Jazz Riffs for Piano

(1)

Featuring:

ended Lines

&

Solos •

Modal Riffs

Dillllillllisl1ted,

entatonic & Altered Dominant

Licks

Block Chord Styles

LftlDrtt

Substitution & Advanced Voi

,

·

(2)

-gréat

torPiano

by

f

rank

f

eldman

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(3)

ut lhe Author

Frank Feldman

graduated

magna

cum laude,

with

honors in

music,

from

Brown University,

and

went

on

to

study classical

piano

at

the

graduate

l

e

vel

at the New England Conservatory of Music. He is the

composer of over

200 songs and instrumental

compositions

in

a

variety

of genres,

and the autho

r

of

Creating Coherent Jazz Melody-A

Sourcebook

For lmprovisers.

Frank

has been a freelance

pianist

and

private

classical and jazz

piano instructo

r

s

ince

1979,

and

has performed at hundreds

of

venues throughout the

country

,

including Carnegie Hall. He is the president and founding member of The New

York Jazz Piano lnstitute, based in Lynbrook, New York.

Ackn

li<e to thank Arthur o e d, ida ce, a d s p

a -..,e .to ks a Cherry Lane Music for their e ce of his piano teaching; !lona Ross

d like to express my profoundest :s:: :::- :::eepest usical tradition. Their inspira 'o

(4)

CONT

7 ....

Riffs ln The Style

Of

The Late Swing Era

7 .... Tenths

& Arabesques

7 .... Teddy Wilson-Style Arpeggios

s ....

Riffs ln The Style

Of

The Bebop Era

8 .... Passing

Harmonies

#1

8 .... Passing Harmonies #2

9 ....

Tritone Substitution

9 ....

Chromatic Weaving

1 O ....

ii-V

-i

ln

Minor

l

O .... Bebop Double-Time Riff

11 .... Unresolved ii-V

11 .

... ii-V Tritone

Substitution

12 .... Thelonious Monk-Style Riff #1

12 ....

Thelonious Monk-Style Riff #2

13 ••••

Riffs ln

The Styles

Of

The Post-Bop Era

13 .... The Two-Fisted

Style

Of

George

Shea

ring

13 ..

.. The B

lock Chord Style Of E

rroll Ga

r

er

14 ....

T

h

e B

lock Chord

S

tyle

Of

Red G ,.

-~

T ·

les

15 .... 0rnamented ii-V-1 Riff

15 .... Melodie Analogy

16 .... Trademark Block Cho

rds

16 .... Rising Arpeggios

17 .... Faux Block Chords

17 ....

Anticipated Arpegg

ios

18 .... Dorian Riffs

19 .•.•

Riffs ln The Styles

The '60s And

Be

Yí

19 ....

Herbie Hancock-Sty

le

i·-,-19

....

Herbie's Melodie

Mi

o..

:

1:·=·~

20 .... Herbie's Hallmarks

21 ....

Chick Corea-Style

Lya· ....

-21 .... Side-Slipping

Riff

22 .... Chick-Style Doria

n R

iff

• 22 .... Chick-Style

Dorian Ri

23 .... Chick-Style

ii-V-1

23 .... Diminished

Scale P

a

e

Descending

ln

3rd

s

24 .... Pentatonic Constr

e

r:~

~

The Dimin

is

he

d Sca

l

e

24 ....

Keith J

arrett-

S

l

e

Cade za-l

ik

e

as ae

(5)

1

il

NTR

O D U CT 1 O N

P

1 ANO

examples found in this

::, ... a~e co posed in the styles of

~ :;-ea jazz pianists. Attempting

e· a ievements into tidy

lit-boxes is an inadequate

'?..-=

s~ e ·cial approach-the lines

::O."' ect their work are not simply

_·cal. As you come to

appre-e ork of more and more of

l..iS·c's greatest figures, the

sub-:. e p.:-::is of influence, from one artist

e , will become clear.

e

Late

Swing Era And

The

Style Of

Tedd

y Wilson

" lson's approach to the

_ ::-=e ed vastly from that of his

=-::J:::i aries. He exploited the

--==es that the new electronic

_ -=::::i1r1e offered him: playing

ines full of precisely

artic-intri cate arabesques. his left hand often

::_-ed a stride action, it had

- ==

-

e brutish accents

charac-=

ot the period. At times, he

, ... _ --=-~ s in the left hand with no

--=es

·n register. Though his

har--- .:: oalette was not large, his

dis--

=

-ed elegance presaged later,

-

-=

s..;btle developments in the art

:- :=r piano.

e

Role Of

The Piano

uring

The

Bebop Era

_ ~oer-extensions of the chord, such

,,_- · ths, #11 ths, and 13ths, as well

~ a ered notes, such as the

b5

and

f dominant seventh chords,

.:;egan to appear in small combo

- -s·c of the late swing era. The

~ st began to take over the duties

.::.:: - e pianist's left hand. Tempos t;egan to increase. Pianists of the era

:-~ e to incorporate the virtuosic

-"ovations of the great alto saxo

-::: onist Charlie Parker into their

Bud Powell epitomized the highest

aesthetic achievement of the bebop era. Passionate and imaginative, he

exhibited a profound influence on

the pianists who followed him. Thelonious Monk was the most origi-nal pianistic voice of the era. While others strove to adapt the virtuoso

lines of the period's great horn play-ers for the piano, Monk played sparse, angular solos, full of silence, surprise, and references to the tune's melody. His musical language was abstract and dissonant, yet full of wit,

verve, and droll humor.

The bebopfers' repertoire consisted primarily o improvisatory-sounding, ornate, deftly syncopated melodies based on the chord progressions of popular songs of the day, such as

"I Got Rhythm," and, of course, the perennial 12-bar blues. The musicians considered their music an

art form, intended for attentive,

informed listening.

The Varied Piano Stylings

Of The Post-Bop Era

George Shearing, always a gentle

and elegant player, favored the cool,

laid-back West Coast sound during

the post-bop era of the 'SOs. He was

"modernized" by listening to Bud Powell and other disciples of the

new music. Shearing enjoyed great commercial success adapting Milt Buckner's style of

locked hands

play

-ing to medium tempo ballads. ln this

style of block chord playing, the melody is played by the thumb of

the left hand and doubled one

octave higher in the pinky of the

right hand, leaving the lower

num-bered fingers and thumb of the right hand free to play chord tones. Erroll Garner was an entirely

self-taught, brilliantly playful maverick of

the piano. Much of his musical lan

-g u a-ge was characteristic of the bebop era, though his strummed,

guitar-like left-hand chords-with

their four-to-the-bar feel-harkened

back to the swing era. ln his right

hand, he often played block chords

, ro a

n--::: " .::.:: ::::---g e ords. Garner

p a}e e eat in an i

mme-diately recognizable and deftly

swinging way.

Red Garland subscribed to the harder swinging and funkier notions

of East Coast post-bop piano playing. He worked with the Miles Davis unit from 1955 through 1958.

His single-note lines combined the innovations of the beboppers with the new, more bluesy aesthetic

of the hard bop school. Red, in his unique style of block chord playing, struck the left-hand chord (often a four-note, rootless ninth chord) simultaneously with each

melody note in the right hand. The

right hand consisted of the melody note in the pinky, doubled at the,

octave by the thumb, plus the note a

fifth (or diminished fifth, depending on the tonal context) above the thumb's note. The resulting series of slightly "off" parallel fifths was the hallmark of Garland's block chord style.

Bill Evans brought new depths of harmonic and melodie richness to jazz piano playing. Although his biggest early influence was Bud Powell, Evans' temperament was more sensitive, subtle, and

introvert-ed. He was a ruthless self-critic with a rigorously analytical mind. Bill

employed the rich resources of the

European classics in his playing to an extent previously unknown in jazz.

His trios displayed remarkable con-trapuntal interplay between bass,

drums, and piano. A deep inner hon

-esty and integrity imbued the beauty

and lyricism of his playing. No other pianist since Bud Powell has had a greater influence on his

contempo-raries and on those who followed him than Bill Evans.

Evans contributed greatly to

K

in

d

Of

Blue,

Miles Davis's groundbreaking

album of 1959. lts fresh modal

conception dispensed with frequent chord changes, and encouraged

the soloist to flights of melodie

spon-taneity, unhampered by the need to accommodate rapidly changing

harmonies. The impact of that album,

and of Bill's contribution to it, was

(6)

The Jazz

P

i

ano

Styles Of

The

'60s

And Beyond

During the 1960s a confusing variety of styles, schools, and individuais, along with some grim economic reali-ties, created an identity crisis in jazz which has not abated to this day. Hence, we'll focus on three of the strongest, most influential players of the period: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett.

Herbie Hancock inherited a wonderful-ly funky, laid-back approach from Wynton Kelly, his predecessor in the Miles Davis group. Herbie integrated the sensual harmonic language of the French impressionists into his jazz playing in a very personal way. His work as soloist and accompanist in Miles Davis's great quintet of the 1960s was particularly outstanding. McCoy T yner, who greatly influenced Chick Corea, adapted for the piano many of the pentatonic and modal innovations of the tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. Tyner played for long stretches in the Dorian mode, favor-ing percussive, drone-like Sths in the bass, left-hand voicings in 4ths, and virtuosic cascades of pentatonic digi-tal patterns in the right hand. Corea took elements of this style and adapt-ed them to suit his own crisp, clean, incisive musical temperament.

A trained classical pianist, he also used many of the techniques of twentieth-century "serious" music in his improvisations.

Keith Jarrett is a law unto himself. He relies more upon the inspiration of the moment than upon predetermined formulae or patterns. Notes are often secondary to the romantic, effusive sweep of his playing. Whether impro-vising on a 32-bar song form or devel-op i n g thematic material on a far broader canvas, Jarrett has made the piano sing a new song, ranging from the deeply reflective to the breathless -ly ecstatic. He is an archromantic who will daringly and recklessly abandon himself to the moment, as well as a virtuoso who seamlessly incorporates

sophisticated, intellectual, European classical techniques into his playing. ln

Keith Jarrett, improvisatory playing at times attains an emotional depth it has perhaps not had since the time of

(7)

ea

ily

e courag

e

you

t

o

;a

e

mat

e

r

i

ais

in

th

is book and

• ory

,

a jus

t

,

and

recompose

them

to

s

i

your n

ee

d

s

,

goals, and musical

as

e

.

Combine the riffs

in novel

ways

-per

ha

ps one of the bebop riffs

rnight

work

well

in

the

block chord style

o

f

George

Shearing.

ln

any case,

tran

spose whatever you'

re

worki ng

on

i

n

t

o a number of keys (a very

effec-tiv

e form of ear-training, by the

w

ay),

and use

it

at every opportunity in

you

r

i

mprovising. Also,

learn

to think

a

out

harmony using Roman numerais

.

T

ey are

the

most effective way to

gr

asp

the underlying grammar

and

architecture of phrases and

son

gs, and

they

make transposition

easy.

(lf you aren't Familiar with Roman

n

umeral

analysis, consult a good

har-mony textbook.)

An

even more gratifying way to

prac-tic

e

new

riffs is to "plug"

them into a

section

of

a song form

.

ldentify

the sort

of harm

onic

progressions

in

which the

riff wou

ld

be

e

ff

ec

tiv

e

and

find

a

tune that has

severa

!

instances

of

that

progression. lf you

can, "compose" a

solo over

the

chord changes of a

tune,

then transpose

the solo

to

severa! keys.

Don't

hesitate to focus

your studies on

the players and periods that interest you

most. Love is always the best motivation.

Encyclopedic

knowledge is

not the goal.

You may, ironically,

find

that immersing

yourself in the style of a particular player

or period opens your ears to other

play-ers and periods that previously held no

allure for you.

Finally, don't over-rely on the notation!

Jazz

is a music of infinite rhythmic

sup-pleness and subtlety. No one learns to

speak a

language

without hearing it

often.

lf

you make listening to jazz and

attending

jazz

events an

integral

part of

your

life,

your progress will be far

more natural, enjoyable and rapid.

Good

luck!

(8)

•

I 1

t

1

Ili

Tenths

&

Arabesques

06

E9

A9

D9

---Bb

0

7

_Am7 Dl3 H'' i----3---, 3

-j\ ~ 1*-

•

1 1

-

1

---

~

• ..

-

.

_-

r- r- - i - . v • ~ -

-.

~ V

-

...

-

--

;

..

_

..

--

...

-

.

-~)

-

v -

,

..

•

_;ir•

..

_·

₊

..

_-_._~

-tbllt.·

,.

-.... ... '*

....

_•

-·

--

~

-

.., ~·-.

-V

-~

-.-Teddy Wilson-Style Arpeggios

The sweeping arpeggios

that

abound

in

this example and the

Bb9#5

chord

are

t

ypical

Wilson's

style.

F9 Bº7 FL: 8va - - - -- -- -- -______ - -- -- - - -- -- --- - - -- - - ________________ ,

Bb7/F

Eº7

Bb9/F

Bb9#5

Eb6/9

::!

.\

(9)

e rog e

ssi

o

n

i

im7-#

ii

º

7 -

I (Dm7-D#

º

7-C in the key of C major) was one of many venerable s

win

ra

-

t

i

on

s prese

r

v

ed

by

the beboppers.

C6

assing Harmonies #2

- se

rve

how the right hand continues

t

o outline the chord of Bb6

e

ven though the left hand introdu

ce

s

ass

ing

harmoni

e

s (Cm7

&

C#

º

7)

.

(10)

Tritone Substitution

The substitution

of

a

dominant 7th

chord a semitone above the tonic, for the one a

fifth

tonic, is one of

bebop's

most famous musical innovations

.

Here Bb7 is followed by

the

s

chord, E7, which then resolves to the tonic Eb. This device, known as the

tritone sub

stituri

named because the substitute

chord

(E7) lies a tritone away from the V (Bb). (Note: T

he

t -

~

has the sound of an altered V without the root; for example, the notes

of

the E7 chord

(E G::

the bS

,

b 7, b9 and 3 rd of the Bb 7 chord.)

Fm7 Bb7 _E7 Ebmaj7

Chromatic Weaving

Observe

the chromatic

line that weav

e

s through the

ii

chord

in

this

example: C (bar

1 bea

_

3), to Bb (bar 2, beatl )

.

The Bb then resolves to the A of the F7 chord. Also note

the

b

9th

and

-;;n

-in

the F7 chord

-

common

in

the bebop vocabulary.

Cm Cm(maj7) Cm7 F7b9, 11 .~ 1

..

r---

..

r---

,

.,

/

.

-

_""

-

-k

-

.

,

.,

-

~ ~ - L -' -

-~ "-

-

,_ '

-

-'-'V

...

-

~

1

tJ L 1 --i:::::::-1 1 3 ₃ 3

e

'

--~

fr

'

..

-~

-

' --;:

_:=-

--

..

_"

_-:

~

-~

-

-I "

·

-\ V

-_, Bbmaj7 B7 Bbmaj7 ' 1 1 1 1 1 J

,..

-

.... ~

...

-. V

-

... "

-

- ,_ ,

'

1 ₁ _"

-'

-

•

- -,,..---. ...

--

_,

..

.

,_,_ -I ~ A

-

~ \

_"'

_"

-

- ,_

·

---11 1 q

(11)

•

\ I 1

,

' 1 \

ii-V-i ln Minor

Notice the right hand's superimposition of an Ab minar

chord

o

'er

the

G7 chord (shown with arro

\\'S

The notes-Ab, B(Cb), and E!?

-

are, respectively, the

b9,

3 and

13 of the

underlying harmony

.

Dm7b5 G7alt.

,,

1

.

Ll.

_,,

h.

1.-

-

b

lllt. b ..

b

.

-

~

-

k

--

:; ~ ~

-

_{w -} ~ k~

.._

k -V - ~~ V~

-·'

--..

_-

3 1

t

-

_t

~: ~ ~ ~;:::.:::::: t::::

ir-..

.

_-·

_~ _~

..

~

-

· ...

.,

"

-,

_:; ,,_ V '

--

~ -Cm6/9 _~

-~ 1 1

-

1 -,

-

,_ _-

-~

-

k ~ _" ~ w -

.,

:.

-V

,

_

~ ₃

-

•

1.

-·

~ 1. ~

-··

.,

" ~

-

~

-:.

-, _:; ,,

.

J J 1

Bebop Double-Time Riff

1

'

V

irtuosic double-time

playing was

a

bebop specialty.

This example

is also

full

of

chromatic

passin

g

to

nes and neighbor tones, typical of the period. Study them carefully!

Fmaj7 Bbm7 Am7

C7#11 Fmaj7

(12)

-e-I

\

1

Unresolved ii-V

The second bar

of this example

contain

s an unresolved

ii

-

V

in the

Neapolitan

(bll)-a de

vice

used by Miles

Davis

("Half

elson.~

Four;'

etc.)

.

The arrows show a hidden step

-

wise line

filling

interval between

the

F

in

bar 1 and th

e Bb

in

bar 5.

Bbmaj7 C#m7 F#7 Cm7

t

F#m7 F7b5 Bbmaj7 j\ 1 "1'-

~

...

b

f/I..

-

--

~ ., ~ .,

-

.

-V ,_

-'

-~

t

~~:

~

-~

..

-~· "

..

"

-

.,

.

-,

...

_;:;

-V

;

ii-V Tritone Substitution

ln

bar 2, Bm7 precedes the tritone sub, E7 (Bm7 and E7 are the

ii

and V in

A);

if

y

o

u

e.a::

the

V,

why not bring the ii along for the ride!

Fm7 Bm7 E7 Ebmaj7 j~ 1

• .,,_

-

~

-

--

~

....

'

-

~ ~

.

-.

V ,_ ~ ., ....

-"'

_~

-f/I..· llf_

~

-··

_,

..

:

_-

;,

-~ ,. , \ V " ,,

(13)

li

I

l

~

l

\ I \

Thelonious Monk-Style Riff #1

The dissonant semitones beneath the melody note

F

, the

dramatic us

e of register, the voicing

in

4 o

f

the F6/9 chord

,

and the humorous use of the

w

hole-

tone scale

in bar 3, establish

a Thelo

ni

o

Monk

-

like sound in this example

.

Frnaj7 F6/9

...

j \

==

.

k -

.,

I

---

•.

~ ~

"

...

' l i

--~)

...

-:-

...

-:-

...

-; -;

-·

~.

..

.

.... .... r-

-

_~_·

-

.

., ., .,

.

, k • ,,,

..

-

/ V _ .

''"

ti

_V

C7b5 F#7b5 3

"

-

1 ,--3----, ,lj.

..

- ,.---..._

-"'

...

-

_, _,

•

ol[ J -

•

• r - V

-

'• ...

-

_,

-

_.

_

,

~

...

1J. -

...

v- _, _. ~

-~

-

1 -...., ~,.---..._~

-

_,,

..

_:.

_•

.,

.

~ .-.J

...

-L__3__j

Thelonious Monk-Style Riff #2

1

Thou

gh

ot

h

er p

iani

sts

m

i

gh

t

h

a

v

e c

hos

e

n

t

h

ese

su

bs

titut

e

dominan

t c

hords,

t

h

e

l

e

an, angular

v

oici

ng

s

and

sharp, jabbing dissonances are typical of Monk.

Bbmaj7#9 Db 13#9C13#9 F#l3 B7b5 Bbadd9

_-

Bbmaj7 1 1

'

~

J

._._

j \

-

.... 1

-

-"" ...

--

-

.

~ .,

.

, k •• !

.,

• .,

•

.,

.

-• r - V .,_ -

-

~-

--

-

~

-

·-·

-~

:it

...

,

-

_1!'_· 11!' .. 1 •

.,

-

•

~

..

L,_ •

1,

.

...

--

_•

• ..

""-""

..

•

.

-

~- ~ ~

--

.,

.

_k•-.

.

, ,_

.

.., !

.,

i-1

.,

i-1

• .

-I h .,_

::

-

V

-

k'-.

...

-V - _"

-

-V it• .

(14)

m

RIFFS IN THE STY

E

E POST-BOP ERA

The Two-Fisted Style of George Shearing

This example is in the style

of

George Shearing

.

Diminished

7ths

occur

frequently in

t

his s

..

rootless 7b9 chords, and as suppor

ting neighbo

r

and

passing chords.

G7b9

Cm6

F7b9 Bb6 G7b9

Cm6 F7b9

3

The Block Chord Style of Erroll

Garner

Erroll Garner

'

s dense orchestral style is demonstrated here. When the right han

d s

a.:-2, beat 2),

the thumb

almost always plays two notes a step apart

(most

typicall

y,

e

-of the chord).

C

m6

D7alt. G7b5

Cm6

D~

~~---

---C7b9 Gb9#1 I Fm6 D7b9 G7alt. Bm6 Cm6

(15)

---1

The Block Chord Style of Red Garla

n

d

The block chord style of Red Garland was unique

an

d

~~.~

Ebm9-Ab9 (ii9-V9 in Db major), and C#m9

-

F#9 (ii

9 -

V9

in

B

Miles Davis's mid

-

'50s ensemble

.

F#9 Cm9

Shifting Triplets

e. o

te

the two unresolved II-

V

's:

a

· r

-typ

ic

al of the harmonic style

of

Fl3b9 Bb6/9

On

e

o

f

the hallmarks of Bill Evans' swinging style is his varied placement of eighth

-

note triplets. l

n

thi

s

example, eighth

-

note triplets occur on beat 2(bar1), beat 3 (bar 2)

,

and beat 1 (bar 3)

.

(Riffs 16

thr

o

ugh 23 are all based on the style of Bill Evans.)

(16)

Ornamented

·i-V-

Riff

Check

out the ser

ies of descending thir

ds in the melody-Ab-F

-

0-Bb (shown with

arrows,--,,~._

which is

preceded

by

a

cambiata-a

combine

d lower neighbor/upper neighbor figure.

Bb

13b9 Eb619

Melodie Analogy

Notice

the melodie analogy

between

Eb

-

D-Db (bar 2)

and G-Gb-F (bars

3-4).

It

is

--·~--

approach the b9

of V7b9

with the

note a whole step above

it.

This

note (here

, the

E.-chord) is

usually called the #9 of the chord, even though it is simply an upper neigh

b

(17)

Trademark Block Chords

Play the following close

-

position voicing of Dm7: AC D F.

Drop the D down an octave and you

w

ill

have the first chord of this example. One of Bill Evans' pianis

ti

c trademarks was the block ch

or

d

treatment of seventh

chords

in this fashion

.

Dm7 C07 G7alt. C6/9

Rising Arpeggios

Observe how the arpeggiation of Ebmaj9 in the first bar generates a succession of rising arpeg

gi

o

each a third higher than the one before it.

(18)

Faux Block Chords

Examine the chara

cteristic use

of

quarter-note triplets here, as well as faux block chords, in

whi

left hand's chords

are struck simultaneously

with almost every note in the right hand. The

and Dbmaj7 chords

(bVI

maj7

and bllmaj7)

appear where one would have expected G7 (V7)

.

C6/9 A7alt. Dmll L - - -3 -Abmaj7 Db6/9 l _ _ 3 _ _ _ J C6/9 L _ _ 3 _ _ _ J L _ _ 3 - -Bva - -- - - --- - -- -- -- --- -- --- --- -- - - -- - - --- --- - - -- · -- -- - - - --- - - ,

Anticipated Arpeggios

ln bars 1-4, a progressively ascending six-note motive outlines the chords Cm9, Ebm9

Cma

· -Abm9. Beginning in bar

3,

the motive appears earlier and earlier in relation

to ea

measure, intensifying rhythmic interest.

Cm9 Ab 13#11 Dm7b5

=

· - .li.

'*

.n~

~

_~

b~

....

Cm6/9 li t.,_ - J, .. -"'

'

,...

-

~

-

~

,.,

_-

..

...

,

.

-

...

. ~

-~

'",;,I..

.

..L _- L

.

r

-

~ ·~ "

,

(19)

Dorian Riffs

This example is in G Dorian (G A Bb C D E F), the mode based on the second degree of the

f

rr:

scale (hence using the sarne key signature). The modal style was seldom "pure:' and often con

-

-references to bebop and the blues. For example, check out the F# lower neighbor tones in bar

s :

the bluesy Db's in bars 4 and 8, and the chrornatic neighbor and passing tones in bar 7.

Gm9 Am7/G Gm9 Am7/G Gm9 Am7/G

µ

_._

::::::=::::

(20)

RIFFS IN THE STYLES OF THE '60S AND

BEYOND

Herbie Hancock-Style ii-V-1

This example demonstrates one

of Herbie Hancock's

favorite left

-

hand voicings of the 13

c

ho

use of iº7 in bar 3 as a neighbor chord

of Imaj7

is another common Herbie device. (Note

thaL

~

in these examples often includes added major

7ths

and 9ths, and other notes from

the

cfu~•-w ~··.,...,.,,~..,

scale.)

C13#1 I Bb0₇ _Bb_6/9

Herbie's Melodie Minor Modes

Herbie is fond of the melodie minor modes. ln this example, F melodie

minor

is

;e~ -- - .n.:=--'1

Dm II b5, establishing the hip D Locrian

~2

modality (O E F G Ab

Bb C), and t

he G

a.:.

-with the G altered dominant scale (G Ab Bb Cb Db

Eb F),

the seventh

mode

of

Dml lbS G7alt.

b

(21)

Herbie's Hallmarks

Many

different

harmonic devices

we've

studied

are found in

this example, including tritone

unresolved ii-V's in distant keys

and melodie

minor constructions. Study

the

subtle

variations

in

-bluesy inflections of bars 1 and 3

,

as well

as

the funky

treatment of the 1 chord in

bar

7.

013 Ab9 G9 L_ 3----' 013 Abm(maj7) Abm9 Om9 Omll C#m9 F#l3 j \ Fl3#9

-

e

~

-FI3# J l - ~

...

k

-

~ ... ..,

-or , V 1 ... _r_g_lissan_do

-b_.!

_.s:

₌

' •

..

' ~

•

..,

•

~

-, ~

.

"'

..

' V

.

-.

(22)

Chick Corea-Style Lydian

Ri

The superimposition of the F penta

tonic

scale

(F

G

A C O) over the prevailing Eb major chor

d

-

a

Corea

trademark-gives this examp

l

e a

bright,

Lydian flavor (because of the

A~-the

#4

of ...

chord). Note the drone-like fifths

in

the bass, and the predilection for 4ths and 2nds in the

lerr

Side-Slipping Riff

Check out the detour to Gb pentatonic in bars 2 and 4

(side slipping,

shifting

yo

lick up or down a half step, can be very dramatic and effective). Again, obse

n

"e

as well as the left-hand voicings in the 4ths.

F6/9

(23)

Chick-Style Dorian Riff #1

ln high

-

speed virtuosic playing, Chick often plays repetitive, eas

y

-

t

o-play digital patterns like

th

__

in the first two bars of this modal example. Note the contrary motion between the hands.

Chick-Style Dorian Riff #2

Th

e brief detour to Db pentatonic in bar 6 provides additional tonal interest. ln the last bar one fin

ds

the fa

mous "So What" voicings

,

first heard on Miles Davis

'

s

Kind of Blue

and played by coun

t

l

ess

piani

st

s

on

i

nnum

e

rable occasions since then.

Dm7 loco Db6/9

8va---

--

----

--

---

-

---

-

---

--

---

----

--

----

-

---

-

--,

- Dm7 1\

b

)

.,,_

~

_,...

1

,..

k• 1 1 l ~ -

-

--

V,_ ,...

-

~ ,, ~.

-

~ _·~

-·

-°'"'V

-v

1 \

"

.

..-..

...

_.

h

~,,,--....··

..

,,,--....

...

_~ ~

_!-:

• -

.

_-

..~

-·

• =-

,...

-..

..

~..,

'

.,,

-·

~

,,

-"'

,_ _'_-,j _:,, _d

"

(24)

m

Chick-Style

ii-V-This example shows

a C

hie

'

-pentatonics

im

plies exte

nd

right hand plays

notes

from

A7 chord.

ln

bar 5

we f

ind E

V'-1.•l.aL.v • ...

e

ü

-

V

-I

progression;

his use of carefull

y sel

plied

harmo

nies are in parentheses.)

In

bar

~

.

-

h funct

ion

as the 175, 1713, 17 7 and

#9

over

the

·

o.- -

e

irn

plied

06/9, establishing

a Lydian flavor.

(A 7alt.)

Diminished Scale Pattern, Descending in 3rds

Like Herbie, Chick

often

treats the

I

chord initially as a diminished

-

seventh

before

fin

it.

The

five

-

note diminished scale pattern (shown

in

brackets) is sequenced

in

desc

e

-thirds; there

is

an analogous

descent of

the

left

hand's

very

typical

voicing

as

welL

Bb07 Bb6/9

(25)

' \

,

' 1 \

Pentatonic Constructs From The Diminished Scale

Observe the contrary motion (in successive minor 3 rds) between the

hands

in

bars

2 -

3. Examin

e

pentatonic formulations (shown

in

brackets) within this ascent: Ab pentatonic, B

pen

tatonic

.

pentatonic and Ab pentatonic, one octave higher than its original appearance

in

bar 2

.

Gm9 D l3alt. L -

~

...

_

~

j 1

.

-

...

-

.._

-

~ -

-

~ -

-

,..

~V

...

•

,, ~

- -

-

,..

..,...

-..

,, 1 3 J 1 L

...

.

-

71

..

_-

.

~ -

.

.,

-

~ -

-,

:

...

.

-

....

-

r~ ~-" ~-" n ·• ~ ,, '4 Gm9 8va -- -- . - - ...•...•... ____________________________________________________ , ·~ 1 1..-

...

_

#

~

1..-

~--

t•

-

~--

jJ -

• "

...

-

-,,

_~

-

1 . . -

...

-

,....

-

;: ,..

-' ,.. -.i 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 1

##~

==

...

"""

..

'

.

.,

-

., _! _!

..

-

-,

:

-

u

Keith Jarrett-Style Cadenza-Like Passage

.

,

The

re

is

much in

the

note selection of this example that might very well have been played

by

a

bebo

pper, which I leave for the reader to discover

.

Do note the Ab major

triad

in

the

right hand at the

very

end

of bar

2,

a mild example of polytonality

-

a

technique whichJarrett

is

fond of

-

as well

as

the

con

cluding maj7#5 chord-delicious and poignant

,

and often heard

in

his playing.

D7sus4 G

...

_-

-

_,_,

.

-

-,

~

-

-,.... 1 ,,

_,,.

,.... D7 Gmaj7#5 8va _________________ , loco ·~a.. til. _ # _ . # -•---~~

-·-

....

,..

....

(26)

-1

,

\

Summary Solo

This extended solo, based

on

the chords frorn

Charlie Parker's

"Confirmation;· uses many

of

the

r

and

techniques

we've

been

listening

to

and discu

ssing. Bars

1 -

8 use materiais from the

be

,...

examples; bars 9-16

are in the

style

of

Bill Evans;

bars 17-24

are derived from the discussion

of

Her

:=

Hancock's

style; and

bars 25-32

allude

to the

exarnples

in Chick Corea's style (with a final

,

sl

,

from

Thelonious

Monk in the

last 2 bars).

See

if you

can identify

them

all, and be sure

to think

exactly how and

why they are

effective

at

that

particular

mornent!

F6 Em7b5 A7alt. Dm7 C#m1 C

-..

-

- lt . .~ 1..- .Mo- # h- _,.,--.__

-

~

-

--

~

-

-"

-

li ....

...

~

..

...

.,

~

•

" V • ~- " 4! 1

-6.~:

._

b

...

~a..

_"'

~

..

.,

..

-.

-

..

-

.,

-

.

., ., _~ .,

_..

-

.,

-I ~

-

_""'

-V -

,

" 1 Bbmaj7 Bº7 F6/C D7#1 I G7#5 Gm7 C7# 11 Fmaj7 -.!__

--

~ ,-3,---i .~ ~ 1

,

-

.

_{- -V-}

L.. !

-' - V 1' .. - ~ ..-1 - - ..J l i

-

-J - .,... ~ ~

-

--4!. 1

-

1 l l 1 31 ~.,.,--..,6-

..

_{,...---._}_,..,. _~

-

"

--

..

_:.

-

_•

_-

_:.

/ ; #. \ A7alt. Dm6 Cm9 F13b9

(27)

Bb6/9 Bb 13# 11 Al3b9 D7b5 Db6/9 Gbl3#Jl L _ _ 3_ _ J Fmaj9 Db 13 Cmll F#m(maj7) Bl3 Bb6/9 _Em7 _Ebm7

~~

b,-.

1*- 1

-

3

"

•

I

-

,_

..

_

-

--

;; V -

-

-L~ -

..

_

~ _~

-

., ~ ~

-

" ~ " VI""

-

...

-

~~ ' ~-

-

V -~ 1 _" _{- . . . i} < ~ i t ~ _~

Lb~

1 ~--

..

V r-~ _"

..

~ ~

-

.,

-, V u •• \ _" Ebmll Am(maj7) D13 Db 13 Gm9

(28)

(A13b9)

(D6/9) (B6/9) (Bb6/9)

(D13b9)

G9#ll

F#7b5

F7#Llbl3

1 3---i

Writing this book has been a gratifying opportunity to reacquaint myself with the music of the