NoJazz

Thought you might like some background. I came across this french outfit listening to internet jazz radio. Here is the Wikipeadia entry. Toe Macero produced their first album. I have one of his own albums which is great funky jazz although his reputation comes from producing Miles. Sylvain Gontard the trumpeter has amazing classical technique with a bebop language which is well matched by the sax player. I like the fact that the band uses a hip-hop style. For me this is very much modern jazz with some fabulous soloing.

Over There - Queen of Sheeba 7/11/15

A most interesting session today. I found listening to the smaller groups quite revealing. I think when we play as a full group we perhaps don’t always take as much responsibility for our own part - it’s easy to rely on our neighbours (that’s your neighbour in the class rather than your neighbour at home … ) In the small group setting everyone has to know where they are and be ready to come in with their solo or backing etc.

I thought our extended version of Queen Of Sheba was tremendous. Sadly, I didn’t record this. Top work from our rhythm section and special thanks to Beau Barnard for stepping in at short notice on the bass.

I did however record our three performances of Over There and they are now in the Dropbox. There is some lovely playing on these tracks.

Band 1 is Annie, Wook, Patrick, Stuart, Beau & Charlie

Band 2 is Ash, Kim, Jim, Mike, Beau & Charlie

Band 3 is Steve L, Steve F, Neil, Aprile, Beau & Charlie

Also, I had a go at home, doing a short solo over the iRealPro backing I sent out last time. This is attached below and is in the Dropbox. For me, the biggest challenge was the time. It was OK if I stuck to slow moving notes but playing faster often made me lose my place. I found by staying diatonic (in the major scale) most notes sounded OK but I wanted to try some different colours on the ‘tweaked’ chords. This was hard - I had several goes at it! Thanks to Steve for finding this piece.

Look forward to seeing you all on November 27th (I’ll get the new music out shortly)

Cheers Mark

Over There - Feedback

Hi Everyone,

There was some beautiful playing again today - and some exciting risk taking!

I’ve just created a couple of backing tracks for Over There  which you might find useful.

Over There (backing1) does four cycles of the regular chords and then two cycles of some ‘tweaked’ chords (see below) before finishing with two more cycles of the regular chords again, plus the backing line (featuring some dodgy singing from some bloke…) The so-called ‘tweaked’ chords feature the two variations we discussed today: adding #5 to the first chord in bar 3 and adding 13, b9 and b5 to the first chord in bar 4. I have also put in various 7ths and the occasional 9th. All of this stuff happens at different points during the Terence Blanchard recording (I haven’t just made it all up!!) 

Over There (backing2) does just four cycles of the ‘tweaked’ chords

_______________________________________________________

The ‘tweaked’ chords in concert are as follows:

|| G∆    A/C# | G∆/B    A7 | G∆#5    Em9 | A13b9b5    D/F# ||

NB  G∆#5 could be notated as B/G

A13b9b5 could be notated as Ebm/A

_______________________________________________________

The ‘tweaked’ chords in Bb are as follows:

|| A∆    B/D# | A∆/C#    B7 | A∆#5    F#m9 | B13b9b5    E/G# ||

NB  A∆#5 could be notated as C#/A

B13b9b5 could be notated as Fm/B

_______________________________________________________

The ‘tweaked’ chords in Eb are as follows:

|| E∆    F#/A# | E∆/G#    F#7 | E∆#5    C#m9 | F#13b9b5    B/D# ||

NB  E∆#5 could be notated as G#/E (or Ab/E)

F#13b9b5 could be notated as Cm/F#

Mark

Daphna Sadeh

Some more background about this interesting composer and bass player here. Check out the trombonist. Is than an Oud or a Lute?

Dates for Autumn / Winter 2015

The following are dates for the next two blocks 2015. If you are a regular already then let Steve know if you won't be coming. If you are not and want to come then contact Steve to see if there are any vacancies.

Block 1
9 Oct, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, (miss a week for school half term), 6 Nov
Block 2
27 Nov, 4 Dec, 11 Dec, 18 Dec

ROPETACKLE - block VI, week 4

In this final session we once again put our two tunes through their paces. The results have been recorded and can be found in the Dropbox.

RECORDING  Gato - Mark & Charlie

Quick demo of me practising the Gato solo sequence, stressing the root of each new scale.

RECORDING  Gato - EVERYONE

solo order: Steve, Jim, Mike, Yvonne, Peter, Charlie, Stuart, Ash, Patrick, Steph, Annie 

This 21 minute marathon was our first attempt at the entire solo sequence on Gato. Everyone takes two choruses and I think there is some really skilled improvising going on here - good knowledge and use of the relevant scales and generally secure sense of geography (ie how long each scale sound lasts). I was delighted to hear people getting to grips with the different scale sounds and especially the elusive diminished (whole-half). As a number of you commented, the more you listen to this sequence the more ‘natural’ (or ‘logical’ ) it sounds. Presumably Finn and his band played this piece quite a few times before they recorded it. On their recording there is a freedom to everyone’s playing - it doesn’t sound as if they are just ‘reeling off’ modes and scales, they are really making music, expressing themselves, improvising in fact.

RECORDING  Peshwali improv exercise (2 keys)

solo order: Ash, Annie, Mike, Charlie, Patrick, Steve, Yvonne, Stuart, Steph, Jim, Peter

In this improv practice exercise on Peshwali we used just the first two key centres of the solo section. I suggested a simple rising line from the first key centre leading into the second. This was to encourage the idea of playing phrases which start in one key and continue into the next (rather than leaving a gap at the point of modulation and then restarting in the new key).

The line I used comprised a bar of crotchets followed by a bar of crotchet-triplets finishing on a long note. I thought it might be fun to incorporate some crotchet-triplet rhythms into our soloing - to add variety. I was inspired by the Finn Peters solo on Gato where he plays a long phrase all in crotchet-triplets (bars 23-26 of first chorus). He adds further interest to this line by repeating pairs of notes and emphasising the first of each pair - this creates a minim-triplet rhythm. We didn’t quite get to this but I did try it a few times myself on the long note at the end of our line (you can hear me doing it towards the end of the recording, a kind of ‘pulsing’ on one note).

There is some good melodic soloing here from everyone - exemplary use of crotchet-triplet rhythms (including nice interaction with drums) and more confident connecting lines between the two key centres.

So we come to the end of the final block for this academic year. I hope you have enjoyed exploring these last two tunes. Peshwali is deceptively simple looking and I think Andy Sheppard’s arrangement is really imaginative, working with just a few elements but mixing them up in unexpected ways (NB the sequence of key centres in the solo section and also the ingenious build up in the intro). Gato is clearly no piece of cake (I’m sure that was Steve’s gag!) and needs time to get inside it. The construction of the solo sequence is however relatively straightforward - four bars on each chord scale (like Maiden Voyage or even Canteloupe Island ). I suggested, as a summer project, you might like to have a go at creating a modal chord sequence of your own (same approach with each scale lasting four bars). Don’t worry about writing a melody as such, just try improvising on the sequence - this may suggest a melody for you without you having to ‘compose’ one.

And on the subject of composition I would like to mention that at the end of last Friday’s session Charlie told me he had done a Schenkerian analysis (see below*) of the Gato solo sequence. Amazingly he had managed to reduce the entire sequence down to three chords - namely II  V  I  (key of C)

*Schenkerian analysis is a method of musical analysis of tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935). The goal of a Schenkerian analysis is to interpret the underlying structure of a tonal work and to help reading the score according to that structure.

chord II (Dm7-ish) E phrygian, D dorian, Ab mixolydian (Ab is a tritone for D)

chord V (G7-ish) G lydian, G mixolydian, G diminished

chord I (C-ish - lydian) B phrygian, C lydian

Thanks for this Charlie and also for your support throughout the last year.

Thanks also to all of you for your hard work and commitment to the class.

And extra special thanks to Steve and Ash for organising everything (and choosing much of the material we’ve been playing).

Have a great summer and look forward to seeing you in the autumn.

Cheers Mark

mark@markbassey.com

Feedback for next block

"I think the idea of looking at two pieces over four sessions is much more rewarding than a different tune each time.  This way at least we can develop ideas on music that is becoming familiar." Patrick.

Are you happy to continue this format?

 

Do you want to look at two new tunes for the next block or have specific requests for ones we have done already? 

Would you like to explore other specifics, e.g. arrangements for pieces, how to resolve to a chord tone, etc?

Do you want more analysis of solos on recordings?

 

Any other ideas?

Post your thoughts as comments.

Is iReal Pro better than Band in a Box

I'd be interested in any views on this. I suspect that iRP is fast becoming the standard for jazzers which is argument enough to swap over. I'd be interested in how you think functionality differs and what the pros and cons of each are. Having used BiaB for years I am now considering using iRP. We will put files for both in Dropbox for tunes we are working on. Anyone can, of course, edit these for the benefit of all.

Gato Scales

Question: What scale should I play?

Answer: Play what you hear

Question: What if I don’t hear anything?

Answer: Don’t play

PLAYING BY EAR

Many jazz musicians play entirely by ear. When they improvise, they play the notes they ‘hear’ (this means hearing the note in your head before you play it). Musicians who play by ear will still make mistakes - they may ‘hear’ a note but not know what it is and make an incorrect guess.

Hearing notes in your head can be challenging when you play on your own. It is usually much easier with a piano or guitar playing chords. Listening to the sound of each chord helps the improviser to ‘hear’ notes they might want to play - typically these notes will be from the chord (or the voicing of that chord) but a good ‘ear’ player can also imagine notes not actually being played.

The skill of playing by ear is very important for a jazz musician (and perhaps should be for any musician). Developing the ability to listen and make sense of what you hear can take a long time.

PLAYING FROM SCALES

Musicians who play by ear often have little or no knowledge of theory but they happily use all sorts of scales in their improvising. They know the sounds they want but not necessarily what the sound is called. Knowing the sound of a note or a scale is vital for good improvising. The names are not essential but can be of great use when studying the music.

Playing (and singing) scales is an excellent way to develop the ear. It helps improve intonation (playing in tune) and technical fluency on the instrument.

Many jazz musicians use scales in a highly conscious way when they play. Studying the relationships between chords and scales can be very helpful.

Most scales have seven notes, not counting the octave note (occasionally a few less, or a few more). Chords can range from three notes (or even two?) up to seven or eight.

A chord with only three notes (typically a ‘triad’ structure build from root, third and fifth) allows for many different scale possibilities. To make a seven note scale, four additional notes would be needed.

eg C triad C   E   G

C major scale C D E F G A B (C) = C major

C mixolydian C D E F G A Bb (C) = F major

C lydian C D E F# G A B (C) = G major

C lydian dominant C D E F# G A Bb (C) = G melodic minor

C mixolydian b9 b13 C Db E F G Ab Bb (C) = F harmonic minor

C lydian #9 C D# E F# G A B (C) = E harmonic minor

C harmonic major C D E F G Ab B (C) = C harmonic major

C diminished (half whole)    C Db Eb E F# G A Bb (C)= C diminished (half whole) or Db diminished (whole half)

(aka C 8-note dominant)

A chord with four notes (typically root, third, fifth and seventh) would need three extra notes to create a seven note scale.

eg C∆ (C major seven) C   E   G   B

C major scale C D E F G A B (C) = C major

C lydian C D E F# G A B (C) = G major

C lydian #9 C D# E F# G A B (C) = E harmonic minor

C harmonic major C D E F G Ab B (C) = C harmonic major

Chords with five, six or seven notes (chords with ninths, elevenths, thirteenths etc) need little or no extra help to make a scale

eg Dm9 D   F   A   C   E

D dorian D E F G A B C (D) = C major

D aeolian D E F G A Bb C (D) = F major

D dorian #4 D E F G# A B C (D) = A harmonic minor

eg Dm11 D   F   A   C   E   G

D dorian D E F G A B C (D) = C major

D aeolian D E F G A Bb C (D) = F major

eg Dm13 D   F   A   C   E   G   B

D dorian D E F G A B C (D) = C major

eg G13#11 G   B   D   F   A   C#   E

G lydian dominant G A B C# D E F (G) = D melodic minor

Chords are sometimes notated as ‘slash chords’. Information before the slash mark denotes a chord structure, and the note after is a single bass note. Here is an example F∆ #11 / D  (This chord could also be notated as Dm13 - see above). Slash chords typically give most of the information needed to construct a chord (my example above gives all seven notes).

Question: If a chord has less than seven notes how do I find the other notes to make a scale?

Answer: Use your ear (and perhaps a bit of common sense … ) Remember there are usually only one or two possibilities - try them out

Look forward to seeing you on Friday

Cheers Mark

mark@markbassey.com

block V week 4 22-05-15 Las Vegas Tango and Pop Tune #1

In our final session for this block (Block V) we played both Las Vegas Tango and Pop Tune #1  with more extended solos. Recordings of these are now in the Dropbox (along with the recordings Mike made from the previous week). I hope you will have time to listen to these tracks even though they are quite long. Pop Tune #1 has also been chopped up solo by solo. 

Las Vegas Tango  -  Beautiful feeling to this piece, right from the start, lovely relaxed groove from rhythm section and good ensemble sound. Great to hear each soloist stretching out over 4 choruses (and occasionally with a few extra bars as well … ) The longer solos give more opportunity for each player to shape and develop their ideas more fully. The two backing sections (the stabs and then the smooth rising line) help to push the soloist into different areas.

THEME

01 trombone Ash

02 tenor Peter

03 tenor Steve F

04 drums Charlie

05 guitar Mike

06 voice Annie

07 flugel Steve

08 alto Patrick

09 baritone Jim

10 bass Steph

11 guitar Stuart

Pop Tune #1  -  This piece has come a long way in the four sessions and I am delighted to hear how well everyone is negotiating the sequence now. It is apparent to me that you have all spent some time working and/or thinking about this piece. There is still a measure of ‘playing chord by chord’ here (which is a challenge in itself) but many of you are beginning to play more freely and melodically across the sequence (whilst still acknowledging the chords).

THEME

01 baritone Jim

02 tenor Steve F

03 alto Patrick

04 tenor Peter

05 flugel Steve

06 trombone Ash

07 voice Annie

08 guitar Stuart

09 guitar Mike

10 bass Steph

11 drums Charlie

That’s all for now  -  Mark

mark@markbassey.com

block V - week 3 (15-05-15) Pop Tune #1 and Las Vegas Tango

Over the last 3 sessions we have focussed on various aspects of these pieces, dissecting and reconstructing them. I hope next week we can play through both tunes several times and stretch out a bit (musically speaking).

Las Vegas Tango is a simple minor blues using just 2 chords. The challenge here is how best to exploit the openness of the composition. We have discussed harmonic/melodic possibilities using major 7, minor 7, major 6 and minor 6 (you don’t necessarily have to thing of a specific scale choice). We looked at ways to create dissonance (finding the available semitone intervals and then expanding them to major sevenths or minor ninths). We have also explored ideas for shaping a solo and particularly for building tension (namely: volume, range, speed, density, harmonic relevance … )

Pop Tune #1 is also a very open vehicle but the chord sequence is more challenging. The transcription I have done of Adam Rogers’ guitar solo (first two choruses) is full of useful ideas (attached below). In his first chorus he manages to play everything in concert Eb major, often using a pentatonic scale (Eb F G Bb C). This is achieved by careful analysis of each chord and then picking suitable notes (I don’t believe this is just lucky guesswork!) In his second chorus he begins to break away from Eb major and follow the chords more, usually playing chord tones (eg bar 4 using the 4th, or in bar 13 using 5th and 3rd). In bar 15 he uses another pentatonic scale (Db Eb F Ab Bb) phrased in descending triplets and clearly engineered to land on the root of the chord in bar 16. Bars 18 - 23 exploit our old friend (!) the blues scale (F blues F Ab Bb B C Eb F ). My transcription does not capture all the rhythmic nuances of this solo but it does show considerable rhythm variety - minims, crotchets, quavers, triplets, semi-quavers (half notes, quarter notes, eight notes, triplets, sixteenth notes).

In our last session I wanted to show you that even some of the most simple 3-note chords in this piece could still take traditional 7-note scales. We looked at bars 23 - 26 (the last 4 bars, arguably a cadence sequence). I have done a handout illustrating some of these scale choices, in the various instrumental transpositions (attached below). Try out these scale runs, they need to flow easily in your fingers (or slide and larynx!) Question: how do these 4 bars relate to the II V I sequence?

If you want to practise soloing on this piece with a backing track I have attached an mp3 and also an iReal Pro file (for those who use this software). Thanks to Mike for getting me going on this. I will also put everything in the Dropbox.

See you on Friday.

Cheers Mark

mark@markbassey.com

Week 16 27-03-15 Armando’s Rhumba and So Nice

In the first part of this session we played through So Nice, initially at a constant tempo (thanks to Steve for his fine conducting) and then attempting to follow the tempo changes and pauses. Building on the success of our beautiful trios (over the last two sessions) I invited the whole group to try an extended collective improvisation - we discussed the options of having a pre-agreed tonality or complete freedom. (I mentioned an album by Chris Biscoe entitled Full Monte  http://www.chrisbiscoe.co.uk/fullmonte.shtml ). I recorded this performance and have attached an excerpt at the bottom of this message. The full version is now in the Dropbox.

In the second half of the session we ran ArmandoÂ’s Rhumba and everyone took 2 choruses. Listening around the room I felt we had made quite a lot of progress on this chord sequence with itÂ’s various tricky corners. In particular I heard a number of you playing some well constructed lines over bars 13&14 (where we explored the possibility of using whole-half diminished scales). Rhythmically the piece sounds much more secure than it did when we started on it - some nice comping ideas from Mike and Stuart and a most captivating bolero groove from Charlie. IÂ’m sorry I didnÂ’t record this.

The one area in ArmandoÂ’s Rhumba that still deserves some attention is the last 4 bars (ie 17-20). Bars 17&18 are really a disguised ‘II V IÂ’ cadence to end the piece, and bars 19&20 are a sort of chromatic ‘turnaroundÂ’ to takes us back to the start again. Unfortunately, due to an editorial oversight (on the part of the editor!) there were two incorrect chords in bar 18 on the lead sheets (including the transposed parts). For those of you who may have been concerned about these chords, I can only say: “well done for being concerned”. Some of you may have spotted that my Chick Corea transcription sheet contains some different chords in these bars - they are in fact the correct ones.

CORRECT CHORDS  for bars 17&18

C instruments Abm/Bb | Abm/Bb      Bb7   Eb  |

Bb instruments Bbm/C | Bbm/C        C7     F    |

Eb instruments Fm/G | Fm/G          G7     C   |

The chord in bar 17 (talking in concert key) is marked as Abm/Bb. It could also be labelled Abm6/Bb (as it is on my Chick Corea transcription sheet). Abm6 contains the same notes as Fm7b5  (namely F  Ab  Cb  Eb  ). The chords in bars 17&18 are in effect a minor ‘II VÂ’ resolving to a major ‘IÂ’ (in concert:  Fm7b5  Bb7  Eb  )

On our Dropbox recording (from “My Spanish Heart”), the bass player (Stanley Clarke) actually uses a tritone substitution for chord V . He changes the Bb7  to an E7  creating the following sequence in bar 18:  Abm6/Bb    E7  Eb . I have attached two edited mp3 clips for you to check this out. I suggest listening through headphones, if you can, as it is hard to hear the bass notes clearly otherwise. The first clip is of bars 13-20 slowed down. The second clip starts on bar 18, even slower with the bass EQ turned up  -  listen for the notes   Bb  E  Eb .

I have also attached an info sheet for bars 17&18 with some soloing ideas (I couldnÂ’t resist making a reference to Night And Day which uses the same three chords!)

Well thatÂ’s it for now. Have a good Easter and hope to see you on April 24th (for Chris PotterÂ’s Pop Tune #1  and Gil EvansÂ’ Las Vegas Tango )

Cheers Mark

mark@markbassey.com

Week 15 20-03-15 Armando’s Rhumba and So Nice

Week 15  20-03-15

Armando’s Rhumba  and  So Nice

To begin this session we did some more clapping and tapping but now with hands and feet going at different speeds (eg foot taps crotchets whilst hands clap minims, crotchets, quavers or semiquavers). Try swapping these activities between hands and feet (ie hands now clap crotchets, foot taps minims, crotchets, quavers or semiquavers). Don’t ask me why you have to do this - it’s like drinking cod liver oil - you might not like it but you know it’s doing you some good!

Last week Ash reminded me of an interesting web page on Rumba Flamenca which shows the traditional strum pattern for guitar plus some popular clapping rhythms

1) Slap the top of the guitar with the flat of your right hand, muting the strings and tapping the top of the guitar

2) Strum upwards across the strings with the first finger

3) Strum downward across the strings with the back of one or more fingers

4) Strum upwards across the strings with the back of your thumb

5) Repeat for hours on end as fast as possible (be careful !!!)

Here’s the link:   http://www.studioflamenco.com/About_Rumba_Flamenca.html

After this we worked at bars 13 - 16 of Armando’s Rhumba trying to use whole-half diminished scales in bars 13 and 14. Although this scale may be less familiar to you it is still an important sound to have at your disposal. Remember, there are really only three scales to practise because of their symmetric nature. There are many melodic possibilities on this scale.

I offered a simple melodic pattern of 4 notes:

tone above chord note, chord note, semitone below chord note, back to chord note - now repeat up a minor third etc.

(eg on C diminished it would be  D  C  B  C  then  F  Eb  D Eb  then  G#  F#  F  F#  then  B  A  G#  A  )

In the second half of this session we looked at a two bar fragment of Chick Corea’s solo (bars 13 and 14) which uses the two whole-half diminished scales (as discussed previously). The choice of tension notes (always a whole step above a chord tone) can suggest a dominant seventh chord (which then offers another way of thinking about the chord although the scale may well be the same). You 

will find below my two chorus transcription of Chick Corea’s solo (also in the Dropbox). In bars 13 and 14 I have put in brackets the most likely dominant seventh chords that Chick could be thinking of, as suggested by his choice of notes.

Finally we did some more trios (thanks to Wook for lending her phone). Check the Dropbox for these. I think there is some lovely playing here, good interaction and listening between all members of each trio (including some really sensitive brush and stick work from Charlie).

Next week I’d like to put together some complete versions of our two pieces (rather than just playing sections).

Cheers Mark

mark@markbassey.com

Week 14 13-03-15 Armando’s Rhumba and So Nice

I recorded the first part of today’s session working on So Nice and I have put some mp3s in the Dropbox: a run through of the theme and four trios. Have a listen and see what you think - I thought there was some lovely improvising and excellent listening. We’ll do some more next week.

After tea we had another go at the minim-crotchet-quaver-semiquaver exercise which most people seem to be OK with. So, now how about trying to clap one pulse and tap your foot to another (eg clap crotchets, tap minims). Then see if you can swap them over (so you clap minims and tap crotchets).

For the remainder of the session we worked on Armando’s Rhumba. The head is sounding tighter - I’d like to try and speed it up next week. Improvising over the whole sequence everyone appears to be negotiating the chords pretty well but I think bars 13 - 20 could be clearer. 

We should look at bars 13 - 16 (perhaps as a 4 bar loop). Bar 13 is a diminished chord and we discussed the idea of treating bar 14 as another diminished chord (in concert it would be A diminished ). Both of these chords would typically take whole-half diminished scale.

in concert

  Abdim  =  Ab  Bb  B  C#  D  E  F  G  Ab

  Adim  =  A  B  C  D  Eb  F  F#  G#  A

in Bb

  Bbdim  =  Bb  C  Db  Eb  E  F#  G  A  Bb

  Bdim  =  B  C#  D  E  F  G  Ab  Bb  B

in Eb

  Fdim  =  F  G  Ab  Bb  B  C#  D  E  F

  F#dim  =  F#  G#  A  B  C  D  Eb  F  F#

As well as finding good melodic shapes and lines to play on these two chords it is also important to resolve in some way on to the chord in bar 15 (in concert Eb/Bb ).

Bars 17 and 18 could also do with some attention. (See my old notes for scale info).

At some point we should try improvising over this piece at a faster tempo (and I’d like to try introducing some flamenco-style clapping - not necessarily exactly as per Chick Corea’s version).

That’s all for now. Have a good week and enjoy your clapping and tapping …

Week 13 06-03-15 Armando’s Rhumba and So Nice

This session kicked off with a rhythm warm up (based loosely on the idea of “The Rhythm Tree” John Stevens / Dave Wickins ). We established a regular clapping beat (quavers at about 120 bpm) and practised doubling it, halving it, and halving it again etc., finally creating a sequence with two bars on each rhythmic value - minims, crotchets, quavers and semiquavers (see attached picture below). This 8 bar sequence was then performed as a round in 4 parts - 4 groups phased at 2 bar intervals. When everyone was clapping, all the rhythmic values could be heard simultaneously, but no group played the same rhythm for more than 2 bars (so no one’s hands dropped off playing semiquavers for too long … ) This is of course a warm up exercise for practising 3 against 2.

In the next part of the session we had a quick look at the melody to Armando’s Rhumba at a slower tempo. We shall attempt to speed this up in due course :-) Then we each took turns improvising over the first 8 bars of this 20 bar sequence ( Im  II7  V7  Im ).

Below are my notes from last year when we first looked at this piece.

After the break we looked at So Nice and I introduced the idea of improvising staying strictly within one scale (or mode) and really exploring the melodic possibilities, stepwise and with all the diatonic intervals contained in the scale. I suggested examining the semitone intervals within the scale and rearranging them to create major seven and flat nine intervals. The dissonance created by these type of intervals can be useful in voicings too. The piano intro to this track is a wonderful example of all the above, staying strictly within the scale of F aeolian (6th mode of Ab major). We tried recreating this effect with some trios and quartets, all playing freely, but within this scale.

For the final part of this session we played through the head a couple of times.

Once again, below you will find my notes from last year on this piece.

Cheers Mark

Rope’n'Tackle and Visions - Week 12 06-02-15

To complete this four week block we played through both of our tunes, soloing on each. I suggested putting an emphasis on playing more rhythmically. On Visions we investigated a simple rhythmic pattern (a note placed on beat ‘one' and another on 'two-and’) used through the whole sequence. There was a tendency for this to sound sluggish but with suitable efforts (clearer articulation) it sounded quite effective. We tried displacing this pattern, first by a crotchet (one beat) and then by a quaver (half a beat) which gives it a very different feel to the figure. I thought there was some excellent soloing from everyone on Visions.

We played through Rope’n’Tackle without bass which made it more challenging but allowed an increased sense of openness to the harmony. Not everyone is completely ready to embrace this yet and I know this kind of approach is not always to everyone’s taste. Nonetheless there were some lovely musical moments (and some rather nice singing to finish!)

I hope you have enjoyed playing these tunes. As I mentioned in the session, why not having a go at writing something yourself - perhaps a ‘modal' piece, or a ‘ I IV V I ' type piece.

In case any one missed it, the answer to the Visions intro is:  D harmonic major followed by Bb lydian (4 bars of each) repeated 4 times making a total of 32 bars.

The two tunes for our next block are Armando’s Rhumba and So Nice both sitting waiting for you in the Dropbox :-)

Hope you have a good few weeks and I look forward to seeing you all again on Friday 6th March.

Week 11 30-01-15 Rope’n'Tackle and Visions

Week 11  30-01-15

Rope’n'Tackle  and  Visions

The focus for this week’s session was improvising over the six scales used in Visions. To help keep in place I suggested playing simple two bar phrases (two on each scale). This can mean you end up always starting a phrase on the first beat of every other bar (all the odd numbered bars in fact, ie bar 1, bar 3, bar 5 etc). To get away from this predictability you might experiment with playing different length phrases (eg a one bar phrase, or a three bar phrase, etc) and starting on different places in the bar. Playing phrases which go over two scales can sound good but you need to be sure in your mind what scale your about to go to (and of course when to change!) In a piece like this there is also scope for deliberating ‘blurring" the transitions, either by anticipating or delaying the change of scale. Try leaving say three bars empty and then starting a two or three bar phrase in the fourth bar. Where do you end up? 

Next time I would like to spend part of the session exploring ideas on ‘rhythmic playing’ (Steve L brought this up). There are a number of ways we can approach this. If you haven’t done so already, try improvising over these scales with a metronome set to 120 bpm. Later, change the beat to 60 bpm (so it is marking minims) and if you’re feeling really courageous try 30 bpm (marking the bars).

I would also like to take a brief moment to think about sound and texture, in the context of this piece.

Your ‘optional’ home assignment is to listen to the full version of Visions (in the Dropbox labelled "Visions (MBTS).mp3”) and work out what chord/scale sounds are being used in the intro section, before the tune comes in.

Next week I also hope to make time for a final play through of Rope’n’Tackle plus a quick mention of 5-part 'big band style' block writing (I’ll put a sketch score in the Dropbox).

Ropetackle Workshops 2014-15 Week 10 23-01-15

Rope’n'Tackle  and  Visions

This coming Friday I would like to focus on improvising on my piece Visions. As you will see from the lead sheet there a six four-bar sections, each with a different scale. I would suggest having a look at each of these scales separately (and if necessary, practise any unfamiliar ones). I guess the harmonic major may be new to some of you, but I reckon it is quite a friendly scale to improvise on once you get going. Last week we did some work on the groove (and I mentioned about using certain voicings for our guitarists). Ash has created a midi demo using Band-in-a-Box and the groove although not quite the same, still gives a good idea - it might be useful for practising soloing over. Also this week, I said I would mention (briefly!) about 5-part block writing - the type I used to create a kind of ‘big band’ sound on Julian’s composition Rope’n’Tackle.