Actually, this is analysis and transcription.
The real book chart is horribly inadequate. I think that a lot of the notation behind the sounds is open to interpretation–go with what works for you. But there’s also a good deal of just incorrectness in the real book changes.
So, I went to the Sorcerer album and transcribed the comping Herbie does behind the first two choruses (and verified the bass notes).
read more of analysis: Pee Wee
I usually wind up talking about tension and release. All music, every genre, any historical period, it all ultimately involves the creation and release of tension. If that ain’t there it’s not music.
What makes music wonderful is that it is rich with mechanisms to create and release tension. What makes listening to an accomplished musican exciting is their command of the various mechanisms to create and release tension. Right now, you are probably saying to yourself “OK smart guy, what mechanisms are you talking about?”
read more of tension and release
(this is a repost from my Orkut group that covers music theory in jazz)
Most of what I know in terms of teaching this to someone comes from having studied briefly with David Baker of Indiana University, who is well-known and respected in the jazz pedagogy field. The stuff presented here is a mixed collection of things I learned over the years, and stuff I worked out in trying to practice effectively myself. I hope it is useful to you.
read more of Playing idiomatic bebop
The Ralph Towner composition Icarus was the subject of analysis in a discussion about whether melody or harmony was more important in creating tension and release. The precise original question is lost (I’ll post it if I run across it), but this is still a detailed analysis of an interesting, well-composed piece.
read more of analysis: Icarus
I use this a lot over dominant seventh chords. It’s worth discussing because it’s so very useful. This is a recap of discussion from a forum I participate in. I editied and simplified it a lot though.
I’m a little bit less comfortable analyzing Mingus tunes, because they are often at a higher level than I am really prepared to grasp. But take the following as my opinion. To the extent that it is useful to you, it’s correct, but by no means am I really equipped to interpret Mingus’s intentions. So with the disclaimer out of the way, let’s look at what we have. (I also can’t vouch for the absolute accuracy of the chord changes I have, I didn’t do this transcription myself.)
read more of analysis: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
This is a beautiful tune by Herbie Hancock, and I think there’s a substantial amount of musical understanding to be gained by analyzing it. This is a seemingly difficult tune, but if we decompose it, there are really just a few key ideas, which are presented in a context that varies the way they function. There’s a very refined balance between unity and variety at work in that process, and it makes the tune very successful as a composition (it doesn’t hurt that it sounds pretty as well). Anyhow, let’s rip this thing apart and see what we can learn.
read more of analysis: Tell Me A Bedtime Story
I originally posted this analysis in response to a question on a music forum. The question amounted to “how do you improvise over Dolphin Dance?” This is how I do it at least. I try to keep in mind how the song is constructed and so play something true to the original conception, versus a series of chord changes that may not seem to relate at all.
read more of analysis: Dolphin Dance
