Improvising Jazz Sax FAQ - part 1
Q. Do I need to learn about chords to improvise on sax?
A. The short answer is, of course, no. If you have a very good ear it’s possible to ‘busk’ in a melodic fashion. However, this method of improvisation is limited and most people don’t get very far without some basic chord study. Improvisations are usually based on the chord structure of a tune and known as ‘changes’.
Q. There seem to be an awful lot of chords and many of them are very complicated. Where do I start?
A. Get familiar with the basic triads (stacked 3rds). There are four types (examples given in ‘C’).
Major - C E G
Minor - C Eb G (We lower the third)
Diminished - C Eb Gb (We lower the third x fifth)
Augmented - C E G# (We raise the fifth)
Then add the seventh.
Dominant 7th. (C7) - C E G Bb
Minor 7th (Cm7) - C Eb G Bb
Most early jazz players rarely used more chords than those above and kept to easy keys. These were usually flat keys, used for the benefit of the ‘blowers’ - trumpet, sax and clarinet in Bb (the key of Bb on piano is C for tenor sax and G for alto sax).
Q. What is the best kind of music to start with?
A. In my opinion, the twelve bar blues. Try this sequence:
C / / / | F7 / / / | C / / / | C7 / / / |
F7 / / / | / / / / | C / / / | / / / / |
G7 / / / | F7 / / / | C / / / | / / / / |
If you play alone (always better to play with others though) enter above chords into a MIDI sequencer such as Band In A Box and cycle them round. Improvise with just the root notes to begin with. When you feel comfortable, add the other notes.
Q. I’ve worked out the chord tones and everything fits but the result seems rather mechanical, not like jazz at all. How do I loosen things up?
A. Imagine you are singing. If you think about it, that’s what we do when we improvise. If you can sing a line, you can probably play it too.
Invent simple rhythmic motifs and repeat them in different measures using different notes. Find places where a chord tone is common to the chord in the next measure and hold a note across the bar.
Q. You often mention the Blues Scale. Can I use it here?
A. Yes. Use C, Eb, F, F#, G, Bb, C. These notes will fit all the above chord changes. Avoid lingering too long on the non-chord tones when using this scale. For example, holding F# against a chord of C for longer than a beat may sound unpleasant. In Part Two, I’ll be looking at how to introduce non-chord notes into your solos.
Any questions? Do you have something to say on the subject of improvisation? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.
