RE: [Harp-L] Muscle memory versus conceptual awareness

["Stephen Jennings" <harpfixer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'd suggest the following -
1) Learn your scales - all of them
2) Learn music theory - in some depth
3) Play against backing tracks, in BIAB, or whatever.

Having covered all this to your satisfaction,

4) Forget 1, 2 and 3 and play the music in your heart!!

Just my two ha'porth 

The journey is sometimes more interesting than the destination.

Good luck!!!

Steve Jennings

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael Rubin
Sent: 16 June 2014 3:18 PM
To: harp-l
Subject: [Harp-L] Muscle memory versus conceptual awareness

Dear Harp-l,
I have spent the last year learning jazz saxophone solos note for note on the chromatic.  I have always felt that I was faking it when I played a jazz gig.  Recently I spent a couple of years studying theory and even took about 10 lessons from Wim Dijkgraaf who I recommend and perhaps will study further with later.  I would have continued but our schedules were not matching.

In any case,  although I could play notes that made sense with the tune, I still felt like I didn't sound like jazz.  At SPAH last year I went to Jens Bunge's (Spelling?  I feel I am way off) class on jazz improvisation and he talked a lot about transcribing solos note for note.  This was not the first time I heard this information but for some reason I got inspired.

What is strange to me is I have transcribed hundreds of blues solos and other music as well.  I spend LOTS of time transcribing with my students.
Why didn't I connect the dots with jazz?  Perhaps I felt daunted.

In any case,  I seem to spend around two weeks per song.  I learn the entirety of what the sax player does on a song, so some songs are very
complex and I spend longer.   What I notice is I tend to be able to play
the song at 60% speed and then find it very hard to get faster and I also lose my attention span.

So it would seem to me if I dedicated myself to memorizing every tune at speed,  I would have much more muscle memory, but each song would take much longer and I would get bored.

Whereas my current method gives me SOME muscle memory and feeds me new information with every song improving my conceptual awareness of how people play jazz.

 I sense my way is better for the way I learn but I am wondering if anyone has opinions and reasons why I should work harder on memorization and playing up to speed.
Thanks,
Michael Rubin
michaelrubinharmonica.com