by Robert Dick
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:07:15 -0500
From: Robert Dick <robertdick9@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Fish Are Jumping cadenza
Dear Michelle and Everyone,
If I might give my opinion on how to create the cadenza for "Fish Are Jumping" -- the watchword is SPONTANEITY!! Please do not approach this in the classical musicians' pattern of "writing" the cadenza. The whole idea is to make it up every time and to play it differently every time.
If you are concerned with observing the composer's intention, (and I hope you are) -- that is what I want.
And you CAN do it, even if you've never attempted such a thing before. There is a huge difference in emotional effect between a true improvisation (even if its a struggle) and a memorized, pre-decided version. The improvisation wins
every time because it communicates the musical truth of the nature of the piece.
Now, how to go about creating your cadenza... "Fish Are Jumping" is loaded with thematic nuggets. Its possible to take a thematic germ from virtually any measure in the piece and develop it. Each chorus of this Blues is twelve measures long, except for one "stop-time" eight measure chorus (at letter C). A good place to get ideas from is the first measure of each chorus.
Once you grab an idea -- use the standard tools of creating cadenzas in any style. A few of these are: making sequences, inverting the direction of the phrase (play the line downwards if it appears upwards in the piece), and changing the sound color by developing the articulations and tone. In "Fish Are Jumping" you can go a lot further than in Mozart cadenza with these parameters. You can play a motif with normal tone, then add your voice, then insert glissandi, then play it as key clicks and tongue pizzicato, etc etc..
Go for the Big Gesture, don't hold back. Smoke, flames, thunder, lightning, earthquakes, meteor showers, the sun going nova -- all in about a minute and a half to two minutes!
About the structure of the cadenza. There is only ONE RULE and it MUST be followed. You must play the ending I wrote; you may not change the ending. Your cadenza needs to work to the place where this ending feels inevitable. It's not hard to do. Most cadenzas profit from a quieter passage about three quarters of the way through. From there, build a sequence or a series of lines that work upwards and peak in the instants just before the written ending. You'll feel poised at the "top of the mountain". Use the written ending to bring the piece to a definitive, high energy close!
Most of the cadenzas I've heard, even in professionals' performances, are too short and are on the timid side. On rare occasions, the cadenza has been way too long, as long as the piece itself. Better too much than too little, but a sense of proportion is crucial to all good music making. The stylistic reference point for "Fish Are Jumping" is electric guitar Blues in the Chicago manner. Listen to guitarists like B.B. King, Albert King,* Buddy Guy and Son Seals.** Also check out vocalists like Big Mama Thornton *** and Shamika Copeland.****
Playing a jazz cadenza, with sophisticated harmonies and lots of extensions of the chords, doesn't really keep in the spirit of the piece. Its a simple, three chord Blues and its power stems from its immediacy and directness.
I made the instructional DVD for "Fish Are Jumping" to teach the basics of the Blues, to teach the piece in all its aspects -- the musical meaning and purpose of the piece and the techniques needed to communicate it -- and to encourage everyone to tap into their creativity. Creativity is in each of us. Nobody is without it.
As you practice creating cadenzas , have fun! Take chances. "Fish Are Jumping" because they think its the coolest thing they can do. And so can you.
Robert Dick
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Posted with permission of the author.
* Rolling Stone link at the bottom of the article has sound clips (requires a Rhapsody player that the page offers to install).
** Alligator Records link at the bottom of the page plays a sound clip when the linked page loads.
*** Big Mama Thornton Sings the Blues in Detroit link at the bottom of the article has links to several Youtube videos
**** This is an Amazon.com link with sound clips to all her CDs .
