oh yeh, that does it for me, thank you !

Hi knots and custard,

I wondered if you good people could look over the chords I am going to use for Lady Bird:

Cmaj7|Cmaj7| F-7|Bb7
Cmaj7|Cmaj7|Bb-7|Eb7
Abmaj7|Abmaj7|A-7|D7
D-7|G7|Cmaj7 Eb7|Abmaj7 Db7

This is from my real book. I think I know what I'm doing apart from the Db7 at the very end of the turnaround. I know it's only 2 beats, but somehow I just don't know what to put there.

Hey 10,

That's call the Lady Bird turnaround. It's basically a reharmonization of 1 6 2 5 (all a flat5 away). Some people play major chords instead of dom7, but those you got are good.

For the Db7, our good friend the Db7 lydian dominant will work here, which is very close to the AbMaj7 you were in already. Often a good trick is to look at the melody and see which scale will work on top of the Db7. Also look at the scale before because more often than not, it stays pretty close. In fact, if you used a Dbmaj7, you could stay in Ab.

You could also play E-7 A7 D-7 G7 but that would be missing the point. So don't :-)

Thanks knots. Somehow, I just knew it had to be a lydian dominant.

Thanks for explaining the reharm, all I had got was that I was in Ab.

So, I could use Dbmaj7, stay in Ab.

Or, I could use Db7, that would be Db lydian dom (aka Ab mel minor).

The written melody here has a rest.

I love the chords in this one, somehow it feels more grown up.

Yeah, so on your downtime, listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chJgX7KzxlA

This is really really awesome. Also, you'll note he plays your changes with the db7

Lydian dominant is generally a good bet

the guy actually has the transcription inside that video. you'll see he marks it as E-7 instead of Cmaj7, and marks it a Db7#11. Fats also uses a G natural (#11) on the downbeat which is a good indication of the lydian sound.

btw, the tune Half nelson uses the same changes, so learn one, get one free!!

Ah, I knew I knew it from somewhere - I sang that in lesson 27. Thanks for all the info.

Yeah 10, I agree with Knots that choosing notes from the lyd dom scale is one of the most versatile ways of handling this turnaround.

Hi Knotty
If you have time in the next couple of weeks, I'd be grateful if you'd let me know whether you like my chords for ATTYA.

https://www.box.com/s/f2677f5bbf05af7db9ca

https://www.box.com/s/294f3fe25991d0ddd682

Thanks !

Cus,

looks good.
Emaj7 has D#, not D
Also, Db-7 has E, not F.

Much appreciated Knotty. So for Db min7, can I use Db Ab B ?

Yes.
Or e ab b eb
Or db e gb b
Or any for joi :-)

Thanks Knotty.
Once again, you've chosen a very nice song for me.
This is going to be my workshedding song.
I'm going to learn it in 3 other keys (usually I only do one other key).
My drills will include starting each bar on the 3, and each bar on the 7.

which keys are you going to pick? This tunes goes to 4 different keys, so if you play it in 3 keys, you've done your 25s in 12 keys

Oh cool ! I'm going to do C maj, Eb maj and G maj.
It's the last section I'm scared of.

don't be, it just goes down chromatically. But it won't heard to spend a little extra time working section by section

Thanks Knotty, that's a very helpful insight. I didn't know how to treat the B dim in my Roman numeral analysis. But now I know it's only part of a chromatic sequence to get to the last cadence beginning with Bb.

Thanks also for your kool ending for ATTYA that you posted on you-tube. Those substitutes sound great.

Here is my latest Hanon, Lesson 33, all triplets at my challenge tempo of 108 bpm.

https://www.box.com/s/ad995a0b73298a43190a

Wow Cus, Dancing lightly over the keys, you JH is quite musical. I look forward to hearing what you put on top of those cool ATTYA chords.

Meanwhile, I'm still wrestling with Lesson 9: Here's the blues tune: First time with a steady metronome clicking in my headphones and MIDI plugged in (so as not to wake the wife and kids), the second time with rhythm track, voice and computer mic (Recorded the next day, when the coast was clear, and no-one was within earshot).

So here goes:

Love isn't Blue

cus - sounds fast, good going!

Norm - you're swinging there! All sounds good and accurate to me, and I love your singing embellishments.

My own update: Really enjoying the changes for Lady bird, now on joi lesson 41. Also, I'm working on some Bill Evans tunes (Waltz for Debby and Very Early) from transcription. Lots of fun, only I do worry what the neighbours think, as I know I can be quite loud.

Cus, very nice Hanon. I still feel you can play faster than that. But definitely stay relaxed.

Norm, also very nice. You're master of the blues. Try to keep the left hand light.


Where's everyone on arrangements?
I just finished one so I feel like I have bragging rights! Now I just need to learn it!

What did you arrange knotty? I haven't done one in ages.

It's you or noone.

You should do one. It took me just about a week. Probably will take another to play it half decently.

Look forward to hearing it.

(yes, I know)

Thanks 10 and Knots for the encouragement; It keeps me hale and hearty!

Meanwhile, I'm shifting from what "Love isn't" (namely "Blue") to what what Love is.... A bunch of notes: Love Notes, that is.

This may take a while. I'm playing big time catch-up in my efforts to transform hen scratches and flyspecks into music producing finger movements.

So, I'll keep a light hand, a steady heart, and a flexible voice to embellish what I can. (Even when you don't hear me, I'm still singing, however softly. It just doesn't come through on the MIDI.)


P.S. I noticed that when I scramble the letters a bit, "Love Notes" becomes a "Solo Event." How true. How true.

Well back to work...

Hey, Norm, have you bee wasting your life on one of those anagram programmes?

You Bet!

.... more practice ...

Woooohoooo Norm ! Your met work has really paid off, the rhythm was just fine. And I really liked your fun coda.
For your new jazz song, There is No Greater Love, you can learn the swingin’ version of the head from Harry Sweets Edison.
If you have spare time, listen to Sonny Rollins' emotional solo.

Hey 10
Whose transcription are you playing for Very Early ?

Knots, Norm and 10
Thanks for your nice words about my Hanon.
Knotty: Did you mean I didn’t sound relaxed, or are you warning me to stay relaxed when I try for more speed ?
The next Hanon is all triplets and even harder.

Knotty
I'm glad you've brought up the subject of arrangements.
Even though I haven't arranged for literally months, I've been thinking a lot about arrangements.
At the beginning of the year I set myself the long-term goal of developing the tools for arrangements.
To this end, I've learnt drop 2 voicings (90 days), and am about to finish on quartal voicings (45 days). What do you recommend as the next most useful tool for arrangements ?

Another question I wanted to ask you was about the masters; when the masters play arrangements do you think the arrangements are likely to have been largely pre-planned, or improvised ?

At this stage I don’t wish to do a full-blown arrangement. This is because I’m focusing my brain power on improv.

I really like your arrangements so if you plan to record It’s You or No-one, I’d love to listen to it.

Cus, Thanks for your kind comments, and for directing me to the the Sweets Edison edition. He added 23 fresh codas to his version, an amazing tour de force. Rollin grows on me, slowly, but surely. The version of Greater Love I came to first, however, was with Marc Thomas on vocals, and Ahmet Gulbay on piano. Here's a live version: