just purchased this 9"x11" paperback with $25.00 in loose change.
"Reharmonization Techniques" by Randy Felts, Associate Professor in the Berklee
College of Music. ISBN 0-634-01585-0. I have a question on page 9.

Does anyone have this book?
Can anyone help me with it?

Waiting anxiously to get on with it!

No need to wait for someone who has the book. Reharmonization is a recurring topic in jazz/pop studies. Just post the question and folks should be able to answer it.

Great, FogVilleLad---I'll check it out! What Forum is it in, though? --can't seem to find "Jazz Pop Studies".

If you post your question here jazzwee will probably see it and answer.

If you post your question in the non-classical forum jazzwee will probably see it and answer

Or you could pm him, or check out the Autumn Leaves thread here in the ABF - he's there quite a bit

Cathy

Hi all:

Click on the link below to see my question and tnx in advance.


http://www.box.net/shared/e012r2jc1j

OK let me summarize your question. You're wondering why the melody starts at A and the progression is:

| F6 | D7 |

A melody note can fit any chord as long as the note is a chord tone. The chord tones in F6 would include the F, A, C, D.

F6 D7 is definitely in the Key of F and you know that by looking at the dominant chords (one of the most reliable methods of figuring out the key). D7 being the V of F gives you the clue.

Now it is common for the first melody note to start a the root note of the Tonic (F in this case), but common doesn't mean "always". That's why we often look at the dominant chords to so what it is "V" of.

Jazwee, do you want to think about that?

D7 is the V of G

It means I'm blind Thanks for spotting that so since I'm mistaken, the D7 is a modulation from F6. F-G.

I have a feeling we're not seeing the whole progression here. Something must come before the F6.

Question sort of on the same subject



I have trouble understanding :

the 2nd Dm7 top staff over a G melody note
there is no G in a Dm7 is there

the 3rd G7 over a E melody note
no E note in a G7

confusing to me.

dannac, the implied sound there is Dm7/G which is GSus7. It is often used as a substitute for a ii chord since it also voice leads into the V chord.

Another way of looking at it is that G is the 11th in Dm7. Minor chords are often voiced with the 11th.

In any case, that melody note is certainly compatible with the chord since that is used in the chords I described above.

jazzwee ...thanks for reply ... that stuffs over my head right now though.

What would be played in left/right hand there ?

dannac, I'm not sure I understand your question. What you show is a "Leadsheet" so in it's most simple execution, you play the chord on the LH and then the melody as shown in the RH.

So the left hand would play C, Dm7 and G7.

yes ... should have explained it better.

Most of my playing is accompany for a singer.
I mainly play 1 & 5 in left hand and a chord in right hand,
sometimes using inversions to put the melody note on top, but not always.


Just trying to learn ways to add more interest to the chord progressions.

The material I'm studying is getting into putting the 2m before 5M chord.
And looks like the next lesson will have you put the 6m before that 2m.

I'm not sure how to play/voice a right hand chord when the melody
note is not in the chord.

Probably something simple ... but I just do not understand it.

If you go the the Jazz Study Group (one of the threads below), you will find something called 2+3 voicings. That's what you would play as an accompanist.

The basic concept is that you use two hands to construct the chord. LH is 1/5/7 or 1/5/9. RH could be 3,7,11,13 depending on what the melody note is. The melody note is always on top. Oftentimes it is already a chord tone so it affects all the other choices since it has to be on top.

He says he's playing accompaniment for a singer. Why would the melody note have to be on top? When accompanying a singer the singer sings the melody note and the accompanist harmonizes with the melody.

I'll see/listen to how that sounds ....
not sure if that will work with our hymn/church music.

Thanks for the replys.

You are quite correct Joe. Thanks for the clarification. I'm just defining how to perform the leadsheet. But when the singer steps into the picture, you don't repeat the melody. So it only applies to the quiet moments, intros, outros.

Maybe Joe can step in here since he's more of an expert in Pop music. My understanding of it is that in Pop/Rock music, the 7th is often skipped and the Root and 5th often doubled. Is that correct Joe?

The 7th is normaly included in the V chord and sometimes in the I, when it leads to a IV. And then in secondary dominants like in a progression of VI, II, V, I.

Sometimes in the LH a root and 10th sounds good with the 5 and 3 in RH. But it all depends on the song and where the melody note is, and where it is headed next.

I don't have any rules: I let my ears decide.

The type of accompaniment also depends a lot on the rhythm. If it is a slow ballad, alberti bass might work. If it is a fast song, stride bass might be better.

Some accompanist use block chords for harmony, but I like a little more variety myself.

Every song is different and every accompanist has his/her own style.

Joe, I watch our Church piano accompanist and the most different thing from what I do that I notice is the syncopation between LH and RH. Any rules on that?

Do you mean like when the LH keeps a steady beat and the RH plays ahead or benind the beat? That's something you have to feel in your bones: You can't communicate it with words.

That may be why you loose everybody when you try to describe swing in jazz.

No I mean that if the chord stays in place for several beats, the LH/RH interaction is providing the filler and the two hands are exchanging roles. And I don't mean arpeggiation here. Maybe syncopation is the wrong word as it not always syncopation.

There's a lot I don't understand about how to play pop on piano for sure.

I guess I would have to hear an example to attempt to answer your question. There is so much about music that can't be described with words.

[quote=jazzwee]There's a lot I don't understand about how to play pop on piano for sure. [/qoute]

There's a lot more I don't understand about jazz: I'm still trying to learn to appreciate it.

Thanks, Jotur

I found the answer off-line and am passing it on to the forum now for what it's worth. it has to do with renotation-see below:

http://www.box.net/shared/rxl03u3uoa
GPA

Wow, I've not seen the 6/3 notation mixed in with the V7 kinds of notation before. the I6/3 is kind of a mix between Roman numberal and "figured bass" from Bach's time, when the harpsichordist had only the bass note depicted, and the 6/3 underneath specified the intervals from the bottom up to be played with that bass note.

I'm glad you found the information, tho.

Cathy

GPA, to be properly noted as the vi chord it should be a minor, not a VI7. So I don't agree with that analysis. Once you encounter a dominant, the key has changed (to the tonic of that dominant D7 which is G). Now it is not unusual for a modulation to another key to last only the length of the chord.

For example, a progression D7 Db7 C7 has modulated to three keys.

Where this is important is that when you play D7, you pull from notes in the key of G not the prior key of F. So notes like F and Bb would be dissonant while that chord is being played and will need F# and B instead.

Tnx for your response, Jotur.

The I6/3 indicates the first inversion of the tonic. Lets say, the tonic chord is F major.Thats what the roman numeral I stands for, any tonic chord. It's a capitol roman numeral I if it is the tonic.For any other chord, it is a small (i, or ii or i3 or iv, v, vi, etc.)

If you look at a tonic chord, F major of FAC, the 6 in the 6/3 term signifies the first inversion of F major or AFC, hence the number 6. The 3, signifies the third note in FAC and is signified by 3 as it is found in the tonic, FAC.You often, today, find the 3 left out leaving the term "6" only. It would look like this I6 or can coincidently be confused with an F6, the Fmajor 6 chord-thats why the 3 is added to clarify the issue. This is the traditional, academic, classical treatment.

Did you know J.S. Bach actually started all this, principally found in church music?

Thanks again for your patience, too.

Grandpa (GPA)

Jasswee---I stand corrected--the small, generic notations an definitly for the minors.

Want to be sure you're commenting on the url, below-not the earlier one which was totally wrong.

This is the correct one, except for the small roman numeral useage

http://www.box.net/shared/rxl03u3uoa

Joture--hope you're watching.The lower case roman numerals are only used in the minor chords! My thoughtless mistake, caught by Jasswee.

GPA