This Book Will Make You a Better Improviser

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I’ve got a great book on improvisation I want to tell you about and why I think it will make you become a better improviser.

Vincent Herring

For a very long time Vincent Herring has been one of my favorite alto saxophone players. I have transcribed many of his solos and tried to decipher exactly what he’s doing to build improvised lines that work so well in so many different contexts.

Now while transcribing is really the ultimate tool for getting better as an improviser, when you can have your favorite musicians explain to you their process, thought pattern, and what they practice, it’s like having the cheat codes. If you can combine that information with the listening, transcribing, and practicing, there’s really nothing stopping you from leveling up your playing and sounding a lot more like your heroes.

Vincent Herring
Vincent Herring

Logic And Critical Thinking in Jazz Improvisation

So when I found out that Vincent was putting out a book, I was very excited but at the same time I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. I’ve gone through a lot of improvisation books and they don’t always deliver on your expectations. Mainly because it’s not easy to break down things that are really complex and sometimes abstract in a book.

As I started going through Vincent’s book though, I immediately realized that this was different. The title is “Logic and Critical Thinking in Jazz Improvisation“, and while that isn’t the sexiest title ever, it is very descriptive of the book’s contents.

What I love about Vincent’s playing and one of the aspects that really speaks to me, is how clear his ideas always are. How cleanly he executes everything. That’s how I would like to play the saxophone and improvise.

Logic and Critical Thinking in Improvisation

Improvisation Concepts Presented Simply

Luckily for us, Vincent wrote this book in that same way. The concepts are presented so clearly and logically that you’re almost like, wait, is that all he’s doing there? In creative disciplines, simplicity is often the thing that gets us the best results. And when executed really well, those results can seem magical. When you break it down though, you may be surprised to learn how few ingredients were actually in the dish.

In my transcriptions of his solos, I had often arrived at very complex explanations for things he played, but now knowing the ingredients, thanks to this book, that which seemed very complex now becomes something very easy to understand and even recreate. Let me give you a sneak peak from Vincent’s preface to the book which sums up this idea very nicely.

“Logic and critical thinking in jazz improvisation involve maintaining a balance between creativity and defined structure. Embrace what you know and have learned in theory and Harmony so well, that there is no doubt about what you hear and believe in. When we hear Charlie Parker, even if we don’t understand everything, we can hear logic is always prevalent in his playing.

Listen hard to everything, and make good, not questionable, decisions when soloing. Use critical thinking to make meaningful and coherent improvisations that align with the musical context and communicate effectively with other musicians. This combination of artistic expression and analytical thinking is what makes Jazz improvisation a unique and dynamic form of musical performance. As I describe what it is to play with clear logic in no way is it hindering you from playing outside or finding your original self.”

Logic and Critical Thinking in Jazz Improvisation

Dominant and Synthetic Pentatonic Scales

The book is divided into a number of sections, and honestly, each section could be its own separate book. If you do get this and study from it, you’re going to have enough material to keep you busy for a lifetime. No kidding.

The first section is on dominant and synthetic pentatonic scales. Now I know that might sound scary, but this is one of those very simple ingredients that can be used to create the illusion of complexity. One of the things I love about how this book is organized is that you have things spelled out for you in their most basic form.

Then a thorough explanation of how they work, and then multiple examples of the concept presented in musical context. This context is usually in the form of a transcribed solo from an existing Vincent Herring recording. So, he teaches us his synthetic pentatonic concepts, gives us some exercises to practice it, explains where we might want to use it and then shows us where and how he uses the concept in real life. It couldn’t be any clearer or more direct.

Dissecting the Diminished Scale

The next section is called “Dissecting the Diminished Scale”. Again, we get patterns, clear explanations of how the concept is applied, and context in the form of an amazing solo transcription from one of Vincent’s albums. Just those first two sections have enough info in them to get anybody playing new vocabulary and improvising with fresh ideas.

Formulating Bebop Language

The next section is called “Formulating Bebop Language”, and I love that he put this in the middle of the book rather than the beginning. Bebop scales have been covered in a lot of jazz resources and while it may seem more logical to start the book out with the more foundational concepts of playing jazz language, I’m glad this book begins with material that is less often explored.

Having said that, Vincent’s approach to bebop language is very valuable, extremely logical, as you would expect, and full of countless examples from his own recordings. But also, those of past and present Masters this is a big section of the book with lots of exercises, lines, patterns, transcribed examples, and composed etudes.

All along the way, you have detailed explanations and anecdotes putting everything in real world context. Again, it could easily be its own book.

Transcriptions

The next section is called “Transcriptions”, and it contains three complete Vincent Herring transcriptions that demonstrate the three main concepts found in the book. Dominant and synthetic pentatonic scales, the diminished scale, and bebop language.

Throughout the solos these concepts are labeled so you can see how they are used and how often he is using them in live performances and recordings. Once you understand the source of all this improvisational vocabulary, it all becomes much less mysterious and much more attainable.

Logic and Critical Thinking in Jazz Improvisation” is published by Sher Music and can be found on Amazon or the Sher Music website.

If you are a saxophone player, and a student of jazz, this is really a must have for your library. It’s only $37, but the information inside is really priceless. Super high recommendation from me. I’m going to be working on this material for a while.

New Vincent Herring Course Coming Soon

Vincent and I are currently working on a video master class which will be available on Bettersax.com. That is going to be fantastic and I’ll let you know when it launches, so make sure you are subscribed to the channel so you don’t miss out on that. Vincent Herring is so full of knowledge, as well as direct experience with the masters of Jazz music across generations. Watch my interview with him here, where he shares that knowledge with us, as well as some great jazz stories.

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