is that the guitars of course are ultra-loud. The piano is miked however the volume isn't balanced. Partly that's because I can't tell the balance from where I sit. The guitar amps are pointed to the audience/mike which is front.

The drummer does the recording on his own and shares it with the rest of us. It's very kind of him. Other than that, there's no editing here. It is what it is.

As usual this is a quartet jam. The drummer and bass player are the same for the entire jam. But the guitar player and piano player changes by rotation. So some of it is luck of the draw.

The venue is a Recital hall in a piano store. It has a platform for a stage up front.

Hope everyone had a good new year's party and great gigs.

I'm supposed to meet tomorrow to set up a trio gig in a few weeks. This one is at a Bar. So I'll be hooking up a bass player and drummer, probably some guys from the jam. I'm thinking of a possible set list like this:

Blue Bossa
All The Things You Are
500 Miles High
Whisper Not
Blue in Green
Invitation
Stella By Starlight
Corcovado - Quiet Nights

Autumn Leaves
My Funny Valentine
Just Friends
Dolphin Dance
Meditations
Girl from Ipanema

All of these have been played at the jams so if we just rehearse a tad, we'd do it well. Plenty of complex tunes here so it should have some variety. I can't believe my tune list is actually growing so fast. Several of these I just learned recently.

Can I stretch this to 3 hours (with a break)?

hey jazzwee, looks like a good set list. For longer gigs I normally take 15 mins off each hour. With solo piano you need the rest for your hands and finger. Trio, you can chill and comp while they solo, but still take rest.

So the other band members are guys you've met jamming? How many different musicians do you have so far?

If everyone takes long solos you could get by with 12-15 songs.

For me, I can burn through 10 songs in a hour no problem.

Yeah I figure we're only playing two sets of a little over an hour so it could be stretched. Ballads especially are long anyway. But this is an actual jazz gig, not a cocktail piano so I expect to do long solos.

I've met many musicians now in the jams and some are visiting from out of town so I'll probably not see many of them again. But after doing these a a few times, I'm actually turning out to be in the "medium" skill category. I'm certainly not the bottom of the pile. Which is interesting since I'm definitely the newest player so far.

The set list is pretty varied don't you think? I actually never heard Dolphin Dance played at the jam but the Bass player assures me he knows it well. They played it before I joined the jam.

The bossas are easy but the only issue is remembering the melody.

I heard Dolphin Dance being played by a trio at a swanky lounge during the jazz festival in the summer. High end hotel bars would book up and coming local musicians and give them a chance.

I knew the tune so of course my ears perked up.

Where's this gig at? Most of the "jazz" gigs here, even if they are played by pros tend to be viewed as cocktail music by the casual listener. There is a well-known restaurant here where all the regulars play, and during festival time there is a nightly jam after midnight. Wynton Marsalis and other top guys have jammed there.

I like it cause they play "proper" jazz.

With my trio I do 6-7 songs per 50-60 mins. It's always good to have a few tunes as a back-up (remember, one can always play a blues (I always have Straight no Chaser, Blue Monk, St Louis Blues on call) as well ).
A suggestion; work out who's going to solo (and in which order) on which tune, and also vary who's doing the intro. And don't let 'everyone' solo on every tune. At the rehearsals, check the bpm's of the tunes, when you find "the" bpm you like (agree on) make a note of it in the set list - and stick to it on the gig. It helps when things get chaotic. (another tip; during the third set one can always repeat a tune or two from the first set) and if there's a mike, use it to introduce the band, the tunes and just to say hello.

Thanks for the tip Chris.

I just met with the people in charge and this is going to be more organized than I imagined. They're really going to promote this. It's a bunch of old people but some apparently really like jazz so I don't think we'll be out of place.

They asked me if it's danceable and I laughed an said no, what I play is listening music. So they'll congregate at the lounge and they'll be offering food too to get some attendance. Should be fun. Date's not fixed but it's a Friday next month. I told they have a choice of trio or just solo piano and they were sold on the rhythm section.

I got them to agree to $100 per musician, which is a discount for 2 hours. I'm also playing solo piano at this place in 2 weeks for a special event.

I'm getting busy all of a sudden!

nice going wee!!

Just finished listening to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn6UQHD4GAs


Daaaamnn.... this is killer swingin'!! Mr Kenny Kirkland.

I posted this song on the non-classicals...probably one of the most complex time signatures for a jazz song.

Listen to it and see if you can even try to guess. I had no chance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot6pHC4N93E

Nice! Lots of Herbie influence in there...

jeez, not likely unless every song in that set is over ten minutes long, and you take a really, really long break.

Some nice playing btw. Get the guitarist to actually learn the head of some of those tunes before you perform them again. Nothing kills a tune faster than botching up a melody (blue bossa in this case).