The name of the tune is “Gunslinging Bird,” but the name originally given it by Charles Mingus was, “If Charlie Parker Were a Gunslinger, There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats.” Included in the Mingus Dynasty album, the tune was Mingus’s way of recognizing the enormous impact of Parker on other saxophonists. Parker’s approach was so overwhelming that scores of horn players, alto saxophonists in particular, sought to copy it. Bird was the way to sound.
Mingus was making a point that cloneliness is not next to godliness. Still, learning by emulation is a longstanding hallmark of jazz–and, for that matter, of any discipline. Whether it’s a girl watching her mom bake cookies in the kitchen, an English major contemplating a Hemingway short story, or a trumpet player transcribing a Wynton Marsalis solo, every person learns by seeing–or hearing–and imitating how the masters do it.
Today, both in print and on the Internet, a huge array of transcribed solos testifies that the venerable tradition of emulating the jazz luminaries remains alive and well. Yet so, too, does a common objection voiced by novice musicians: “I don’t want to sound like another musician; I want to develop my own style.”
It’s an understandable concern, but is it a valid one? That depends, really, on the goals of the individual. Let’s put it this way: If you listen to a lot of Kenny Garrett, and if you take it upon yourself to transcribe a bunch of Kenny Garrett solos, and if you steep yourself in those Kenny Garrett solos, then chances are you will come out sounding an awful lot like Kenny Garrett.
Now, if that’s all you aspire to, then that’s where you’ll end up: as a Kenny Garrett clone. But if you desire to forge your own voice, then Kenny will simply become a part of your vocabulary, a vocabulary that includes other influences besides Kenny and increasingly reflects your personal explorations with melody, harmony, timbre, and nuance. You are an individual, after all, and the sheer force of your individuality will direct you toward your own sound and approach.
So don’t be afraid to go through the masters. Doing so is a part of how every jazz musician learns. It’s not the only part of the growth curve, but it is a foundational one: working the pre-existing language of jazz into your head and your hands so you can communicate meaningfully with your instrument. The point of copying Bird isn’t to play like Bird, but to move beyond Bird and play like yourself. And you will. If you want to, you will.
That’s all that need be said. You just need to trust the process–and, I might add, enjoy it. Don’t worry about arriving; just dig the journey, and recognize that your landscape is slowly changing with every step you take.
Practice hard, have fun, and keep at it!
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