Jazz is the music of American black slaves. Initially, the theme of the songs was borrowed from the Bible, especially the Egyptian captivity of the Jews and the exodus (liberation) were mentioned. The very same music in many ways contradicts the classical European canons: it contains a lot of dissonances, syncopation, parallelisms and other liberties.
Instructions
Step 1
Play the theme once, strictly according to the notes. During the rehearsal at this stage, there is simply an acquaintance with the melody: its rhythm, harmony, interval composition. Determine the harmony, tonality, steps. Note the characteristic features of the rhythm.
Step 2
In the second performance, improvisation is added to the jazz piece. Unlike a classical piece, where everything is strictly verified and known in advance, a jazz musician, in particular a guitarist, has the right not only to change the tempo and dynamics, but even the melody itself: turning a four-beat melody into a three-beat one (swing or shuffle), crushing sixteenths, hums, melismas … In the beginning, improvise only on the basis of the melody, without changing the chord basis. Play non-chord sounds, change the rhythm. For example, if the original melody consists of eighth notes, break them into sixteenth notes, and play additional notes in the resulting intervals (pauses).
Step 3
Learn all the guitar tricks. Combine finger and pick techniques to achieve a softer or brighter sound; learn to play slides, bends, grace notes, vibrato and other decorations. The development of these skills is no longer associated with creativity, but with stubborn mechanical labor, but by accustoming your hands to the correct execution of complex passages, you can apply them in improvisation. Improvisation, based only on the fragmentation of durations, looks wretched and monotonous.
Step 4
Hear and watch other musicians play. The method used by academic performers is especially effective: look at the score while listening. Compare notes and sound, note discrepancies. Memorize techniques and effects. Copy them and add something of your own to the "overheard" technique.
