Teaching improvisation

[tim]

Hi all,
I need advice, and being primarily a bass trombonist who hasn't done any serious improv for a long time, how do I go about teaching a very committed student to get better with it? Any material I should use? I have Abersol's book 1 for her., is there anything else?
Thanks for your help.

[Savio]

I use Band In A Box. Its an app that let you choose styles. It doesn't teach us anything but we can practice with it. Used it as a tool tool to learn my student's 12 bar blues to pop music.

Leif

[Doug Elliott]

A lot depends on what she already knows or doesn't know.

1. Transcribe solos, even just short fragments. Memorize, to get away from reading.

2. Playing along with Aebersolds, play just roots, just 3rds, 5ths, 7ths. Makes you think AND hear what those degrees sound like. Start adding passing tones between them.

3. 4 note arpeggios of the chords, 2 or 3 octaves, but not starting on the root. Makes you really have to think about what the notes are when it's not always 1-3-5-7.

4 Simple improvising with restrictions - primarily 3rds, or primarily 5ths or 7ths. Make up simple patterns and apply to every chord or every bar or every two bars.

All of these things teach thinking and hearing the sounds of the chords and chord tones, and possibilities of what to do with them.

[AndrewMeronek]

2nd promotion for transcribing solos.

"Transcribing" here can mean listening to them and writing it out, but it doesn't have to. It can simply mean listening and imitating on the trombone. In fact, way more often especially for beginners, this latter idea is what it means. Imitation by ear is a HUGE part of EVERY improvisor's educational journey.

[Doug Elliott]

And just plain playing by ear...
Take any tune that she knows and have her figure it out on the horn. Then on a couple of different starting notes. Eventually in all keys.