Home › Forums › Showcase Your Playing › EP352 – Jazzy Blues lead in B Flat.
- This topic has 35 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 11 months ago by Geoff.
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May 6, 2021 at 7:04 pm #251111
One thing I learned from this lesson is I am rubbish at Jazz. First half is my attempt at verbatum from the lesson and the rest is all my own. Must have spent about two weeks trying to get this one down.
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May 6, 2021 at 7:34 pm #251113
Don’t undersell yourself on this Geoff. This lesson moves along at a pretty quick clip and you were with it all the way. Your impro fitted smoothly behind Brian’s original and you kept the same style and melodic phrasing which to me is very important. Great to see you on the electric, mixing it up. All the best!
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May 7, 2021 at 9:16 am #251161
Thanks Garry, I do try. Classical is really my thing but I do like playing other stuff.
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May 6, 2021 at 9:08 pm #251119
This is a very difficult lesson to play at full speed. It has tons of terrific ideas and takeaways and sounds so good which is why I always come back to it. You seemed more at ease playing your own verses, it flowed well and had a better sense of the groove. I would suggest practicing this at a slower tempo, and one section at a time to really feel the groove. It’ll be worth it!
JFL
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May 7, 2021 at 9:20 am #251162
Thanks JFL. I actually spent well over a week playing this at the slowest tempo before building it up to the speed Brian had in his lesson. His lesson was at around 130 but I actually thought this sounded better at 120. Unfortunately Brian only gives two tracks to play over – very slow or very fast nothing inbetween so I was ‘forced’ to go for the very fast. The one thing I could not quite get to speed was that fast little chromatic section in the middle.
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May 6, 2021 at 11:50 pm #251122
Wow, great jazzy playing.
Dieter
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May 7, 2021 at 9:21 am #251163
Thanks Dieter.
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May 7, 2021 at 3:36 am #251135Anonymous
Hey Geoff. That was really good at that tempo. I don’t think my metronome has ever been that high….lol. Nicely played.
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May 7, 2021 at 9:23 am #251164
Thanks Ivan, I actually prefered this just a tad slower but Brian’s tracks were either very fast or very slow.
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May 7, 2021 at 4:55 am #251138
Geoff, to say you’re rubbish at Jazz is, frankly, rubbish my friend! 😊
That was an incredibly fast tune, and I for one would struggle to keep up with it! So kudos to you and, yes, lovely to see you playing electric 👍
Take care and stay safe 😎
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May 7, 2021 at 9:26 am #251165
Thanks Mark, it’s interesting. My classical playing doesn’t seem to generate as much interest which makes sense because this is a blues site. Funny thing is I find the same thing on facebook and other forums too. I guess classical just doesn’t hit peoples ears the way the electric guitar does – a little surprising because I am far better at classical than I am at this.
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May 7, 2021 at 5:45 am #251146
Hi Geoff
I think JFL has nailed it for you here. I cant play to this degree but it strikes me that classic, your main theme to date demands a very high precision to come over properly. The ultimate in clean playing as it were. Well that I am sure is true of blues and jazz but in a slightly different way, to my mind. It seems to me that its probably true of all genres that you need to be able to play beyond the precision and be loose at the same time, but I see it as very noticeable in the latter two.
To achieve that at tempo as Brain plays in his video approx 150 bpm this shows a high level of ability that we are all striving to obtain. You are chasing this closely but as TFL says if you backed off the tempo just a little I think you would be able to increase the ‘looseness’ which a perfect rendition requires to close the final gap. My bet is if you play along with the slow playback you find yourself with that little extra coming over that completes the deal.
I have no doubt your practice would build up the last layer for 100 percent playback. I have missed out on this one to date and will make a go of it soon I hope. I shall be very happy if I can get any where near your standard after a couple of months or more; well done!
JohnStrat-
May 7, 2021 at 9:30 am #251166
Thanks John, it’s like you say. Classical requires a high degree of precision for a nice clean sound and I feel the same way about the other styles too.
I am actually not particularly interested in speed but Brians track demanded that of me with this one. The slow track was just too slow.
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May 7, 2021 at 5:45 am #251147
Geoff,
You are not rubbish at all. Great song selection and performed nicely. A great listen.John H.
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May 7, 2021 at 9:32 am #251167
Thanks John. Truth is I always sound rubbish to myself and I guess we are all our own worst critics. Part of the issue for me is I am light years ahead with classical and playing this stuff makes me feel like a beginner again.
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May 7, 2021 at 8:38 am #251158
Love it! Sounded great!
Live on planet Earth ? You got the blues.
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May 7, 2021 at 9:33 am #251168
Thanks Mike, I am glad you enjoyed this.
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May 7, 2021 at 12:27 pm #251176
Geoff!! You are NOT “rubbish” at jazz (or Blues). You are so comfortable with Classical that you compare! You’ve got the chops. My only suggestion: You were slightly ahead of the beat for much of it. We all do it11. IT’S LIKE: OH ME GOSH, I’M GONNA MISS THAT NEXT LICK OR PRHASE! So we all rush it. Try it again, maybe at 80%. And stay “behind the beat” like Stevie and Eric do sooooo well. Great job! Bob
Bob U. (aka Bobby Ut)
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May 7, 2021 at 12:52 pm #251181
Yes, you are absolutely right Bob. Getting ahead of the beat is exactly what I do especially when I saw that fast chromatic run coming up. Thanks much.
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May 7, 2021 at 12:34 pm #251178
Hi Geoff! Wow, you mastered this very difficult and beautiful jazz piece! I see that your abilities on classical guitar are transferring on the electric. Those fast licks are really tricky, but you played them flawslessly! Great rendition!
Guido
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May 7, 2021 at 12:57 pm #251182
Thanks Guido, I don’t know if “mastered” is the description I would use exactly. I actually have little interest in speed but Brian’s tracks are either ‘too slow’ or ‘too fast’ with nothing in-between. A lot of people have told me it would have been better to go slower but I just felt that keeping up with the faster track sounded better.
I can see Brian did a bunch of other ‘jazzy’ lessons similar to this one. I think I am going to focus on those because they really stretch me to the limit and that’s one way to get better. I like to do stuff within my comfort zone for repertoire and other ‘project’ stuff that stretches me in the hope that I can improve that way.
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May 8, 2021 at 3:43 am #251213
I listened again to your rendition, that is very good, but maybe it’s true that slowing down a bit could be useful for the more difficult licks. I use my DAW Audacity in cases like this (where the slow track is too slow and the “normal” track is too fast): it’s free (no money to pay) and quite simple to use (not the best, but for basic tasks like this it’s more than enough). With Audacity, I can slow down the Brian’s “fast track” at the tempo I feel comfortable with. I suggest you to give a try.
Guido
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May 8, 2021 at 7:05 pm #251269
Oh that is very interesting indeed Guido. I am only just starting to learn about DAW’s – trying to get my head around one called ‘Da Vinci Resolvel’. I will give this a try because I run into this situation quite often.
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May 7, 2021 at 7:57 pm #251208
Great effort Geoff.
This is a tough one at full speed.
Maybe try it a bit slower.AndréM
AndréM
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May 8, 2021 at 8:18 pm #251276
Hi Geoff, that was fine and you’ve got this. Your just feel you need to rush it which shows when you get to your (very nice) improv where you’re comfortable and everything falls into place. I’d recommend getting a copy of ‘transcribe’ it’s a small investment but well worth it, especially if your interested in figuring out songs for yourself. One of its capabilities is to take a track and export a slower version of it. I’d do this a lot with Brian’s backing tracks. I totally agree with you too. To my ear this lesson sounds much better at a slightly slower tempo. Epic licks in it though, I used them in a challenge a few months ago at a slower tempo!
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May 9, 2021 at 9:06 am #251431
Thanks Andy, I can play most of them but some of Brian’s tracks really need just a little slowing down and it is something I have not experimented with. I have played solo classical guitar all my life and, ever since I picked up the electric guitar last year, I find myself catching up with all the technology associated with music these days. Guido suggested Audicity and you have suggested Trascribe – I will have to look at both of these when I can find the time.
By the way, how do you like Sydney ? I moved to Vancouver from the UK donkeys years ago and I love it here but I always thought Sydney would be a great place to live too.
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May 10, 2021 at 5:28 am #251519
Hi Geoff, I’ve got both but tend to use them for different things. Last time I used Audacity for changing tempo it would also change the pitch whereas Transcribe will keep the pitch the same. But it may be I don’t use it right 😊 so give both a try.
Sydney is a great place to live. Lovely weather and a very interesting city with plenty to see and do. Beaches all over the place for when it gets too hot 🥵. We’re trying to make the most of it while we can as the visa only lasts another year. Never been to Vancouver although my wife has and loved it when she visited. -
May 10, 2021 at 9:10 am #251536
I am envious about the weather and the beaches. Weather in Vancouver is so much like the U.K but this City has it’s compensations. I will be giving these software’s a try – thank you.
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May 9, 2021 at 8:24 am #251416
It grooves, Geoff! Great timing and nice flawless playing.
Lights-
May 9, 2021 at 9:07 am #251432
Thanks lights. Not quite flawless – I could not quite catch up with tha fast little chromatic run in the mid section.
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May 9, 2021 at 11:59 am #251453
Hey Geoff,
It’s funny how most of us can play the lesson with practice as it’s written but we’re lost at sea when it comes to improvising with our own ideas. You seem to do better with your improv’s than the written notes! You’re an anomaly! ;-). All kidding aside. You play very well and your background in classical guitar will be a great help in whatever style you play.James
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May 10, 2021 at 9:15 am #251537
Thanks James, coming up with my own ideas is really not my thing. I am classically trained and, thought it is fantastic for many skills like sight reading music, it is not big on improvisation or composition. I just feel that trying to improvise is the best way to squeeze the most out of Brian’s lessons 🙂
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May 9, 2021 at 6:25 pm #251495
Sounds pretty fast, I thought you did a good job with it Geoff. The added part was pretty darn good as well. I wouldn’t give up on it.
Rob-
May 10, 2021 at 9:16 am #251538
Thanks Kubrider With the added part, I just played around with the B flat major scale over the top of the track. I try to follow the chords but I am not too good at hearing the changes.
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May 10, 2021 at 6:14 am #251525
Hi Geoff, I think you “grooved yourself “ into this. Got better which each track – and your added part was great. Respect!
Bluesige Grüße
Juxi-
May 10, 2021 at 9:18 am #251539
Thanks for Listening Juxi. This one was a bit of a project for sure.
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