Soloing The Form

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

While soloing, how many of the chords do you aim to actually hit? All of Them? Just the major changes? None, do you just play in the key?

I aim to catch most of the chords in the B section and just play in the key during the rest of the form or catch big changes, like when it goes to the 5 in a blues. I've only been playing a melodic instrument for 6 years and only been playing jazz on a melodic instrument for a year or so. I'm working on it, but I feel, to play the best solo, I need to find a balance between the technical aspects, playing from the heart, and playing within my skill range.

-52nd

[Ellery Eskelin]

I'd recommend thinking melodically and pay attention to phrasing...as in when you start a phrase, when you end a phrase and consciously "playing" your silences. And experiment with starting and stopping your phrases in various places, even counter intuitive ones, just to get used to being able to start and stop in any place within the form. Whether you play a certain change or not becomes determined by the shape of your melody. To rule in or rule out playing certain chords before you've started playing will probably interfere with your flow.

Technically you should be able to play on any chord. So don't let your technical ability determine your choices of where to play in the form. If you have a limitation then work on it. Then when you play you don't really have to think about this issue at all. Your ear guides you and you just play.