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Got it ! So I keep the top note when I do the drop 2. Great examples Knots. The 2nd example sounds particularly beautiful and the 3rd example sounds very open indeed.

When you said that C# F# B E functions well as an E maj 7 I’m confused because there is no G# the (major) 3 ?

Knotty
If you have time, would you mind having a quick check of my approach for the chord analysis of Precipitation ?

http://www.box.net/shared/4p9az5sfut

Many thanks
cus

>> When you said that C# F# B E functions well as an E maj 7 I’m confused because there is no G# the (major) 3 ?

right, and it isn't really a drop 2 either.
But in context, this chord based on stacked 4ths works real well. Try it:
C# F# A E
D# A C F#
C# F# B E

I would keep it way more simple than that.

F-6 is i
then 2 5 1 4 like autmn leaves
then minor 2 5
to 2 5 in Bb
then 2 5 1 4 in Ab

then more 2 5 1s....
just a lot of modulation in this tune. Good thing you're not improvising on it yet...

What about scales? That would be a good exercise. Which scale fits each section.

Knotty, re the stacked fourths, I really like your 1st example C# F# A E, it is such a cool way to play E sus, I just tried it and it sounds really nice.
For your 2nd example D# A C F# why is it C and not C# ? Doesn’t the C create an F# dim sound ?

Yeah, I like your ii V I IV sequences.
In the heat of the moment when you're improvising over many modulations, do you find that it helps you more than thinking in terms of the primary key ?

Over the next few days I'm going to think of scales and run them through with you.

Thanks Knots.

I found your suggested exercise of listing the scales very helpful. I don’t want to take up too much of your time but I want to let you know that I’ve completed the exercise.

http://www.box.net/shared/1s3v4friip

Hey Cus,

for now, you can choose one scale and stick to it.

F-6 : F harm minor
Eb-7 ... : Db maj
g-7b5 ... : F harm minor
C-7 - F7 : Bb maj
Abmaj7 : Ab maj
then A harm minor
G harm minor
to F harm minor


I might do that.

Great Knotty. Thanks for simplifying this for me.
Your G harm min and F harm minor sound particularly cool for Section C.
Do you think the A harm minor (with the raised G) at the beginning of Section C sounds a bit weird over Bb maj7 chord ?

No that won't work over Bbmaj7. Over the Bbmaj7, the Bbmaj will work. it's just a 2 5 1 here.
Also the harmonic minor works great on a minor 2 5 1 which resolved on a minor 6 chord. If you play a minor 7th, it doesn't work that great. So it's up to you. The older fakebooks have -7 chords, while the more recent ones will have more -6 chords.

Hey Cus,

I know you asked for it. Here's the band playing Solar tonight.
http://www.box.net/shared/595jr5emye

++

Fantastic!

Just awesome Knotty. You are one confident and competent dude. Very cool soloing and comping. I thought your swing, sense of rhythm and choice of scales were wonderful. I enjoyed it a lot.

Very interesting. I just tried it. The harmonic minor scale sounded hip when I converted the min 7 chord to a min 6 chord. Is the min 6 a more modern "invention"/sound ?

Thanks for the compliments. Playing with folks live is just a different experience. It's a lot of fun. Everybody thinks the other guy plays better.
This is not a good example of feeling in 4s. I think about it, then lose it, then get it back... But Solar is a great jamming tune.


Re: -6
The -6 has a 6 and a major 7 in it. So it has minor 3rd and major 7th. You usually play the 6 instead of the 7, but both go. This shows in the scale too.
Arpeggios go
1 m3 5 M7 9

Knotty,

I just listened to your Solar recording. I don't know what to say because "awesome" and "fantastic" have already been used, and other words I can think of sound too bland. How about this: !#%$#%^#$%$^%& awesome and $^%**&%^&#$%^ fantastic! Your hard work is really paying off!

Ed

Well thanks Ed. That's good to hear.

It's the first time we record, and we just set up the mics the quick and dirty way and decided to record our practice session. We have like 10 more, some better than others, I have not listened to bounced them yet.

Hi
This is my 4th composition. It’s called Wet-Footed. I would value your critique so that I can improve. Thanks.

http://www.box.net/shared/02pakcifsu

http://www.box.net/shared/93rjgr464b

Cheers
cus

Hey there,

Haven't left yet?

Here's what I liked in this one:
Your phrasing is good. The length of the phrases is good, the amount of space is right, you start them on a variety of beats and use the right quantity of 1/8 vs 1/4 notes. This is a really important element that you're getting right here. Playing and singing the joi lines probably helped you along that path. So you have the main ingredient of a good solo down.

Now this isn't a particularly easy tune to solo on, but don't you feel like if you could improvise that way, you'd be pretty satisfied with yourself. I think these compositions represent the best you can hope for when you improv. Well, it's probably not that simple, but you get the idea.

You choice of scale is good too. F harm minor going to Eb blues is good. I see the typo last note of 1st measure (B natural). That's a nice touch in terms of approaching tones. I also like how you placed some tensions here and there. For example playing the 5 on the G-7b5 but quickly resolving to b5 worked well for me.

Gotta take off, will add a few more comments in a bit.

I see a recurrent printing error now.
When you put an accidental before a note (sharp or flat), the accidental keep applying until the end of the measure.


In the B section, you choose to take a lot more liberty with how you end your phrases. You end either on the 6 or, on the Maj7 in a half dim chord. This is particularly tense.

Now some things you might want to try:
* more arpeggios. I mean 1 3 5 7 and occasionally 3 5 7 9. Going up, or down. Most of your composition is scalar, which is ok, but if you squeeze in a couple arpeggios, it will outline the harmony real nice and you'll also cover a lot more range. Yes, it is difficult to sing.
* Start on up beats once in a while.
* Try a little more repetition. You can do that by either repeating a short passage, or by moving that passing up and down in the same key or a different key. You can repeat and then expand. You can also use a motif.

Also, throughout the composition, you are using a device that I don't particularly care for. 1st 3 notes of the 1st measure. 1st 3 notes of B section. 1st 3 notes, 3rd measure of B, or 1st 3 notes 7th measure of B. Do you see it?
I would try to avoid this. This works ok played really fast, kind of to blur a note. But as 1/8th, I don't really like it.

Finally, one of the thing you will need to get out of is this feeling in 2s that you play in. You need to constantly remind yourself to play blocks of 4 notes, and only accent one note out of 4. This will be the greatest challenge when you start on improvisation. Until you get this straightened out in improvisation, I would hold off on adding anything else such as rhythmic LH, up tempos or complex scales.

This is your best composition so far, you're getting a good hang of it. When you are ready to do some improv, we should start on that.