Practice This!
September 2008
David M. Marriott, Jr. on Using Elements of Composition in Your Practicing

Click here to watch David's Practice This! video clip.

David Marriott is a Seattle-based trombonist, composer, educator, and blogger, performing locally with dozens of groups, including the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and the Marriott Brothers Quintet. Learn more about David at http://www.redraspus.com.

In the vast majority of styles within improvised music, we are generally asked to perform a rhythmic melody and then improvise on the harmony and form of this melody. Quite often, players will disregard much of the information provided by this rhythm, melody, harmony, and form when it comes time to improvise. While most improvisations seem to clearly address the issue of harmony, little reference is made to the rhythm, melody, or form, and it is these elements working together that create a cohesive musical message. Also, the many traits that we identify when talking about a “good solo”—thematic development and call-and-response, for example—allude to some compositional approach to our improvisations. By merely paying attention to these aspects in your practice routine, you will improve the quality and cohesiveness of your improvisations and create more interest from listeners.

Addressing the form of song you are playing can help you to create more dynamic and dramatic improvisations. The form of the composition helps us to identify differing sections of the song, and we should take note of these sections. If our song has an AABA form, for example, one might play bluesy during the A sections and linearly during the B section (Lee Morgan does this on his solo from “Moanin’”). If our song has an ABAC form, one might play simple ideas on the A sections, medium complex ideas on the B section, and the most complex ideas on the C section. Remember that by intentionally doing these things when you practice, you are training your intuitive ear to hear this way; the idea is not to think this way while improvising, but to spontaneously create the same drama.

Another technique is to use the melody as a cue for your improvisation. One idea is to use the melodic phrasing of the song. Looking at a tune like “Now’s the Time,” we could say that the melody consists of the following melodic phrasing: AABBAABBCDEE, with each letter representing one bar. When you improvise on the blues, try to improvise using this same melodic phrasing. Another idea is to use the rhythm of the melody. Looking at a tune like “All the Things You Are,” we could say that the melody consists of the following melodic rhythm: W-DH-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-DH (Whole, Dotted Half, Quarter). Now improvise using this same rhythm but with your own notes; in other words, put a new melody to the original melody’s rhythm.

Lastly, looking at the harmonic form of a tune can give us more ideas for improvisation. If the harmony for a simple form of the blues is I-IV-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-I, then we might say that the harmonic form is ABAABBAACBAA. One could assign various meanings to each of these letters. A, B, and C could each be a specific melodic idea that you have practiced. Each one could be a different register, dynamic level, or harmonic approach. The possibilities are limitless; you need only think with the idea of composition in mind.

It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best composed music sounds improvised. By thinking a little more like a composer and addressing all the facets of the composition we are using as a vehicle for improvisation—not just the harmony—we can train our musical ear to hear in a composed way.