Jazz Improvisation: The Art of the Ballad
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Discover an outstanding Masterclass about Jazz Improvisation on a Piano Ballad, given by Jean-Michel Pilc, a jazz pianist!
Jazz Improvisation: The Art of the Ballad
In this masterclass, Jean-Michel Pilc gives an extended and thorough description of the process of ballad playing, and how to master it. Centered around the well known ballad “Body and Soul”, the class will explain how to develop a strong and musical perception of the tune, leading to creative and meaningful interpretations and improvisations.
Many topics will be covered, such as melody, lyrics, form, timing, vocabulary, bass, ear etc. As always, Jean-Michel’s class will be based on a natural approach, favoring singing and oral tradition (learning straight from the masters) and will demonstrate it clearly and step by step.
All levels and instruments are welcome, and as a bonus, Jean-Michel will play ballads (standards, originals and improvisations) himself, ballad playing being a central element of his own musical personality.
Enjoy and most importantly, have fun!
LESSON PRESENTATION
The main concepts taught
melody
interpretation
bass
rhythm
theme and variation
visualization
The program proposed by Jean-Michel Pilc
This jazz improvisation masterclass counts five chapters. It includes several jazz standards to study.
| Chapter | Notions |
Jazz Improvisation: The Art of Ballad |
General concepts & “Body an Soul” collection
Jean-Michel Pilc explains how to start learning a ballad thanks to active listening. Pay attention to the lyrics, the singing, the interpretation, the melody, the sens of meaning, try to understand the intent, the form… Discover different versions of the jazz standard “Body and Soul” interpreted by Billie Holidays, Louis Armstrong, Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Chet Baker, Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins and more. |
Improvisations by Jean-Michel Pilc |
Listen and rediscover the following jazz stardards on which Jean-Michel Pilc is improvising:
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Melody and Bass |
The spirit of music & Listen back to yourself
In this chapter, Jean-Michel gives you tips to sing the melody while playing the bass. He addresses the concepts of melody, melody variation, bass, bass variation, chords, visualization, sound and pedaling. You will also learn how to listen back to yourself and ear what you have played. Do not hesitate to record yourself! He addresses other notions such as orchestration, vocabulary and transposition. |
Rhythm |
Rhythm, timing and form
For Jean-Michel Pilc, rhythm is a pillar of ballad. He explains you how to approach it in the frame of a ballad. You will see more in details the timing, the dissociation, the form, the double time, form stretching, variation of the meter, etc. |
Jazz ballads to study |
Here is a selection of jazz ballads to study:
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