half step problems

richay

okay, so im going to try and make it simple. ive been learning to jazz scat, and part of doing this is learning jazz licks. but here and there, especially when it comes to chromatic (outside of the scale) usually an unexpected half step, my voice will just do like 3/4 of a step rather than a 1/2 step, and same with some whole steps. ive been practicing these licks slowly using my piano and it all goes great, even when speeding up. then when im away from the piano, i can hit all the notes, but not fluidly, adding a lot of tempo dynamics. when im trying to do these licks to a background track or chords on my guitar, i hear my problem. so any advice?

Michael4000

I think you are taking the right approach by using an instrument and slowing things down. It would be helpful if you included a demo, I think you would get better feedback.

HuduVudu

Instead of using known scales like major or triad scales generate random scales with random interval jumps. Keep the tempo consistent, so that you can focus on the interval jumps. Practice these scales instead. Don't let your mind anticipate the next note. Keep changing the scale around so that you can't adapt to the scale. The thing about improvisation is that you can't follow a pattern that you learn so you have to prepare for unexpected jumps.

If you can do MIDI, I have a "triad" example, if you want to see what I am talking about.

richay

HuduVudu said:

Instead of using known scales like major or triad scales generate random scales with random interval jumps. Keep the tempo consistent, so that you can focus on the interval jumps. Practice these scales instead. Don't let your mind anticipate the next note. Keep changing the scale around so that you can't adapt to the scale. The thing about improvisation is that you can't follow a pattern that you learn so you have to prepare for unexpected jumps.

If you can do MIDI, I have a "triad" example, if you want to see what I am talking about.

wow that helps alot, i think i know what youre talking about, like using scale warm ups using midi? i made a bunch of triad, octave ones, and even mixed scales ones, that suit my range exactly. whenever i feel like i can do higher or lower, ill slip in a extra key. same thing with the tempo. but if not i would definatly like to hear what youre talking about.

richay

Michael4000 said:

I think you are taking the right approach by using an instrument and slowing things down. It would be helpful if you included a demo, I think you would get better feedback.

like a demo of me trying it out? ill record something tonight

HuduVudu

@richay I use a DAW to build my scales so I thought I could give you a MIDI file, but I have a better idea. Let me show you just using theory.

I use a set of ascending triads Tonic, 3rd, 5th, Octave, 5th, 3rd, Tonic. I build the scales and move the triad scale up one semitone until I reach the end of my range then I come back down to where I started. Keeping with the idea of moving the scale up one semitone, what I do is scramble the triad into some thing random keeping the same number of notes. As an example the first "scale" might like this: 3rd, 5th, T, 5th, 3rd, T, O. Then the next "scale" would be randomized and might look like this: 3rd, T, 3rd, 5th, 5th, O, T. I do this randomization all the way up and all the way down.

I have to slow this way down so that I can try and make sure that I can hear and then sing the note. This totally forces me to not anticipate the next note. If the scale is known like a triad scale it is really easy to anticipate the next note. I am doing this for other reasons but I think what you are experiencing with the improvisation is that you can't anticipate the next note and you are missing the note because you anticipated and prepared for one note but another came in it's place. I am pretty sure that this randomized type scale can really help you.

doc_ramadani

@HuduVudu:

Man, that is a great idea. This could help me a lot on my issues. Do you use some kind of arpeggiator set to "random" for that?

Doc

HuduVudu

LOL @doc_ramadani, what problem do you think I am solving with that

I am using a the random password generator in KeePass. Then I am using the results to manually create the scales in LMMS. I can send you one of the ones that I created in MIDI (or the text generated ones) or if you want I can give you specific instructions on how to do it.

Let me know.

richay

HuduVudu said:

@richay I use a DAW to build my scales so I thought I could give you a MIDI file, but I have a better idea. Let me show you just using theory.

I use a set of ascending triads Tonic, 3rd, 5th, Octave, 5th, 3rd, Tonic. I build the scales and move the triad scale up one semitone until I reach the end of my range then I come back down to where I started. Keeping with the idea of moving the scale up one semitone, what I do is scramble the triad into some thing random keeping the same number of notes. As an example the first "scale" might like this: 3rd, 5th, T, 5th, 3rd, T, O. Then the next "scale" would be randomized and might look like this: 3rd, T, 3rd, 5th, 5th, O, T. I do this randomization all the way up and all the way down.

I have to slow this way down so that I can try and make sure that I can hear and then sing the note. This totally forces me to not anticipate the next note. If the scale is known like a triad scale it is really easy to anticipate the next note. I am doing this for other reasons but I think what you are experiencing with the improvisation is that you can't anticipate the next note and you are missing the note because you anticipated and prepared for one note but another came in it's place. I am pretty sure that this randomized type scale can really help you.

i would definitely like to try that out. could you send me
the midi versions? thanks

HuduVudu

You can find it here.

doc_ramadani

Hi @HuduVudu,

I hope that it is okay that I grabbed myself a copy, too.

Doc

HuduVudu

All good @doc_ramadani