Now I see why it's called Giant Steps...

FatJeff · #1 11-22-2011, 02:11 PM

Been having a rough time keeping my place in the song form. Being a visual learner, I made this diagram. Check it out.

rictroll · #2 11-22-2011, 03:35 PM

Cool idea - thanks for sharing this

Drumbler · #3 11-30-2011, 11:20 AM

Excellent.

FatJeff · #4 11-30-2011, 11:33 AM

So far, the key-center approach is the only viable way I have to improvise over this song. I just don't play 8th notes fast enough to make the pattern approach sound good.

mr. beaumont · #5 11-30-2011, 11:53 AM

Yep, key center has been the way for me as well...although once I get cooking, I like to see what I can get away with in between targeting any resolutions...I've had some luck (and some disasters) playing very free on the form and nailing the full bar chords as best I can...

jmstritt · #6 11-30-2011, 01:31 PM

Now that I have gotten comfortable with the tune, I feel like I can play with less mental restrictions. I find that I can use the key center approach, but still target the chord tones as we go. My ears are helping more than my hands if that makes sense. I feel like I play more openly over the first 8 bars, and then more bebop style on the ii Vs.

mr. beaumont · #7 11-30-2011, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmstritt

I feel like I play more openly over the first 8 bars, and then more bebop style on the ii Vs.

Definitely...those ii V's are fast, but they're pretty easy to navigate...it's the first part that gave and continues to give) me nightmares.

But a really fun tune to play. When I learned it i plugged the changes into BIAB and did it as a bossa.

jmstritt · #8 11-30-2011, 03:59 PM

As far as the first eight bars go, I burned in the arpeggios and a few of the digital patterns, then tried to forget that and use the key centers, and it felt effortless at that point. I started to let my ears guide me more than anything else.

FatJeff · #9 11-30-2011, 10:39 PM

I guess my ears still aren't to the point of being able to hear the maj 3rd leaps yet. I have to mentally focus on the key centers as they go zooming by.

For the first part of the tune, what I've been doing is just trying to play little melodic ideas and patterns on the R, 3rds and 7ths of the key centers. On the seond half, I can use more traditional ii-V devices and it sounds pretty decent. Like Jeff M, I play it as a bossa using BiAB - about 165 clicks is what I've got it up to so far.

I've also been working on 26-2, and that one I seem to be able to play over by ear, somehow. Maybe because I've been listening to that song for over a year now.

The tune that I absolutely cannot solo over is Countdown. You'd think that song would be easier to navigate since it's just a bunch of descending whole-steps with Coltrane changes thrown in, but that's the hardest one for me so far, even at slow tempos.