Please Recommend Me Some Beginner Solos/Heads to Learn

[jamiehenderson1993]

I'm trying to develop my Jazz and Jazz-Blues Soloing Vocabulary by learning Heads & Solos. I wonder if you could give me some suggestions? If you were my teacher, what would you prescribe me!?


I've learned Parker playing Billie's Bounce, Now's The Time, Au Privave.


I then learned the solos on Chitlins Con Carne - Burrell; Grand Slam - Christian; Cool Blues - Green; Four on Six - Montgomery; Borgia Stick - Benson.


Can you give me any suggestions for next steps please?

[pamosmusic]

I mean —- those all sound awesome.

Other Parker blueses: Cheryl and Bloomdido are really cool.

Solos: anything Charlie Christian, anything Grant Green. Also all the Jim Hall stuff off “Jazz Guitar” is short but tricky and cool.

[AllanAllen]

Pull the solos and heads apart for vocabulary. There's a conversation about this in the Donna Lee study group thread.

[JerryB]

Here's a link to an almost hour long free entry level solo to A-Train you might enjoy, as it gave me a good jump start a few years ago:

A-Train Free Jazz Guitar Improv Lesson

[AllanAllen]

Here's a link to an almost hour long free entry level solo to A-Train you might enjoy, as it gave me a good jump start a few years ago:

A-Train Free Jazz Guitar Improv Lesson

An hour on A Train? That seems over complicated all you need to do is mind that D7, everything else is C major.

[Bobby Timmons]

^ If it's so easy then you can outline the changes and not just play C. :P

[jamiehenderson1993]

I mean —- those all sound awesome.

Other Parker blueses: Cheryl and Bloomdido are really cool.

Solos: anything Charlie Christian, anything Grant Green. Also all the Jim Hall stuff off “Jazz Guitar” is short but tricky and cool.

Thank you so much for this - this is exactly what I'm looking for.

[JerryB]

An hour on A Train? That seems over complicated all you need to do is mind that D7, everything else is C major.

Wow, can you post your A-Train solo? I would like to learn your concept.

[pamosmusic]

Well this thread got awfully snarky awfully fast

[mr. beaumont]

I'll give Jerry the benefit of the doubt that tone cannot be discerned in text and he's actually interested on how you can pare a tune down that much...

That said, A Train is one to just play changes on. Though, seeing most of it as C major doesn't necessarily mean just you're noodling in C major...

[AllanAllen]

^ If it's so easy then you can outline the changes and not just play C. :P

Yeah but, Dm G7 is just C. The F is C too, it’s the IV not a key change.

If you really digest and understand the basics, you can simplify a lot. All the arpeggios and chords in C major are C to me. The G7 or F is in the C.

[pamosmusic]

Yeah but, Dm G7 is just C. The F is C too, it’s the IV not a key change.

If you really digest and understand the basics, you can simplify a lot. All the arpeggios and chords in C major are C to me. The G7 or F is in the C.

Well you don’t want to lose the movement of the tune.

C —— D7 ——
G7 —— C G7

[AllanAllen]

True Peter, I think though the changes but overall feel it can all be pulled, with discretion, from C major. Except the D7 bit.

I'm not a teacher and I'm, mostly, self educated so my system is a mess...

Now I'm interested in that video, he says no modes and no scales, but I wonder if he means it.

[pamosmusic]

Now I'm interested in that video, he says no modes and no scales, but I wonder if he means it.

It all uses scales. Usually they just mean chord tones and ornamentation. And they won’t be using in Greek in the instruction.

For what it’s worth I watched sped up through the first twenty five minutes and he only really played short snatches of the solo, so not sure.

[jamiehenderson1993]

Much as I'm enjoying reading this thread, we've kind of gone off piste! Can any of you, very knowledgable people, give me some pointers as to what to learn next? haha

[pamosmusic]

Pull the solos and heads apart for vocabulary. There's a conversation about this in the Donna Lee study group thread.

This is also a good idea

[mr. beaumont]

Much as I'm enjoying reading this thread, we've kind of gone off piste! Can any of you, very knowledgable people, give me some pointers as to what to learn next? haha

The Parker stuff, did you transcibe it, or did you find notation and learn it?

If the latter, I think a great next step would be to learn some stuff by ear. I've always found Paul Desmond to be very easy to hear and great for starting out transcribing.

[AllanAllen]

It all uses scales. Usually they just mean chord tones and ornamentation. And they won’t be using in Greek in the instruction.

For what it’s worth I watched sped up through the first twenty five minutes and he only really played short snatches of the solo, so not sure.

I watched the first 8 minutes. It's cool, I like that he emphasizes playing the guitar and not getting hung up on theory. It's basically the opposite of what I expected. A lick by lick breakdown of a cromulent solo, when I expected "this scale over this chord." I realized I was wrong when I read no modes no scales on the page.

[AllanAllen]

Much as I'm enjoying reading this thread, we've kind of gone off piste! Can any of you, very knowledgable people, give me some pointers as to what to learn next? haha

Learn songs you like man. What do you like? Fusion, Louis Armstrong Hot Fives, late Coltrane? Give a little more info on your tastes and it'll help. Also, did you analyze the stuff or just memorize it? Read it, or get it by ear?

If you don't keep the thread on topic, we will drift.

[pamosmusic]

If you don't keep the thread on topic, we will drift.

Accurate.

we are children.

[pamosmusic]

The Parker stuff, did you transcibe it, or did you find notation and learn it?

If the latter, I think a great next step would be to learn some stuff by ear. I've always found Paul Desmond to be very easy to hear and great for starting out transcribing.

Added benefit, you’ll hear some wicked guitar playing.

[jamiehenderson1993]

Learn songs you like man. What do you like? Fusion, Louis Armstrong Hot Fives, late Coltrane? Give a little more info on your tastes and it'll help. Also, did you analyze the stuff or just memorize it? Read it, or get it by ear?

If you don't keep the thread on topic, we will drift.

To be honest, I'm so early on the road, I don't really know what I like yet. I love blues stuff that I've been hearing so far and also digging some of the beboppy blues stuff I've heard.

[dasein]

You've got a great start. Here's a few that come to mind, based on what you've already learned.

Solos:

Charlie Christian - "I Got a New Baby" and "Solo Flight"
Wes - "No Blues" from Smokin' at the Half Note and "Sun Down" from California Dreaming
Grant Green - pretty much anything from Grant's First Stand
Benson - "Billie's Bounce" from Giblet Gravy

I'd also take a stab at transcribing some horn or keyboard solos. A great one to start with is Lester Young's solo on "Lady Be Good." But if you're feeling up for it, some Charlie Parker solos would be great.

Looks like you've already learned a few blues heads, so next I might try some rhythm changes: Anthropology, Moose the Mooch, Oleo, Scrapple, etc. There are a million of them out there, so take your pick. A personal favorite is Horace Silver's "Room 608"

[jamiehenderson1993]

You've got a great start. Here's a few that come to mind, based on what you've already learned.

Solos:

Charlie Christian - "I Got a New Baby" and "Solo Flight"
Wes - "No Blues" from Smokin' at the Half Note and "Sun Down" from California Dreaming
Grant Green - pretty much anything from Grant's First Stand
Benson - "Billie's Bounce" from Giblet Gravy

I'd also take a stab at transcribing some horn or keyboard solos. A great one to start with is Lester Young's solo on "Lady Be Good." But if you're feeling up for it, some Charlie Parker solos would be great.

Looks like you've already learned a few blues heads, so next I might try some rhythm changes: Anthropology, Moose the Mooch, Oleo, Scrapple, etc. There are a million of them out there, so take your pick. A personal favorite is Horace Silver's "Room 608"

Amazing comment - thank you!

[AllanAllen]

To be honest, I'm so early on the road, I don't really know what I like yet. I love blues stuff that I've been hearing so far and also digging some of the beboppy blues stuff I've heard.

Sounds like you'll dig Lester Young, Herb Ellis, Kenny Burrell and Charlie Christian.

Listen as much as you play so you can figure out what you like. For example, my "Goal songs" list is 40 songs long right now. That's like the official I have written it down list.

So, specific tunes help because if you say you like "How High The Moon" I can tell you that Chet Baker did that song and he's good to learn from since he plays at relaxed tempos but still has a hip vocabulary. I've found Dexter Gordon's versions of Parker Heads easier to learn by ear since there isn't a trumpet behind him confusing my ear, so maybe check out his Scrapple From The Apple if you take dasein's advice about learning Rhythm Changes heads.

Use the youtube slow down feature and learn by ear if you aren't already. The process is painfully slow at first, but you'll get better if you stick with it. Just set a 5 minute timer and suffer through it, then stop. A little effort every day adds up to progress.