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Hi Knotty
While I was working out the scales, I realised that the middle chords I gave you yesterday didn't correspond with the progression you gave me for "I can't believe that you're in love with me".

If you have time, would you mind listening to my changes and checking my scales ?

http://www.box.net/shared/ohx8729p3bz00h8ggby9

http://www.box.net/shared/3gsvsc0m39c4v3yutej6

Many thanks as usual.

Regards
cus

Had to be something like that!

I decided to do an arrangement. This is Somewhere from Bernstein's West Side Story.

http://www.box.net/shared/fa8dzcc2eqyzybt904ud
http://www.box.net/shared/50yu1sxu2yy9hf80ez24

I played it entirely without pedal to make it easier to hear what's there. I appreciate all comments as I haven't done this before. It took me ages! And that was with cheating by getting the chords off wikifonia.

Hey Cus,

sorry I didn't catch.
Yes, that looks good.
On one of those Maj7, you might as well throw in a maj7 once in a while.

10,

Welcome to the club of arrangers!
The most difficult thing on earth! Isn't it?
I know your pain. It's both difficult to write, and difficult to play.

It is really worth spending some time for your arrangement to "settle in" though. I usually spend about 3 weeks after I've written it just to learn it. And it's not even close to being "settled in". But each time you write one, a little piece of something does settle in. Lately, I have been trying to apply a few restrictions. For example, I am about done with an arrangement of 'April in Paris', where I overused Sus chords. It's both easier to write because you always somewhat resort to the same trick, and also it's a good learning tool because you get to apply sus chords a lot. Same would apply to drop 2s, or any other type of voicing.
We should cover a few drop 2 / 3 voicings by the way. They're very useful.

As far as criticism, you've reached my limits. I can't really provide all that much in terms of do this, do that. I think the fact that you found it difficult is a good sign that you're stretching into something new. That's a good thing.

Also, I would play this kind of ballad without so much of a pulse, paying less attention to notes duration, but more to interpretation.
Overall, I think the arrangement sounded very good and as far as I'm concerned, you've grasped the point of the exercise.

You know who's an absolute monster at solo piano arrangements?

Thankyou for taking the time to listen, knotty.

Not sure I really found it difficult - but time-consuming certainly. Some bits were trickier than others.

I've done away with the silly pointless modulation in the last phrase - it can end on the minor. I wasn't too happy with that sudden change to the major.

I can see doing them in different styles. One thing I began to realise is these harmonies are powerful - you can overdo them. Also, a single bass note. You can get too much of that. Maybe we don't need to hear that all the time.

It is satisfying to do, and I will practice it and have it settle, as you say.

Monster - I'm guessing here, is it the Monster?

Last recording for tonight. This one is better:

http://www.box.net/shared/de0u2t7ev9rlra8o1mdg

very nice!

10
That was just beautiful ! I can't believe you did your arrangement so quickly. I hope you enjoyed the process.

Knots
If you do record April In Paris, I'd love to listen to it. Your improv over Count Basie type of music is so fun.

For drop 3 voicings, do you mean taking the 3rd note from the top (RH) and make it the octave in the LH ?

Well, after one and a quarter years, I will forgive you for not having caught me out
Yeah, the maj 7 sounds good with the root in it. I will do E F A C on the first and the last maj 7.
Thanks.

>>Yeah, the maj 7 sounds good with the root in it. I will do E F A C on the first and the last maj 7.
Even without the root.
E G A C is a nice voicing.
A C E G, same thing, higher


>> For drop 3 voicings, do you mean taking the 3rd note from the top (RH) and make it the octave in the LH ?
Yes, so the above would be
G E A C

Here's April in Paris recorded last night. I'll keep playing it each day until it gets slightly better.

http://www.box.net/shared/inqy6bylqddjlrp0e4ex
http://www.box.net/shared/4951ogy9yq47ba9aebmu

Next up: Yesterdays

>> Well, after one and a quarter years, I will forgive you for not having caught me out
Looks like I was a little tired when I wrote this ...

Thankyou custard. It took about an evening, then perhaps 5 hours the next day, with breaks. But it was something once I had started, was hard to put down. This really feels quite grown up. Very performable. My own arrangement!

I am attempting to do something similar for guitar, but it is infinitely more difficult to play.

Sounds good, knotty. I noticed some real grown up chords in that too.

Singing along with Moose the Mooche, head and solo:

http://www.box.net/shared/2vogf74kvfijzu3dh6dd

This again took a l-o-n-g time. I don't think I could do it without the recording. Just so much to remember.

Also, I did persist with the chord progression in lesson 19, and was amazed to find that after working it in a couple of keys, the other keys came fairly easily. So I may well stick at it. One question, though. The chords are Gm6 Am7 D7b9 Gm6 - so I imagine I'm in G minor and it's a ii-V-i. So, for the ii, I would expect the b5. Is this just one of those random things, or is there something here about theory that I'm missing?

Improvising went better again today. I've started doing the hanons again, very low key, and I really think they help as I notice my fingers find the right keys (or at least keys in the right scale) without a lot of mental effort.

I find now that I've lost this urge to get through the lessons as fast as I can.

Wow 10, you make it sound so easy, so effortless, so intuitive, so fluent. And I know from personal experience it's not so easy, effortless, or intuitive. So, I wait in eager anticipation to hear more from your head, heart and solo.

Here's my contribution, I finally made it through Leaf Line at 66 bpm without any major flubs. Pushing the record button pushes the pressure and I'm apt to find what I know and what I don't. It's a diagnostic tool, if anything.

Leaf Line

Very nice Norm. You've been working hard. You've brought out the nice melody and cool voicings.
You're more than ready for Lesson 2.

Hi 10
Well done with Moose especially with those ascending arps. Bet you can't wait to move on So are you enjoying Bird any more now ?
"Now's the Time" is easier than "Perhaps".

Please take a bow Knotty ! This is so beautiful. I really like your voicings especially your drop 2s and your dims. I think my favourite part is m24 in E maj 7: your 1st chord is so extended with the 3 emphasised/repeated and the addition of the nice 9 (is this a Bill Evans thing or a Knotty thing ?) followed by the G sus. I've taken a print out and I'm going to study what you've done.
I think you already play it well - is it your intention to keep the LH straight and do the RH more out of tempo ?

I didn't know Yesterdays until Dave's masterclass on Oscar Peterson. If you record this one too, I'd love to listen to it.

True. So I've now changed my voicings again. Now each of my F maj 7 voicings are different.

http://www.box.net/shared/9gkaeim2bkz2v9k2bgoq

F maj 7 E G A C
F7 Eb G A D
Bb maj 7 F A Bb D
Bb min 6 F G Bb Db
F maj 7 D G A C
F maj 7 E F A C