Recently in Session notes Category

Been awhile since I posted any session notes. In any case, we've been hard at it this spring.

Last night we dove in to a couple of the less used keys, and practiced the Dominant 7th bebop scale starting on the 2nd scale degree. We explored ways of getting to a chord tone, delaying the deed until the descending portion of the exercise, then using the "enclosure" technique (enclosing the 3rd) to "resolve" the scale/chord. Here's an example of an idea that we played with:

We took that idea through all the keys, then through several keys of blues. In our exploration, we relied on our musical ears to confirm the "rightness" of a particular solution. There's certainly mathematics that would back up our appropriate solutions, I believe, but we'll leave that to all those civic music engineers out there.

Thanks to Terry Bannon for helping out with his beautiful bass line/chordal accompaniments.

Finally, the attendees agreed that having participated, they were less "square". Those who weren't there remain square. ;-)

Using the dominant 7 bebop scale, we've been playing short descending phrases, starting on each note of the scale. We're using different methods of getting from a non-chord tone to a chord tone in the next beat. Here is an example of what I mean:

Bebop scale examples

We then took each small phrase, and played with the phrase through the Bb blues. Here's an example (starting on the 4th, and enclosing the 3rd):

Blues bebop example

Last night, we studied/practiced/improvised with the bebop scale. We played with different ways to get from a non-chord tone (on the beginning of a beat), to a chord tone by the second beat. They included:

• playing the non-chord tone as a quarter note, then going up or down to a chord tone on the next beat.
• using a chromatic "passing tone" (where a full step is required to get to a chord tone... e.g. from the 6th to the 5th).
• "enclosing" the chord tone... e.g. 6th to b5th to 5th (similar to a "neighbor tone group" or "changing tone")

We also added a 'bebopy" way to start a phrase. The following example shows both the starting idea, and the chromatic "passing tone" method of getting from the 6th to the 5th, in one beat:

And, of course, the ever popular Melodica demo:

This week, we continued practicing the Bb7 bebop scale. We traded fours and eights, solo and in duet, using the scale and the rules we came up with last time. We, then, added chromatics notes between the 1st and the 3rd of the scale (e.g. Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, A, Bb) and did the same exercises.

Welcome back to the Roaring Fork Jazz Workshop for Spring 2010! We're back with a vengeance!

We'll be meeting every other Monday, in one large swinging group. Check out the calendar for workshop dates. Our sessions, this spring, will have a fairly narrow focus, for a change. Here are some goals:

• continuing to learn how to get around fluidly on your instrument with a good tone, and good time
• developing more coherent linear phrasing
• injecting chromaticism into your melodies

We'll be tending to the blues and rhythm changes, using, as the foundation, bebop scales.

Last night, we played over a Bb7 chord/scale using the mixolydian bebop scale. We played through some exercises, confining ourselves (temporarily) to the following rules:

• only diatonic motion (no arpeggios or skips)
• start phrase on beat one (kind of an arbitrary rule, but a rule, for now)
• if starting on a non-chord tone, make it a quarter note (there are other ways of handling starting on non-chord tones, and we'll get to those)
• change direction only on chord tones

We traded fours, using the scale/rules and one of the two common phrase endings, as described in David Baker's "How to Play Bebop" series.

On November 21st, the workshop groups participated in a JAS sponsored Jazz party at Roaring Fork High School, in Carbondale. The night celebrated the donation of a beautiful 9 foot Baldwin grand piano by a private individual (who wished to remain anonymous, I believe). The piano was, for a number of years, used at the Wheeler Opera House (you can see/hear Justin performing on the instrument last year here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=boblevey&view=videos ).

The performance included the Glenwood High School Jazz Band, and the 4 Jazz Workshop groups (one High School, and four Adult groups). All the groups represented themselves well, and were enthusiastically received by the audience.

We're taking a little holiday break from our workshop sessions, and will be back at it in January.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

In the high school session, we worked on the melodic minor (ascending) scales, creating grooves for, and improvising over altered dominant and for lydian dominant sonorities.  We then played a minor blues, focusing on areas where modes of the melodic minor scales would work.

In the high school session, and in the adult swim, we worked on feeling 16 and 32 bar lengths, by trading said amounts during our improvs.  In the adult session, we focused on one key center (Bb7), trading 16s then 32s, sans accompaniment (only drums).  We talked about the different ways to approach one dominant chord (using bebop scale, dim. scale, super locrian scale, lydian dominant scale, blues scale, pentatonic scale, etc.).  Because there were less chord changes involved, some interesting phrases, rhythms and a better time feel began emerging.  We then played over Anthropology, some blues, and finally played Jennine.  Again, we played, for the most part, without chordal or bass accompaniment.  I'm beginning to hear more clarity and purpose in the improvisations.  That's a good thing.

You know what?  Teaching is hard.  I mean it.  Teaching is not an easy thing to do.  This week's workshop, once again, reminded me of that fact.

We started the evening with the high schoolers (and a couple of adults), and practiced scales, major, and "jazz melodic" minor (ascending form up and down), in two octaves.  Most of the students found out that they knew the stuff over a one octave range; however, extending the range to two octaves proved difficult.  We drew out on the white board, and examined the modes of the ascending form of the melodic minor scale.  Finally, we used the "Locrian #2" (Am7 b5), built a bass line,  a vamp, and improvised.  They really got into a good groove.

After the younger crowd, came the adults.  We started "from the end", learning a typical Dexter Gordon type ending in every key:

dexEnding.mp3

OK. OK. It's been a long time.  Here's what's new.

We've been doing the workshop all Fall and Winter, and have been steadily working towards learning theory and ways to put it to practice.  We've been doing a lot of ear training and practicing scales.

Tonight we had a parent bring pizza, so we sat around, and talked theory.  We looked at chord symbol nomenclature, and the common substitutions and alterations for the Major, minor, and Dominant chord/scales.  Then we put the dorian minor scales to use in a three chord 24 measure exercise.  We had each player play entirely solo, with no accompaniment, and try to make clear melodic, and rhythmic statements in minor.

Tomorrow, Tuesday night, we're playing at Steve's Guitars, in Carbondale, from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM.  Bob Levey will be on drums (and Bob's brother will sit in on drums, too), Mark Gray will play bass, Justin Pfeiffer will play piano, and I'll play trumpet.  Should be fun.  Hope to see you there.

A few notes on last night's jam session at Dos Gringos.

But first, please know that I won't be here for the next jam session.  If the jam "sessioners' want to get it together, feel free to use the comment feature on this site to communicate, or use one of my previous emails to send to everyone on the list. To comment on this weblog, you'll need a "TypeKey account". It's free, and secure. It's needed so that this site doesn't get comment spam. Anyway, I hope you all still get together.

I was asked the age old question again last night, "what do you think of when you're soloing."  I've seen this answered many ways:

• "try not to think"
• "think when you practice, don't think while you perform"
• "practice from the head, perform from the heart"
• "play what you hear"

In my opinion, when I'm playing my best, it feels "effortless".  It would be erroneous though to say, "I don't think of anything while performing."  I may not be trying to conjure up every chord/scale change, but I am (again, when at my best) conscious of:

• where I am in the form/structure of the tune (including the over-arching plan of the tune... e.g. who played solos already, and who's next)
  
• the idea that has occurred (and is occurring) to me related to the chord/scale, phrasing, and overall composition of my improvisation
• what others in the group are contributing to the improvisation
• the room (who's listening, what are the acoustics like)

I feel like if someone stopped me in the middle of the tune, I could verbally account for each of those items listed above... that's what I mean by "being conscious". It's different than thinking about what notes are correct or not correct, whether or not I'm in tune, etc. Another way to state that list is that (when I'm at my best) I know and am confident about the tune's particulars (melody, harmony, rhythm), about how to execute ideas clearly over the tune, and about what's appropriate given who I'm playing with, and where we're playing.

I told everyone last night, that I'd like to hear more of the "bebop scales" within your improvisations.  When I hear you all playing, I miss the melodic flow that chromatisism gives to the line.  The bebop scales are a great way to introduce that chromatisism, and along with it, some meaningful direction in your lines.

Finally, please know that if I tell you something about what I hear (or don't hear) in your playing, I mean it to be only constructive.  I may be right, or wrong in what I say to you, but that's for you to find out.  I'd advise that you just take it in (without quick judgment) and let it "bake".  It'll either stick, or it won't... and that'll prove it right or wrong.

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