Lesson 159: The Lee Konitz Method: How to Improvise Blues Like a Jazz Pro

Here's a link to the blog post with some more information:

https://mattotto.org/lesson-lee-konit...

When I lived in New York City, I had the transformative experience of taking lessons with Lee Konitz.

In his remarkable Central Park apartment, which had a grand piano in every room, he guided me through exercises that left a lasting impact on my approach to improvisation. He would ask me to sing melodies and then play them back on my horn repeatedly. Initially, he played random chords on the piano, prompting me to sing a short line and replicate it on my instrument. Over time, this evolved into singing over blues and standards while maintaining the same approach.

In the two videos below, I demonstrate how to practice this method, which is fundamentally simple yet challenging in execution. The difficulty lies in hearing clear ideas that align with the progression you are working on. This exercise is invaluable for connecting with your true musical voice and helps you discern when you're playing from "hand, thought, and muscle memory" versus genuinely playing what you hear and audiate. In a musical culture increasingly fixated on technique, there is often a lack of authentic self-expression that reflects the artistic voice of individual musician. I hope you get as much from this practice as I have over the years!

~ Enjoy!

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