Just the melody.

[ragman1]

So here's one. The thing about Naima is that the melody is very, very simple. So it's not the melody I need to review, it's the soloing.

Thing is, there are so many versions, so many substitutions, so many different ways of playing it - if one can play it authentically at all - that ultimately one has to give up and just do what one can with it.

I know what all the theory sites say. They tell you, apparently, exactly what scale goes with what but they rarely play it. But it's not so simple. It all sounds too pat and a bit too diatonic when applied like they say. Coltrane himself didn't adhere to anything in particular.

So the thing's become a bit of an obsession with me. I keep needing to do it again and again because I'm not happy with it. But here's one. Make of it what you will.

To be honest, I wish other people would give it a try to see what they do with it. If they don't mind risking their sanity, that is

[mr. beaumont]

So here's one. The thing about Naima is that the melody is very, very simple. So it's not the melody I need to review, it's the soloing.

Thing is, there are so many versions, so many substitutions, so many different ways of playing it - if one can play it authentically at all - that ultimately one has to give up and just do what one can with it.

I know what all the theory sites say. They tell you, apparently, exactly what scale goes with what but they rarely play it. But it's not so simple. It all sounds too pat and a bit too diatonic when applied like they say. Coltrane himself didn't adhere to anything in particular.

So the thing's become a bit of an obsession with me. I keep needing to do it again and again because I'm not happy with it. But here's one. Make of it what you will.

To be honest, I wish other people would give it a try to see what they do with it. If they don't mind risking their sanity, that is

Always remember about Naima, it's a love song. Its all major chords.

[ragman1]

Always remember about Naima, it's a love song. Its all major chords.

Like I say, all kinds of different versions :-)

(You could play it like that, per C's little bit of paper, but these days it's AM7#11 - GM7#5 because of the Eb pedal. Or so they say. It's also quite fun to see how C spelled pedal as petal. Rather sweet :-))

[Mick-7]

The thing about Naima is that the melody is very, very simple. So it's not the melody I need to review, it's the soloing.

Thing is, there are so many versions, so many substitutions, so many different ways of playing it - if one can play it authentically at all - that ultimately one has to give up and just do what one can with it.

I know what all the theory sites say. They tell you, apparently, exactly what scale goes with what but they rarely play it. But it's not so simple. It all sounds too pat and a bit too diatonic when applied like they say. Coltrane himself didn't adhere to anything in particular.

A ballad with a sparse harmony (and melody too in this instance) is always difficult to solo over, you can't fall back on tricks like playing around the changes, etc., it's either be lyrical or be boring.

[Ukena]

Here's Like Someone in Love.

AllanAllen, if you're still watching this thread, if you'd like to try singing a ballad, this would be a good start. It has a smaller range than most from The Songbook (an octave plus one note), and if you tried it in G it might be good for your vocal range.

[lawson-stone]

Here's Like Someone in Love.

AllanAllen, if you're still watching this thread, if you'd like to try singing a ballad, this would be a good start. It has a smaller range than most from The Songbook (an octave plus one note), and if you tried it i G it might be good for your vocal range.

I love this tune and once spent 2 or 3 months really obsessed with it.

[supersoul]

I love this tune and once spent 2 or 3 months really obsessed with it.

you're getting a nice tone out of that there guitar. And it sounds like you've spent some time with the tune!

[lawson-stone]

you're getting a nice tone out of that there guitar. And it sounds like you've spent some time with the tune!

Thanks. the Aria Pro II PE180 is a wonderful guitar. It has the body of an L5ces, the neck of the Super 400, so it has a lot of the L5 tone; but it's a 5 layer laminate, so it has a lot of "thunk." Plus those original pickups in these old Arias were amazing. I've tried to replace them about 3 times and every time I end up realizing it's no contest: the originals are the best.

The neck is a little thick for my preference, but not so much as to prevent me from enjoying playing it.

And yes, for some reason this tune really grabbed me for a long, long time. It was my first Jimmy Raney solo (from the Aebersold book) and so I spent a lot of time studying how Raney's "example" solo interacted with the changes and with the melody. Learned a ton from that exercise.

[GuyBoden]

I love this tune and once spent 2 or 3 months really obsessed with it.

Very nice, I agree, obsessively spending 2 or 3 months on a song is how to really learn a tune. When I'm hearing improv lines over the changes in my sleep, I know the song is beginning to sink into my subconscious.

Playing one song after another from the 'Real book' and I never learn any songs.

[lawson-stone]

Very nice, I agree obsessively spending 2 or 3 months on a song is how to really learn a tune. When I'm hearing improv lines over the changes in my sleep, I know the song is beginning to sink into my subconscious.

Playing one song after another from the 'Real book' and I never learn any songs.

I sort of do both. Sometimes I do just flip through a fakebook just to see which tunes I know and can I pick them up sight-reading. I can't say how much that helps, but it does raise my general familiarity with the repertoire, which I imagine is a good thing. But I do love to get focused on one tune and basically drill down through it. That has a way of leavening all my other playing.

[GuyBoden]

I sort of do both. Sometimes I do just flip through a fakebook just to see which tunes I know and can I pick them up sight-reading. I can't say how much that helps, but it does raise my general familiarity with the repertoire, which I imagine is a good thing. But I do love to get focused on one tune and basically drill down through it. That has a way of leavening all my other playing.

I'll admit that I spend a lot of days or even weeks 'just listening' to different recordings of the same song, maybe too long, without even playing the song on the guitar. But, I enjoy listening to songs by the greats.

[gvurrdon]

This has been a very interesting thread. Some advice (from a saxophonist I often play bass with) to "learn lots of melodies" has got me trying to do just that. Progress is slow, but at least it is enjoyable.
Though it's not going to be up to the standard set in this thread so far I will risk posting an attempt I made earlier today at "Take Ten".

[Mick-7]

This has been a very interesting thread. Some advice (from a saxophonist I often play bass with) to "learn lots of melodies" has got me trying to do just that. Progress is slow, but at least it is enjoyable. Though it's not going to be up to the standard set in this thread so far I will risk posting an attempt I made earlier today at "Take Ten".

Thanks for your contribution, nice tone from your tele.

[GuyBoden]

I've been told to play song melodies strictly to a metronome. I am not finding it as easy.

[Christian Miller]

I've been told to play song melodies strictly to a metronome. I am not finding it as easy.

One thing I've learned about music is that you can take nothing for granted

[Mick-7]

I've been told to play song melodies strictly to a metronome. I am not finding it as easy.

Oddly enough, my timing gets worse when I do that - metronome time is unnatural.

[ragman1]

I've been meaning to try this one. It has nothing to with Uffe Steen's magnificent version, I'm just trying it out.

[lawson-stone]

I found I had done this one for another thread. "Whisper Not"

[pamosmusic]

Oddly enough, my timing gets worse when I do that - metronome time is unnatural.

Or your time is always like that and the metronome is pointing it out?

[Mick-7]

Or your time is always like that and the metronome is pointing it out?

To put it another way, when I keep metronome time, my timing sounds mechanical like the metronome.

[Al Haig]

You have to learn to keep the time and add flexibility and phrasing.

[GuyBoden]

You have to learn to keep the time and add flexibility and phrasing.

I agree, that's what I'm finding playing melodies strictly with a metronome and then playing without a metronome. I can be deliberately, purposely, intentionally flexible with the time.

Hopefully, I'm improving with all my metronome practice.

[kris]

To put it another way, when I keep metronome time, my timing sounds mechanical like the metronome.

"my timing sounds mechanical like the metronome"
It seems to me that the timing is mechanically related to the metronome ...
I suggest you become interested in playing drums.
Can all musicians swing?

[supersoul]

A metronome isn't something you play with. It doesn't respond, there is no interaction. It's just an honest timekeeper and won't lie when you find yourself off from it. It's up to you to breathe life into a melody.

[Al Haig]

I agree, that's what I'm finding playing melodies strictly with a metronome and then playing without a metronome. I can be deliberately, purposely, intentionally flexible with the time.

Hopefully, I'm improving with all my metronome practice.

I'm sure you are improving.

Yeah, you gotta be able to cook with only a click. Other types of time work are important too, not only metronome, but metronome can be revealing if you can't play well to it.