Helpful or Harmful?

[jhatpro]

What do you think about playalongs?
_________________
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

[HERMOKIWI]

If by "playalongs" you're referring to "music minus one" type recordings such as those offered by Aebersold and the Real Book, they are extremely beneficial to learning jazz improvisation.
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HERMOKIWI

[jazz_trpt]

Honestly when I was working on improvising I just played along with the radio (Chicago, BST, EWF, etc.) or recordings (Miles, Clifford, Freddie, Lee). In some ways I think it helped me more because I was picking up the melodic language faster than if I were just experimenting with a comping track.

But if you buy into the system, the Aebersold stuff can be really useful for learning new tunes and finding your way around unfamiliar progressions.

Either way, playing and experimenting is never bad.
_________________
Jeff Helgesen
Free jazz solo transcriptions!

[Richard III]

I've tried Aebersold and the ones on Youtube. I get bored quickly. And get lost with Aebersold because that's not the kind of chords I like or am comfortable with.

I've done a ton of just playing a melody and then repeating with variations going further and further and eventually coming back to the melody. That has helped and it works when playing with others.

Improvising as a background to the soloist is more difficult. Still working on that.
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[kehaulani]

When I was coming up, there were jam sessions everyplace. In fact, at one period in my "young life", I even carried around a pocket trumpet in case I heard a jam session wafting through the air . . and I did.

These playing opportunities gradually diminished, until, in my area, there was only one jam a month. If you were lucky enough to have other playing situations (combos, etc.) like me, more power to you, but for most people I knew, the playing opportunities to explore was diminished to a great degree.

I feel a disadvantage of using a play-along is a bit of a trap in that your improvisation could be somewhat stilted due to the repetition of the musical accompaniment. There is no interaction so there is no chance of back-and-forth interaction, which in real life can keep you on your toes and mix things up.

But as a resource for incentive, backing for working out ideas, and the like, what are you going to do?

BTW, I have all the real books on Band in the Box, and it's a great resource.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[jhatpro]

I started the thread after I read this provocative piece on jazzadvice.com

Today I want to talk to you about a problem that plagued me for years...

And it wasn’t until I realized that it was the root of ALL my problems that I started to improve and play the way I wanted to…

I’m talking about play-along recordings…yes, those backing tracks we all know and love, and spend WAY too much time with!!

For many years, my practice routine centered around play-alongs. It didn't matter if I was learning tunes, practicing chord progressions, or working on the basics of improvisation – every day I’d simply flip on the tracks and start jamming. And my lessons were the same...

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to get this habit under control right now.

Spending most of your practice time jamming out with play-alongs is highly detrimental to your success as a jazz musician. It can quickly eat up your practice time and keep you from working on the most important aspects of improvising.

Here is a plan for you to understand this bad habit, stop it in its tracks, and integrate play-alongs into your practice routine in a much more beneficial way:
First, recognize how play alongs are wasting your time and what to do about it - This problem is HIGH priority. Understanding it, why it’s so harmful to your progress, and changing how you practice to fix it is super important.
Then, start acquiring jazz language that you can practice with your play alongs - Play alongs don’t have to suck up all your practice time. They can be used as practice TOOLS for your jazz language. But to do this, you need some language to practice. Start acquiring some with guidance from this lesson.
And finally, start creating your own exercises for play along practice - Once you’ve reframed play alongs as “practice tools” in your mind and you’ve started to acquire language, start integrating this language into your playing. Use this lesson to learn how to combine improvisation, language, and backing tracks into effective jazz vocabulary integration exercises.
As many stock traders say, hope is not a strategy.

When you improvise, you don’t want to throw on a play along recording and hope for the best, jamming all day until something decent comes out. That’s a huge waste of your valuable practice time.

Be focused. Be mindful. Be aware of how you use your practice time. And if you do use play alongs in your practice, use them in a way that makes you consistently better.

Happy Practicing

Forrest and Eric
_________________
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

[mrhappy]

[TrumpetMD]

Interesting thread. It's always helpful to hear what has worked for others. Here are my thoughts. Let me start by emphasizing that it's not what method you pick, it's how you use it.

For me Aebersold has been an important part of my growth. I've also tried to learn the jazz vocabulary by working through books like Jerry Coker's Patterns For Jazz and Emile DeCosmo's Woodshedding Series. It's also been important to learn and memorize as many of the standards that I can. I also try to record my practices and play regularly in open jam sessions.

Back to Aebersold, I've gotten the most benefit from the "instructional" volumes, not the "song" volumes. Specifically, I'm talking about volumes 1, 2, and 3, but also volumes 24, 42, 47, 57, and a couple others, and incorporating them with what I'm working on in Patterns For Jazz.

The other Aebersold volumes (the "song" volumes) are helpful, too. But it helps to have a goal. Are you memorizing the melodies and changes? Are you learning the songs in other keys? Are you experimenting with new phrasing or melodic approaches? Are you learning anything new?

Mike
_________________
Bach Stradivarius 43* Trumpet (1974), Bach 6C Mouthpiece.
Bach Stradivarius 184 Cornet (1988), Yamaha 13E4 Mouthpiece
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn (1969), Yamaha 13F4 Mouthpiece.
Plus a few other Bach, Getzen, Olds, Carol, HN White, and Besson horns.

[kehaulani]

Emile DeCosmo, jeez, haven't heard that name in a while. How about Bugs Bower?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[TrumpetMD]