Phrasing: When it comes to an improvised
solo, it’s pretty much what separates
the good players from the greats. It’s
the difference between a solo that sounds
like a composition and a solo that sounds
like the fingers are just randomly falling
down on the strings.
So what’s the trick to phrasing? Well the
definitive answer is colossal, so let’s start off
by just dealing with the basics. The first thing
you have to understand is the phrase structure
(the number of measures in each phrase)
of the music you are playing. In this case,
we’re talking about the blues and more specifically
a 12-bar blues. There are three four-bar
phrases in a 12-bar blues. Most popular
music is built on phrases that contain an even
number of measures, with four- and eight-measure
phrases being the most common.
Singers generally understand the phrase
structure of the blues better than the average
soloist, so let’s look to them for some
lessons. In
Fig. 1, you can see a lyric over
a blues form that demonstrates a typical
phrasing structure. It’s very easy to see
that the lyric sung in the second line is
identical to the lyric in the first. Typically,
the melody would also be very close, if
not the same, especially if the melody was
using notes out of the blues scale, which
we know works for all the chord changes
in the blues. The lyric for the third is the
summary of the first and second phrases.
Notice the use of space in measures three
and four of the first phrase. This is a very
important part of the blues. The space at
the end of a phrase lets you digest what
you have played, allows other members
of the group to react and respond to your
playing, and it gives you some time to set
up your ideas for the next phrase.
What we are going to try to do now is
use the same technique, but replace the
lyric and song melody with an improvised
melody. This is harder than it might
seem, because as the soloist, you have
to remember and be accountable for the
melodic material you play in the first
phrase so you can repeat verbatim it in
the second.
We will start out with some simple
ideas that are generated from the blues
scale and graduate to ideas that use a
melody we’ll manipulate to follow the
chord changes. Even though this is a
simple concept, many advanced players
have a hard time accounting for what they
have played. If you can’t account for what
you’ve played, you are subjecting yourself
to an out-of-control solo that, frankly, will
be devoid of strong phrasing.
In
Fig. 2, you can see an example of
putting this phrasing to use in a melodic
way. I’m intentionally keeping the examples
pretty easy. This concept is the classic
situation of “It’s really easy to talk about
it and understand it, but it’s hard to actually
execute with integrity.” When you
practice this, be very honest with yourself
if you are remembering
exactly what you
played in the first phrase and playing it
exactly the same in the second phrase. The
third phrase gives you the opportunity
to play whatever you want to summarize.
I’m keeping all the notes for this example
within the A minor pentatonic scale, so
our repeated melody won’t clash with any
of the chords.
or download example audio...
The next step, shown in
Fig. 3, is to
take a phrase that outlines the changes and
keeps the integrity of the line by altering
the line’s notes to match the chord changes
in the blues.
or download example audio...
As I said earlier, this is an easy concept
to talk about, but it’s a tricky concept
to perfect. Players gain control by being
accountable, and this concept makes you
accountable for every note and every
rhythm played. As you practice, pay attention
to the details. It’s easy to say you have
something down when in reality, you don’t.
Be honest in your practicing.
Corey Christiansen
Corey Christiansen, a former senior editor
and guitar clinician for Mel Bay
Publications, is known for his fluid jazz
improvisation and instructional chops. He
teaches full-time at Utah State University
and is an Artist-in-Residence at the
Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington,
Indiana, the Atlanta Institute of Music, and
the Broadway Music School. To learn more
about his CDs and DVD, and see his current
workshop and performance schedule,
visit
coreychristiansen.com. Photo by Jimmy Katz