Jason Klobnak Music

Relax

jasonklobnak — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:09 +0000

I know a number of you that visit this site go to school and many of you are finishing up your year around this time. For many that means taking a break from studying, maybe a vacation (or holiday)…even if it is a short temporary one. At the time of writing this post, I am taking a short break and enjoying time with my family away from the typical weekly schedule. I truly hope you have a moment sometime this year to take a step back as well.

In terms of working on your improvisation I believe it is good to take a step back every now and then from practicing to clear your mind and get away. I believe that actually helps solidify what you have been working on and will stick greater in the long run. I find that when I come back to the woodshed that my perspective is fresh, new ideas pop up and the joy of playing gets renewed.

So go for it! Take a break every now and then and get your mind off the music for a short time. I do not suggest long periods away from your instrument, but a few days here and there throughout the year. Just remember to relax…

The Jam

jasonklobnak — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:09 +0000

It is becoming a rarity to find open jazz jam sessions in cities across the world. I am not saying that there are not jam sessions ocurring…quite the opposite. Actually, in the Denver area there are a number of great ones that happen on a weekly basis. However, I have talked with people from a number of large metro areas across the world that do not have any sort of jam session. Jam sessions are an important aspect of continuing the jazz tradition and I highly encourage people to go to them (whether you play or not).

Why is going to a jam session important if you are learning to improvise?

Even though in today’s technological society we are the most connected we ever have been…we are also the most isolated ever. Notice how in public spaces people are more engaged with their electronic devices then those around them. Younger jazz musicians are spending more time by themselves in a practice room with technology then they are out playing with others. This in-person interaction is essential to growing as a jazz musician. The jam session becomes that place of personal interaction.
When you go to a jam session, many times you will run into someone you have never played with before. This gives you an opportunity to hear how they approach improvising. You never know what you might learn from others. If you go and open your ears you can learn from everyone at the jam session.
Jam sessions give you a real-time evaluation of what you are good at and what you need to improve. In the practice room, unless we stay on task, have a tendency to let things slide or work on what we can already do well instead of what we need to fix. The practice room can give you a distorted view of where you are really at. It is very humbling to public realize what you need to go back and woodshed.
Jam sessions also can be places where new opportunities are birthed. You never know who you might bump into that you work with later on down the road. This is where the term the art of the hang is put into action. I may talk more about this in a future post.

There are a number of great resources online about what you should do to prepare for a jam session (i.e. what songs should I learn to be able to play in a jam, dress code, sitting-in, etc.). I would encourage you to read through those if you have never been. If you have, I highly encourage you to go to one at least once a month if your schedule permits. Get out there and jam!

I want to leave you with a humorous story about comedian Bill Cosby and his jam session experience. I could write about it, but instead thought it would be better if he told you. Check out his video below!

Fun with Arpeggios part 3

jasonklobnak — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:11 +0000

Hopefully by this point (if you have been following the series on Fun with Arpeggios) you get the idea of how we can creatively use arpeggios in our improvisations. Before we move on to another topic I wanted to continue the thought process, but introduce arpeggios of different chord quality then just major (which was used in part 1 & part 2). In this part we will use the minor 7th arpeggio to build some of our lines.

Below is the minor 7th arpeggio in quarter notes (Cmin7) along with a more extended eighth-note version both up and down:

Unlike the major 7th arpeggio that has the half-step between the 7th and the root, the minor 7th arpeggio has more of a pentatonic scale type feel to it with the combination of minor 3rd, major 3rds and the whole step between the 7th and the root. This can create some interesting combinations over different harmonies.

One obvious way you can use the minor 7th arpeggio is over minor chords, but I am pretty sure most of you can figure that out on your own. However, one really useful way to use the minor 7th arpeggio is over the V7 chord of a ii-V-I. Below is an example with a half-step chromatic target of the C minor 7th arpeggio over the F7 which resolves into the Bbmaj7:

And the next example below takes the descending C minor 7th arpeggio at the beginning of this post and resolves it to the 7th (A) of the Bbmaj7:

I, for one, enjoy this sound over the V7 chord. It almost has a blues flavor to the line when you have the minor 7th arpeggio (a 5th away from the root) played over the V7 chord.

I hope you have enjoyed this series and that it has added value and benefit to your and/or your students. If you have not yet, I would invite you to check out my Digital Store today to take a look at my books and other services. Also, be sure to hit “like” on my Facebook Page as well as I will continue to give updates on my upcoming CD Mountain, Move.