Paradiddle-Scales

A drummer friend of mine once told me “You know why I like Chris Potter? He plays paradiddles on his saxophone”. Potter is one of the most rhythmic saxophonists I can think of, and he also has an extensive command of articulation. I've noticed that players like Potter, Donny McCaslin, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and others are very adept at incorporating quick, repeated-notes into their lines.

Here's a paradiddle-scale exercise I came up with to help work on that sort of articulation. This is also a great exercise for improving the slur-two, tongue-two articulation seen often in classical pieces.

Key of C Major:

I recommend working these up with a metronome, and then playing them over an Aebersold, sequencer, or another play-along track to get the feel of using them with a rhythm section.

Key of F Major:

Try inverting the paradiddle for a different variant. I hear this snippet in modern jazz fairly often:

 For the complete exercise, download the free PDF sheetmusic.

Transcribing: Rhythm Changes

Here's a transcription I recently did of the first part of Sonny Stitt's "The Eternal One" from the reissue CD "Low Flame". I believe this was originally released on 1964's "Shangri-La". The tune is rhythm changes, and is based off of the riff from the song Eternal Triangle but with the standard chord changes on the bridge.

 

I've been working on improving my chops in some of the more difficult keys, so for this transcription, I pitch-shifted the audio from Bb into A before I started learning it (for you fellow tenor-players, that puts us in the key of B). This was a great way to get all those tasty licks that are idiomatic to the key of Bb into another key.

Transcribing is an excellent way to improve your time-feel, tone, phrasing, intonation, ears, technique... well... it improves everything! It's also a great way to learn the specific articulation of other saxophonists. After repeated practice and careful listening, the nuances of the articulation, scoops, bends, and vibrato all become more apparent. To me, that sort of stylistic information is the most important stuff. Anyone can play the notes, but copping the feel of the original is the ultimate goal.

Multi-Scales

Have you ever noticed that any woodwind player can fly over C major, but when it comes to Db major, it is a disaster? This is a practice method I call multi-scales, which helps to immediately remedy this problem. Instead of practicing C and Db major independently, practice them as one scale as illustrated in this exercise:

For a variation or just as a warm up to this exercise, you could play each scale twice before changing to the adjacent scale (ex: C-C-Db-Db, repeat).

Most scales with few accidentals are next to a scale ½ step away that has many more accidentals. This exercise is a great way to make sure your F# scale is on the same technical level as your F scale, C and Db, B and C, etc. I got this idea from drummers doing hybrid rudiments and groups of rudiments. Once you get used to doing multi-scales, I recommend never practicing C, G, or F major by themselves again. Always use multi-scales and kill two birds with one stone! I’ve had great success using this method with intermediate and even beginner students.

Here is a similar example with three scales:

In jazz improvisation, we have to be able to recall scales and patterns virtually instantly. When navigating chord changes at a very fast tempo each measure can require a completely different scale. This exercise is great for learning how to switch gears quickly. Since we are stringing the scales together, you must learn to switch to the next scale instantly!

To become even more proficient at this concept of switching scales instantly, try groups of four scales each a minor-third apart. You’ll notice that the first note of the next scale is always ½ step up from the 2nd degree of the previous scale. The pattern is a bit different on the way down.

Also try your multi-scales in major-third groupings:

For more possibilities and the complete exercise, download the free PDF sheetmusic.

A brief history of jazz education

NPR's "A Blog Supreme" recently posted these two articles:

A Brief History Of Jazz Education, Pt. 1

A Brief History Of Jazz Education, Pt. 2

If you aren't reading "A Blog Supreme" already, it's a good site to have on your radar. These two articles cover jazz education from the 1920s to today. A must read for future music majors!

Wrap your ear around this...

As a student of the saxophone, it’s good to remember the importance of absorbing the classic albums and listing deeply to the great masters of the instrument.

Just as any rock musician knows Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, we as saxophonists should know Bird, Trane, Joe, Wayne, and all the others. I’m actually struck by how many of my students might know the name Jimi Hendrix, but get tongue-tied trying to name one saxophone player. Not only should we know our favorite players, we should know their seminal recordings thoroughly (Page One, Blue Trane, Kind of Blue, Speak No Evil…)! Listening is the best way to start to get the language of jazz in our heads. Great players I’ve met always amaze me with the depth of their knowledge of past recordings. Saxophonist Charles McNeal has humbled me with some of his saxophone blindfold-tests recently on FaceBook.

The prevalence of iPods has encouraged the younger generation to consume their music a-la-carte. In my formative days, I had only a dozen-or-so jazz CDs, which had to be sought out at actual record stores (for those under 18, record stores were retail outlets that sold CDs, tapes, and records). Not only did you have to save your allowance and find your way to the record shop, you were very lucky if the store (and I’m talking about the early ‘90s here) had a “JAZZ” section that ventured much beyond Kenny G! The few real jazz CDs I managed to find I knew inside-and-out, backwards and forwards. The same respect for albums generally doesn't exist today. After one track, your mp3 player will shuffle to a completely different artist and genre (if you even got through the one track before skipping it)!

These four CDs were some of the very first I had - I played them until they wouldn’t play anymore:

Clockwise from top L:
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers “A Day With Art Blakey – 1961 – vol 2”
This one I found in a bin in an Amish record booth inside a large market in Pennsylvania. Incredible live concert in Japan with Wayne Shorter on tenor.

John Coltrane “Blue Trane”
This album (along with “Giant Steps”) could be considered the apex of Trane’s earlier period. I believe this CD was given to me by a teacher or friend.

Dexter Gordon “Ballads”
This is not an actual album, but a compilation. This one I think I may have purchased in a cheesy mall record shop. A truly iconic collection of tracks including “You’ve Changed”, “Darn That Dream”, and “Body and Soul”. I think I bought a second copy after the first one died. It’s that good.

Joshua Redman “Wish”
OK, I’ll further date myself with this one. Joshua Redman was one of the neo-hardboppers who led us back from the fusion and smooth drivel of the early ‘90s. Thank you, Josh! This record I “borrowed” from a neighbor. Good playing on this disc, even if it may sound a little dated by today’s standards.

That may be an odd assemblage of discs, but that’s what I managed to get my hands on. If you are just getting into the saxophone, here’s a short-list of great albums to get you on the right track:

John Coltrane: Blue Trane
Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil
Joe Henderson: Page One
Charlie Parker: Dizzy Gillespie/Charlie Parker: “Town Hall, New York City 1945”
Eugene Rousseau: Colors (Rousseau is the most well-known classical saxophonist)
Cannonball Adderley: Somethin’ Else
Hank Mobley: Soul Station
Michael Brecker: Don’t Try This at Home

I'm trying to keep it simple but feel free to chime in with your favorites in the comments!