Quick Tip #1: Side-Step

Today’s quick tip is about using a method of jazz improvisation called a side step. I’ve given a quick description of it in the video, but why does it work? and what’s the best way to achieve this technique?

To answer the first question, it works well for two main reasons in my opinion. When you play the first line, especially if it’s a strong, short melodic phrase, the listener hears the melody and processes that information to some degree. Usually though, you carry on playing your solo with other notes and information for the listener to process. When you play that same line again, the listener will recognise it and either consciously or unconsciously enjoy it more because it’s familiar to them (on some level). The other reason it works so well in the context of jazz, is that you’re playing a semi-tone away from the chord and that creates a lot of tension - which we jazz musicians love! And when you resolve the line back into the “correct” key or chord there’s a big sense of relief. And that is Jazz - Tension and Release.

OK, so we’ve found out why it works, but how can we even practice or learn to do this? The best way for me, is to learn lines over dominant 7 chords - in all 12 keys (always!) - and then you’ll have the lines in your head and hands ready to use. Then, for example, you can play a line over G7, then in your head think and play the line up a semi-tone which would be Ab7, while the chord is still G7. I would recommend you take a look at a jazz improvisation textbook that I wrote on Jazz Lines Over II-V Chords which is a downloadable file that you can buy in the shop, and this will give you a really good foundation for this technique as well as other techniques.