Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Jazz Study Group 2: Advanced Players

When I think of minor blues, I just play Mr. PC

Or even Footprints.

But there's so much possibilities with chromatic chords (like in Stolen Moments), that it's actually a fun form.

What do you mean by chromatic chords? Did you mean diatonic?

From the B section:

If you listen to Herbie play Footprints, for example, you will see chromatic movement in the chords.

Cm7-C#m7-Cm7-Bm7 etc...

It just opens up possibilities.

Unfortunately, not enough time to do this on Mr. PC at 240bpm...

I was just playing stolen moments in a big band the other day and was noticing that it has a rather unexpected major 7th chord in it. If you listen closely you can hear it in the 2nd half of the 4th bar. genius

at 17 seconds in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I777BcgQL9o

You're such a Finale 'power user'.

Yes, I realize this section is chromatic, but I'm not sure I'd base my accompanying scales or solo on that movement. I think it provides much more harmonic interest to keep on the blues scale, choosing the notes that would fit the chromatic stuff underneath, rather than playing four different blues scales.

I've got to check out the Herbie version to see what JW is talking about.

Highly disagree with you on that Scep.

Playing a blues scale is not the only way to around it. Nor is playing a predictable chromatic movement either. First of all this is minor blues and a tune like Footprints for example can be thought of either in a minor blues context or a modal context.

So I know you will be critical if I play a blues and start substituting chords around it. But it's something I learned and can actually be fun when the bass player starts listening to you and takes similar chromatic approaches. It's happened a lot to me now and it's opened up what I play. Sometimes it works even when unexpected.

This is why I like minor blues a lot. There's a lot more to learn on my end. But I'm just starting to break down the logic of 1-b3-b5-5-b7 on minor blues. I was playing it a moment ago and was mostly playing extensions. A big no-no to you I'm sure.

I just have to bring this back again because it's such an eye opener. I know he's talking about melody but the real thing that's interesting is what he's playing. If I didn't pay attention to the LH, I would not have any idea that he was playing F Blues.

man, this guy hears things I can't even begin to imagine. This is not your father's Blues Scale...(or 'Chevrolet' as the old commercial goes).

Why would I?!? I'm only critical of things that don't sound like they make any musical sense.


Extensions of what exactly? Are you talking about extending a scale or the chord notes from the chromatic passage?

I think we look at music differently. I'm hearing things differently. I'm not able to express it yet but I predict that over the long haul, I will sound different. Though maybe with a clearer intent than today.

You once told me to transcribe myself and so I just examined briefly what I do, and a little revelation occurred. I understood why I was doing things differently. Though not consistently.

I think the idea of horizontal playing is starting to hit my ears but I wasn't completely ready. When I stop questionning myself my intent will be more clear. You may disagree with my musical message though. And that's fine.

But it was in playing minor blues that I felt that I did NOT want to play chord tones.

Actually this is not me doing my power-finale-thingie, but me doing my power-realbook_I-screenshot-thingie. The tune is in Realbook I.

How many here have attended the Aerbesold summer camp?
If attended, how was it?
If not, heard any story?
Anyone here going this year?

Other thoughts?
I need a vacation this summer, I'm between this and golf so far :-)

A friend of mine teaches a week there each year, he says it's great fun, good teachers, great vibes, a mixture of late teens to seniors - well organized.

I would love to go, a bit far to go for a week - maybe take the two weeks . . .

Maybe take the opportunity to visit the area (basically, drink Bourbon). Or stop by NYC or something.

Hey Knotty, I was comparing Aebersold Workshop to the Port Townsend Centrum one (over by Scep), and the Centrum one requires you to send audition tapes. I wonder if that filters out the crowd differently.

Also it was specifically noted on the Centrum one that piano slots are limited (they turn people away). I guess that makes sense. Only one piano per ensemble while there could be multiple horns, guitars.

These things look like fun vacation things. I wonder if serious players actually consider learning from these.

I'm thinking there would be at least a few good players there. At least a good bass player and drummer.

It does sound like a fun vacation. It's 400 people each week. I don't know if they turn down people or no, but 800 is all is quite a good number.

Let me look at that centrum thing.

I'm interested in what this sounds like. Post something so we can have a more concrete idea about what you're actually doing. From what I read it appears that you are playing the minor blues scale but avoiding any notes that might be chord tones, but I don't think this is what you actually mean.

In any case, Stolen Moments appears to be a modal tune, and not based on a blues scale... I mean just play the melody...it's not a like Work Song or Birks works, etc.
However, since someone (you?) said that you can just use the blues scale to play over the changes I just went with that and suggested that the chromatic changes that occur are not a directive to change the scale that you'd use on top.

But, to be clear, it's much, much, much easier to hear what you have in mind, rather than having you try to write about the process. Post something when you have a chance.

I recall some years back that there were some real heavy-weight players that go to these things, but I have no idea these days. Back in the day it was a great way to network and have a chance to play with stellar players that all seemed to congregate there.

You know, I often wonder if mistakes sometimes just get left in and then become part of the song. Not saying that the maj doesn't sound good, but I really do wonder if genius was at play, or just some tired sax player was misreading his part and then Nelson going "hey! keep that in!"

I'm give them all a call and check.

For those that are interested, here's a nice discussion of the basic minor blues changes and many possible additions and substitutions: http://www.jazzguitar.be/minor_blues.html

The author does a nice job of showing the step my step process by which jazz takes something simple and makes it as complex as possible.