This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he points out what actually makes a solo land with an audience — and it’s not what you’d expect.
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The Moment a Solo Makes the Crowd Go “Yeah!”
While giving feedback on students’ improvised solos, I noticed something: the moments where I catch myself saying “oh, that’s nice” aren’t when someone’s packing every beat with eighth notes. They’re almost always moments where the silence lands at exactly the right time.
That clicked for me again today while listening to a recording — there’s a moment in a Christian McBride solo where you can hear someone in the audience (or maybe a bandmate) blurt out “yeah!” without thinking. It happens around 1:12 in this video.
The audience couldn’t have known a pause was coming right there — there’s no way to predict that in an improvised solo. And yet, someone reacted out loud, instantly. I think that’s what “good space” really means.
When you’re copying a phrase, paying attention to the actual notes obviously matters. But it might be worth paying just as much attention to where the greats leave space, or where a phrase really lands — looking at it that way can change what you start to notice.
I still want to aim for that same kind of space and timing in my own playing.
Man, what a great recording. I’ve loved this one for years — I guess this is what people mean by “swinging.” Give it a listen if you haven’t already.
Putting in the reps matters, but soaking in great music matters just as much. 🙂
Timing and space like this are notoriously hard to judge in your own playing — it’s exactly the kind of thing a second pair of ears catches instantly.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.