"People of the Book"

Lango-Django

Dennis Chang started me to thinking.

http://denischang.com/index.php/2016/02/19/irealbook-the-double-edged-sword/

He was writing about how he hates stuff like iReal books and tablature, but it has become so "normalized" that it is hard to avoid.

Instead, Dennis feels that jazz musicians should be using both our ears and memories more. We should not be relying on charts when we play jazz standards. In fact, we should be able to learn new tunes by playing them for the first time right on the gig!

I have a lot of respect for Dennis and fully appreciate his viewpoint.

But this topic is complicated- sort of like modern physics, where Newton's laws are totally true at the planetary scale, but are totally false at the subatomic level!

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Well, here's the Newtonian level where the laws are true--- I just got back two weeks ago from a jazz cruise featuring some amazing musicians.

Guitar wizard Howard Alden was of course my personal fave, but I also greatly enjoyed listening to virtuoso horn players including Warren Vache (cornet), his younger brother Allen Vache (clarinet) and tenor sax man Houston Person. (Sorry, I can't do the accent aigue on my computer to spell their name correctly, so I'm sorry if I made their last name appear to be "Cow".)

I watched all these guys perform every night for two weeks and never saw one of them even glance at a piece of paper, except once when a singer brought in charts for the band to accompany her for some special Gershwin medley she had.

But other than that, everything was done by ear and/or memory, and they played a LOT of tricky tunes.

(Note: these guys play in the swing/mainstream idiom, with only occasional flirtation with bop, so we are talking about the kind of tunes that many of us around here might play, except perhaps even more obscure... e.g. how many of you know all of Benny Carter's compositions by memory?)

So yes, at this level, it CAN be done!

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And even more so, I got an interesting perspective on this from one of the bass players, Charlie DaSilva, one day when we were both having a smoke outside on the deck.

I said, "Hey, man, when Warren Vache counts in the tune, he doesn't seem to tell you what key it's going to be in."

His reply, "Are you kidding? He doesn't even tell me what tune it is!"

"So you just have to figure it out by the seat of your pants?"

"Yup. In a way, it's a great way to force you to learn new tunes... you just try not to step on your dick!"


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Some of you may recall from your reading that Django was also infamous for doing this very same thing to his sidemen. At the time I thought was just one of those typical Django eccentricities like not showing up for gigs... but when I talked about this subject to a friend who is a veteran gigging rock guitarist, I've come to find out that it is much more common than I would ever have thought!

Plus, I believe Dennis mentioned in his article how this was very much the same sort of thing when he was accompanying Birelli Lagrene.

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But what holds true for the seasoned professional may not be so true for the rest of us mere mortals.

OK, I double on banjo and over the years I've done a lot of dixieland gigs, for which nobody ever uses charts. That's because the repertoire has become so standardized through years of tradition that all the musicians know pretty much exactly what to expect. When the leader calls yet another played-to-death standard like "Bill Bailey" or "Indiana", there's no need to ask what key it's going to be in, because both of these tunes are only ever done in the key of F.

But let's say you're in a band which doesn't always do the same-old-same-old: you're almost forced to use charts just in case you have subs... it's either charts, or asking the sub to come to free rehearsal/s in order to prepare for (probably a low-paying) gig...

My son used to be a rock musician in a band which featured lots of original compositions. His band wouldn't have dreamed of using charts, but what happened was that every few months some band member would quit, and they'd have to spend months finding a replacement and then rehearsing endlessly to teach the new member all their songs... and then a few months later, surprise! Somebody else would quit!

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So what to make of all this?

By all means, use your ears and your memory as much as you possibly can, and this will certainly make you a better player.

But for better or worse, the overwhelming majority of us 21st century jazz players are now People Of The Book...



Will

lewischang88

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Joshl-m

I understand what Denis is saying because, in the past, I fell into the trap of relying entirely on transcriptions. In college, I spent all kinds of time learning Wes Montgomery tunes from a book and could pull of a few numbers fairly well. However, if you can believe it, I didn't learn a single thing. I hadn't spent anytime actually thinking about what my hands were doing(really, what Wes' hands were doing). I had acquired the dexterity but no real musical experience.
Now, I still use transcriptions, and I am unapologetic about it, but my relationship with and how I use transcriptions has changed. Now, I look at a transcription of "Minor Swing', and I try to digest one lick at a time, figure out what arpeggio/shape/scale it is derived from and then play it in as many positions/contexts as I can. I am still pretty new to this style(2 years-ish) I have 3 kids and I can only eke out 3 hours of practice time each week(vs the 3 hours a day in college). Yet, my practices are more fulfilling and I am progressing faster than ever.
I think the key is to just remember that if you are going to get anything out of it, there is going to be work involved. Piece of paper or no piece of paper.

bopster

I played in a group with folks that learned from charts only, and no emphasis on “ear transcription” learning of chords or tunes. It was hard to vary the tunes at all - no “on the spot” breaks or rhythmic hits, trading 4s, because player’s heads were buried in the chart. This became a drag after awhile, as the creative side of this was quashed.

BUT, I know that I am in the minority of folks that took the time to develop my ear and memorize forms and tunes on the spot. So any freelance gigs fall into two categories: traditional players or schooled players who don’t use charts, and semi pro folks that need that book. It’s just a reality.

Russell Letson

I've been reading dismissals of/warnings against reading-on-the-gig for years, and as usual, it only makes sense in the context of where-you-draw-the-lines. Let me offer a few personal context-setting examples. (Big Picture: I grew up on standards, listened to the full historical range of jazz for fifty-plus years, and have played swing for twenty, and I don't read notation, only charts with chords.)

Every week, I sit in with a quartet of highly competent semi-pro jazz players (i.e., guys with day jobs) who have been playing together for years, and they all use the Real Book charts as memory aids in what are otherwise head arrangements. I'm more of a slave to the books (I use iGigbook) because even though I know the standard repertory (including much of the bop material they like) as a listener, I haven't played all of it--and some warhorses such as "Pennies from Heaven" I know in non-Real Book keys from playing behind singers.

On the other hand, I've been playing folky material for about sixty years, and there's hardly a folk/country/blues pattern I can't pick along with even if the particular tune is new to me. That's what I do at folk jams and song circles--I just use my ears (and eyes--I read hands fairly well), though I always make sure that the key gets called. With the bop-centric jazz guys, I have expanded my repertory of standards and gotten very used to boppish blues (B-flat and F never held any terrors for me anyway)--but I still like to have a chart in front of me for a lot of it.

It's clear to me that one set of variables has to do with amount and kind of experience, which plugs into individual abilities (how good is one's ear? how good is one's memory? how good is one's time?). The expectations set for professional gigging musicians include good ear training, good memory, and broad experience of the kind of material being called. But even first-call studio guys who are supposed to get it on the first take will look at a Nashville-numbers chart to make sure that they have the changes and structure right. On the third hand, I've sat through workshops with schooled players who have a terrible time getting off the page. (It's a pleasure to watch a good teacher coax a skilled horn player into improvising.)

Dennis' essay makes some of these points, while, I think, pushing a bit hard on what casual players might expect of themselves. Nevertheless, I'd agree that the way to learn to play with others is to play with others and listen to what's being played, and maybe spend woodshed time making sense of the harmonic structures on which standard-rep tunes are built. (I always think of it as Lego-like subassemblies that get mixed and matched and varied--just learn to recognize the chunks.)

Stringswinger

I play with a lot of pro jazz players and have not really had a day job myself for well over 10 years or so (I play about 200 paid gigs a year). No pro that I know of uses charts except when playing a gig that requires specific arrangements. I know hundreds of tunes and can play most in any key. Using a chart would distract me from playing well.

Jazz is ear music, not eye music. IMO, semi-pro/amateur players who do gigs with music stands are often doing three things; 1. spending too much time between tunes flipping through fake book pages or scrolling on a ipad to find a tune, 2. Playing jazz at a less than pro level, often turning the public off to jazz (who wants to hear a mediocre player wiggling his fingers on his/her instrument in public?) and 3. Bringing the bar down as far as pay goes by playing gigs for tips or super low pay.

If you need a music stand and books /tablets, fine. Work on your chops and skill sets with them, but please, stay home until you are ready. Playing out with too little skill (and for too little money) hurts pro jazz players and even jazz itself. And these days jazz needs all the help it can get.

Russell Letson

In small-town America, jazz itself doesn't get played at all if big-town aspirational standards are adhered to. Our jazz guys play for the tip jar--well, actually they play for the love of it, and for the enjoyment of a small core audience that comes to the bar that hosts them. "Pro jazz player" implies "pro jazz market," which implies a sufficient "pro jazz audience" to support that market--which our metro area of ~190K lacks. (Even the rock/country college bar scene has gone into cardiac arrest.)

Arcticguitar

I think the non-chart thing is totally doable at an amateur level. I have taken Denis' philosophy to heart after hearing him at DIJ and in posts like the one above. I have evolved from always needing charts to rarely using charts at gigs, and I am almost chart free in jams and practice (almost but not quite). It has taken a few years to get here and will likely take a few more to really be chart free, but it is totally within reach for an amateur with a day job. Who knows maybe it will take me a few more years than I plan to get these skills together, but it can absolutely be learned and done at a non-pro level. It is just kinda hard. For me I didn't go cold turkey, just a gradual and conscious reduction in my use of charts, and in the practice room I practice learning things faster and faster off recordings without charts. It is super slow going for me but this is a long term goal so if it takes 5 or 10 years that's okay. I think one of the reasons non-pro players don't follow through on this stuff is we are impatient. I don't have the kind of practice time a pro needs so I figure all these skills will take me twice as long to acquire but if I start today and stick with it, every day, all this stuff can be learned.

Bones

Yeah Will, great points. I agree with them all. Especially chord charts at least (i.e. grilles). And I'm referring only to guitarists, obviously.
Memorizing many tunes and developing you 'ear' for chord changes comes with practice but even amateur musicians can do it. It's not that hard once you've learned a lot of chord charts in a style (like GJ) which means practicing playing rhythm. Charts are distracting. I'm hardly a natural musician and I can do it. I spent a lot of time just playing chords along with recordings. It's fun. After a while you start to recognize patterns of chords and it becomes familiar. Then just put the book down and play along. Practice enough and it's doable but it takes putting in your time....like everything else. If you can't play the chords to the basic GJ repertoire without charts then you need to put in more time in the shed strumming chords. Sorry but I think it's really just that simple. If you are doing a gig or a jam and someone calls Douce Ambiance and you need a grille then you have not practiced playing rhythm guitar enough. Plus you need to be a good rhythm player anyway, once you finish your solo it's time to play rhythm for the next soloist. That's just common courtesy and if you need a chart to do that then you are not practicing playing rhythm enough. Plus you need to develop a good la pompe anyway. Sure if it's a song that you have not played in a long time.... but one glance at the grille or a reminder from someone about where the 'bridge' goes and you should recall it again.

Russell Letson

That's just common courtesy and if you need a chart to do that then you are not practicing playing rhythm enough.

Define "enough." After a couple decades of playing a couple times a week (always as accompanist rather than soloist), I still find it useful to have a chord chart within eyeball range for those tunes I haven't played hundreds of times--or have played in different keys in different settings, or haven't played for several months. My ear for progressions is pretty decent, my knowledge of standards is extensive--but my memory is not perfect, and I'd rather glance at a chart than stink up the room by playing the wrong chords. I also know how long it takes me to catch onto a new-to-me tune that doesn't have really exotic changes: about 2.5 minutes, which in a dance-band context means just before the last chorus.

Bones

Sure, like I said, if it's something you have not played lately you might forget but one glance at the chart should be enough to refresh ur memory. Now I am talking about the 'standard' GJ repertoire which if that's your specialty should not be a problem. Of course, if someone thru me cold into another genre I'd be lost but for the GJ standards even if it's a tune I have not really practiced once thru is enough.

How much should you practice? Well, most every day for sure at least a little bit. If someone called Swing 42 would you need a chart? You definitely shouldn't. Again, I'm talking about all the commonly played GJ stuff. Of course we all know Minor Swing. How about Swing 39, Honeysuckle, etc. Should be no problem (at least in the standard key). Now what if someone calls one a little less 'common' like say, For Babs. Just hypothetically say maybe you have not even heard that one let alone comped the chords. But once thru watching the other guitarist (as long as they are facing you and playing normal voicings, you should have it. Maybe twice thru at the most. But no chart needed. That's because the 'elements' of the form are common even if the whole form is not and should be familiar to you once you've learned a lot of grilles. The A part of For Babs is just that Im, Im7, #V7, V7 vamp (stray cat strut, etc) in Cm and the bridge is just VI7, IIm7, V7, I in Eb (the relative major key). That stuff should all be familiar enough that watching someone once or twice thru and you should have it.

NOW....what if it is a singer who wants to do Honeysuckle in a different key, if you use the numerical system (V7 like shown above) not the chord letters (like C7 etc) then you should be able to transpose it on the spot without a grille. But that's a whole different topic.