5 Minute Lesson: Julian Lage Teaches How to Add Dimension to Your Playing
Even a simple melodic strand can carry surprising depthâespecially in the hands of jazz great Julian Lage. In this short lesson, Lage shares a technique that helps turn a straightforward solo into something more layered and expressive.
Using âIsland Blues,â a 12-bar tune by saxophonist Charles Lloyd (Example 1, 1:03), Lage begins by pointing out how much can be gained by simply adding a bass note beneath the melody. âIt immediately gets you into a more orchestrational way of playing,â he says, referencing players like Jim Hall, Chet Atkins, and Ralph Towner, all masters at creating the illusion of multiple voices on the guitar.
From there, Lage demonstrates a phrasing move he often uses: rather than playing notes in a detached way (Example 2, 2:38), he sustains one note while continuing to play others around it. As shown in Example 3, 2:58), try it with the A major scaleâlet the A at the end of the first bar ring while you descend through the notes that follow. What youâve done is introduce motion and contrast within a single gestureâsomething Lage develops more fully in a chorus of âIsland Bluesâ (Example 4, 3:21).
Dynamics make all the difference. If you play everything at equal volume, the held note may get lost. But if you let that note ring while softening what follows, it creates a kind of dialogueâan idea stated, then echoed or answered. âItâs a simple move,â Lage says, âbut it unlocks something. You learn how to keep one idea going while introducing another. Itâs a kind of freedom.â
To learn more about Julian Lage, and for transcriptions of his work, see the April 2018 and July/August 2023 issues. Be sure to check out his latest album, the Grammy-nominated Speak to Me (Blue Note Records).
