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Kristeta · January 2, 2021, 8:02pm

Wow @Izzy that was SUPER! sooo inspiring to listen to, am in cloud 9 listening to it… Awesome awesome work!

George_Miller · January 2, 2021, 10:26pm

Thanks Kristeta! Both “Insensataz” and “there will never be” have lessons associated with them. For some reason they’re not listed under resources / jazz standard lessons but I know they’re there! I downloaded the lead sheets!

Thanks for listening and Happy New Year!

George_Miller · January 3, 2021, 2:40pm

My own criticism of this is that I don’t have the rhythm right yet. I’m playing the right hand on the second beat of the bar instead of behind it, so it sounds too much like a march. And on the third and fourth beats, when I;m playing the melody, I’m using quarter note triplets instead of sixteenths. I’m not sure that belongs in Bossa Nova. So I’ve still got a lot of work to do! Happy New Year all!

Hayden · January 3, 2021, 3:40pm

I love the medley you have created there @George_Miller.

I’m a huge fan of both tunes, “Insensatez” and Chopin’s Prelude Op.28 no 4 - what a nice idea to combine them in a medley!

@Kristeta yes we have 4 tutorials on “Insensatez” - 3 by myself and 1 by Jovino.

Certainly defer to Jovino’s tutorial for the more authentic interpretation!

“Insensatez” tutorial by Jovino:

Jovino starts by analysing the form and harmony of the tune. We then play through the form again and apply a soft Bossa Nova/Samba groove to add a distinctly Brazilian flavour.

Finally Jovino demonstrates an improvised over the chord changes:

“How Insensitive” tutorials by myself:

When I was creating these lessons I wanted to show ‘3 levels’ or styles in which to interpret a Bossa Nova tune. I then combine all 3 to create a full arrangement:

Part 1 - Rubato Ballad Feel :
www.pianogroove.com/bossa-nova-lessons/how-insensitive-tutorial-lesson/
Part 2 - Hinting at The Rhythm:
www.pianogroove.com/bossa-nova-lessons/how-insensitive-part-2/
Part 3 - Full Syncopated Left & Right Hand:
www.pianogroove.com/bossa-nova-lessons/how-insensitive-part-3/

Also I still must add lesson chapters to these tutorials… added to my to-do-list!

Cheers!

George_Miller · January 3, 2021, 4:37pm

Thanks Hayden. I’ve gone through these lessons again and although I’ve incorporated some of the ideas into the piece there’s a lot more I can do. Now that I have the rhythm (almost) in ny head I’ll spend the next couple of weeks trying to make it into a proper solo.
Aye,
George

Kristeta · January 7, 2021, 6:47am

Wow - thanks very much Hayden! will definitely check both your lessons and Jovino’s

eugene · January 8, 2021, 2:56pm

Here is my incarnation of Blue Monk. This is not a new recording but listening to it from time to time gives me some hints on what I have to focus on my practice. Phrasing and comping during the improv need some work.

Izzy · January 8, 2021, 10:15pm

Thank you @Kristeta!

Pierrot · January 9, 2021, 2:17pm

The phrasing pretty good its more about the left hand comping on every first downbeat that is a bit clashing, and kill the swing of your nice right hand playing. But otherwise nice done , and some nice ideas going , thanks sharing it Eugene.

eugene · January 9, 2021, 3:12pm

Very good observation Pierrot!

I started to include more exercises for the left hand in my daily routine. It’s definitely getting better but it takes some time. I have some issues with my hands’ independence this is why I went back to the blues courses and build from there. The left-hand patterns and chords are manageable and I can focus better on the whole sound.

George_Miller · January 11, 2021, 10:16pm

Very nice Eugene! And nice improv. Lots of approach notes and you’re not afraid to go outside the scale for a bit of dissidence, which works just fine with Monk! I’m using mostly just scales and arpeggios. Thanks for the inspiration!

eugene · January 12, 2021, 7:04am

Thanks George for your feedback. My biggest challenge with improvisation is telling the story and sticking to it for the entire solo. I’m forcing myself to leave spaces between phrases and that can be observed right away.

If you have a good command of scales and arpeggios, and you can play them on the spot from any chord tones that’s amazing!

Kristeta · January 13, 2021, 5:47pm

Really liking the tasteful melodies on your RH Eugene - . At the same time enjoyed the bass and drum sections (was this a track you played to?) Great share - and would love to hear the final recording…

eugene · January 13, 2021, 6:09pm

Here is another one. This is a simple blues.

eugene · January 13, 2021, 6:18pm

Thanks @Kristeta. The backing tracks are not created/played by me. There are just blues practice backing tracks. I think I still have them somewhere.

Please let me know if you are interested in having them. I can definitely share them here.

@Hayden also made me aware of the app named “DrumGenius”, which has very realistic drum loops. It comes with three free downloads.

scott1 · January 15, 2021, 11:11am

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

Kristeta · January 22, 2021, 3:25am

Another tastefully played improv! was that all lead sheet and how long or short did it take you to improvise on the Blues tune @eugene ? and you do some freestyle improvs too?

how do you manage to distribute/divide your time for work, music, life etc? or which genre do you mostly do improvisations on? sorry too many questions haha, just really interested to learn other tips from PianoGroove musicians/members too Thanks in advance! and whoa - yes please, would be really super nice if you can share the track for Blue Monk…

eugene · January 22, 2021, 8:52am

Thanks @Kristeta

Here you have the backing tracks:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KoymsqQ6wF4a7VJHkR4wpKmZFvqXdd5x?usp=sharing

It took me a good five-six months to be able to improvise on the blues form. I’m actively working on improvisation every day for 30 minutes. I also do freestyle improvisation but at this moment, I’m focusing on blues and Brazilian courses/genres. In my humble opinion every improvisation, even the freestyle, has few preparatory steps behind it.

I practice a lot, maybe too much. I break down my daily routine into scale and arpeggios, chords and cadences, comping, improv. and repertoire. I’m also allocating an hour in the evening for sight-reading. My practice routine is aligned with my objective to start playing small venues in my area as a volunteer. In terms of managing time, I have to admit that I have full support from my wife. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to focus on my objective; I’m forever grateful to her . Both of us are working from home so I’m saving on commuting time.

While building fluency on the instrument is mandatory, I think that focusing on only one genre at the beginning is easier to start applying these concepts in real scenarios. It narrows down the options/complexity and adds commonality for voicings, musical notation, hand independence exercises, number of scales to improvise, genre-specific licks, tricks, patterns, feel, groove and many more, even improvisation. I think there is a reason why many jazz courses/programs start with the blues. Later on, with a good command of the instrument, someone can expand to other genres.

Let’s face it, jazz piano is a very complex topic that requires heavy lifting, intellectual and physical, to start off and a daily practice to maintain and improve the level you are on. It is impossible to grasp all these concepts and apply them to all genres you would like to play.

Pierrot · January 26, 2021, 10:51am

Thanks Eugene

you seems really involved and i am pretty sure your goal will be soon ok . Bravo

eugene · January 26, 2021, 12:03pm

Thanks @Pierrot for your encouragement. I’m looking forward to seeing the end of this pandemic and getting back our lives.