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Lessons

  • Practice inversions in 5 qualities in all 12 keys
  • Don't practice to the root of the scale - practice to the 7th, 9th, 11th or 13th. Focus on the sound of the key and the interval boundaries.
  • Slide the hand; don't contort the hand. Practice scales by moving the hand and grouping the keys together.
  • Harmony
    • Understanding Jazz and Classical is about understanding harmony.
    • There are five sounds (qualities) that form the foundation of all chords
      • Major
      • Dominant
      • Minor
      • Half-Diminished
      • Diminished
    • Those five qualities are derived from three scales (The Jazz Language):
      • Major (Ionian)
      • Melodic Minor (Ionian with a b3)
      • Harmonic Minor (Melodic Minor with a b6)
    • There are five Dominant alterations that exist within the three scales:
      • 7: Mixolydian
      • 7#11: Lydian b7 (Melodic Minor-4th mode)
      • 7b13: Mixolydian b6 (Melodic Minor-5th mode)
      • 7b9b13: Harmonic Minor-5th mode
      • 7b9#9b5#5: Superlocrian (Melodic Minor-7th mode)
    • Chords can progress in three ways:
      • Circle motion (that is, around the circle of 4ths)
        • C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G
        • Three contiguous keys in the circle form a II-V-I chord (such as C F Bb)
        • Four contiguous keys in the circle form a VI-II-V-I (such as C F Bb Eb)
        • Seven contiguous keys in the circle form IV-VII-III-VI-II-V-I with a #4 (such as C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb)
      • Diatonic motion (within a key)
      • Chromatic motion (half steps)
        • Tri-tone substitution converts Circle motion into Chromatic motion
          • ii-V7-I -> ii-IIb7-I
            • e.g. Cm7-F7-BbM7 -> Cm7-B7-BbM7
          • iii-VI7-ii-V7-I -> iii-IIIb7-ii-IIb7-I
            • e.g. Dm7-G7-Cm7-F7-BbM7 -> Dm7-Db7-Cm7-B7-BbM7
            • NOTE: vi should be minor (aeolian), but is commonly substituted with a "Secondary Dominant"
          • Doesn't strictly have to be those qualities (i.e. ii-V7), but chromatic movement comes from Tri-tone substitution
        • Chromatic motion can also be used to move around in a chord: Inside vs Outside Harmony
          • Linking Diminished Chords
          • Primary and Secondary Voicing
            • Primary - 7th or less, e.g. Cm7
            • Secondary - 13th or less, e.g. Cm13 (Dm7)
            • Step outside chromatically and resolve inside
              • Go from Cm7 to Cm13 (Dm7) using C#m7 to "step-through"
  • Scales
    • Lydian for major chords (unless a Ionian 4th, that is a natural 4th, appears in the melody of the song you're playing)
      • Lydian moves tension away from the 3 (3 and 7 form guide tones that indicate the quality of the chord being played - major, minor and dominant chords can all omit the 5)
    • Mixolydian for dominant chords (Superlocrian for altered dominant)
    • Dorian for minor chords
    • Harmonic minor (7th mode) for diminished
  • When practicing:
    • Make a practice objective for each session
    • Pause betwen chord changes to think
    • Practice in every key and move between keys for each exercise in the Circle of 4ths
  • 3 ways to play a sound:
    • Blocks (chords)
    • Lines (scales)
    • Leaps (arpeggios)
  • Two-handed voicings (5 notes)
    • LH 2 notes: guide tones 3 and 7 (or 7 and 3)
    • RH 3 notes:
      • RH voicings may also be use in the LH while the RH plays melody
      • Traditional: 3-7-9 or 6-2-5
        • Contemporary, or Fourthy, voicings are built on perfect and augmented fourth intervals
        • Fourthy voicings do not indicate/assert a quality (that is a major vs dominant vs minor etc.)
          • This can be used to create "harmonic textures" that can be used to substitute chords without requiring a reharmonization of the underlying progression
        • Or a polychord triad
      • Left and Right hand shouldn't be "too far" apart
      • Harmonic Fragments
        • Where harmonic textures give quality "ambiguous" sounds, Harmonic Fragments assert a quality that is part of a larger harmonic sound
        • For example, Cm13 - the entire Cm sound
          • C Eb G Bb D F A
          • Fragments are a sliding window up and down that sound
          • Cm7, EbM7, Gm7, BbM7, Dm7, F7, Am7b5
          • Divide each of these 7th intervals inside the Cm13 sound to create a local context that you can work inside
            • This will allow you to work in upper extensions using context specific language, such as playing major language over the minor chord from the 3rd.
          • Chord tones give you the strongest relationship back to the root Cm7 sound and allow you to transition between other 7th interval sounds inside Cm13
      • Primary and Secondary Voicings
        • For example, Cm7
          • Primary Fourthy Cm7 voicing on C or G (see Minor voicing below)
          • Secondary Fourth Dm voicing on D or A (see Minor voicing below)
            • Cm upper extensions: D - 9, F - 11, A - 13
          • Outside C#m7 (also F#): the notes C#, E, G#, B, and F# are "outside" Cm7 (dorian)
            • This can be used to step up or down between the lower and upper extensions of a chord or create tension during long passages of the same minor chord
        • What about the other qualities?
      • Major
        • 3-6-2-5-7 or 7-3-6-2-5
          • Primary alternate 3-6-2-5-1, especially when the 7th is "too much" (such as triad or 6 chord)
        • 2-5-1-3-6 or 6-2-5-1-3 "Pure" Secondary
        • #4-1-#4-7-3 or 1-#4-7-3-6 Lydian Secondary (same as II7/IMaj7)
      • Dominant
        • 7
          • 3-7-3-6-9
          • 7-3-6-2-5
        • 7ALT
          • Fully altered Fourthy voicing
          • 3-7-#2-#5-b2
          • 7-3-#5-b2-b5
        • 7#11
          • II major triad with inversions
          • 3-7-2-4-6
          • 3-7-4-6-2
          • 7-3-6-2-4
        • b13
          • Root (I+) Augmented Triad with inversions
          • 3-7-1-3-6
          • 3-7-3-6-1
          • 7-3-6-1-3
        • b9b13
          • ii minor triad with inversions
          • b13 (6) is also a #5
          • 3-7-2-3-6
          • 3-7-3-6-2
          • 7-3-6-2-3
        • b5#5b9#9 - Fully Altered (Alt)
          • Every permutation of 5 and 9
            • Altered scale (superlocrian) is tri-tonen substituted lydian dominant (7#11)
            • minor triads on b9 and #9
            • major triads on b5 and #5
            • 5s and 9s each form triad pairs (b9m #9m and b5 #5)
            • sharps and flats form ii-Vs (b9m b5 and #9m #5)
              • #9m #5 b9m b9 -> iii VI ii V
          • b5b9
            • V major triad with inversions
            • 3-7-9-5-7
            • 7-3-5-7-9
            • 7-3-7-9-5
          • #5#9
            • V major triad with inversions
            • 3-7-9-5-7
            • 7-3-5-7-9
            • 7-3-7-9-5
          • #5b9
            • ii minor triad with inversions
              • Enharmonic to b9b13
            • 3-7-2-3-5
            • 3-7-3-5-2
            • 7-3-5-2-3
      • Minor
        • 1-4-7-3-5 or 5-1-4-7-3
        • 2-5-1-4-6 or 6-2-5-1-4 Secondary "upper extensions"
        • b2-b5-b1-b4-b6 or b6-b2-b5-b1-b4 Secondary "outside" (in-between)
      • Half-Diminished
        • 1-5-1-4-7 or 5-1-4-7-3
        • 7-3-6-2-4 or 4-7-3-6-2
        • same as the minor voicings (Bbm7 <-> Cm7b5)
          • Notice that the secondary options for Half-Diminished are primary options for Minor, and vice versa
      • Diminished
        • 3-7-3-6-9 or 7-3-6-9-5
        • 2-5-7##-4-7 or 6-2-5-7##-4
          • 7## <-> 1b
    • Left-Hand Shells (3 notes)
      • Traditional (all qualities)
        • 3-7-9
        • 7-3-5
      • Contemporary (Primary and Secondary)
        • Major
          • 3-6-9 or 7-3-6
          • 6-2-5 or 2-5-1 or #4-7-1 (lydian option)
        • Dominant
          • 3-6-9 or 7-3-6
          • b3-b6-b9 or b6-b2-b5 (altered dominants)
            • b3-b6-b9 tri-tone sub is 6-2-5
            • b6-b2-b5 tri-tone sub is 2-5-1
          • 3-7-#9 or 7-#2-#5 (ask Doc about this one - tri-tone substitutes?)
        • Minor
          • 1-4-7 or 5-1-4
          • 2-5-1 or 6-2-5
        • Half-Diminished
          • 1-4-7 or 5-1-4
          • 7-3-6 or 6-2-5
        • Diminished
          • 3-6-9 or 7-3-6
          • 2-5-##7/b1 or 6-2-5
    • Motifs
      • Cyclical Quadruplets
        • 1-2-3-1
        • 1-3-2-1
        • 1-7-6-1
        • 1-6-7-1
      • Can also extend by moving between 1-3-5-7

The Knowledge

The performer needs to develop a model for how they reason about music. Music is comprised of melody, harmony and rhythm. Technique provides the performer the skills needed to bring their ideas to their instrument.

  1. Technique Development
  2. Melodic Development
  3. Harmonic Development
  4. Rhythmic Development

Technique Development

  1. Scales and Arpeggios (Right and Left Hands)
    1. From the root to the 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th
    2. Qualities: Major, Dominant, Minor, Half-Diminished, Diminished
  2. Ear-Training
    1. Common Progressions
      1. Root Movement
      2. Harmonic Function

Melodic Development

  1. Standards
    1. Society - musicals (e.g. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise), traditional songs (e.g. Auld Lang Syne)
    2. Jazz - songs originating from jazz performers
  2. Improvisation
    1. Stationary
      1. Cyclical Quadruplets
      2. Harmonic Fragments
    2. Linear
      1. Pentatonic Patterns
      2. Blues Patterns

Harmonic Development

  1. Voicings
    1. Shells
    2. Two-Hands
    3. Altered Dominants
      1. Polychord Structures
  2. Melodic Harmonization
    1. Unison (Oscar Peterson)
    2. Octaves with 5th (Red Garland)
    3. Locked-Hands (George Shearing)
    4. Tertiary Shapes (Keith Jarrett, everyone)
    5. Quartal Shapes (Chick Corea)
    6. Quartal with Leading Tone
      1. Melody note with a fourthy shell one whole step plus an octave below
      2. This technique can be used where notes of the shell are outside the scale
      3. A C melody note would have a Bb Eb Ab shell (Bb being a whole step below C)
    7. Quartal shell as Leading Tone
      1. Melody note is the leading tone of a fourthy shell
      2. This technique can be used where notes of the shell are inside the scale.
      3. A C melody note could be harmonized as
        1. P4+P4: D G C
        2. TT+P4: Db G C
        3. P4+M3: E A C
        4. M3+P4: Eb G C
        5. Other options are P4+TT and TT+TT
    8. Quartal voicing as a Leading note
      1. Melody note is the leading tone of a fourthy voicing
      2. This technique can be used where notes of the shell are inside the scale.
      3. A C melody note could be harmonized as
        1. P4+P4+P4+P4: E A D G C
        2. TT+P4+P4+P4: Eb A D G C
        3. TT+TT+P4+P4: D Ab D G C
        4. P4+P4+P4+M3: Gb B E A C
        5. P4+P4+M3+P4: F Bb Eb G C
        6. Other options are combinations of P4, TT and M3

Rhythmic Development

TBD

Language Development

The context of language is sound, such as:

  1. Minor 7th chord
  2. Dorian chordscale
  3. ii-V progression

Lines are comprised of (strongest to weakest relationship to harmony):

  1. Chord tones
  2. Scale tones
  3. Outside tones

Harmonic fragments are shapes within a particular sound.

  1. Triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented)
  2. Pentatonics/blues (major, minor)
  3. Quartal shapes

Melodies can be derived from harmonic fragments:

  1. Vertical -> Horizontal
  2. Ascending / Descending

Devices embellish and abstract harmonic fragments:

  1. Neighboring tones:
    1. Half-step approachments
    2. Passing tones
    3. Enclosures
  2. Neighboring fragments:
    1. Adjacent fragments above or below
    2. Chromatic - typically outside
    3. Diatonic - typically inside "upper extensions"

There are two approaches to language development: transcription and composition.

  1. Transcribe a line and deconstruct it
    1. Identify the sound the line is played over
    2. Deconstruct the line into the hierarchy
      1. Identify devices used
      2. Identify the underlying harmonic fragment(s) used
  2. Compose a line from a harmonic fragment
    1. Within a sound, find a harmonic fragments that exist within that sound
    2. Derive a melody from the harmonic fragment

Now that you have a basic line, create variations.

  1. Add, reapply and rearrange devices to embellish and abstract the harmonic fragment
  2. Alter the rhythmic context by playing the line in a different time-feel: style, straight/swung, tempo, time signature
  3. Play the line with different melodic harmonization approaches
    1. Not all techniques will work for all lines. Try them and find what works.