Making some unexpected progress! :)

[Michael Bishop]

Hi Johnny,
I was doing my practicing tonight and something kind of unexpected happened, pretty cool 🙂 Tonight was an Alto Sax practice session and i was working on Improvising with the Blues Scales–I have a ‘Chicago Blues’ Instrumental that’s almost done. With no forethought or anything and literally last minute/second, I pulled out your Improvisation series of videos that you have here on your website with the Pentatonic Scales. I played the first video and on a whim I was able to “play along” with you, note for note! Your video was is on Tenor, but I was on the Alto….so even though I was using a different scale I was able to still play the very exact same licks/riffs that you we’re on Tenor. It was almost like I was able “anticipate” what was coming even though there was no preparation and my brain instantly recognized what notes on the scale for Alto I had to play…it happened without even thinking about it! This has got to be a good mark of “progress” for me, being able to watch someone else Improvise and know exactly what notes on my scale for Alto that I had to play, instantly and with no forethought about it! Maybe as a professional player you may not think about this much, but for a student player like me it says “progress” for sure 🙂 Speaking of Blues Music, I got to re-upload my Blues Brothers Instrumental sometime this week, shame on me. Been so busy but that’s still not an excuse LOL

[john]

Great Michael. That means you have really gotten that blues scale down. Like I keep sayin; it’s really quite simple when you learn it. Many people skip over this simple stuff and it remains a mystery forever. Keep it up!

[Michael Bishop]

You bring up a great point Johnny about some people calling it “simple stuff” because I think most feel it has to be “complicated” to sound good if you get my meaning. Like when I did my audition for the Talent show coming up on Nov.14…other folks there we’re playing Jazz and were really good at it, playing lots of licks and really fast…it was a little bit “intimidating” for a mere student player like me and I’m thinking I have no chance…I was actually thinking that I’m probably getting ready to embarrass myself LOL I’m not trying to sound critical of anyone, different strokes for different folks as they say. But that one audition taught me many valuable lessons! I don’t know; but from I’ve been exposed to and seeing how people respond to it, it just seems that good/meaningful Improvisation doesn’t have to be complicated….and it really shouldn’t be. I’m just really thankful to have gotten a good tuner…it’s taught me A LOT 🙂

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