This page contains my jazz improvisation recordings from 2007. As you'll hear below, these jazz recordings feature such highlights as cracked notes, poor note choice, unsteady rhythm, and meandering phrases! And that's why recording myself is so important. It's the best way to evaluate my playing and to chart my progress over time. I don't expect that I'll ever become a great jazz trumpet player, but I am anxious to hear how much better I can get with practice. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

All of my jazz improvisation recordings: 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2022

NOVEMBER 6, 2007

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #108 - "Isotope" by Joe Henderson

So, what do you think of the cool record groove effect that I added to this track? It really gives a nice vintage quality to the recording, don't you think? Ok, ok, I know it sounds terrible... I wish it was something I had control over, but recently my computer has been adding those popping sounds everytime I try to record. I thought I fixed it last week, but obviously it's still really bad. I hesitated putting this clip online at all, but I figure it's better than nothing.

JULY 7, 2007

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #34 - "Just Friends" by John Klenner

This is my second recording of "Just Friends." My first attempt was in 2004 (iwasdoingallright - audio clip here is the 2004 clip). As you'll hear in the new recording, my solo has a similar lead in and rhythmic pattern as my 2004 recording. I guess I've listened to my original recording a few too many times...

I think this new recording is a good indicator of the progress I've made over the years. My range is definitely stronger in this new clip as is my ability to play by ear. Thanks to ear training, I'm now better able to hear my way around the chord changes and I'm hitting more of the interesting notes. If perhaps I didn't mess up that ascending run near the end, it might have been one of my best solos yet.

MAY 18, 2007

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #34 - "My Secret Love" by Mitchell Parish & Bobby Sherwood

Tonight was my first time playing along to this Aebersold track. As is often the case with the audio clips I share, this was one of my last recording attempts for the night and my chops were really tired. You can hear the fatigue in the thinness of the higher notes. While those high notes sound pretty weak, I'm at least glad to have hit them at all.

As far as the solo goes, the tempo was a bit fast for me, especially since I was totally unfamiliar with the tune. But, I think I managed to keep up and play an ok jazz trumpet solo.

MAY 3, 2007

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Clip #1 - Aebersold #25 - "A Foggy Day" by George Gershwin

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Clip #2 - Aebersold #25 - "A Foggy Day" by George Gershwin

Above you'll find two clips of me soloing on "A Foggy Day." Each clip illustrates a different approach to the tune. The first clip has a quite a lot of notes (too many, if you ask me) which fill most of the space. The second clip, however, begins with short phrases with some space in between them. It then builds as it moves into quarter notes and finally it ends with a simple eighth-note riff. While it's not the best solo I've ever played, I do think the second clip illustrates a decent approach to playing up-tempo tunes when you're fingers aren't ready/willing/able to play a bunch of eighth notes. A few notes with some rhythmic interest can go a long way...

MARCH 30, 2007

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #33 - "Footprints" by Wayne Shorter

Here's my first recording of 2007. It's a short one, but I figure it's better than nothing.

This is my second posted recording of Footprints. The first clip appears in my Learning to Improvise - Motifs article. The first recording is mostly for demonstration purposes, so it's pretty easy for me to say I prefer this newer clip.

I receive quite a few emails from people who are just getting started with ear training. Usually they've read a few of my ear training articles and they might have even tried one of my free online ear training tools. They're eager to improve their ability to play by ear, however they're also frustrated by their early attempts at ear training. The simplest of intervals elude them and chords sounds like a mishmash of notes. At this early stage it's easy to give up and so they wonder: do we need to be born with the ability to play by ear, or can we really learn it through practice?

I think it's natural for people to wonder if the ability to play by ear can actually be learned, especially when you consider how few people seem to have the ability. In an average high school band program, for example, the vast majority of students can't play anything accurately by ear. They might be capable instrumentalists, but they can't play any music unless it's written down. I was one of these students myself. When I was in high school, I just assumed that everyone depended upon written music (unless they memorized the written notes). I had no idea I was musically-challenged!

It wasn't until I was a junior in high school that I finally encountered somebody who could play anything perfectly by ear. I discovered his ability one day while I was rehearsing a tricky spot in one of my solo pieces. He was standing about ten feet away from me, listening to me play the same three or four measures over and over again. When I stopped to take a break he picked up his trombone and played the exact passage I had been playing, and it was perfect. I asked him how he was able to figure out the notes without reading the music and he stated simply, “I don't know how I do it, I just can.” Shortly thereafter I then tried to play by ear a few times myself but failed miserably. I couldn't even get close to the right pitches. In the end I figured it was something you had to be born with so I stopped trying. Boy do I wish I hadn't given up...

As I discussed in an earlier ear training article, I believe the reason that most of us cannot play by ear stems from our music education. Most of the people I knew in middle and high school learned how to play their instruments the same way I learned, in concert band class. From day one, everything we were ever asked to play was written down and we never bothered trying to play anything unless we had written music to read from. Unfortunately, since we didn't try to play by ear that ability was never developed and we ended up with poor aural skills. While band classes churn out loads of students who are similarly dependent upon written music, there is a relatively large group of musicians who can play well by ear precisely because they learned to play WITHOUT reading music all the time. To which group of instrumentalists am I referring? Well, I suppose you might guess from the picture... I'm saluting those who are about to rock: guitarists.

When I attended music school in college, I was surprised to discover that almost all of the guitarists that I knew could play very well by ear. There were plenty of occasions where they'd hear a melodic passage and within seconds they'd be playing it perfectly on their guitar. Similarly, they could listen to a tune for the first time and readily figure out all of the chords by ear. I'm not saying every guitarist can play well by ear, but in my experience all of the good ones could play at least fairly well by ear. By comparison, all of the good trumpet players I knew couldn't play well by ear. In fact, most of the trumpet players and other concert band instrumentalists that I knew in college couldn't play much of anything by ear. So, why were the guitarists so much better at playing by ear? It would have been too much of a coincidence to suggest that they were all born with the ability. No, that wasn't it. They were better because that's how they learned to play.

Guitarists are a great example of how the ability to play by ear can indeed be learned. While us band class students were only playing stuff that was written down, guitarists were learning tunes and riffs by ear from day one. Imagine the budding guitarist who wants to learn the solo from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." Believe it or not, there was a once a time when he or she couldn't readily access the full score to that solo (the horror!). Instead, the "Stairway..." solo had to be learned entirely by ear, note for note, while listening to the original recording over and over. Similarly, if you wanted to learn the Hendrix intro to “Hey Joe,” you didn't look at sheet music. You learned directly from the recording. This continual process of learning from recordings would gradually improve one's ability to play by ear, making each successive tune easier to pick up. In time the ability to play by ear becomes second-nature. Coincidentally, learning by ear is also how the early jazz musicians learned to play jazz. It really is the best way to develop strong aural skills and those lucky guitarists just stumbled into it!

It's funny to me how the band geeks (French horn and trumpet players, I'm looking at you) get all high and mighty about how they're real musicians because they can read music and because they play serious stuff like John Philip Sousa marches and tunes by Aaron Copeland, yet it's those devoted guitarists who are more actively developing the skills required to become real musicians. To be fair, though, guitarists do have an advantage. As a guitarist you can't help but want to learn all of the riffs and solos of your favorite rock songs. After all, you hear those songs all the time and the lead instrument is the same thing you play: dude, the guitar! And due to the fact that those riffs aren't all written down for you, you're pretty much forced to learn them by ear. As a French horn player, however, you'll probably NEVER hear your instrument in popular music so you're much less likely want to pick up your horn and emulate something you hear on the radio. That's too bad for us band geeks. We missed out on a lot of free ear training practice. The good news is that it's never too late to start learning to play by ear.

Before I go, I would like to encourage the young guitarists of today to resist the urge to learn tunes from the abundant online tab archives. Sure, it's easier to play something if you've got all the notes in front of you, but doing so will make you a music-dependent band geek just like the rest of us. And that's not rock and roll at all...

ADDITIONAL READING

For more information about ear training and jazz improvisation, as well as introductions to my ear training tools, check out my Learning to Improvise - Ear Training article.

All of my anniversary articles: 2 years - 3 years - 4 years - 5 years - 6 years - 7 years - 9 years - 10 years - 11 years - 12 years - 13 years - 15 years

I recently completed my 5th year of playing the trumpet since returning to the instrument, so here's my five-year anniversary article.

RANGE AND ENDURANCE

In last year's anniversary article, I wrote that my playable range had extended up to a Bb above the staff. Since that time, those Bb's have been getting easier and easier. Even better, I'm now able to hit a high C or two with relative ease each day when improvising. I've yet to include any of those C's in my jazz trumpet recordings, but hopefully they'll make an appearance in the not too distant future. Some of you may wonder what all the fuss is about, but given my struggles with range, a high C is definitely something to be happy about.

One thing I've noticed with the C's is that it's still difficult for me to hear them in my head when improvising. For that matter, it's even hard for me to hear a B (natural) above the staff. To clarify, I can certainly hear these notes if somebody else plays them, and I can hear them when I play them on my horn, but I have trouble hearing them in my head BEFORE I play them. This makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that for the past 4+ years I couldn't play higher than a Bb when improvising. My ears and my brain simply aren't used to the hearing higher notes in my solos and they're not used to thinking of these notes as viable playing options. I know it's just a matter of conditioning and in time I'll be able to hear high C's in my head, but I think it's an interesting phenomenon nonetheless.

I don't have much to report regarding endurance. My endurance had definitely improved over the last year, but I can still tire myself out quickly if I revert to my old habit of using too much mouthpiece pressure.

FINDING TIME TO PRACTICE

In my "Comeback Journey" article, I wrote that finding time to practice is one of the biggest challenges facing most comeback players. Well, time has definitely been taking its toll on me lately. Since my first practice session begins at 7:30am, I'm usually able to practice fundamentals. More often than not, I can get in an ear training session as well. But lately, my after-work jazz improvisation session has been nearly impossible to squeeze in. For example, I recently went two weeks in a row with less than 30 minutes of jazz improvisation practice. It's awfully hard to improve when averaging just two minutes a day of practice! While those two weeks were an exception to the norm, my workload still makes it difficult for me to get in sufficient practice time. At least I am improving and I suppose any rate of improvement should be welcomed.

EAR TRAINING

Speaking of improvement, I continue to make great strides with my daily ear training practice. Last year I wrote that I was using my ear training tool to play 7-note melodies by ear at 150bpm. Thanks to my new "Jazz Lick" melody option, I'm now playing 8- and 9-note melodies by ear at 150bpm or higher. I give the jazz licks a lot of credit for this advancement since they provide a somewhat familiar (i.e. not totally random) melody which is easier to remember. Since the melody is easier to remember than totally random notes, I can spend more effort on playing by ear and less effort on trying to remember what the melody sounded like in the first place. I still practice totally random melodies in my ear training sessions, however, just to keep things fresh.

I've also spent more time improvising with my ear training tool. I'll use the R(hythm)Section feature to generate random major and minor II-V-I progressions of 48 measures in length. I then start the ear training so it's playing around 100bpm or slower. Without looking at the key, I then listen and sing notes that fit in with the key. From there, I might do a little vocal improvisation (scat singing) or I'll just pick up my horn and improvise by ear. The important thing is that I sing each note to myself before I play it. I might not always play the right notes on my horn and I might not always sing notes that fit in perfectly, but at least I'm trying to do so. By consciously forcing myself to hear first, then play, I'm ensuring that I'm truly using my ears to guide my playing rather than relying on pre-learned patterns or theory.

In last year's anniversary blog entry, I mentioned that I have good days and bad days with ear training. On good days, my ear training sessions are a breeze. I can play most of the exercises perfectly by ear and I feel great about my progress. On bad days, my ear struggles to lock in on pitches and I make lots of mistakes. Well, after another year of practice I still have some bad days, but at least they are becoming fewer and farther between. Also the magnitude of the mistakes I make on those bad days is less severe. Where I might have once missed 50% of my attempts to play by ear, I now miss about 30% or less. And, more importantly, I'm now much less hard on myself on those bad days. If I do make a mistake, I shrug it off and continue to practice. It's been about 3.5 years now since I started to practice ear training daily, and I've now got the perspective to know that bad days are just part of the journey. As long as I continue to make forward progress in my ability to play by ear (and I certainly do!), there's no need to worry about a few speed bumps along the way.

MY JOURNEY THUS FAR

I still have a long way to go but I'm finally reaching a point where I feel like it's all starting to come together. Sure, my rate of progression isn't as fast as I'd like, but during these past five years I've made some great improvements in my playing, my ability to play by ear, and in my overall musicianship. It's been a great journey thus far and I can't wait to hear myself five years from now!

PLAY BY EAR - SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

In my Learning to Improvise series and elsewhere on this site, I've written about the importance of ear training and the ability to play by ear. I firmly believe that the ability to play by ear is an essential skill for quality jazz improvisation. Put simply, if you can't play well by ear you'll never be able to play the ideas in your head. You might be able to get by as a "lick" player, playing one pre-learned jazz lick after another, but that's not what I'd call quality jazz improvisation.

While I'm totally confident about my belief in the importance of playing by ear, I'm sure some readers of this site would appreciate a little more evidence before they begin to ear training seriously. After all, I'm by no means a great player (my jazz recordings are testament to that fact) and I certainly don't have a degree in music or music education (I dropped out!). With these facts in mind, it's perfectly understandable that some of you approach my views with skepticism.

To add some additional credibility to my views about ear training and playing by ear, I've created this ongoing article. Here, I'll feature interviews and articles where professional (jazz) musicians and educators discuss the importance of playing by ear. With any luck, their views (along with my own) will give you the confidence and motivation you need to start learning to play by ear. And when you are ready to start, be sure to try my free ear training tools.

If you have any articles you'd like me to add to this page, please send me a message.

ROY HARGROVE
Jazz Trumpeter

Excerpt:

Richard Scheinin: What do you teach the young players who come under your wing?

Roy Hargrove: I tell them 99 percent of this whole game is about ear training. You have to be able to hear the music and play it on the spot. You don't get a chance to go home and work on it.

Full Article:

mercurynews.com, December 26, 2012

ROY HARGROVE
Jazz Trumpeter

Excerpt:

Don't sleep on the ear training, because if you can play what you hear, you're about halfway there. Most of the time when people hire you, they just want to know if you can play what you hear. Leaders don't want to have to bother with writing out a lot of music. They want to be able to give you a recording of something, you listen to it, and then you know it. That's basically what they are paying you to do.

Full Article:

jazztimes.com, December 2008

DAVE DOUGLAS
Jazz Trumpeter, Educator

Excerpt:

Ear training is the most valuable training for any musician, and maybe most of all for an improviser. Improvisation puts a musician on the spot in unpredictable ways -- you have only your ears to help you learn what's going on and decide how to respond to events or initiate them. Basically ear training underlies anything a musician does: melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, form, density, community (who you are playing with), legacy (how you choose to deal, or not deal, with the traditions of music). You name it -- to be handled fully it has got to be heard deeply and accurately. It's as simple as focused hearing.

Full Article:

greenleafmusic.com blog, July 7, 2008

STEVE VAI
Rock Guitarist

Article Excerpt:

I could never overstate the importance of a musician's need to develop his or her ear. Actually, I believe that developing a good "inner ear" -- the art of being able to decipher musical components solely through listening -- is the most important element in becoming a good musician.

Full Article:

Guitar World, March 3, 2016

JIMMY BRUNO
Jazz Guitarist

Excerpts:

JB: A lot of people suffer from the misconception that you begin by thinking, 'If I play these notes over this chord then I'll make some music.' First you make the music and then, later, sure go ahead and analyze it, but it should only be after the fact, after the music's been played

JB: You have to break free from thinking about a certain scale over a certain chord and you have to listen to what you're playing to really understand the nature of the instrument. I find people sometimes are just moving their fingers and not really listening. -Rick's note: this is definitely one of problems with knowing theory but not knowing how to play by ear. You end up rambling your way from one safe note to the other but you don't how things will sound until after each note comes out.

JB: ...the other point I want to make, is that with all the 'real books' and 'fake books' available today, while people learn tunes from them, you can never develop an ear for music with them. If people learn music from CDs they have to really listen, to hear the music. When I was younger we'd all play records over and over again and figure out what the guitarist was playing -- note by note. It really doesn't take that long if you sit down with a CD player and figure out music the old way. Within two years, most people would have developed a fairly good ear. The education thing is a double-edged sword. The books are great sources for people who can already play guitar, but I think they're a detriment to someone just starting out...

Full Article:

modernguitars.com, February 3, 2005

In addition to stressing the importance of using your ear, Jimmy also touches upon motifs, note limiting, and the importance of learning by listening. It's well worth the read.

CHASE SANBORN
Jazz Trumpeter, Educator

Excerpts:

CS: The jazz musician needs two basic abilities in order to improvise a solo: You must be able to play what you hear. You must be able to hear something worth playing.

CS: Ideally, all music should be taught by ear. Explaining to a student that a C7 (b9) chord calls for a diminished scale is virtually useless until she not only recognizes the sound of that chord and scale, but also has heard it used in context. Every day you should learn something by ear, simply trying to reproduce on your instrument what you hear. This is the way all the great jazz musicians learned to play, and even today, when most jazz musicians have had the benefit of jazz education, most will tell you that they really learned to improvise by listening and copying, rather than by reading jazz improv texts or practicing scales and patterns.

Full Article:

trumpetguild.org youth site

I have to say, when I first read this article by Chase Sanborn I was really surprised to discover the importance that he places on playing by ear. The surprising part wasn't the message itself (since I obviously agree with it), but rather I was surprised by the person delivering it. I say this because I've read Chase's book "Jazz Tactics: Jazz Explained" from cover to cover and not once does he even remotely mention the importance of ear training or playing by ear. Not once! Instead, it's just another book on theory. This is a real shame since I know "Jazz Tactics" is a favorite among many beginning jazz musicians, especially trumpet players. All of those people would benefit tremendously to learn about ear training and the importance of playing by ear, but they won't read a single page about it in "Jazz Tactics"...

JOHN MURPHY
Jazz Saxophonist, Educator

In 2006, I interviewed John Murphy on the subject of ear training. Follow are a few excerpts from that interview:

JM: Very high levels of aural skills are necessary. Hearing well is fundamental.

JM: Ear training is essential. If you're going to build a cohesive solo, you need to recognize cohesiveness when you hear it in someone's solo and you need to hear what you are playing.

JM: I want my students to develop a seamless kind of musicality in which they can sing everything they play, play and write down what they hear, and hear what they read in notation.

Full Article:

John Murphy - ear training interview

GREG FISHMAN
Jazz Saxophonist, Educator

Excerpts:

GF: The academic approach I've seen used in a lot of schools is one that trains students by sight, rather than by sound. In other words, students are taught reading - looking at dots on the page, moving your fingers based on those dots on the page, and figuring out how to count. These are definitely valuable tools. However, I feel that there is not really enough emphasis on what the student is hearing in his head. Students look at the chord on the page and they have been trained that it is "appropriate" to play an E or a Bb when they see a C7 chord. Those are fine note choices, but if you just play them because you're "supposed" to, that's not a good enough reason. You need to hear them for yourself.

GF: Some students learn to play a diminished whole-tone scale when they see an altered dominant chord, and so they are going to play it because it is the "correct" thing to do. The problem with that is that it's meaningless if they arrive at those note choices by theory alone, and not by ear. I call this phenomenon "empty note playing." These are notes without specific harmonic intent. The notes may be technically correct, but they won't be as convincingly played as the same notes arrived at by a gut-level, emotional feeling to play those particular sounds.

GF: Many of today's players learn to play jazz in college. As a result, I think that a lot of them have more of an academic approach to the music. Many of the older musicians didn't have much academic training, and I think that's why they had much more of a "gut level" approach. I call it a visceral approach to playing. This approach relies much more on the ear and gut-level feeling than on intellect.

Full Article:

Greg Fishman interview at saxontheweb.net

The Greg Fishman excerpts shown above begin near the bottom of the second page of the interview. Greg's description of "empty note playing" closely resembles my experiences with jazz theory as explained in my Learning to Improvise - Jazz Theory article. Like many aspiring (and struggling) jazz musicians, I was using theory as my primary method for choosing which notes to play in my solo. The notes may have fit in with the chords, but my ears weren't guiding their selection. Consequently, my solos sounded like I was just playing one random note after another, with no melodic interest whatsoever. Theory is a useful tool for jazz improvisation, but to successfully play the ideas in your head, your ears need to be the primary guide for note choice.

MICKEY BAKER
Jazz Guitarist

The following is an excerpt from Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar, Book 1, which has remained a popular guitar instruction book since it was originally published in 1955.

MB: Before we go into this I want to make a few points clear to you, and you should always keep this in mind. It is impossible for anyone to teach you how to feel music, this is, to stand up and play solos one after another. This has to come from your soul. Now, in order to develop a soul for music, these are the things you must do constantly. Practice playing your guitar with records, listen to solos by horn players, learn to steal solos from records. Anything that you hear another musician play, try to play it yourself. Strum the chords to any song that you like and hum ideas, - then apply the ideas to the guitar. This will be hard to do at first and some of it may sound silly, but if you keep doing this long enough you will develop an ear for music, and once you have an ear you'll be stealing solos from everybody and building your own ideas around them. You will also develop a beautiful soul for music which will in time enable you to play anything you want to at will.

EAR TRAINING - READER EMAIL

As I've mentioned before, it wasn't until 2002 that I really started to think about the importance of ear training and the ability to play by ear. I was certainly aware of these concepts, but I hadn't yet realized that they were primarily responsible for my success or failure as an improvising jazz musician. By 2004 I was very confident in my beliefs about ear training, yet when I first began writing about ear training I was really worried about the responses I'd receive. Since I had never met anyone with the same thoughts and experiences, I half-expected to get a bunch of nasty letters from jazz educators and theory purists: "Playing by ear is a bunch of garbage!" "Theory is king!" "Who do you think you are anyway?!" But, just the opposite happened.

Over the years I've received hundreds of messages from visitors of this site, and I've been delighted to hear your experiences and thoughts about ear training. Many of you have also had that eureka moment where you ask yourself "If I can't play a simple song by ear, how can I possibly play the ideas in my head?" And many of you have seen dramatic improvement as a result of ear training.

Below you'll find some of the email messages I've received from readers of this site on the topic of ear training. Hopefully they'll give you that extra bit of encouragement you need to start ear training yourself. Or if you have already started, maybe these stories will give you the motivation you need to stick with it during those inevitably frustrating practice sessions. Remember, you are not alone!

If you've got an ear training story that you'd like to share, just send me a message.

EMAIL FROM: CHANG K. - CALIFORNIA

I just wanted you to know that I think your posts concerning ear training are SPOT ON. I am a guitarist experiencing a comeback myself. After a 6-year hiatus from the instrument (after 6 yrs of experience), I have made a strong commitment to doing things right this time, both technically and musically. My ability to improvise has always been so mechanical based on various scales and licks that I've learned, that I've always felt that the tail was wagging the dog (ie, my fingers were doing the leading instead of my brain!).

It took some deep thinking to realize that I too was unable to play simple well-known tunes on my guitar by ear. It dawned on me that what was required was a systematic and disciplined approach to doing playbacks on one's instrument of increasingly complex melodies over a long, sustained period, as well as to play simple songs with well-known melodies. As you have mentioned, it is really curious that no one ever talks about this! I realized this independently of discovering your website a couple of weeks ago.

I've been back at learning the guitar for about 10 months, having included ear training (for the first time in my life) in about the last 8 months. Around 4 months ago I moved from 2 note intervals to random 3-note melodies and am gradually increasing the number of intervals in scope (currently up to tritone). Reading your various posts, including your anniversary posts has both validated my approach as well as given me something to look forward to in terms of progress.

Of course our progressions will vary based on our genetics, experiences, commitments, and instruments, but we are truly on the same path. I will read your updates with interest, and you should certainly feel free to bounce any ideas off me.

Regards,
Chang K. (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

EMAIL FROM: BRIAN - CALIFORNIA

I chanced across your website today, and wanted to thank you for FINALLY clearing up something about playing musicial instruments that I'd been wondering about for years. I've played the violin on and off for about 10 years now (still not very good, but getting better recently), but no matter what I studied, I just never felt like I UNDERSTOOD the instrument. I've always felt like I was simply memorizing whatever it was I was trying to play. There was no spontaneity. I always wondered why, despite being able to read music, and knowing my scales and music theory, I couldn't just pick up the instrument and just PLAY along with a song, like I can do with singing or whistling. I kept looking for that magic book that would show me how to do it by focusing on particular scales or rhythms, but that never worked.

The missing element was learning to play by ear. I suppose it seems rather obvious, now that you've pointed it out to me, but in order to learn to play my violin spontaneously like I can whistle, I have to practice playing it that way. Your stories about the students in the master class who couldn't play a simple 6 note melody by ear really drove the point home. The answer isn't more books. The answer is to spend some time every day PUTTING DOWN THE BOOKS, and just playing by ear.

Anyway, I just thought you'd be interested to hear that you really helped me understand something about my violin that I've been struggling with for years.

Thanks,
Brian

EMAIL FROM: STEWART J. - ENGLAND

I found your web site through a link from [some other site]'s ear training web site, and just wanted to thank you for putting it all together. I've read through most of your articles and found a lot of it very interesting and useful. I play jazz clarinet and recognize the truth in so much you're saying from my own experience. I have always been convinced that the ability to play anything by ear is by far the most important skill I need for being to play any kind of improvised music, not just jazz, in a confident and convincing manner. I have a reasonably good ear, and can play most simple tunes by ear without making too many glaring mistakes, but complex tunes and phrases like you often find in jazz are more challenging for me. As an example, I can play How high the moon without making too many mistakes, but find Ornithology, which is based on How high the moon, a lot more difficult. I have always felt that while jazz theory is important, it is really only a rough guideline, framework or map for what I want to do in an improvisation, something to fall back on if things get out of hand. If I try to stick only to jazz theory, playing only on the chords/scales on any given tune, I tend to lose touch with the music within me, the ideas I get, which is what I want to play. What I hear inside me, the ideas I get, are what I want to be able to play, effortlessly and easily, and I do believe I can get to point where I can do it, provided I can execute it technically on my instrument.

I guess the thing about ear training is that you have to stick at it, day after day, year after year, so in a way it is harder work than learning jazz theory, but I believe it's more useful in the long run. I have also found that rhythm and phrasing are most important, in fact, I feel that as long as I can keep on top rhythmically and get my phrasing right, whatever notes I choose to play tend to sound right, or at least not like a total disaster. Anyway, thanks again for the info and the inspiration provided on your web site, and let me just add as well that I have enjoyed listening to the recordings you've made of yourself playing. It makes me smile, because it reminds me so much of myself and the process I am going through while improving as a musician.

Best wishes,
Stewart

EMAIL FROM: AL W. - CALIFORNIA

Rick, about the ear training.... I can't believe how much improvement is possible if you work on it just a little every day. I suspect our backgrounds are similar from what you've written.... as a teenager, I seemed to be able to advance very quickly in terms of sight reading, tone, technique, leading to all state band and that kind of thing. But I had absolutely zero in terms of my ear, and I do mean zero!!! Now, I can pretty much play along with any tune I know in any key, with very few mistakes on the first try.... absolutely amazing.

Best,
Al

EMAIL FROM: ROBERT P. - NEW JERSEY

Thanks so much for your website. The ear trainer has had a huge impact on my playing. I play jazz piano and have a library of books on improvising, but for years it eluded me. I now see the key to improvising is the ear. The ear trainer has not only helped me with intervals, etc., but has also increased my creative melodic development as well. Keep up the good work.

Robert

EMAIL FROM: MANNFRED - CANADA

I just wanted to send you a quick "hello!" and say many thanks for your website. I too have been a "victim" of jazz theory/bad ears, partially due to university's methods of teaching jazz..and also my lazyness. But it was your articles that finally got me to dig into the recordings of the greats and put my ears to use. It's been a few months now and I'm already astonished at how effective transcribing/playing by ear is..of course I have a long way before I can ever play jazz with anyone competently. Anyways, thanks again! and keep writing and playing that horn!

Sincerely,
Mannfred

This page contains my jazz improvisation recordings from 2006. As you'll hear below, these jazz recordings feature such highlights as cracked notes, poor note choice, unsteady rhythm, and meandering phrases! And that's why recording myself is so important. It's the best way to evaluate my playing and to chart my progress over time. I don't expect that I'll ever become a great jazz trumpet player, but I am anxious to hear how much better I can get with practice. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

All of my jazz improvisation recordings: 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2022

DECEMBER 28, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #40 - "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise" by Hammerstein & Romberg

This is my final recording of 2006. As you can hear, my range is pretty good throughout. In fact, it didn't take much effort at all to play the A's above the staff. And better yet, I also played 3 or 4 solid C's above the staff during this same recording session --if you've been following along, you know that's quite an accomplishment for me. Unfortunately, those C's were followed by lackluster solos, so I'm saving my C debut for 2007.

OCTOBER 24, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - C# Dominant 7th... accompanied by my ear trainer!

If you've tried my latest ear trainer, you probably know that I added a rhythm section feature. Currently, the rhythm section feature supports Major7th, Minor7th, Dominant7th, Blues, and Rhythm Changes progressions in any key. It also lets you isolate each part of the rhythm section so you can play with as little or as much accompaniment as you like.

Lately, I've been using the rhythm section feature to work on my less familiar keys, like C# which I'm playing in this clip (C#7 is the trumpet key, it's actually B7 in concert key). When improvising over these less familiar keys, I like to isolate just the bass and hi-hat because it improves my ability to hear what I'm playing.

If you haven't played around with my new ear trainer yet, I encourage you to give it a try!

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #34, "Green Dolphin Street" by Kaper & Washington

This is my second time recording "Green Dolphin Street". The first time I recorded it was just over a year ago. You can listen to that older recording by visiting the 2005 recordings page or by clicking right here: iwasdoingallright - audio clip

I prefer last year's recording due to the simple-song stuff that I threw in. That and the descending run near the end sound more creative to me. But... I must admit that I do prefer how much stronger my upper-range is in this new clip. As I neared the second half of my solo, I felt totally confident that I'd hit those high(er) notes. And, for me, that's really saying something! Of course, it's a relatively new phenomenon so I'm not going to celebrate yet...

UPDATE 9/20/2006 - It's a day later and I just gave my new "Green Dolphin Street" clip another listen. I noticed that I cropped it so close to the beginning of my solo that it's hard to get the feel of things the first time you hear it. Frankly, I was suprised by how bad it sounded the first time through. I listened to it a couple more times and each time it sounded better. Still not great, but definitely less lousy! Unfortunately, I didn't save the original un-cropped track so I can't do anything about it now aside from make excuses ;-)

JULY 23, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #33, "Speak No Evil" by Wayne Shorter

We're over half-way through the year and this is only my third recording?! I'm really falling behind...

The more I listen to this clip, the less I like it. There are a couple of times where I'm going for an idea and it just doesn't come out right. Those mistakes produce unwanted notes and throw off my rhythm, weakening the overall sound of my solo. But, that's part of the growth process. You need to try things that are outside of your comfort zone. Pushing yourself to play something you've never played before, regardless of the outcome, helps you become a better player. Of course, it would be nice if you don't have to share those goofs with the world.

On the bright side, my upper register is fairly solid in this clip. By upper-register, I'm of course talking about notes just barely above the staff ;-)

MARCH 17, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #75, "Fifth House" by John Coltrane

This is my new favorite play-a-long track. True to the original Coltrane recording, the A sections start out with a vamp/pedal that provides quite a bit of freedom. You can play the changes, or you can play whatever sounds good to your ears. Then, the bridge swings on through before we get back to the A section groove. About half-way through, the entire tune is played with a swing feel and the pedal is replaced by the actual changes. It all adds up to a play-a-long track with enough energy and variety to remain interesting over several sessions.

This clip has my first instance of triple tonguing in a jazz recording. It's at the 25 second mark (I start on an A in the staff and go up through C E G). I played that run a few times today and got it a lot cleaner prior to this clip. Actually, now that I listen to it, you can barely tell there's any tonguing so I probably shouldn't even mention it. Oh well... better luck next time, I guess.

FEBRUARY 11, 2006

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Aebersold #12, "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart" by Duke Ellington

This was my first time improvising to this track. Since I had never played this tune before, and since I didn't have the changes in front of me, I spent the first few choruses figuring things out. During the first chorus, I didn't play at all. Instead, I just listened so I could learn the form and major points of change (if any). During the next chorus or two, I used vocal improvisation to further strengthen my familiarity with the tune. I didn't pick up my horn until I felt reasonably confident in my ability to sing a decent solo. This recording captures the 2nd or 3rd chorus of my trumpet solo.

When learning new tunes, I HIGHLY recommend singing before playing. If you can't sing a decent solo, how do you expect to play one on a tricky instrument?

Update 2/13/06: Whoops, I just realized that I did in fact play this tune before. In fact, I even made a (bad) recording of it last year. Yikes, how quickly the mind goes... Anyway, sing first, play later is still a good idea ;-)

Having already shared my comeback story with visitors to this site, I get quite a few messages from other comeback players looking for advice and encouragement in their own comeback journeys. So, I thought it might be useful to write a blog entry that combines most of my advice (however good or bad it may be) so anyone can access it.

THE COMEBACK TRUMPETER

A comeback trumpeter is anyone who returns to the instrument after they stop playing for an extended period of time. From the messages I've received, most of us share a similar story: we played trumpet throughout high school or college, we then quit playing due to class-load or the start of our careers, and then several years later we got the urge to play the trumpet again. Conveniently, this desire to play again was strong enough for us to forget exactly how demanding it is to play the trumpet. Reality, however, sets us straight in no time at all …

Regardless of how well we used to play, we're going to sound terrible for the first few months as we recondition our embouchures. Not everyone is prepared for this fact, and it's during these first months that many of us will consider quitting once again. "I didn't think it was going to be this difficult," and "I don't think I'll ever sound good again" are pretty common thoughts, so you're not alone if they've crossed your mind once or twice, or even a thousand times! While battling these negative thoughts, it's important to remember that brass instruments, and especially the trumpet, are uniquely demanding in that the key mechanism we use to play them (a buzzing embouchure) isn't normally used in day-to-day living. Consequently, it's quite natural that our embouchure has atrophied through disuse and it's also natural that it will take time for the muscles to rebuild.

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

Speaking of time, it's about time I mention the greatest challenge facing comeback players: time. With a demanding career, a spouse, and children, it can be extremely difficult to find that hour or two we need each day for trumpet practice. I actually have it relatively easy since I work at home and I don't have any children. I can only imagine how hard it must be if you have a long commute and/or if you have kids that you need to feed and cart around (or whatever it is that you need to do with kids). Needless to say, it's A LOT harder to find practice time now than it was when we were younger.

Due to the scarcity of quality practice time, your rate of improvement as an adult will probably be much slower than when you initially played. I say "probably" since adults tend to focus better and generally take practicing more seriously than kids, but the fact is, if you can only practice 30 minutes a day every few days then your rate of progression will be slower than it was back when you could always practice an hour or two each day. In my case, while I almost always have time for my warm-up and fundamentals, I don't always have time to practice ear training or jazz improvisation. Last week, for example, there were only 3 days where I had enough time to practice jazz improvisation, and even then I was only able to practice improvisation for about 15 minutes each of those days. I'm confident that I can continue to improve at this rate, but I know it's slow going. Regardless of your exact situation, don't let your slow progress discourage you. Instead, relax and enjoy the journey.

I suppose one good thing about the trumpet is that it's actually best to practice in short sessions rather than one long stretch, at least while you're still building up your chops. So, don't worry if you don't have an uninterrupted hour to devote to the horn. In the beginning, two or three 15-20 minute practice sessions might be sufficient. In my case, I do my first two trumpet sessions (warm-up and fundamentals) between 7:30 and 8:30am. That's all I need to consistently improve my overall playing ability. After work, I'll add another session for ear training and I'll finish out the day with jazz improvisation.

GET A TEACHER

One advantage to being a comeback player is that it affords us a stress-free opportunity to address problems with our embouchure that plagued us the fist time around. If you used to have an inefficient embouchure that limited your range, or if you used to have a weak/pinched sound, or if you lacked flexibility, well here's your big chance to develop a new and improved embouchure. And that's where the guidance of a great trumpet teacher is invaluable.

Regardless of how good you used to be, and regardless of how capable you feel on your own, I strongly suggest that you take at least a few trumpet lessons when you begin your comeback journey. Assuming you can afford it, these lessons should be with the best teacher in town, somebody known for producing the best students in the area. Ideally people will refer to this teacher as a "chop doc" who specializes in improving inefficient embouchures. Since you're essentially starting over again as a comeback player, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you don't begin with the best possible embouchure and guidance.

Regrettably, I didn't see a teacher when I started my comeback journey. As a result, I wasted countless hours repeating old mistakes, fumbling from one embouchure method to another, as I struggled with range and endurance. Don't make the same mistake as me. Get a teacher!

THE REWARDS

Is all of the time and effort really worth it? It's easy for me to just say, "of course it's worth it," but really, it's up to each individual to determine. Personally, I've thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my comeback. Playing the trumpet and making music are both the most challenging and rewarding activities in my life. If anything, it probably wouldn't be that enjoyable for me if it were easy (although I wouldn't mind having the opportunity to find out for sure!). Also, jazz improvisation is the most satisfying creative outlet I've ever found. On some level, I believe I need to play. So, my comeback has definitely been worth all the effort.

Will your comeback be equally as rewarding? Well, there's only one way to know for sure… try it!

ADDITIONAL READING

For more about my comeback and how I've done over the years, you might want to read my anniversary articles:

• Two-year anniversary
• Three-year anniversary
• Four-year anniversary

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Trumpet players are fortunate to have an incredibly large online community of trumpet players at TrumpetHerald.com. At the TrumpetHerald site, you'll find literally hundreds of thousands of posts on just about every imaginable trumpet topic. They even have a forum dedicated to comeback players. So, it's a good place to ask questions and get additional assistance. But, as with any online forum, the value of the information there varies widely. It takes a bit of sifting to find the good nuggets…