Chord Tone Solos, pt. 1

Chord Tone Solos
Tony Miceli

In this section we'll study chord tone solos, how to make them and how to use them in practice.
The first important thing to understand about chord tone solos is that when you do them right you hear the tune, that is, the changes. It's very simple, if you play just the notes in the chords when they're supposed to be played you're playing the tune. This is a great entry way into improvising, when you play chord tone solos, you're studying chords, harmony AND melody. As you become more comfortable with playing chord tone solos you get more creative with them and your solos start to take shape.
Now you add the notes in between the chords which are the scales and you're improvising with a very strong foundation. The idea is to get you playing solos so that you can make harmony work through melodies only and you hear the changes. At this point you've mastered harmony and can get creative, put in your own style, develop a style and get 'emotional' with the music. You have solid footing and can tackle tunes and learn new tunes, tricky harmonic progressions and more.

Learning to solo is a difficult thing to learn as well as to teach. Soloing is about melodies. The better you get at it the less it has to do with scales and other things you are probably learning now. However in the beginning you need something and someway to start. I don't believe there's any sort of sequential method. You just pick things up and keep putting that same puzzle together more experienced players have already put together.

學習Solo是很難的一件事。Solo就像是在創造旋律，當你音樂能力變得越來越強時，Solo的時候心裡就不會再是想著所有的和弦啊音階啊，或著那些你現在正在學的東西（規則）。但當然在一開始學習的時候，需要有些規則的幫忙，有一些方法讓你循著開始學。Tony不相信學習爵士樂有所謂的“學習方法的先後順序”，他相信，選一個項目開始加強，再選一些其他的項目也練習著，
像是拼拼圖那樣，拼得越多，你就是個越有經驗的演奏者。

Each musician has to put it together from scratch. If you think there's an easy way to do this, I would strongly argue that you reconsider that notion. If it was that easy more people would be playing great solos. This is going to take hours and hours and years. If you like the process than you'll have fun learning.

每個音樂家都從只有一片拼圖開始，開始拼拼拼，最後拼在一起。如果你覺得有個簡單快速的方法去學習Solo，Tony會質疑、會請你三思。如果真的有一個方法這麼簡單可以練好Solo，那大家就都彈超棒的Solo就好啦！不容易啊～這會花你好幾個小時、甚至是好幾年，但如果你喜歡經歷過程，經歷成長的感覺，你會在學習爵士樂中找到快樂。

Below are 2 chords C and G7. What notes are the same in both of them? The G. If you only play the G no one will know what chords you are playing over, unless you're playing with a band. At an entry level it's very important that you separate these differences and and work with them.

底下的譜例有兩個和弦，分別是C 和 G7。 這兩個和弦有哪些共同的音？答案是G這個音！如果你只演奏G這個音，沒有人會知道你在演奏哪個和弦。除非你跟樂團一起演奏。

So play a solo in time using only the notes of each chord when it comes up. After you do the intellectual part and can easily separate the notes and play a solo, try and make the most music out of it that you can. Stay with only the chord tones. AND DO THIS IN 12 KEYS. Keep this concept in your mind. Whenever you learn a new tune or progression do this exercise. When you get past the changes C and G7 try some other ones listed below. Make up your own. Take parts of tunes.

試著保持速度節奏Solo看看，到該和弦那一拍時，只用和弦音（chord tones）Solo。當你可以游刃有餘的用和弦音solo之後。試著盡你最大的能力，用這些和弦音編造出美妙的旋律。然後轉到12個大小調中。把這個概念放在心中。當你在學習新的曲子、新的和弦進行時，做這個練習。當你練熟C 和 G7 後，也試試看譜例中的其它和絃進行。甚至是創造你自己的和絃進行。或是從一些曲子中拿出一小段來練。

Remember:

• If the chord is for one bar then you can only play the notes in that chord for one bar. When it's time for the next chord then switch and play those notes. PUT YOURSELF IN A BOX! Be strict about this and it will really help you.

  記得：
  如果這個和弦是一小節的，你在那個小節中，只能演奏那個和弦中的和弦音。當換到下一個小節時，馬上換到另外一個和弦，並且只演奏該和弦的和弦音。把你自己侷限在規則裡，對自己嚴厲是很有幫助的事。

• If it seems too hard then just arpeggiate the chord from bottom to top until you really feel comfortable. Then play the chord from top to bottom. then 1st and 3rd notes then 2nd and 4ths. Do everything you can to get it so the chord and progression is second nature.

  如果真的很難的話，那就只彈琶音（arpeggiate the chord），從下往上，練到直到你覺得有自信。再接著只彈琶音（arpeggiate the chord），從上往下。或著照順序彈第一音，第三音，第二音，第四音。做所有可能的排列組合練習，練到對這些和絃進行有反射動作，成為習慣。