Outcome and conclusion
By analysing and writing down many of the typical paths that good jazz tunes tend to follow, I've come to see quite a few similarities. To make students aware of these I've been using assignments, or little excercises. Surprisingly enough they often come up with quite nice compositions when they think they are just doing an excersise, as opposed to when I ask them to hand in a "composition".
Assingments like "harmonise this melody a few different ways" (first determine and describe the mood, and feel free to change the meter, tempo or the groove) and use diffrent chordal movements.
Or I let them write melodies to existing chord sequences, chords to melodies, finish sequential melodies, or then let them break out of a logical harmonic sequence.
Another thing that seems to work well is letting them take an compositional element they enjoy from a tune (for instance the rhythm) and mix it up with the melodic or harmonic elements of another song. These are good ways to not be bothered by the "blank page freight syndrom". I have a reader with assingments like that, and am constantly adding pages to it.
Being free and creative shouldn't be hindered by inhibiting thoughts that many students seem to have. A common trap many students fall into, is that they write the first three bars of a new song, and then discard their idea because it sounds just like something else they know, and therefore think their idea will probably not be original enough. It takes quite some convincing to make them realize that the first phase of a composition doesn't have to be "exceptionally fantastic", and usually is something quite common.
I allways try to stimulate playfullness, experimentation, and "reckless abandon", but I allways make them check "does this feel right to you". In my opinion a lot of jazz is being made from the rational mind, and is not in balance with the "feeling". It's better understand and like what you write, than to want to impress someone by being clever, or ultra hip.
I urge the students to get to know a lot of music, analyse, listen carefully, copy, steal, and try coloring outside the lines as well. Make "mistakes" and see what they feel like. Miles Davis said of mistakes "Don't fear them, there are none, it's what happens after the mistake that determines if it was a mistake or not." Another nice Miles quote is “It's not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.”
I also like the story of the six year old kid in school making a drawing, and the teacher comes up to him and askes what it is he's drawing. He replies "I'm making a drawing of god" and the teacher replies: "But nobody knows what god looks like" and the kid replies: They will after I'm done with my drawing"
Lovely childlike uninhibitedness, curiosity, and fearlessnes....
Be inspired and you'll be inspiring, be interested and you'll be interesting.
Hopefully in the end this will help new composers, enriching and expanding the world of jazz with interesting and beautyfull harmony.
