Posted by Leland on February 10, 2004 at 01:48:09:
In Reply to: How can you improve your jazz playing? posted by MR. SQUARE on February 09, 2004 at 21:07:38:
Take up country music... ;-)
Really, though, sometimes it might just not come along. It's freedom, it's precision, it's a whole bunch of things that are prohibitively difficult to define, yet seem so obvious once you "get it".
It takes really intensive training with a good instructor to start to play stylistically correct, and further practice to make it habit (yes, I'm talking years here). I still believe that a good set of ears is needed to tell you whether or not something sounds right. Once you begin to "know the language" -- scales, licks, shapes, tones -- you'll be able to start speaking it.
Just think -- Charlie Parker spent years just imitating other players. I'm sure that if you spent enough time in another country, you'll learn how to speak their language.