How long for you to develop a solo arrangement?

[TH]

I don't know that much about Ed Bickert. Any recordings (especially solo) that you'd recommend?

Very nice duo he does with Bill Mays -it's especially nice because you can actually get it.

Watch this:
Ed Bickert - Musictonic

And check out Lorne Lofsky too! There's a clinic where he explains some of those stacked 4th voicings.
David

[mr. beaumont]

Hey first of all, all of you "arrangers" chord soloists- my deepest admiration. When I was getting into guitar, jazz or otherwise, it was solo chord melody that was the most magical.
Let me ask a question of you, see what you think. It seems that it is considered a notable accomplishment to get to the point where a guitarist can play chord solo. It also seems that pianists don't consider this such a big deal. Do you agree with me? If so, why is that?
I was at a gig of Jack Pezanelli and Sheryl Bailey and Jack was just joking around; he or Sheryl play the intros to the tunes they do. His arrangements are simply stunning and he makes them up on the fly. I asked him how he does that and he said "That's what you can do when you think like a pianist."
Oh, and I don't think there was a single drop 2 voicing the entire solo (or it was well disguised.)
David

I think "drop 2 voicings" are almost as "magic" as some guitarists consider the modes of the major scale to be.

When I finally found out what they were about 5 years ago, I was like, "oh, those things. I use those...cool, now I know what they're called."

I don't claim to be a master, but solo guitar arrangements are a big part of what I do...I've arranged about 100 tunes by now, and like I mentioned earlier__the biggest breakthrough was to stop falling in love with the "arrangement." I have to really know the song now...not just my arrangement...that makes it possible for me to improvise and play more with the structure, which is reallly important to me.

The other thing that really was helpful is thinking about chords as independent moving voices...I'm not at the point where I can do that on the fly all the time, but I can tell that with work this is going to be a huge breakthrough for me...I have moments where I'm in the zone so to speak where I can think thos way, and the results are so much better than my usual playing...it's gonna be a while before I'm there consistently though.

[wizard3739]

These steps are what I go through when I am learning new chord melody:

1) I learn the melody so I can play it by ear in any key.
2) I find a set of changes to use as a "shell". (Usuallly from a fakebook leadsheet).
2a) I add a simple intro& an ending that fits the way a singer would sing it.
3) I look for substitution possibilities that will fit the bassline
4) I usually start experimenting with phrasing differences to find the sounds I hear in my head.
5) I usually don't write down an arrangement but I do practise daily until the song is "gig ready".
6) I pick another tune to work on.

Often, Reharmonization a la Howard Roberts "anything goes if you ear likes it) plays a big part in my approach to chord melody.

wiz

[swampguide]

These steps are what I go through when I am learning new chord melody:

1) I learn the melody so I can play it by ear in any key.
2) I find a set of changes to use as a "shell". (Usuallly from a fakebook leadsheet).
2a) I add a simple intro& an ending that fits the way a singer would sing it.
3) I look for substitution possibilities that will fit the bassline
4) I usually start experimenting with phrasing differences to find the sounds I hear in my head.
5) I usually don't write down an arrangement but I do practise daily until the song is "gig ready".
6) I pick another tune to work on.

Often, Reharmonization a la Howard Roberts "anything goes if you ear likes it) plays a big part in my approach to chord melody.

wiz

How long does this take you? For me just doing step 1 to a "gig ready" level in any key and all possible positions would take a long time.

[wizard3739]

Hi Swampguide, I am primarily an ear player now so it usually takes me only a few minutes to get the melody in my head. The rest of the time depends very much on the complexity of the song. A song without a lot of chord changes will take me less time than one that has a lot of key changes and modulations. The whole process usually takes me 3-4 hours and then the practise starts to get the song ready for a gig. Usually, I can have it ready in a couple of days. However, to keep the song in my "ready list", I have to practise the song at least once a week. I have a "master list" of most of the songs my wife and I have done together of the last 6 years. We have about 400 songs in the master list and we add to them when we hear something we like. Only a few of our master list songs are chord melodies.

wiz

[Reg]

I'm with the improve group. What I do have memorized are forms of solo arrangements, how I play the tunes. I can pretty much read anything, or if I can hear the head, I can fake the rest. But I do have preset arrangements that I simply drop the tune into and it sounds like I am reading through a written out solo piece.
Here's a sample of the tune "Laura", I just read through, it was a ballad so I basically just went through a couple times, simi improved 2nd time and finished straight. I didn't know tune.

Here's one I had in my head,( who doesn't), but stretched the same form out... more improve in middle, It's almost like an A B A form..
A blues tune called Sandu

Neither of these are close to showcase material, but could be used at solo gigs where most of the time your background anyway.

[swampguide]

Hi Swampguide, I am primarily an ear player now so it usually takes me only a few minutes to get the melody in my head. The rest of the time depends very much on the complexity of the song. A song without a lot of chord changes will take me less time than one that has a lot of key changes and modulations. The whole process usually takes me 3-4 hours and then the practise starts to get the song ready for a gig. Usually, I can have it ready in a couple of days. However, to keep the song in my "ready list", I have to practise the song at least once a week. I have a "master list" of most of the songs my wife and I have done together of the last 6 years. We have about 400 songs in the master list and we add to them when we hear something we like. Only a few of our master list songs are chord melodies.

wiz

I play by ear as well, but usually I can't immediately play a melody in my head without making a few mistakes (I need to practice it for a while). Melodies with larger intervals (a sixth or larger) tend to be more difficult for me.

Did you do any specific exercises to be able to do this or did it just come from working out many tunes?

[destinytot]

The OP asks a great question that has thrown up some great replies.

My tuppence worth.

In The Universal Mind of Bill Evans, Bill talks about what he calls "the jazz process", and he makes a distinction between "making one minute's music in one minute's time" and "making one minute's music in three months' time".

I put the question of spontaneity and improvisation in solo guitar playing to Howard Alden at a workshop. By way of response, Howard invited us - the participants - to call out titles, which he arranged on the spot.

This seemed an incredible feat at the time. I remember feeling completely overawed; Howard Alden's on-the-fly arrangements were not only spontaneous, but were also beautiful.

I think the latter quality has much less to do with chops than with tasteful choices.

I also think ear training is priority number 1.

I don't do many, but my arrangements have happened spontaneously, and usually in under a minute. Sprawled out in exhaustion from my day job, beautiful music comes to me. I'll begin to vocalize melody and counterpoint in solmization syllables - until I have NO CHOICE but to get up and play what I'm singing, trying out keys as I go. I write down only what I have difficulty in hearing at the piano (which hasn't happened in a while).