Jazz Music and Improvisation

There are many different types of music in the world today. One of the music types I find very pleasant to listen to is jazz. Jazz is very unique from other types of music as its pretty much plays whatever the soloist has on their mind. No other music forms allow this kind of playing. So how exactly do you play the solos and know what to play?

The answer to that question is you don't. The basic concept of jazz is to play what's on your mind through your instrument. The concept sounds very simple, but it's a very difficult thing to do. A jazz musician must learn jazz and music theory in order to achieve this. They also have to be able to listen and know their instruments very well. Basically when you're improvising, you have a melody in your head, and you think about the rhythm and notes. You play those rhythm and notes through your instrument therefore creating a solo.

A solo is a very unique part of jazz. If you listen to it carefully, you will find that it's like telling a story. It has a beginning, a rising point, and conclusion. Jazz musicians use different techniques to add unique feelings to the music. In order to build tension, a musician may use some of the following techniques: increase in sound, trills, repetition of notes, accents, arpeggios going up, etc. In order to release tension, jazz musicians might use some of these techniques: decrease in sound, notes going down a scale, rests, etc. These techniques are used to grab the audience's attention and make listening to them enjoyable.

For jazz musicians to create these solos, they must have a numerous amounts of creative melodies in their heads. This can be achieved by listening to famous jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, and etc constantly and listening to their solos. Also sing out the melodies in your head and listen to it. This will help you become a great jazz musician.

Music theory is boring for many people, but it's essential that musicians know it as it will help them when they're playing or writing music. It's the skeleton and backbone of making improvised solos as you will need to match the chord and find tonal centers and etc in the music. If you're planning on becoming a great musician, learning theory is essential.

Continue listening jazz, practice constantly while listening yourself, and achieve your dream of becoming a great jazz musician.