5 Ways To Play Like Horace SilverBYGEORGE COLLIGANJune 1, 2011The great jazz pianist Horace Silver was in many ways, one of themost un-pianistic players ever to have touched the keys.However, he might also be the pianist who most encapsulates the spirit of jazz. When Silver plays, he pounds the pianos low end like its a bass drum. His right hand makes the piano scream like its a blues singer. He plays chords behind a soloist as if joining a big band shout chorus, and he plays bebop lines like a trumpet player.

Together with the seminal drummer Art Blakey, Silver created the famed group the Jazz Messengers, ushering in the energetic hard bop sound. Silvers piano style is a great place for budding jazz pianists to begin their studies, because many of the salient characteristics of his playing are simple, yet effective. If you want to get to the heart of jazz, check out Horace Silver. Here are five ways to become immersed in his style.Editor's note: On June 18, 2014, we were saddened to learn that Horace Silver passed away. We've reposted this lesson in his honor and memory, and you can read our collection of remembrances by the jazz scene's best and brightest musicianshere.1. Left Hand VoicingsSilver often does something I call dropping bombs, where he plays the root in octaves in the left hand as inEx. 1a, or the fifth in octaves with the root in the middle,

like inEx. 1b. Often times, he combines his dropping bombs with more Bud Powell-type bebopshell voicings,

constructed using roots and fifths in the left hand, as inEx. 1c.

2. Hand-to-Hand ConversationWhen Silver plays solos, he creates a raucous dialogue between his left and right hands.

Ex. 2 demonstrates this conversational call and response style, which can be traced all the way back to early blues music. Unlike other esteemed jazz pianists such as Wynton Kelly, who at times soften their left hand to let the right hand ring out, Silver gives both hands an equal voice.3. Right Hand IdeasBebop piano giant Bud Powell was one of Silvers many influences. Silver often employed bebop ideas in his right hand lines, as inEx. 3a,

but he also injected intervallic concepts like the use of Eastern-tinged fourths (seeEx. 3b) into his playing for added effect.

4. Blues, Repetition, and DevelopmentMuch of Silvers soloing falls into the riff category. Note how inEx. 4a

andEx. 4b

he uses the language of the blues, along with repetition and motivic development to imbue his music with a sense of structure and momentum.

5. Comping ConceptsMany of the great pianists in jazzincluding Bill Evans and Herbie Hancockare revered for their subtle use of space in their accompaniment work. Silver often sits on the other end of the sonic spectrum as an accompanist, comping in a full, insistent way, pushing and prodding soloists while keeping the ensemble energy high.Ex. 5demonstrates this conversational approach to comping.

Pianist and composerGeorge Colliganhas worked with Cassandra Wilson, Buster Williams, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, and many other acclaimed artists. Most recently, he joined drummer Jack DeJohnettes new quintet, and releasedPride and Joyon the Piloo label. Colligan is Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Manitoba. Find out more atgeorgecolligan.com. --Jon Regen

Link: http://www.keyboardmag.com/jazz/1303/5-ways-to-play-like-horace-silver/28192 [NB: audio file on url]