The Journal

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: Laila Wessel The Webster University Faculty Jazz Band took the main stage on Gore Avenue and entertained the audience at the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival Sept. 15.

Jazz musicians make it seem easy. The notes appear to fly off their fingers, merging together to create beautiful music. The reality, however, is much more complicated.

"You have to know what every note sounds like before you play it on your instrument to have successful improvisation," said guitarist Steve Schenkel, a Webster music professor.

To help beginning jazz musicians, three members of the Webster University Faculty Jazz Band held a workshop teaching improvisation techniques. The workshop was held as part of the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival Sept. 15 in the Winifred Moore Auditorium.

"Improv is the central item of jazz music," said saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, an associate music professor. "Most improv clinics focus on making new melodies off of underlying chord changes. We wanted to focus on the melody and the use of it through solos and variations."

DeMarinis, Schenkel and bassist Willem von Hombracht, an adjunct music professor, demonstrated to approximately 20 people how the melody can be changed and used in solos. This improvisation technique might be easier for some beginners who aren't as familiar with notes, chords and keys to be able to successfully create an entirely new melody from the music.

"This was especially helpful to me," said Chris Meschede, a senior bass player from Northwest High School. "I have a problem doing my own thing, making up as I go. I normally come up with a bunch of stuff that doesn't make sense. I'm really going to be focusing on the melody now."

The musicians demonstrated how simple techniques such as changing dynamics, delaying the beginning of each phrase, shortening note values and anticipating the end of each phrase can drastically change the melody. The musicians showed this by playing "All the Things You Are" by Jerome Kern, strictly as written, and then went into other techniques to compare how differently the song sounds.

Learning music theory is an important part of becoming a good improviser and enables students to make variations off of the melody, Schenkel said.

Continued...

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