Jazz - Soloing while singing the melody

Hi guys,

I'm new at Jazz, and my teacher told me that i should practice soloing while singing the melody out loud. He gave me some licks and said i should practice them singing. I learned a couple of melodies (Now's the time - 12 bar blues & Stompin at the savoy - AABA), and i tried to play the licks while singing but it's very hard for me to do so. Do you have any exercises or tips to give me to practice and get better at this, maybe make it a bit easier for me? How did you first time learned to do this? Thnx a lot

Start with only the your feet ,the add snare etc. Also start with quarter notes, then to eights etc...Sing out loud. All very slow. Denis

Denis's advice is top notch so follow that but can you sing the melody when playing time?
That is a little bit easier so something to start with then build up to soloing.

Other things to try could be:

Try something less jazzy like the flintstones or jingle bells.

Start just playing the tune on the snare. Don't think about licks just yet.
Then add the toms for low and higher pitches. Then the bass drum for the lowest pitch.

Maybe take the lead sheet and look at the melody and see if any of the licks with fit into certain passages.

The following is just my concept on learning so take from it what you will.

The eventual aim with any concept is to use it subconsciously and to have it come out as freely as speaking and having a conversation.

IN order to do that the concept/lick/etc passes through 3 stages

Technical - Rights and lefts - very deliberate and slow practice with no improvisation.
Like when you first learned a double stroke roll

Musical - Next we deliberately apply it to musical situations.
Like when learning a new work we use it ALL the time to find out it's correct meaning and context.
Sticking with doubles we would play a whole fill or solo only using doubles to get a feel for how it works and doesn't work.

Improvisational/Subconscious - The final stage is the hardest to reach and that is where an idea just happens. You play a lick or combination sticking or particular groove because your brain wanted that sound. In this stage you are playing music and reacting to what you are hearing.

In order to get to this stage you need to improvise with the idea a lot. But also using texts like Syncopation(Alan Dawsons method) and playing within the style of someone else helps.

I also find playing on top of records at certain tempos is more musical than playing to a click.

For instance I have an 80 bpm playlist that I might use to try out certain ideas.
IN that there is
Stan by Eminem
Piece of My heart - Janis Joplin
Shaoe of my Heart - Sting
Chasing Pavements - Adele

All give or take 80bpm but all feel very different and the idea must not only be in time but must also match the feel of the track.

Hope this helps a little bit and sorry for going a little of topic

D