Me playing: Adaptation of Ravel's "String Quartet in F major" for improvisation

[JakeAcci]

YouTube Video

I took a section of Maurice Ravel's "String Quartet in F major" and tried to arrange it (on paper) in a way that a group or duo could play the section and improvise on it as if it were a jazz tune.

Here I'm playing it with a loop pedal - I record one part on the pedal, then over that part I play the "melody" (most of the time that's the first violin part from the section, sometimes it's a combination of the parts) then I improvise over the form, then return to the melody for the last repetition.

Hard to explain the context for this video - short story is I was hanging out at my friend's gallery and was playing this for her and some friends and she thought it would be fun to make a video...so...enjoy!

Comments are criticisms are more than welcome. Not a perfect performance and not a perfect concept, but an experiment that I've enjoyed thoroughly...

[JonnyPac]

One of my favorite pieces of music ever. The Emerson quartet playing Debussy's in Gm and Ravel's in F is a desert island album for me.

Cool undertaking! Keep at it!

Care to spill a harmonic analysis and how you chose your notes for improv over it?

[JakeAcci]

Thanks Jonny! It is a great piece, it's been a fun project. The second movement is also great - this was pretty fun (not me): Heavy Metal Ravel String Quartet in F Major 2nd movement for 4 hairy guitars - YouTube

Maybe I'll get around to organizing my chart...I really just simply looked at how the voices stacked up and put chord symbols on them (mostly it's just triads over bass notes and some seventh/ninth chords), and for improvisation often took sections of the melody as "pitch collections" and practiced inversions of the patterns within the melody as motific material. (there's a part that's mostly just G9 to Bb9 back and forth, and over that I played a little more vertically than horizontally)

In terms of pitch selection I usually tried to stay pretty strict within certain sets...gotta run for now, maybe later I will post about the patterns I practiced for improvisation. I did this for an audition yesterday so I've been working pretty hard on it.

Key thing with this was the intervals, melodically. There's a certain blend of fourths, fifths, thirds, and step-wise motion that's kind of delicate. I don't think I necessarily achieved that (it was the goal), but the idea is that too much step-wise motion and you're running up and down scales, too many fourths and fifths and it can sound like something from a modern jazz exercise book.

More later, thanks for watching!

[augusjazz]

Interesting musical arrangement is that you have done.
I really liked.

[JonnyPac]

Very cool. This inspires me so much! My favorite music is impressionist classical and modal jazz; the idea of truly blending them is a total wet dream.

Please keep the insights coming as you dig in. My pianist in my combo just got the sheet music to the quartets for us to geek out on. At first we plan on seeing the characteristic harmony and intervals, and then hope to compose in the style with improv sections in mind (like you did).

The way you selected "fitting" ideas over it was great- When players totally ignore the (unique) connotations of a head during a solo, it always leaves me a little disappointed. You got in there nicely.

[JonnyPac]

Wow- that shed metal is awful, IMHO. Please jazz it up!!

ahhh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhN0RRlLhDg so nice...

[JonnyPac]

Here's the 1st movement for those unfamiliar:

Hagen Quartet - Maurice Ravel - String Quartet in F - Allegro moderato, Très doux (1/4) - YouTube

[JakeAcci]

Heh I think the metal version was a bit of a joke - they guy who made it is actually a great jazz guitarist who does some interesting stuff.