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Hi Time, I listened to your other work. Clearly you're very capable at this! And it's great to hear your chops. I'm not really in a position to comment, other than to say that when improvising, you are racing your metronome, to the point of swallowing a beat.

How are you getting on with the other things - hanons and singing with solos?

I understand that the method is laid out in a particular way for good reasons. But I also recognise that we all come to this with different starting points, whether that's raw talent or experience. I've felt with elements of my learning curve that certain things (call them left-brain things, if you like) have been held back so the right brain catches up. And whether things are working for me now because of the method or because am have committed to something and believe it will work, I don't know.

Not sure that makes any sense at all.

So, you play guitar too?

Nice! From listening I think I am beginning to recognise that sound I like so much. It's when you add a flat.

Update: My news is I woke up this morning singing 'my foolish heart' and that I managed to fiddle in Db today, for the first time it sounded OK.

Cus,

One more key checked off.
As you move through the keys and you start finding this too easy, you can add a few elements.

Playing long lines is great because
1. it's hot
2. it shows you can navigate the changes

But playing short lines is cool too. You can experiment with a little call / response for example. For the next key maybe.

And then do like 10 and play all 6 keys in a row.

Very nice. ++

cus, perfect.

DF

Thank you Dave, Knotty and 10 for your kind comments.

Yes 10, accidentals are great. When I compose I use them also as approach notes to lead the melody smoothly to the next chord. But I can't carry it off during improv that well.

Hi Knotty
I know that you're really busy with band and gigs but if you have some time this weekend, I'd love if you could tell me whether you like my Ab maj progression or not.

Many thanks
cus

http://www.box.net/shared/ne8aqi4dcxgctdi36km0

http://www.box.net/shared/fz4411omougys6cc0ctt

Cus,
looks good.
On that Dbmaj7, you could even use an Eb instead of the Db if you wanted.

++

Hi Knotty
Thanks a lot for confirming I'm on track, and for the option for Db maj.

Hello !
Here is an Ab maj 3 scale improv.

http://www.box.net/shared/d5qzp7vt42qcnt557ark

Cheers
cus

Hi Knotty
Could you please tell me what you think of my new progression in G ?

http://www.box.net/shared/xpdzzfqcj3euqme1t7rs

http://www.box.net/shared/qy807gxy2154hosn49py

Thanks so much.
cus

very nice custard! You're getting those notes that join one tonality to the next.

Is there a word for them? Pivot notes, glue notes...

Yeah looks great.

Thanks 10 !
I'm sorry I don't know. To tell you the truth, when I'm improvising, my brain is so much in overdrive, that I don't consciously try to connect the chords. But when I play back my improvs, I'm surprised the chords do sound connected.
Just proves the value of compositions where I do work on the connections.

I'm singing Clifford Brown who is very good at connecting progression after progression.

Cool, thanks again Knotty !

Cus, this is your best so far. Feels like you're moving to a different level now.
What tempo was that?
I liked the long line, then the call / response thing. Really great.
Seems like you've that the progression under control.

How many more keys until the next?

Thank you Knotty. It was at 80 bpm. I found this Ab maj one the hardest by far, it took me 6 days to learn.
My 6th progression will be the G one that you just checked.
Then I will revise all 6 progressions since I learn them one by one, rather than 6 at once.

Hi everyone. Here's today's work. First, me playing the composition The Organ Donor (All of me, lesson 6). I can finally play this with two hands!

http://www.box.net/shared/a0cb22l1olze8add6tfc

And today's erm... arrangement. I tried Summertime, but wasn't happy with what I was doing, so I left it. And I wanted to do something more upbeat than before. So I settled on You're a Pink Toothbrush. Now, I like this song. What I didn't realise is that it won't take jazz voicings. So it was a bit difficult to know what to do with it - but I kind of forced myself (think, what would the the average punter in a cocktail bar hear without noticing it?) and here's what I came up with. Obviously it needs more practice, this is from today.

http://www.box.net/shared/8szsuve7apr2akoyppvj

Also working on:
Somewhere and Over the Rainbow - both almost ready to perform, but still can make mistakes.
Improv: not quite managed all keys yet, but playing with metronome.
Hanons : yes, back to it, not at my previous speed, but I don't care I'm just so happy I can play!
Tunes: Lesson 19 almost done.

I swear on my fingertips, my next arrangement will be easier to play. These are so darned time-consuming to learn properly.

10,
nice composition. I especially liked how you navigated the last section. Nicely done.

The arrangement was awesome, I really liked it. I don't know if that falls under jazz but it sure was nice.

Summertime is a relatively easy one to compose, because it's short, but sometimes, I block on certain tunes, too.

Do you know Green Dolphin Street ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHp0IvAEFMQ

I agree about keeping it simple. I think you want to find that particular challenge point. Lately, I've been forcing myself to arrange by overusing Sus chords. The idea being that
1) it's faster to arrange because the choice is pre-made (sus)
2) you stay focused on that style, therefore learning it faster and
3) it's easier to learn
Another good one is to stick to drop 2. I have a whole list of drop 2s to use in arrangements. They are very sexy open chords, and easy to play.

Thanks knotty. re Organ Donor - I was very happy with the last two lines.

As you say, You're a Pink Toothbrush may not count as jazz, but I'm sure there was a lesson there somewhere. Anyway I might as well brush it up, if anything to teach my ear the difference in the chords. It's as good a way to annoy the family as any.

re sus chords - I suppose if a thing is worth doing it's worth over-doing?

I was thinking I might tackle my list of 10 songs to learn (which I now know) for cheap and dirty arrangements. Drop 2 you reckon? That's if I take the locked hands idea and stick the second note from the top into the bass?

I was introduced to Green Dolphin from one of Time Richards books, but I hadn't heard the song, thanks for posting. I'm downloading it now. One thing I discovered, I learn tunes much better if I hear the song *with* the words. The words give me something to hang the phrases onto.

I'm glad I took some time out from Charlie Parker to learn those songs, because I no longer feel totally inadequate that I don't know jazz standards. Back to Billy's Bounce now.

10,
it's 100 times easier to learn a tune if you can remember the lyrics, or at least hear them. If you learn from records though, be aware that singers do not generally sing in the common keys. Green Dolphin is generally played in Eb or C. If Sarah sings in Ab, there's nothing wrong with it, but then when you jam with someone (and I konw you want to), you gotta be able to play the common key.

Green Dolphin is a nice easy tune, and a must know.

The other thing. The earlier you start learning tunes in multiple keys, the sooner you will memorize then. It forces you to think differently. For example, Green Dolphin start on the root of the 1st chord. Versus, Green dolphin start on a C, and the first chord is Cmaj7.
It seems difficult, but it is not. One just needs to try.

Drop 2 yes, you drop the 2nd from the top an octave down. You can take any voicing, and drop the second.
For example Ab-7
Gb Bb B Eb becomes
B Gb Bb Eb
to be played with 2 hands.

Find one where the melody would be the top note, for example, and then move from one chord to the next, keeping minimum movement. Often the top note moving very little, and perhaps another finger moving another way. Giving a nice natural counter melody.