"Swing arrangements mainly consisted of composed sections, but with
certain sections designated for improvisation. A bebop tune, however,,
would simply consist of a statement of the head,
or main theme, extended solos over the head’s harmonic structure, and
then one final statement of the head. It was common for bebop musicians
to compose new, complex melodies over well-known chord progressions. One
example of this is Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology,” which is based on
the changes from “How High the Moon,” a popular show tune in the 1940s.
"
Here's an overview of a very cool article (focusing on solo development) written by Dr. Stylani Tartsinis. I have learned a lot from it and I think you will, too.
To understand the Bebop approach in music, we have to
take a look at chromatics. If you're not familiar with Bebop, listen to these Bebop mp3s
Bebop patterns are like embellishments to the bare melodic
structure. Remember that in jazz, the scale degrees are referred to as numbers
rather thanletters.
Here’s a diatonic exercise
to practice, approaching the target tone by a whole step above and below. When
the target tone is approached by a whole step above, it forms a 9th;
if approached from below, it forms a flat 7 in the chord.
Extra tones: Dominant 7th
(natural 7), Major (#5), Minor (natural 3) and Half-dim (natural 5). Begin the
scale on the odd numbers. If the scale is begun on the even beats (2, 4 or 6),
the student will have to insert a half-step to prevent these added tones from
falling on downbeats.
Example #3 Major
C D E F G G# A B C
1 2 3 4 5
#5 6 7
Example #4 Minor
C D Eb E F G A B C
1 2 b3 4 5 6
7
Example #5 Dominant 7th Scale
C D E F G A Bb B C
1 2 3
4 5 6 b7 7
Example #6 Half Dim Bebop
C Db Eb F Gb G Ab
Bb C
1b 2b 3 4b 5n 5b 6
b7
Chromatic Approach Tones
Here are some examples of
approaching the target note C (tonic or1). The approach tones are proceeded
with a half-step (above or below), but at times, could be approached by a whole
step. It is this chromatic sound that defines the bebop style. It is also
important to keep in mind that these exercises are strictly for developing the
bebop sound. You should further practice these bebop examples to extend these
patterns with combinations of other chord tones an scales.
Single Note Approach
C# to C Half-step above
B to C Half-step below
Note: The above and below
examples note #1 (C#) as b9 (Db). Note that the #1 (C#) is the enharmonic or
the same tone to b9 (Db). B9 is preferred because of its frequent use as an
extension.
A7Dm7Dm7G7
Somewhere there's music, how faint the tune.
Cm7Cm7F7
Somewhere there's heaven, how high the moon?
Bb+7 Em-5 A7Am7Em7-5
There is no moon above when love is far away, too.
A7D9Em7A7Fm7F7Em7
Till it comes true, that you love me, as I love you.
#2.
Em7A7Dm7Dm7G7
Somewhere there's music, how near, how far?
Cm7Cm7F7
Somewhere there's heaven, it's where you are.
BbEm7-5 A7Dm7
The darkest night would shine if you would come to me soon.
A7-9Fm7F7EmEm7A7-9 D6
Until you will, how still my heart, how high the moon???
You'll stay on beat with your solo development if you use the Song Robot Software
All the best,
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King
In 1982, John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs wrote a beautiful song called Sanctuary. Are you familiar with it? I've played it many times with different arrangements. The one I am playing here is arranged by carol Tornquist. It has an easy feel in two beats.
The particular setting I'm using on the keyboard gives it that airy sound you here in the background.
Just use your l.h. for the broken chords, mostly an F chord. Now the song starts in the Key of F.
The Intro:
F2
Bb2/F
F2
Eb
C7sus
I love the sounds of the C7sus. You're playing CFBb/C
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank each one of you for following LadyDpiano, subscribing to my free monthly newsletter and to those who Like Me on FaceBook! Your kind comments are always appreciated.
I want to give a shout out to Richard, Liz, Joshua and Tyrus for asking me about ear training and those who are learning to play by ear with the number system. I was reading a great article in one of my jazz magazines and thought I'd share some great tips with you.
Ear training can be a valuable tool to help students learn effectively. The better your ability to hear, the faster you learn -- and the slower you forget. The ability of the ear to hear is the intuitive, non-intellectual part of music, and it enhances the jazz player's ability to "hear" where the next notes are coming from.
A few players naturally have excellent ear training -- some educators call it "perfect pitch." People who don't have this natural talent need ear training. Having a good ear means that you can hear the right note before you play it. It doesn't mean when you play a wrong note you then fumble around and find the right note through trial and error.
For people who have a good ear, music is easier for them and more natural to learn. That's not to say they don't have to practice and work hard to achieve expertise in music. Many of us recognize that perhaps the fastest way to become a skilled musician is to play everything you know, hear and sing in 12 keys. The focus here is to hear and sing melodic shapes and intervals, in as many keys as possible.
Recognizing the shape of an arpeggiated chord eventually makes hearing harmony possible. By thinking of these shapes as chords, one starts to hear harmony as well as melody. The next step is to sing a melody and arpeggiate down, making the sound of the chord. To do this, you have to know what the melody is in relationship to the chord.
When you put away your music and try to play the song without music, do you really know it? If you can't sing the song, you don't really know it. If you don't know what the melody note is in relationship to the chord or the root motion of the harmony, then you don't know the song.
The melody and the harmony have everything to do with each other. If the piano player sees that the melody is a major 7th, he will structure the chord taking into consideration the melody. If the melody has a flat 9, he would not play a natural 9. This relationship of melody and harmony is key in learning a song.
Miles Donahue says,
"If we were to think of jazz as a car, the engine of improvising would be the mind and ear. The wheels are the mechanical ability to play what you think and hear. The internal combustion - the art - comes from the soul and creative spirit. Most jazz players learn the genre of jazz through listening to the great players who developed this art form."
So, one must work real hard with ear training. Most of us are not pros like Stan Getz, when it comes to ear training. Stan Getz possessed the ear-training equivalent of a photographic memory. Anything he heard, he remembered and could play back. He was able to improvise at a very high level without knowledge of the theory behind what he was hearing and playing. James Moody and Chet Baker also had such reputations.
I have 2 resources to share with you. Add to your music library:
An interval in music is the distance in pitch between two notes. The
interval is counted from the lower note to the higher one, with the
lower counted as 1. Intervals can be named generally by merely counting
upwards (by going forwards using the letters of the musical alphabet)
from one note to the other, inclusively. For example, from C to E is a
third (C to C is 1, or more commonly and elegantly, a unison, C to D is a
second and finally, c to E is a third.)
Intervals are named by
the number of the upper note (2nds, 3rds, etc. ) but there are two
exceptions to this. The interval between notes that are identical is
called UNISON (also called a PRIME INTERVAL); the interval of an 8th is
called an OCTAVE.
Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
Intervals
are called Melodic Intervals when they are sounded separately and
Harmonic Intervals when they are sounded together. When studying chords
we talk about harmonic intervals. When melodies are played, we study
melodic intervals.
Mary Had a Little Lamb = E-D-C-D-E-E-E is a melodic interval.
C Major Chord = C + E + G played together is a harmonic interval.
3rd and 5th intervals make up the major chord. A lowered 3rd interval (minor interval) and 5th interval make up the minor chord.
Perfect and Major Intervals
The
interval between the keynote of a major scale and the unison, 4th, 5th,
or octave of that scale is called a Perfect Interval.
For
example, the difference from C to G (in a C major scale) is called a
Perfect 5th. The difference from C to F is called a Perfect 4th. The 8th
note of the scale is referred to as the Perfect Octave. The difference
between the same note is called the Perfect Unison.
The interval between the keynote of a major scale and the 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 7th of that scale is called a Major Interval.
For
example, the difference from c to c (in a C major scale) is called a
Major 2nd. The difference from C to E is called a Major 3rd. The
difference from C to A is called a Major 6th and the difference from C
to B is called a Major 7th.
Minor Types
When
the interval between two notes of a major interval (2nd, 3rd, 6th or
7th) is decreased by a half step, they become Minor Intervals.
For
example, a major 3rd becomes a minor third when decreased by a half
step. In a C major scale, the major third interval is from C to E.
Changing the major third to a minor third would simply mean lowering the
E to E flat. A minor 2nd would be D flat instead of D. A minor 6th
would be A flat instead of A. The minor 7th interval would include B
flat instead of B.
Only Major intervals may be made into minor intervals. Perfect intervals may not (for example, a minor perfect does not exist).
Augmented and Diminished Types
The
word augmented means "made larger." When a perfect or major interval is
made larger by a half step, it becomes an Augmented Interval. For
example, a perfect 5th can become an augmented 5th by raising the 5th
one half step.
In a C major scale, the perfect 5th is the interval
from C to G. By simply raising G to G#, the interval has been expanded,
which makes it an Augmented 5th.
The word diminished means "made
smaller." When a perfect or minor interval is made smaller by a half
step, it becomes a Diminished Interval. For example, a perfect 4th can
become a diminished 4th by lowering the 4th a half step.
In the C Major scale, G is the perfect 5th. By simply lowering G to Gb, it has been made the diminished 5th.
Chromatic Types
When
the keynote and the upper note of an interval are not from the same
major scale, it is called a Chromatic Interval. Minor, diminished and
augmented intervals are always chromatic intervals in major keys.
Summary: What is an interval?
Unison (Prime Interval) and Octave
Melodic/Harmonic Int
Perfect Unison, 4th, 5th and Perfect Octave
Major 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th
Minor Int
Augmented and Diminished Int
Chromatic Int
Now we have laid some groundwork for you to understand chords.
Chord Chart
GGGCA x2
GCDEmCDGFrom a distance the world looks blue and green and the snow-capped mountains white.
GCDEmCDG
From a distance the ocean meets the stream and the eagle takes to flight.
CDEmCGDD7
From a distance there is harmony and it echoes through the land.
CGCGCDG
It's the voice of hope it's the voice of peace it's the voice of every man.
From a distance we all have enough and no one is in need.
And there are no guns no bombs and no disease no hungry mouths to feed.
From a distance we are instruments marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope playing songs of peace - they're the songs of every man.
CDGEmCDGGod is watching us. God is watching us. God is watching us from a distance.
From a distance you look like my friend even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend what all this fighting is for.
From a distance there is harmony and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes it's the love of loves it's the heart of every man.
It's the hope of hopes it's the love of loves - This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us God is watching us God is watching us from a distance.
Oh God is watching us God is watching. God is watching us from a distance.
G2 C2/G D/G G2
From a distance the world looks blue and green,
CDG ( D/G,C2/G)
and the snow-capped mountains white.
G2 C2 C/E D/F#G
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
G/B CDG D/G
and the eagle takes to flight.
REFRAIN 1
Cmaj7 DEm
From a distance, there is harmony,
CG/B G/D D
and it echoes through the land.
CG/B CG/B
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
CDG, C
it's the voice of every man.
GCDG
From a distance we all have enough,
CDGC
and no one is in need.
GCDEm
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
CDG
no hungry mouths to feed.
REFRAIN 2
CDEm
From a distance we are instruments
CGD
marching in a common band.
CGCG
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
CDG
They're the songs of every man.
CDGEm
God is watching us. God is watching us.
CDG
God is watching us from a distance.
GCDG
From a distance you look like my friend,
CDGC
even though we are at war.
GCDEm
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
CDG, C(pause)
what all this fighting is for.
GDEm
From a distance there is harmony,
CGD
and it echoes through the land.
CG
And it's the hope of hopes,
CG
it's the love of loves,
CDEm
it's the heart of every man.
CGCG
It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
CDG
This is the song of every man.
G/C C6 DD7/G G D/F# Em
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
Em7 Am7 C/D DG G/B
God is watching us from a distance.
G/C C6 D D7/G G D/F# Em Em7
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
Am7 C/DG2
God is watching us from a distance.
Chord Breakdown
G2 = GD/ABD
C2/G = GE/CDF#
D/G = GF#/AD
C = CG/EGD
D = DA/F#AD
G = GD/GBG
C/E = EC/GD
D/F# = F#D/AD
Cmaj7 = CG/EGB
Em = EB/EGB
G/B = B/GBD
G/C = C/DGB
C6 = C/CEA
D7/G = G/CDA
Am7 = AG/BD
G2 = GD/ABDG
Become A Better Church Pianist Now! Learn How To Play Hymns Using Color Chords & Exciting Runs & Fillers www.PianoArrangement.com
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King
You know, I mostly post Gospel and Blues songs on this site, LadyDpiano.com Plus, you'll find piano tips here to improve your playing. Did I mention a free monthly newsletter? You'll want to sign up for that, too! But I wanted to ask...
Have you gone over to the other blog? That's where you'll find Jazz posts. http://pianodiana.blogspot.comI thought I'd share one of my favorite songs with you. I'm playing on the Yamaha Motif ES8 on a Vintage setting. Do you have a favorite song by Chicago?
COLOR MY WORLD
F
AS TIME GOES ON
Am
I REALIZE JUST WHAT YOU
Bb Eb
MEAN TO ME
Ab
AND NOW NOW THAT YOU'RE NEAR
Gb D7
PROMISE YOUR LOVE
G
THAT I'VE WAITED TO SHARE
Eb7 C7
AND DREAM OF OUR MOMENTS TOGETHER
F
Bb C7 F
COLOR MY WORLD WITH HOPES OF LOVING YOU
Fmaj7
AS TIME GOES ON
Am
I REALIZE JUST WHAT YOU
Bb Ebmaj9
MEAN TO ME
Abmaj7 Gbmaj7
AND NOW NOW THAT YOU'RE NEAR
D9 D7
PROMISE YOUR LOVE
Gm7
THAT I'VE WAITED TO SHARE
Eb9 C7
AND DREAM OF OUR MOMENTS TOGETHER
Bb C7 Fm7 Bb C7 Fmaj7
COLOR MY WORLD WITH HOPES OF LOVING YOU
Chord Breakdown to Colour My World:
Fmaj7 = F/AEF
Am = A/CEA
Bb = Bb/BbDF
Ebmaj9 = Eb/BbDF
Abmaj7 = Ab/CEbG
Gbmaj7 = Gb/BbDbF
D9 = D/CEF#A
Gm7 = G/BDF#
Eb9 = Eb/BbDbFG
C7 = C/EBbC
If you like the sound of Jazz and have always wanted to learn how to play tons of jazz chord patterns and want a signature sounding solo of your own, order this beginner Jazz Dvd, Jazz 101
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King
I wrote an article on Four Tips To Playing Scales.
Maybe you feel this way. You see, one of my piano students was practicing a difficult scale. She was missing a certain key or playing the wrong one every single time.
To fix this, she decided to put a piece of sticky note on the key that she was missing. This helped her hand learn the pattern of the scale.
When you're playing a musical phrase, you should end with a soft note for a gentle, rounded ending. Sometimes a note is played with the first finger (the thumb). The problem is that the thumb strikes the key sideways and may come down with a heavy touch. You have to be careful to set it down gently and still play a soft note. You don't have to do anything special to avoid a clunky thumb - just think about it and have your ears tuned to the delicate sound you want to hear at the end of a line.
Thumb Under
Here's My Article:
Playing scales is a good thing for developing technique. I am not
saying that one should sit down at the piano and practice scales and
exercises for hours to obtain results. That would be so boring but if
you look at these points, you will acquire a great technique in just a
few weeks.
1. Scales train the fingers so that they do their work evenly and smoothly.
Playing
scales is a good thing for developing technique. I am not saying that
one should sit down at the piano and practice scales and exercises for
hours to obtain results. If you look at these points, you will acquire a
great technique in just a few weeks. Scales train the fingers so that
they do their work evenly and smoothly.
Every tone of a scale must
be played with effort, energy and enthusiasm. The ear that is listening
carefully is trained to hear the exact volume of sound. Having an
accurate knowledge of the notes in the scale and using the correct
fingering, that is, the use of the thumbs and the third and fourth
fingers, will help you play it from memory.
2. When playing scales, each hand will practice alone.
What
happens is that if you don't take the time to practice the hands
separately then the right hand will drown out the left hand (or vice
versa). Pay attention to the rhythm of playing a scale. Start with the C
major scale. Later on with time and much practice, learn the variations
of sixths, thirds, and contrary motions.
3. The tones of the scale must be played with equality of strength.
When
using the thumb, there must be extra pressure and with the second and
third fingers there will be a certain amount of restraint but then you
will continue with your fourth and fifth fingers with added strength as
you press down the keys.
It seems that most folks have trouble
with their thumb in playing scales. Often the thumb strikes the keys too
faintly, so you'll want to strike the key from above in a downward
move. Practice five tones ascending and descending very slowly at first.
Most importantly, pay careful attention to the rhythm and touch of
every tone while bending the thumb and going under the third finger.
4. Be attentive to the movement of your muscles.
A
great difficulty when playing scales is the passing over and under of
the fingers. You will want to roll the lower arm by a side movement of
your hand over the keyboard. It's easy to do but it will be difficult to
do when your hand is bent sideways.
You should feel very relaxed
when playing scales. Your piano playing will become smooth and rippling.
When both hands are combined, you'll be hearing the tones of the two
hands more equally.
If you review these points, keeping watch over
both your hands and practice scales a short time every day, in a few
weeks you will acquire a great technique to help you play scales in a
much better way.
Supercharge Your Hand Eye Coordination
Results Tested Piano Course For Serious Piano Player
I just love this time of year and all the beauty that surrounds me.How is it where you are?
I want to thank you for all of your emails. I receive so many comments from wonderful musicians who want to play for their church.
I hope to upload more videos and do more posts on music theory in the days and weeks ahead. Everyone wants to know how to make both hands work on the piano. You've got to keep practicing scales and exercises, separately and then together. Plus, knowing your chords helps and especially how to read chord charts/slash chords.
I like this song, Breathe. I play it in the Key of G. Here's a few charts and then you can see what I play below, along with the name of the notes.
BREATHEtempo = 77 BPM
time = 4/4
Verse
A2 | D2/F# | A2 | D2/F# |
A2 / E2/G# / | F#m7s / E / |
D2 / / D2/F# | E / Es E :||
Chorus
A2 / E2/G# / | F#m7s / E / |
D2 / / D2/F# | E / Es E :||
End
D2 / / A2 | E :||
G Gsus
This is the air I breathe
G Gsus
This is the air I breathe
G D/F# Em7 D
Your holy presence
C2(no3) G/B D Dsus D Dsus
Living in me
G Gsus
This is my daily bread
G Gsus
This is my daily bread
G D/F# Em7 D
Your very word
C2(no3) G/B D
Spoken to me
G D/G G D/G C Em D
And I, I'm desperate for You
Dsus G D/G G D/G C Em D
And I, I'm lost without You
I love teaching beginners, young children, and adults. I offer piano lessons for ages 3-103 and all levels from primer to advanced. We have a blast with piano games, playing duets, learning songs and theory.
I offer private and group lessons. I am a WunderKeys piano teacher for preschoolers, 3-years-old to Kindergarten. We have 2 recitals, Fall and Spring.
Thank You!
I've Been Mentioned!
Billie
“If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.” – Billie Holiday
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