The great guitarist Joe Pass used to say to his students, "Play me an idea." This was often met with a blank stare. Many times the uninitiated would pile into a barrage of notes, often pentatonic licks or a quick run up or down a scale. Next thing Joe would say was "sing me that." Of course they couldn't sing it like they had played it. If someone only plays what he or she can sing then there is truth in his or her music. This is a good rule to live by when improvising: play only what you can sing. If you can't sing it, you aren't really hearing it. Phrasing in a jazz manner requires breathing between ideas like a vocalist or horn player.

An "idea" is a motif or motive, a melodic line that is clear and intelligent and often short and to the point with no wasted notes. When I mimic one of bassist Keter Betts' ideas on a gig he says to me with his usual humor, "Get your own ideas!" In order to create a positive spin, my first jazz teacher once told me that I had "too many ideas." All I had to do was pick one idea and develop it instead of running in a hundred different directions. If you play an idea you don't like, then there is still hope! Jim Hall often says that he feels he makes a career by recovering from mistakes. Of course Jim's mistakes are often better than what many players intend to play! Strive to play a well- formed idea that relates to the song or, at the very least, to the chord progression.

Now to return to Joe Pass' sage advice about singing: Often times a student player will tell me that they don't hear anything in their mind to sing. I usually find out that they haven't listened closely to some important recordings that exemplify swinging and motive-based kinds of improvising. Going back to some early recordings is crucial in understanding all aspects of jazz.

It can be as simple as listening to the big band of Count Basie and singing along with the sax section or the trumpets. The "shout chorus" figures played by that band are some of the most swinging in the history of jazz. These ideas, usually based on riffs, would be the perfect kind of ideas to begin with. The tune "Splanky" is perhaps the most often quoted of the "shouts." Many times during a guitar solo, for example, a horn player in a big band will "set a riff" creating an idea on the spot that is picked up instantly by the other horns, often played in unison. Check out some of these ideas because they are short, catchy and rhythmically swinging. Ideas such as these can be used as part of your solo. Wes Montgomery's solos are filled with these riffs.

It's important to imitate the great players in learning to play ideas. Clark Terry suggests, "imitate, assimilate, innovate" as the process. I'd recommend listening to players like Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins and Jim Hall for beautifully constructed solos that are rhythmically, melodically and harmonically satisfying. If you hear anything that really grabs you and makes you wish you could play it, first sing it then pick up your guitar and try to play it. It doesn't have to be a whole solo maybe just one idea.

Looking forward to our next meeting. Straight ahead and strive for tone!

Steve Herberman