From simon@alphabeck.co.uk Tue Aug 05 08:53:40 2008
Subject:Re:Sheet music resource

I completely agree with Ron - improvisation and spontaneity are the essence of blues, jazz and much of rock music. Even a classically-trained rock musician such as Ray Manzarek adds something new each time he plays the Bach-inspired intro to "Light My Fire" - he never plays it exactly the same way twice, whatever the Doors Songbook might have set down in black and white!

Have you ever heard Yehudi Menuhin trying to play jazz alongside Stephane Grapelli? General consensus is that he should never have tried - he may have been a classical virtuoso, but he lacked the ability to play spontaneously and to improvise, and did it ever show!

Put the sheet music aside, use your ears and fingers, but above all, play what you feel. Some call it soul, some call it intuition. The essence of it is to learn to play what FEELS right. Then and ONLY then will you be a jazz or blues musician.

Simon "Butterfingers" Beck
London, UK

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Gang
To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 4:30 PM
Subject: [CWSG] Re:Sheet music resource

Hi Graham:

I think the whole principle of this type of music (jazz, blues) is one of spontaneity, so that the artist has his arsenal of riffs and chords and runs on the scaffolding of a bass line or progression so he shoots from the hip as it were. This is as opposed to learning set pieces, like classical music or pops where you are really just a transcribing device as per laid down instructions. It seems to me that Jimmy Smith is one of the fathers of the jazz blues organ, and the other greats built on his foundations adding their own touches and personalities. Every time the performance is different. In the process the fingers stumble on to new notes and chord structures, the results of which can be assimilated and added to ones own personal treasure box.

I saw a similar question as yours on a forum of harmonica players, where the chap posing the question wanted sheet music of some famous blues harpist's performance. I really felt he was missing the point, as he would never be able to duplicate James Cotton or whoever. Maybe he could do the same notes per note, yet the soul would probably be missing.

In my humble perception, if one really wants to play this kind of music, he has to absorb the principles and the soul of it, and make it his own. Then his playing will have the spontaneity and freedom which makes this music so appealing and thrilling.

So what I'm trying to say (as well as what I'm trying to do myself) is that we should immerse ourselves in the feel soul of the music and be at one with it. This is truly beautiful.

If I'm saying something you already know, or if this is not a direction you want, my sincere apologies.

Peace,

Ron

Ron Gang, artist, Kibbutz Urim, Israel

Web site: www.rongang.net

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