Thematic Dissonance: No Wrong Notes!
presented by
Antonio J. García, Professor
Director of Jazz Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
Conn-Selmer Institute
June 12-15, 2016
Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana
Thanks for coming—we’re going to have a good time experimenting today!
Young improvisers fear mistakes, the accidental dissonances as they solo. This is not surprising, as
American musical education generally teaches consonance first and thoroughly so, leaving dissonance more a
mystery. And yet a soloist’s identity or “sound” might well be determined more by how he or she treats
dissonance in a solo: who wants to hear an entirely consonant composition, written or improvised?
I propose that before we clutter the minds of students with “left-brain” theory, chord/scale relationships,
and patterns (all of which tend to encourage a frustrating, “cut-and-paste” sound in a soloist), we instead
introduce them to the “right-brain” creative stimuli of tension and release, theme and variation, melodic
contour, pace, lyricism, and yes, dissonance. By proving at the outset the strength of improvising thematically,
we can greatly reduce students’ fear of soloing and provide for them the proper internal creative framework on
which to apply the external theory that will follow in later study. After all, aren’t we teaching spontaneous
composition?
Making “Wrong” Notes “Right”
First, let’s PROVE that there are no “wrong” notes. (What could lower a player’s fears more than that?)
In the first class or clinic session, I like to demonstrate this using sequential exercises, several of which
everyone does simultaneously to save time and lower inhibitions. Each exercise limits the parameters of an
individual’s choices such that dissonance is guaranteed to result. And the most critical rule is this: “Whenever
you hear a dissonance, crescendo—lean into it!” (And when you hear consonance, decrescendo.) Dissonance
played convincingly sounds intentional—even if it was accidentally introduced into the solo. There are no
wrong notes: “mistakes” can be emphasized and/or repeated, then resolved (often by half-step) to create tension
and release. And all a soloist need use is his or her ears—no chord/scales or patterns. (If you wish to
demonstrate this further, have someone comp or walk any chords in any harmonic rhythm while you improvise
long-value chromatic notes, even shorter chromatics. If you phrase convincingly, you cannot sound wrong
despite ignorance of the progression to come.)
While random dissonance usually sounds mistaken, thematic dissonance is convincing. It is also
interesting, unpredictable, usually enjoyable, and an essential step towards establishing one’s own “sound”—a
major goal of aspiring jazz soloists. The “hip” sounds musicians have been searching for are often simple but
thematic dissonances. Playing “outside” then seems more accessible to the less-experienced player—and it
should be!
Sequences and Pace
Having proved that a theme is the key that unlocks the door to playing “outside,” one must demonstrate
the easiest method to go out and come back: half-step sequences. Why introduce difficult transpositions when a
half-step sequence alters a key center by five flats or sharps? (Again, no chord/scales of the blues need yet be
introduced, as we are concentrating on thematic development and ears.)
Pick a thematic idea, perhaps of three notes; and play it over the opening of a blues. Play the idea.
Sequence it a half-step higher. Return it to the original key. Sequence it a half-step lower. Return it to the
original key. You must play firmly and slowly, crescendoing dissonances to convince listeners of your intent.
© 2016 Antonio J. García
All Rights Reserved.
2
By isolating a theme and sticking to it, building variations, players discover a theme goes a long way.
Instead of focusing on the typical, fearful question, “what am I going to play?,” players learn to consider instead
the much more valuable question, “How am I going to play what I just heard?” Hearing recordings of soloists
such as Monk, Rollins, and Miles will prove that theme and pace are not merely tools of the inexperienced: they
are the ingredients that shape the music we enjoy.
Alternate Positions
Certain instruments’ construction makes most chromatic sequences incredibly simple. Except for the
extreme end of a string or slide, players of stringed instruments and the trombone can use a “fretted” technique
to duplicate the hand positions of the original thematic notes, moving the positions to a parallel group either
higher or lower. As a trombonist standing with slide parallel to the class, I can clearly demonstrate that an idea
played in positions 2-4-3 can easily be sequenced a half-step higher as 1-3-2 or lower as 3-5-4. Players of these
instruments are delighted to learn of this advantage, and such sequencing promotes the study of alternate
positions/fingerings that are so essential to smooth phrasing.
The Future
There will be a lifetime to add “left-brain” theoretical elements: chord/scales, “lick” patterns (primarily
to promote ear-training and technical facility), and endless analyzation. All will encourage the player to grow
beyond the skills presented here—but not to abandon them. By planting the thematic seed first—and by using
dissonance to do so—the theoretical elements may be learned in their proper perspective, adding to “rightbrain” growth as well. Students will quickly realize that they can improvise creatively now, without fear of
“wrong” notes, without much of the frustration experienced by any of their predecessors who might have
learned external technical knowledge without stimulating their internal creative drive.
Bassist Dave Holland, whose visit as a guest artist during my graduate studies prompted positive and
dramatic changes in my own playing, articulated the following view: “Of course, theoretical understanding is
important.... But ear training shouldn’t be left out. Really using your ears, learning the sound of the music
first—it’s sometimes the longer route, but is, I think, the more complete route.” (Mandel, Howard. “Dave
Holland: Creative Collaborator,” Down Beat, October 1989, Vol. 56, No. 10, p. 21.)
I hope that this workshop has provided you with practical information you can consider applying
today! An article by me based on this topic (along with many other articles) may be found for further reference
at <www.garciamusic.com/educator/articles/articles.html>, including written musical examples. If I can be of
further assistance, please feel free to contact me (see below).
Thanks to you for being here, and thanks to all the great folks at Conn-Selmer, Inc. for their support in
making this day happen!
Here is an additional resource of mine for jazz-improvisation:
Cutting the Changes: Jazz Improvisation via Key Centers. This book/Play-Along CD/CD-ROM package
is published by Kjos Music <www.kjos.com> and is available in five editions:
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C Treble Edition (W51C/ISBN Number 8497-2590-9)
C Bass Edition (W51BC/ISBN Number 8497-2591-7)
B Edition (W51B/ISBN Number 8497-2592-5)
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E Edition (W51E/ISBN Number 8497-2593-3)
F Edition (W51HF/ISBN Number 8497-2594-1)
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Too often beginning jazz musicians—including their instructors—are told that they must know all scales
and keys before they can improvise lyrically. As a result most students of the music give up before ever
improvising successfully. But the 13 standard tunes in this book initially appear without a single chord symbol:
only the major-scale key-centers are shown above the measures—no modes or unusual scales. Check it out!