Learning Solos (question)

[trjeam]

There are many sites on the internet like trumpetjazzsolos.com and jeff's website that offer transcribed trumpet solos.

I was wondering if learning these solos are in anyway helpful to development of building vocabulary in jazz improvisation?

Or are you guys against people learning solos already transcribed because you believe that it's an easy way out and that people should transcribe there own solos?

the reason I ask is because I do take the time to learn some of those transcribed solos, but I'm not sure wether I should try and transcribe the solos my self or if it's ok for me to just learn them?
_________________
Jorge Ayala Jr: Trumpeter/Producer
http://www.facebook.com/JorgeAyalaJr
http://www.twitter.com/JorgeAyalaMusic

[jhatpro]

The best approach would be to transcribe solos you admire and learn to play them well. This will give you deeper insight into how the great players built their solos. Eventually, this will also lead you to a level where you'll be creating outstanding solos of your own.

As for the wealth of already-transcribed solos available: it can only help you to learn these as well. The only downside is this will obviously consume time you might be using to transcribe your own.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[EddieLewis]

I purchase as many transcriptoin books as I can get my hands on. However, I don't go out of my way to learn many of the solos. I use transcription books primarily as a source of analysis. I have learned a few solos from books over the years, but not many.

To me, transcribing solos myself is an entirely different issue. I haven't done as much of this, lately, as I have in the past. But transcribing has made a huge contribution to who I am as a player. And I do learn to play most of the solos I've transcribed.

Over the past ten years or so, I've concentrated mostly on transcribing solos be local (to Houston) jazz musicians. My theory was that, if I transcribe solos by guys who I'm already influenced by on gigs and local performances, it adds so much more to the experience.....on both sides.......transcribing and working with those cats. I've got about a dozen Dennis Dotson transcriptions. The funny thing is that, when I told this to Dennis, he got all humble on me about it. But Dennis is the real stuff.

[jazz_trpt]

Learning something by reading it is different than learning something from hearing it.

Buying/downloading transcriptions and memorizing them by themselves won't do a whole lot of good for your improvising, unless you've already really mastered the basics and can hear changes in your head.

Buying/downloading transcriptions and learning them along with the recording can be valuable.

Learning or transcribing the solos directly off the recording is the best for teaching your ear new wrinkles. It forces you to confront intervals and phrases that your "mind's ear" can't break down into something you can translate to the horn, and exercises those chops.

I mostly put up the transcriptions I've done in order to try and get people to get out and buy recordings of classic jazz, not because I think they're extraordinarily useful. Perhaps they are for some people, I don't know...
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Jeff Helgesen
Free jazz solo transcriptions!

[_londonhusker]

Jeff,

Your transcriptions are awesome, providing both a valuable tool for the improvisor and a historical record for the listener. Jorge looks like a talented young man who is still relatively new to this listening-notating-performing triangle that is so effective in music education and in jazz education in particular.

Jorge,

My take on this is that you probably need to continue to develop (1) the performance skills to play jazz trumpet, and (2) the transcription skills to write or immediately play exactly what you hear. If you are new to transcription, you won't be jumping in right away on Clifford or Coltrane, but you can treat the heads of songs as solo material and transcribe as many of them as you can. After about a hundred heads by ear, you will have gained lots of aural skills and confidence to pursue more challenging tasks, like solos from swing era big band recordings, later moving on to Chet, Paul Desmond, Kinda Blue Miles, etc...

Concurrently, you can learn several existing transcriptions with both the notation and the recording, selected carefully so they challenge your technique, yet are very nearly playable. It's very rare for anyone, but particularly younger musicians to develop playing skills AND transcription skills at the same rate. But the sooner you can get your (transcribing) ear up to speed with your (performance) chops, the sooner they will begin to complement each other.

FWIW,

Dave
londonhusker

[Jason Palmer]

Try transcribing players of a different instrument. Takes you out of the comfort zone of the trumpet.