Miles Davis is my favorite jazz artist.
A few years ago I barely knew who he was.
Then, I got interested in jazz music and it
took me about two years to properly
get into it and learn what it's all about. I googled
(yes, I googled) something like ''essential jazz albums''
and Miles was on every list. So the obvious
choice was to begin with ''Kind Of Blue''
which blew my mind.
At first it was hard for me to grasp the enormity of jazz albums and
jazz artists that are out there but I gradually discovered my preferences
and learned what I like and what I don't like. Then I learned how to
appreciate jazz and how to listen to it because it requires, unlike some
other types of music, a great deal of concentration and listening practice.
After a while, I fell completely in love with it.
One of my favorite Miles Davis albums is ''In a Silent Way''.
The album is separated into two tracks but it's basically one long track
that just keeps going and keeps transforming. What I love about the
album is that it has a great atmosphere and a great ''flow''. You can
easily get completely immersed in it and forget about everything else.
What is also great about this album is that it has a relatively simple
harmonic structure and a basic 4/4 measure so it's great for practicing
your improvisation skills and just playing along with the track.
The first half of the album is a track called ''Shhh/Peaceful'' and
it's about 18 minutes long. The root note of the track is Dsus4, the
measure is 4/4 played on a hi.hat throughout the song, there's a simple
keyboard phrase and you can do everything else as desired.
I decoded to play around with it and play my own guitar on top of
what was already there. What's great about this track is that in the
first 6 minutes the original guitar plays a bit in the intro and then
it's gone for at least another five minutes, giving you the opportunity
to play your own thing. Jazz is all about improvisation and being free
and there are basically no mistakes (if you make one, you call it
a ''blue note''). So as long as you know the root note and you keep
good time, you're good to go. Here I played my own solo (starting
around 1:30 mark) and tried to quote or copy what the trumpet
or the synth was doing. It goes on for about five minutes and then
stops when the real guitar solo comes in. I find this really useful in
improving my own guitar skills and it is also a good listening and
concentration practice. And on top of it all, it's a lot of fun!
Feel free to comment and enjoy the video below!
https://youtu.be/MUykVf95ypY
(I hope the video will not be removed for copyright violation)
hiveblocks