Camille Bertault

Coltrane’s improvisation

From a failure to a success…

French singer Camille Bertault failed a conservatory exam and down in the dumps, she decided to work on a project to boost her spirits.

She wrote French lyrics to the melody for Giant Steps.

Already knowing the solo, she scatted it too and then filmed it.

She posted the video to her Facebook page with the intention of entertaining her friends. 100,000+ views later…

How the heck does one learn a solo the way Bertault did?

The same way you eat an elephant, one bite (one phrase) at a time.

You don’t have to be a musician to do it, but doing it will help make you a musician (or at the very least a much better educated fan.)

It just takes lots and lots of work and listening, but you can do it too.

Start on a less note-filled solo (Ex. Miles Davis’ solo on “Kind of Blue”) and see how satisfying it is. Or Freddie Hubbard’s solo on “Maiden Voyage.”

Do a few bars and you just might get hooked.