Advance Music

Sinopse Original:

In Beyond Time and Changes, acclaimed jazz trombonist, pianist, composer, arranger, teacher and author Hal Crook offers a methodology to guide the advancing improviser through the un-chartered musical territory known as free jazz.

Beyond Time and Changes shows improvisers how to prepare for soloing and comping in free settings by exploring the issues of musical accuracy, musicality and continuity (motive development) on form, and then reveals how to create structure and order within free settings by using the known to navigate the unknown.

With the aid of lucid explanations, concise musical examples, practical exercises, solo transcriptions and a compelling demonstration CD featuring 17 performances by the author and a stellar rhythm section, Beyond Time and Changes solves the mystery long associated with how to make free improvisation make sense-without losing your freedom in the process.

By Hal Crook Website:

Beyond Time and Changes offers a methodology to guide the advancing jazz improviser through the un-chartered musical territory known as free jazz.

Beyond Time and Changes explores numerous musical topics, including:  motive development, through-composed line, compositional direction, tension/release, continuity, balance, pacing, impact, dimension, self-critique, rhythmic pulse, exercise design, chord transformation, micro and macro views, leading and following, form and free settings, interpreting musical signals, group performance scenarios, melody-guided constant structure, interactive and supportive comping.

Addressing the inherent contradiction in explaining how to play free, Hal writes in Beyond Time and Changes:

"Free improvisation is only as free as the musician doing it.  If the goal, then, is to be free while playing free, we must first know and understand what it is we are trying to be free, and play free, from.  In other words, we must know and understand form (time and changes), so we can then forget about it-without forgetting it-while we play free.

"Musical improvisation began and evolved as an art form played in time (tempo and meter) and on changes (chord progressions), thereby making form an integral part of its nature.  Once acquired, a thorough understanding of the elements of form and the rules that govern them can be used to guide our improvising in free settings, giving us the option (or choice) of creating order or disorder.

"As improvisers, we cannot declare our musical freedom from form if we have never learned it in the first place-only our ignorance.  Ignorant of form and the methods used to learn it we get only accident and chance (i.e., disorder); and without a choice, true freedom is impossible.  Genuinely free improvisation does not result from (or depend on) our ignorance of method and form-but, rather, our mastery and transcendence of it. 

"The path to artistic freedom is paved with method and form; method and form must be used to go beyond method and form; and therefore, a system for learning how to play free-based on observation, analysis, logic and even rules-has definite purpose and value.  After all, instructing oneself to improvise without rules is itself a rule."

Beyond Time and Changes shows improvisers how to prepare for soloing and comping in free settings by exploring the issues of musical accuracy, musicality and continuity (motive development) on form, and then reveals how to create structure and order within free settings by using the known to navigate the unknown.

With the aid of lucid explanations, concise musical examples, practical exercises, solo transcriptions, and a compelling demonstration CD featuring 17 performances by the author and a stellar rhythm section, Beyond Time and Changes solves the mystery long associated with how to make free improvisation make sense-without losing your freedom in the process.

Reviews:

"Deep in the mind of this legendary musician, composer and teacher lies profound thoughts and ideas about true creative freedom and how to reach it.  Hal's book and CD says it all.  Go for it, Hal!  I only have a few idols, and you are all of them!"

George Garzone (saxophone)
Professor, Berklee College of Music

Bob Brookmeyer

"Hal Crook's Beyond Time and Changes is the ultimate literature on improvisation. This book will deeply stimulate the artistic approach of the modern, creative musician. The demo CD is proof positive; Hal is the chief of improvisation!"

Frank Mobus (guitar)
Professor, Hoschule f. Musik "Franz Liszt"
Weimar, Germany

"In Beyond Time and Changes, Hal Crook brings back what improvisation is all about:  developing ideas and musical interaction.  His demonstrations command and convince.  This book is a 'must have' for professional musicians, students and educators."

Ed Tomassi (saxophone)
Professor, Berklee College of Music

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments 9

Author's Notes 11

Part 1: Doing It All - The Challenge Of Free Jazz 13

Form And Free 13

Form Then Free 14

Doing It All 15

Consistency And Gigs 16

Imitate - Assimilate - Innovate 17

Form Within The Formless 19

Oh - Ah - Ooo! 20

Part 2: Preparation 21

General Considerations: Accuracy - Musicality - Continuity 21

Terms and Definitions:What We Mean by What We Say 23

Improvise 23

Solo 23

Comp 23

Tempo 23

Meter 23

Time 24

Changes (Also Harmonic Rhythm) 24

Time and Changes 24

Form (Song Form) 25

Harmonic And Non-Harmonic Tones 25

Free 26

Free In Tempo 26

Free In Time 26

Free On Form 26

Rhythmic Pulse 27

Content (What To Play) 28

Execution (How To Play) 28

Phrase 28

Phrasing 30

Micro-View And Macro-View 30

Rest 31

Pacing 32

Motive 33

Multi-Motive Phrase 34

Vocabulary 35

Compositional Direction (Time and Changes, Imitation, Contrast) 36

Thematic Material 37

Continuity 37

Through-Composed (Contrast) 38

Original Motive 39

Motive Development (Imitation) 39

Motive Development Techniques 41

Combining Motive Development Techniques 48

Balance 56

Tension and Release 57

Impact 57

Dimension 58

Constant Structure 59

Melody-Guided Constant Structure Comping 60

Chord Transformation 61

Accuracy 62

Musicality 62

Part 3: Exercises 63

Exercise Design 64

Selecting Topics to Practice 64

Creating Performance Instructions 65

Forming Musical Contexts (Form And Free Settings) 67

Example Exercises 68

Self-Critique 70

Improvising On Form 70

Improvising In Free Settings 72

Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction 72

Improvisation Exercises 74

Through-Composed (Contrast) 74

Motive Development (Imitation) 78

Compositional Direction (Time and Changes, Imitation, Contrast) 82

Rhythmic Pulse 85

Supportive and Interactive Comping 87

Pacing 88

Part 4: Perfomance Scenarios 91

Performance Instructions For Motive Development 92

Create the Theme 92

Establish the Theme 92

Embellish the Theme 93

Recapitulate the Theme 93

Controlling the Process of Development 94

Changing The Compositional Direction (Time and Changes, Imitation, Contrast) 94

Comping Considerations (Also For Soloists) 95

Supportive and Interactive Comping 95

Interpreting Musical Signals 97

Pacing (Playing and Resting) 98

The Advancing Accompanist 98

Topics to Balance 101

Practicing On Form And In Free Settings 102

Form 102

Free 102

Contents

6

Beyond Time and Changes

Suggested Tune List For Performance Scenarios #1-8 On Form 103

Performance Scenarios #1-8: Form And Free Settings 104

1. Soloist Trades With Accompaniment 104

Trombone Solo Transcription 105

2. Developed Solo With Standard Accompaniment 111

Trombone Solo Transcription (Free) 112

Trombone Solo Transcription (Form) 113

Piano Solo Transcription (Form) 114

3. Through-Composed Solo, Standard Accompaniment 115

Trombone Solo Transcription 116

4. Through-Composed Solo With Developed Accompaniment 117

5. Double Theme Solo With Standard Accompaniment 118

Trombone Solo Transcription 119

Bass Solo Transcription 120

Drums Solo Transcription 121

6. Simultaneous Through-Composed Solos 122

7. Simultaneous Developed Solos 122

8. Form - Free On Form - Free 123

Trombone Solo Transcription 124

Performance Scenarios #9-15: Free Settings Only 128

Free Settings 128

Free Scenario Design 128

Summary System 128

Leading And Following 129

Playing With And Without A Leader 130

9. Player Leads, Band Follows (#1) 131

10. Player Leads, Band Follows (#2) 131

11. Player Leads, Player Follows (#1) 132

12. Player Leads, Player Follows (#2) 132

13. Bands Within A Band (#1) 133

14. Bands Within A Band (#2) 133

15. Bands Within A Band (#3) 134

Combining Performance Scenarios In Free Settings 134

Part 5: Demonstration CD 137

CD Tracks And Contents 137

About The Recording Session 138

About The Demonstration Performances 139

About The Players 149

Books 150

Recordings 153

Reviews 154