Brian's Big Band Theories
Theory 1 - Why Big Band Music is Successful
- It appeals to all age groups - it is fun to play, listen to, and often suitable for dancing!
- There is great scope for contrasting timbres (sounds) and textures (combinations)
- There is great scope for contrasting dynamics, although loud is favourite!
- There is a good balance between musicians' individuality and inter-dependence
- There is a good balance between written arrangement and improvisation
- There is a back-catalogue of nearly a century's innovation and excellence in the genre, including some fantastic recordings
- Charts are easily accessible on line and relatively inexpensive
Theory 2 - Levels of "Together-ness"
Level 5 FUSION Together as one voice, in the groove of every phrase
Level 4 COHESION Together on the strong, weak and off-beats
Level 3 CO-ORDINATION Together on the strong beats
Level 2 CO-OPERATION Together in the same place, looking at the same piece
Level 1 CO-EXISTENCE Having our own instrument and skill, doing our own thing
Level 5 FUSION Together as one voice, in the groove of every phrase
Level 4 COHESION Together on the strong, weak and off-beats
Level 3 CO-ORDINATION Together on the strong beats
Level 2 CO-OPERATION Together in the same place, looking at the same piece
Level 1 CO-EXISTENCE Having our own instrument and skill, doing our own thing
Theory 3 - Using The Senses to Stay Together
FEEL the metronomic bass resonating inside your body
LISTEN to the drummer's swinging cymbal, your own section leader and the whole band
WATCH your sheet music, but keep the rest of the band in your peripheral vision
TASTE the top-quality biscuits and SMELL the coffee as you chat with friends in the break!
Theory 4 - How to Approach Improvised Solos
LISTEN to loads of examples of top musicians improvising - just a few suggestions:
Sax - Coleman Hawkins; Lester Young; Charlie Parker (pioneer of improvising from the chords)
Trumpet - Louis Armstrong; Bix Beiderbecke; Dizzy Gillespie
Trombone - Glenn Miller; Tommy Dorsey; Quincy Jones
Piano - Count Basie; Duke Ellington; Thelonius Monk
Drums - Jo Jones; Chick Webb; Buddy Rich
Vocals - Bessie Smith; Billie Holiday; Ella Fitzgerald
DECIDE which way of thinking suits you best - melodic development, thinking in chords, thinking in scales or modes, or not thinking and trusting your instinct!
ENJOY expressing your feelings, emotions or story
Theory 5 - Notation is a Servant, not a Master
If you are ever tempted to be pedantic about notation in swing music, try to remember that since equal note divisions like quavers are nearly always "swung", we are already looking at notation through a lens - we have already added a level of instinctive interpretation. Add to this the idea that most notated Jazz is an attempt to encode phrases that were first played live or in someone's imagination in a very free and syncopated genre, and you begin to see that notation is at best a guide. The best way to respond to the notation in ensemble passages is to try and find the intended rhythmic feel (if possible from the composer/arranger's original recordings) and make sure you are sitting in that groove together with your section leader and everyone else with the same rhythm. If there is a lyrical quality to the phrase, consider having everyone thinking of the same words. Anything else falls short of the tightness required in big band arrangement - leave your personal "jazzing up" of phrases for solos!
Theory 6 - Plateau Theory
If you are ever tempted to be pedantic about notation in swing music, try to remember that since equal note divisions like quavers are nearly always "swung", we are already looking at notation through a lens - we have already added a level of instinctive interpretation. Add to this the idea that most notated Jazz is an attempt to encode phrases that were first played live or in someone's imagination in a very free and syncopated genre, and you begin to see that notation is at best a guide. The best way to respond to the notation in ensemble passages is to try and find the intended rhythmic feel (if possible from the composer/arranger's original recordings) and make sure you are sitting in that groove together with your section leader and everyone else with the same rhythm. If there is a lyrical quality to the phrase, consider having everyone thinking of the same words. Anything else falls short of the tightness required in big band arrangement - leave your personal "jazzing up" of phrases for solos!
Theory 6 - Plateau Theory
How good can a musical ensemble get?
Let's start with the shape of an improvement curve - steep to begin with, then levelling off until a plateau is reached.
In other words, it is much easier to get from average to good than it is to get from excellent to awesome!
I recently saw a documentary where Michael Vaughan (former England cricket captain, now commentator) was speaking to the next generation of elite players. He espoused a kind of plateau theory to show the difference between the progress you make when you work on your weaknesses as well as practising your strengths (steep upward graph) and just working on strengths (flat graph). We can also deduce that working only on your weaknesses would soon slow down overall progress as you would become de-motivated and less confident.
In any musical ensemble, a plateau is reached when just one member stops improving.
So, what are the enemies of improvement and progress? Here are some:
Not turning up
Not communicating
Not practising
Arrogance ("I know it all!")
Complacency ("I'm good enough!")
Sloppy playing
Being intimidated by other people's talent
Incompetent sound engineers (can make a sow's ear out of your silky sounds)
Prima Donna Syndrome ("It's all about me!")
.....and some solutions:
Turn up or communicate about why you can't
Keep practising and commit to life-long learning
Take responsibility for every aspect of the notes you play - articulation, pitch and tuning, tone, dynamics.....
See note ends as important as note starts
With great talent comes great responsibility, but the amount of natural talent is the one thing we can't change - what matters most is not the measure of talent, but how hard you work with what you've got!
Only entrust competent and humble sound engineers (who also have a musical ear) with your valuables. Good ones can make a silk purse out of your silky playing
Remember there's no "I" in "Team"
In our band, the most important musicians are not the ones the audience notices, nor the ones they don't. In our band, the most important musicians are the audience!
"I'm getting to grips with swing and playing in the upper register" (band member comment)
Theory 7 - Anyone Can Improve!
Here are 10 ways it can happen:
* Practise regularly - anything from 10 minutes to 3 hours a day is beneficial, but why not use a short term goal to determine the length of the session, i.e practise until you can play certain phrases
* Start, resume or continue lessons with someone who can do (or at least explain clearly) what you want to be able to do
* Play with other musicians as often as you can to improve your sight reading and sense of ensemble
* Set yourself a medium term goal, such as a grade exam or public performance
* Listen to live and recorded performances by quality exponents of your instrument (and other instruments)
* Learn and practise some Konnakol-style rhythm patterns you can recite at times that would otherwise be unfruitful
* Find a learning buddy so you can spur each other on when your own motivation is lacking
* Practise along with backing tracks (Music Minus One etc) so the total sound is more satisfying
* Use recording technology to monitor your progress and focus on quality
* Study the styles you are playing to better understand the context and interpret the music
Here are 10 ways it can happen:
* Practise regularly - anything from 10 minutes to 3 hours a day is beneficial, but why not use a short term goal to determine the length of the session, i.e practise until you can play certain phrases
* Start, resume or continue lessons with someone who can do (or at least explain clearly) what you want to be able to do
* Play with other musicians as often as you can to improve your sight reading and sense of ensemble
* Set yourself a medium term goal, such as a grade exam or public performance
* Listen to live and recorded performances by quality exponents of your instrument (and other instruments)
* Learn and practise some Konnakol-style rhythm patterns you can recite at times that would otherwise be unfruitful
* Find a learning buddy so you can spur each other on when your own motivation is lacking
* Practise along with backing tracks (Music Minus One etc) so the total sound is more satisfying
* Use recording technology to monitor your progress and focus on quality
* Study the styles you are playing to better understand the context and interpret the music
Theory 8 - "Dep and Prep"
“Deps and Preps” is way of describing a common sense approach to securing the present and future of the band. In an ideal world, each position in the band has a “Dep” (who can sit in for you when you can’t do a gig) and a “Prep” (a less experienced player being prepared for the role and involved where possible).