How To Improvise Jazz Piano: Flow Phrase Breathe

In today’s blog post, we are going to discuss the Flow Phrase Breathe improvisation method, explained by Jazz Pianist Dave Frank in this video.

Dave Frank, who is described on his website as one of the busiest solo jazz pianists and educators in the NYC, served as an Associate Professor of Piano at the Berklee School Of Music for over 15 years. He has also performed at notable jazz festivals across the world including the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Winnipeg Jazz Festival.

Currently, he runs a jazz piano school called “Dave Frank School Of Jazz”, where he teaches in-person and online piano lessons. He also has as a youtube channel that features over 200 instructional videos and masterclasses about various jazz piano and theory topics.

Without any further ado, let’s begin our exploration into the Flow Phrase Breathe improvisation method!

What Is Flow Phrase Breathe?

When I first heard about the flow phrase breathe concept from Dave’s video, I thought it was very useful, and instantly started working to apply it into my improvisation. What I realized soon after, though, was that there were no blog posts online that explained it in detail, so I’ve decided to change that, putting my own spin on it.

Flow

As explained by Frank, the key to success in any endeavor is to tap into flow, which could also be called the “flow state”. In the flow state, a person is focused solely on one activity. In many cases, the activity becomes so effortless that it feels like something/someone else is doing it, and not you.

When improvising in jazz, the “flow” that Dave speaks about is the flow of swing eighth notes. The flow of swing eighth notes, grouped in groups of four with a slight accent on the first group of four is the backbone of the improvised line.

When notated, it will look like this.

To maintain the accent on the first note as well as the the rhythmic clow, Dave recommends saying the phrase “Slice of pizza” as you play.

Here is an audio example of a constant 8th note flow over 30 bars of the jazz standard “Ornithology” with a metronome.

Tips For Practicing Flow

1. Slice Of Pizza: As mentioned before, saying “slice of pizza” as you improvise can help you when practicing flow, not just with accented first note, but also with maintaining consistency. Try it and see!
2. Start Slow: Start off at a tempo that allows you to play swing eighth notes consistently without tension, and then gradually increase the BPM as you get better.
3. Keep Going: Sometimes you may not end up where you want to be melodically because you’re not used to playing only eighth notes. Don’t stop! As Victor Wooten says, (and i’m paraphrasing) “A good note is only a semitone away.” If you are able to play eighth notes consistently without breaking the flow, leaving space becomes easier.
4. Choose Standards That You Know: When practicing, pick standards that you know inside out. Make sure you’re familiar with every chord, because thinking about chords while playing may end up breaking your flow.

Phrase

When you talk, you can only call what you said a phrase after you say it. A phrase isn’t complete if you’re still talking. This is the same with improvisation. You have the power to decide how and where your phrase will end.

In Dave’s flow phrase breathe method, a musical phrase is ended with a sustained note to “give it a feeling of completion”.

You can also chose the desired length of your phrases based on the table below.

Here is another audio example of breaking the flow into shorter phrases in Ornithology.

Tips For Practicing Phrase

1. Practice Each Phrase Length Separately: Start off practicing only short phrases first, then medium, and then long. After that, you can start mixing them together.
2. Start on off-beats: After a while, starting strong beats will make your improvisation sound monotonous. Practice starting your phrases on off beats. When in doubt, listen to some of your favorite musicians to hear where they start their phrases.

Breathe

We’ve come to the last section of the flow phrase breathe improvisation method! Dave explains that the key to the correct breathing after your line is to listen to the last note of your phrase ringing out, and allow it to signal to you when it’s time to start the next musical sentence.

There is no right or wrong way to breathe musically. Each musician has their own gauge, and you will have to find your own by playing and listening to yourself.

Below is an example of using breath over a few bars of Ornithology.

Conclusion

The Flow Phrase Breathe improvisation method provides a structured yet flexible approach to mastering jazz improvisation. By focusing on the continuous flow of swing eighth notes, breaking them into meaningful phrases, and allowing natural breaths between those phrases, musicians can cultivate a more intuitive and expressive style.

As you integrate the Flow Phrase Breathe method into your practice, remember to start slow, maintain your rhythmic flow with helpful phrases like “slice of pizza,” and experiment with different phrase lengths and starting points. Embrace the silence and space that breathing allows, and let your musical instincts guide you.

Happy practicing, and may your improvisations flow effortlessly while using the flow phrase breathe method!

Note: While you’re here, check out the S.C.O Method for jazz improvisation. It is a great way to learn scale tones and chord tones when practicing standards. Using the S.C.O method with the flow phrase breathe method makes a great combo!