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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
I've already looked at alot of video lessons of Dave Frank ,and decided to turn to him with а open request: Dave simply must devote one of future lessons to a sense of humor in jazz, jazz improvisation and jazz teaching. I am more than sure that Dave Frank is one of the most appropriate for this pianists . How many very professional jazz video lessons looks like filmed process of dissertation defense ...
Thank you for your kind regards. What was the price we decided upon Nachum, based on the current scheckle to dollar ratio? You know, it's a VERY VERY good idea, thank you Dad, I mean Nachum.
Some of the funniest players that come to mind are Art Tatum, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, Spike Jones,Pete Barbutti, Charlie Parker, Clark Terry, Harpo and Chico Marx (I do have a class up on them)..who else?
Here are a few considerations about the humor in improvisation. As in the usual humor also in music exist a kind of its rough form - like protruding tongue or slap stick humor. I allowed myself to make a few examples: http://www.mediafire.com/listen/vzld2b1mru2nbvu/Funny_boogie.mp3
1. The ordinary boogie woogie 1. The ordinary boogie woogie from scratch , starting with shouting "Hey!" 2. The whole phrase is built on shouts , starting with shouting "Hey!" 3. Distortion of individual pitches in melodic line to a greater extent than is required for blue notes. on piano . 4. Using musical blots - clusters , combined with primitive completely not swinging rhythm pattern .( such pattern there is eg. in bars 7-8 of Parker's Au Privave ) .
More elegantly to use a quote from a famous melody, containing a similar motif. It looks like a use of different meanings of the same word, which allows to turn the proposition in an unexpected direction.
Here is an example of humorous quote by Dave Brubeck:
3:56 - 4:01
Quote quite foxy : beginning of the sentence is based on the beginning of one of the Mendelson's 4-th symphony, continued - on the song of schoolchildren, the author of which is considered Tchaikovsky : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES_t6bcXnVU -
What I really like is every time Dave mentions "Slice of Pizza" I'm off to the fridge for a slice! Seriously, Dave is a joy to listen to and watch. I think I was stagnating until I watched is vids on improvising. Thank you! f
Thank you for your kind regards. What was the price we decided upon Nachum, based on the current scheckle to dollar ratio? You know, it's a VERY VERY good idea, thank you Dad, I mean Nachum.
Some of the funniest players that come to mind are Art Tatum, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, Spike Jones,Pete Barbutti, Charlie Parker, Clark Terry, Harpo and Chico Marx (I do have a class up on them)..who else?
Hello, I've been going through a lot of jazz tutorials lately too & wanted to say thank you to Dave Frank as well. You have a great talent for humanizing the jazz lessons that I appreciate, and your humor is part of it. I lived 6 or 7 years in NYC, and I think your style reminds me of that happy time too maybe. (Where else would "slice of pizza" count out quarter notes? Where I grew up it'd more likely be Mississippi.)
My favorite funny classic jazz player has to be Thomas Fats Waller, and my favorite catch phrase of his has to be "One never knows, do one?" I love his banter. He starts off 'You're Feet's Too Big' with a stomping octave walk in the bass and says "Who's that walkin' round here? / Mercy, sounds like baby patter / Baby elephant patter, that's what I calls it."
"Your pedal extremities are collasus!" Fats I glad the videos didn't have a de-humanizing effect on you..anybody ever hear of Les Dawson? He was a famous funny English pianist/comedienne...I used to watch Pete Barbutti on the Tonight Show, he was great..he'd start by moving the Steinway bench up as he'd play slow ascending chromatic lines)
![[Linked Image]](http://s929.photobucket.com/user/jazzman1945/media/dialogue%20of%20the%20deaf_zps90dbehsm.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/9medals.jpg)
(Where else would "slice of pizza" count out quarter notes? Where I grew up it'd more likely be Mississippi.) 
