How to solo like a sax player??

[Music_for_life]

how could I do it???It is to listen to the harmony and now what to play over it without the bass?

[dalkowski]

Comping sax solos you like would be a good place to start.

[RedLeg]

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Parker.../dp/0769260519

start slow. really emphasize technique

[dtiii]

I’ll assume that you are speaking in the stylistic context of jazz. If so, I’ll say that it may not be necessary to ask, ‘How do I solo like a sax player?’ unless you are speaking of articulation devices specific to that instrument. Applied to any instrument, there are different approaches to learning how to solo. Here is one:

Assuming that you are theoretically and/or intuitively knowledgeable, create a walking bass line using quarter notes - one note per beat. (Yes. Use a metronome and start slowly). Depending on where you are in regard to ability, this could be using a particular scale or playing over a chord progression. Once you feel comfortable with quarter notes start playing eighth notes. Play the eighth notes unbroken, meaning go as long as you can without stopping. Be patient. It’s fun to solo, but it’s also fun learning to solo. Get into the walking line and the eighth-note line. These two components are creating the foundation of your solo.

You can continue one of two ways, ideally both, once you get comfortable with unbroken eighth notes:

1) Play unbroken eighth notes periodically accenting different notes. By doing this you will begin to develop a sense of phrasing. This can be referred to as phrasing through accentuation. Listen to Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Sal Mosca. (There are others. These are the ones that pop into my head right now).

2) Insert breaks into the unbroken eighth-note line. The breaks can be as long or short as you like, just maintain the progression if you are playing over changes and also maintain the meter. This is another way to develop your sense of phrasing. Listen to Charlie Parker. (Again, there are others).

There is more, but I think that this is a solid start. Time will take care of the rest. As long as you are maintaining a practice routine that focuses in part on soloing, then you will get it going. Remember. The less time you spend on the instrument practicing the slower the progress. It really is up to you. Also keep in mind that once you commit to the practice it becomes a life-long endeavor. Reading about Sonny Rollins maintaining a practice routine well into his later years confirms the latter statement.

Lastly, the Charlie Parker Omni Book can certainly be intimidating. Bebop heads are solo-like, so a good first step into the Parker repertoire might be to learn some of the heads before working on his solo material.

Best,
d

[Jim Nazium]

The above post has great advice, I'd like to add a couple of things:

1) As bass players, we are very accustomed to emphasizing root notes of chords, and to playing right on beat 'one'. Horn players will put a lot more emphasis on thirds, sevenths, and extensions in their solos and will generally aviod roots. Also they often start phrases either before or after the 'one'.

2) I think one of the reasons horn players have such nice phrasing is that they have to stop to breathe. They'll play a phrase that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, then they will stop to inhale. We, on the other hand, can get carried away and play every eighth note for 64 measures, which starts to sound boring. Listen to their phrasing and try to imitate it.

[bwest9]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

2) I think one of the reasons horn players have such nice phrasing is that they have to stop to breathe. They'll play a phrase that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, then they will stop to inhale. We, on the other hand, can get carried away and play every eighth note for 64 measures, which starts to sound boring. Listen to their phrasing and try to imitate it.

Amen to this.

[PJSShearer]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

I think one of the reasons horn players have such nice phrasing is that they have to stop to breathe. They'll play a phrase that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, then they will stop to inhale. We, on the other hand, can get carried away and play every eighth note for 64 measures, which starts to sound boring. Listen to their phrasing and try to imitate it.

+ 1 A good exercise is to hum along while you're soloing and try shape you phrases to match your breathing - Oscar Peterson, the legendary pianist, used to do this all the time.

[pharmakon]

Start here:

Jamey Aebersold - A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation

[Skitch it!]

Great fluidity and dynamics, slurs and the 'breath' approach to touch, I use a few heads to try and get the frame,

Donna Lee, Straight No Chaser, Ornithology, Blues for Alice,

Standard Parker stuff, requires dexterity for the phrasing, picking the right neck position for the coverage to alleviate hand relocation I've found difficult with the Parker stuff.

Lot of touch, fluidity and dynamics involved and appropriating 'breath', great exercises, not easy though.

Edit: Sorry, should have read the op a little better, above is how to try and sound like a sax, not comp one, cha.

[capnsandwich]

Get comfortable with the chromatic scale. Learn it and learn to play it fluently. This, along with everything else said thus far.

[pasta4lnch]

fwiw I find even singing the solos helps me. gets phrasing in my head. Miles "kinda blue" really opened my eyes to a lot!

[Music_for_life]

Originally Posted by dtiii

I’ll assume that you are speaking in the stylistic context of jazz. If so, I’ll say that it may not be necessary to ask, ‘How do I solo like a sax player?’ unless you are speaking of articulation devices specific to that instrument. Applied to any instrument, there are different approaches to learning how to solo. Here is one:

Assuming that you are theoretically and/or intuitively knowledgeable, create a walking bass line using quarter notes - one note per beat. (Yes. Use a metronome and start slowly). Depending on where you are in regard to ability, this could be using a particular scale or playing over a chord progression. Once you feel comfortable with quarter notes start playing eighth notes. Play the eighth notes unbroken, meaning go as long as you can without stopping. Be patient. It’s fun to solo, but it’s also fun learning to solo. Get into the walking line and the eighth-note line. These two components are creating the foundation of your solo.

You can continue one of two ways, ideally both, once you get comfortable with unbroken eighth notes:

1) Play unbroken eighth notes periodically accenting different notes. By doing this you will begin to develop a sense of phrasing. This can be referred to as phrasing through accentuation. Listen to Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Sal Mosca. (There are others. These are the ones that pop into my head right now).

2) Insert breaks into the unbroken eighth-note line. The breaks can be as long or short as you like, just maintain the progression if you are playing over changes and also maintain the meter. This is another way to develop your sense of phrasing. Listen to Charlie Parker. (Again, there are others).

There is more, but I think that this is a solid start. Time will take care of the rest. As long as you are maintaining a practice routine that focuses in part on soloing, then you will get it going. Remember. The less time you spend on the instrument practicing the slower the progress. It really is up to you. Also keep in mind that once you commit to the practice it becomes a life-long endeavor. Reading about Sonny Rollins maintaining a practice routine well into his later years confirms the latter statement.

Lastly, the Charlie Parker Omni Book can certainly be intimidating. Bebop heads are solo-like, so a good first step into the Parker repertoire might be to learn some of the heads before working on his solo material.

Best,
d

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDmgTzlt2R0
This solo is a good example of what you are refering??

[Music_for_life]

When practising soloing I take individual chords or also progressions?
Something that I wonder is why the greats when improvising only with there instruments there solos sound so jazzy and complex, for example pat metheny talks about playing chord tones, the same jeff berlin.. They are following some progression or they are improvising freely over some chord?? I refer to the Pat metheny lesson with his student that it is on mp3..

[Phil Smith]

Don't take advice from anyone here who can't or doesn't solo like a sax player. On a more serious note, go to a sax discussion forum and do some reading and study with a sax player.

[Mike Dimin]

what you are really asking is "how do I solo like a musician?" Breaking the "I am a bass player" paradigm is the key. Study music, not bass. Listen to all soloists not just bass players. Learn all of a song. Can you play the melody, the harmony as well as the bass line? Transcribe AND analyze solos. find out not only what they are playing but why they are playing it. Get a copy of Mark Levine's Jazz Theory book (sher Publishing).

STOP thinking like a bass player

[Rudreax]

Transcribe sax solos. By far the best way IMO; if you go ahead and learn the solos yourself you can see as you're doing it how all of the things posted in this thread (now and after this post) apply.

Seriously, transcribe the solos. If you suck at doing that or can only do it badly, start practicing doing it so you can get better at it.

[Staccato]

Originally Posted by Mike Dimin

what you are really asking is "how do I solo like a musician?" Breaking the "I am a bass player" paradigm is the key. Study music, not bass. Listen to all soloists not just bass players. Learn all of a song. Can you play the melody, the harmony as well as the bass line? Transcribe AND analyze solos. find out not only what they are playing but why they are playing it. Get a copy of Mark Levine's Jazz Theory book (sher Publishing).

STOP thinking like a bass player

^This and...

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

fwiw I find even singing the solos helps me. gets phrasing in my head. Miles "kinda blue" really opened my eyes to a lot!