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- Write out a two-chorus solo on the 12-Bar Blues Form. Use some of the approaches offered in this Module. Record yourself playing over one of the Play-A-Longs provided.
- Transcribe a melody from the Blues Playlist. Listen to, sing along with, and learn on your instrument the melody notes and rhythms. Use this melody as a starting point when improvising. Can you play the same rhythm but different notes? Same notes but different rhythms?
- Transcribe an improvised solo from the Blues Playlist. Choose someone who plays your instrument. Or not!
*A Note on Transcribing Recordings*
If you are new to jazz, the phrase “transcription” may also be new. To transcribe recorded music is to listen to it (often over and over again) so that you can sing the melodic and rhythmic lines in unison with the recording. Once you can sing it with the recording, try to find the notes and rhythms on your instrument. Some folks write down their work, others do not. It can be frustrating at first, but progress is made through the process of this aural learning. Developing the ability to “hear it, sing it, play it” is an essential one. It may take some time to develop your own personal style of transcribing, but as you practice this skill it will get easier. Choosing what music or which artist to transcribe is often the first hurdle. Many folks choose music too difficult or too fast or too dense – accessibility is key to faster development. If you choose a very difficult-to-hear solo that takes hours and hours and days and weeks to learn…that is not ideal. Please refer to the playlists provided in this text as a starting point. Whatever your hesitation to start transcribing, just take it one measure at a time, or one phrase at a time. Just being!
Refer to the Play-A-Longs
Bass Only
Drums Only
Bass and Drums
Piano and Drums
Full Rhythm