Jazz Songs (4 Tunes): Alto Saxophone

The song’s level of difficulty complies to advanced students, already having knowledge of the basics of Jazz like phrasing and rhythm.

The 4 Jazz tunes contain the most common song forms in Jazz: 

Blues, diatonic chords (like e.g. in Autuum Leaves), Rhythm Changes and a Ballad (Misty).

Beside the melody there as well is a transcribed solo for each tune (listening example).

For every song there is a video playing the melody and the solo (listening example), a leadsheet with playalong - here you can play along to the music; either play the solo I play or play your own one and a sheet with the whole song for printing out or just playing.

Here are some tips for working with this book:

Try to transcribe the soli by your own at first - then use the transcribtions to control your work.

Keep in mind: Music is a matter of ears primarily - not of the eyes... The more you try to learn songs or solos by hearing them, the faster you will be able to play things you hear on your instrument! Especially in Jazz it is important to react on things you hear immediately!

Analyze the soli and transpose single phrases to all keys. Then try to integrate them in your own playing.

Play to the recording synchronously and try to imitate my playing as well as possibleYou will note, that Iam more of a ”laid-back” player. I consciously have not played ”school-book-like”, since in Jazz the personal way of phrasing and timing is all that counts! (of course one should be able to play right in time if needed!)

Keep in mind: even a child trys to copy the adults to learn - that doesn’t mean, that the child won’t find his own way. You cannot copy one by 100%. In fact though copying others we find our own way - that at least is my personal experience.

Pay attention to the way I phrase each single note - the notes written are only the basis. The aim is to sense every single note and phrase it.

Therefore it is very useful to work with a software allowing you to slow down the music as well as looping single parts (e.g. Anytune or Transcribe!).

You will recognize that the slower the music the better you can hear the phrasing - and this way you can try to copy it more easyly.

Play your own soli and record them. 

Then transcribe and analyze them. 

This way you will learn a lot about your playing...

Pay attention to the following points:

1. rhythmic manner of your phrases (start, lenghth, ending - variety?)

2. choice of tones (wrong, inconvenient tones - variety?)

3. Dramaturgy of the soli (how is the structure - relaxation/tension?)