Essential Qualities To Have As A Jazz Musician (Part 2)
Posted by Martyn Croston on Saturday, July 7, 2012
Under: Performing Tips
Here is the second part of the qualities you should possess to be an accomplished jazz musician
5) Personal Sound
In learning the qualities you should possess in being a skilful jazz musician, it is often easy to overlook the importance of personal sound. You can possess amazing technique, display superb harmonic and melodic control in your playing, but if you do not have your own unique sound, then it can make it difficult for people to identify you as a performer. Listen to the great players and it is astonishing how many different sounds are possible, from the rich vibrato of Ben Webster on the saxophone, to the percussive piano playing of Michel Camilo.
6) Interaction Ability
To play jazz proficiently, you need to interact with the other musicians in the band. If you play with “your ears closed” and only focus on what you are playing, then you could start to sound boring, unoriginal and in the worst case, get lost in the music!
To get around this problem, really have “your ears open” when you are performing and pay attention to what the other musicians are playing. As a piano player, I try to listen to what the soloist is doing when I am comping and attempt a musical conversation with them by playing in the space. I also like to pay particular attention to the drummer and feed of their ideas or throw out some of my own to see if they respond. It makes performing in a group much more enjoyable and it really enhances your playing.
7) The Blues
As well as knowing all the advanced scales to improvise with, it is easy to forget about the blues. If you are using some sophisticated lines in your playing, it is good to mix things up every so often by throwing in some blues licks. It keeps things fresh for the listener and shows your versatility as a musician. During a solo, I often like to start with the blues and use if for half or a full chorus as it provides a nice platform to build your solo from. Alternatively, you could also try using the blues at the climax of your solo. Oscar Peterson is a master of using the blues in jazz and I highly recommend listening to his recordings, although his technique is tough to emulate!
8) Innovation
Finally, you need to demonstrate the ability to innovate and create unique musical characteristics in your playing. This is easier said than done, but the more you look back at the greats and study their playing, you can learn to create your own ideas. Indeed many of the jazz artists of recent times fuse different genres of music together to create some superb pieces of music and innovative styles.
These eight features highlight some of the key features you should possess in order to be a successful a jazz musician. I am sure there are others which I have not mentioned and if any of you can think of any, I would love to hear from you!
The willingness to improve and further your skills as a performer should never stop as there are always new pieces to learn, new people to listen to and new styles to master, which is what is so great about jazz.
Good luck and have fun practicing!
5) Personal Sound
In learning the qualities you should possess in being a skilful jazz musician, it is often easy to overlook the importance of personal sound. You can possess amazing technique, display superb harmonic and melodic control in your playing, but if you do not have your own unique sound, then it can make it difficult for people to identify you as a performer. Listen to the great players and it is astonishing how many different sounds are possible, from the rich vibrato of Ben Webster on the saxophone, to the percussive piano playing of Michel Camilo.
6) Interaction Ability
To play jazz proficiently, you need to interact with the other musicians in the band. If you play with “your ears closed” and only focus on what you are playing, then you could start to sound boring, unoriginal and in the worst case, get lost in the music!
To get around this problem, really have “your ears open” when you are performing and pay attention to what the other musicians are playing. As a piano player, I try to listen to what the soloist is doing when I am comping and attempt a musical conversation with them by playing in the space. I also like to pay particular attention to the drummer and feed of their ideas or throw out some of my own to see if they respond. It makes performing in a group much more enjoyable and it really enhances your playing.
7) The Blues
As well as knowing all the advanced scales to improvise with, it is easy to forget about the blues. If you are using some sophisticated lines in your playing, it is good to mix things up every so often by throwing in some blues licks. It keeps things fresh for the listener and shows your versatility as a musician. During a solo, I often like to start with the blues and use if for half or a full chorus as it provides a nice platform to build your solo from. Alternatively, you could also try using the blues at the climax of your solo. Oscar Peterson is a master of using the blues in jazz and I highly recommend listening to his recordings, although his technique is tough to emulate!
8) Innovation
Finally, you need to demonstrate the ability to innovate and create unique musical characteristics in your playing. This is easier said than done, but the more you look back at the greats and study their playing, you can learn to create your own ideas. Indeed many of the jazz artists of recent times fuse different genres of music together to create some superb pieces of music and innovative styles.
These eight features highlight some of the key features you should possess in order to be a successful a jazz musician. I am sure there are others which I have not mentioned and if any of you can think of any, I would love to hear from you!
The willingness to improve and further your skills as a performer should never stop as there are always new pieces to learn, new people to listen to and new styles to master, which is what is so great about jazz.
Good luck and have fun practicing!
In : Performing Tips
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Martyn Croston is a professional jazz pianist who performs at weddings and parties throughout London and the home counties. He has performed throughout the UK, USA and Russia both as a solo pianist and with numerous ensembles
