Mickey Baker Course Lesson 1

[Evan]

I initially posted the following to Rob's thread without really thinking. Not wanting to hijack Rob's thread about his great videos, I decided that moving my comment was the proper, more polite thing to do.

I'm still working through the chords. I'm fairly comfortable with the concept of major, minor, 6th, 7th, diminished, and dominant chords. I'm out of my comfort zone with the 9, 11, and 13 chords and I've never challenged myself with learning anything about rootless chords before.

I know I'll feel better if I really understand each chord form before letting too much time pass - but I'm not sure to what extent I need to know them before moving on.

The root-less chords are certainly a challenge.

[stringkiller]

Evan - thanks for the above post of lesson one - now with this and Rob's lesson two I can get to work to brush up my Jazz licks.

[Rob MacKillop]

I use Lesson I as a reference chart. It's good to try to familiarise yourself with the shapes and names, but don't feel you have to know them all by heart before moving on to Lesson II. Nor do you have to analyse them to death at this point. It's really all about opening your ears to certain sounds, and introducing unfmailar fingerings. Lesson II is much easier, so I would suggest starting both lessons together.

[ah.clem]

Subscribed. I'll dig up my copy of vol. I. I agree with Rob, not necessary to learn all the grips to get started. Any more thoughts of a study group?

[Evan]

I notice especially with the rootless chords tht transposing is more difficult with only a vague pattern-based understanding. Is there an important reason why we can't start calling D13b5b9 Ab 7#9? At least that points to the root note for easier reference.

[ah.clem]

Is there an important reason why we can't start calling D13b5b9 Ab 7#9?

I'm not an expert, but in my time playing I've found that the chord name depends on context. Perhaps it would be better to not over think it and see what context it will be used in. Just how I approach this kind of stuff.

[Rob MacKillop]

Well, there kind of is an important reason, in that the D points to the Dominant 7th function. The Ab is the root of a tritone substitution, but the D root, at least in the name, makes it clear there is a V-I cadence. Functional harmony is very important to some of us, though arguably not 100 per cent necessary.

[MarkRhodes]

I love this book. After watching Rod's video for Lesson 8, I decided I should re-visit the chord section of the book and am now doing that daily. I spend a lot of time on the 28 exercises that begin Part II (-the picking/soloing part). For the umpteenth time in my unillustrious life, I've changed pick grips. Actually, it's less a matter of how I hold the pick than how what the rest of my right hand fingers do: I curl them now, adding support to my index finger. Before, I fanned them out.) Anyway, I'm spending at least an hour a day on picking exercises. So far, so clean!

[Evan]

Well, there kind of is an important reason, in that the D points to the Dominant 7th function. The Ab is the root of a tritone substitution, but the D root, at least in the name, makes it clear there is a V-I cadence. Functional harmony is very important to some of us, though arguably not 100 per cent necessary.

Ok, thanks. I somewhat understand that - but only a little. I was sure that there was a reason for sticking with the given chord name, but I still needed to have some other optional names for quick reference.

Does that V-I progression happen in lesson 2? Am7 to D13b5b9 in the 5th exercise from lesson 2, for example. Are we assuming that the key is derived from the first chord played in each progression? If so, I would have thought that was a i-IV.

[Rob MacKillop]

As you develop your jazz skills, you will become adept at spotting ii/V/I changes. A good starting place is to look for a minor chord followed by a 7th chord. This isn't foolproof, however, as sometimes the ii chord is modified into a major chord, II. But the minor version is more common.

So, without getting bogged down in chord extensions, an Am chord followed by D chord - in a jazz context - is very likely to be a ii/V progression. Usually a ii/V is followed by a I, but not always. Sometimes a series of ii/V progressions lead through a few keys, before finding a I chord.

Just accept the chords for what they are at the moment. The main thing for you now is to just get the fingerings and sounds. The rest will follow.

[ah.clem]

Ok, thanks. I somewhat understand that - but only a little. I was sure that there was a reason for sticking with the given chord name, but I still needed to have some other optional names for quick reference.

Again, only my experience, but remembering chord names with names outside of their context can lead to confusion later on down the road. Maybe easier for now to think of the ii-V7 in G as just Amin to D7; any extensions to either chord are just that and as you progress you will see/hear how things like chord subs can grow out of extensions. But the context is ii-V7 (with extensions) in your example for now. When I am trying to analyse a complicated progression I always reduce the chords to their basic function, as triads or 7ths.

[Evan]

Ah. But how do we know that this is all in the key of C?
The examples you both described make sense if it's C.

[Rob MacKillop]

Just a typo there, but as someone might be confused, I'm sure you meant ii/V7 in "G" as just Am to D7.

[Evan]

Ah. But how do we know that this is all in the key of C?
The examples you both described make sense if it's C.

I typed that on my phone and didn't proof it. It's not exactly what I meant to write.

Nix that and let me just ask "how do we know the key?"

[2bornot2bop]

The root-less chords are certainly a challenge.

Mickey didn't leave much room for note taking and I really needed to develop a better understanding of the rootless chords like #6 & 9 so I started making a chord chart of the lesson one chords.

Think of basic rootless voicings as simply replacing the ROOT with the 9th (2nd, same note).

In the key of C one basic example is:

The ii chord D-7 (DFAC/1-35b7) becomes FACE/-3 5 b7 9

The V chord G7 (GBDF/135b7) becomes FABE/b7 9 3 13

The I chord CMaj7 (CEGB/1357) becomes EGBD/3579.

Creating your chords with smooth voice leading you'll only need a 1/2 step movement between the b7th and 3rd to create the new chord you're movng to.

I'd recommend taking all twelve ii-V-I patterns around the cycle of 5th's. Doing so your ear will instantly begin to recognize the movement inherent in each ii-V-I in all 12 keys. Make it musical and rhythmical just as if you're playing an actual tune.

There's an entire jazz rhythm section that you can jam along with backing this exact exercise on Jamey Abersold's Vol. 3 ii - V - I progressions.

[ah.clem]

Just a typo there, but as someone might be confused, I'm sure you meant ii/V7 in "G" as just Am to D7.

Yup. Fixed it. Thanks.

[ah.clem]

Nix that and let me just ask "how do we know the key?"

You will know the tonal center by the context; if the D7 is followed by Gmaj/Gmaj7/Gmaj6, etc. you would most likely treat that ii-V7-I as a G major tonal center; at least I would. You are correct that if it was followed by a gmin/C7 or other ii/V7s in the cycle then you can't really tell the tonal center without looking further on in the progression, but in Baker's book there isn't a lot of delayed resolution going on in the first few lessons I've looked at.

I think you really have to just trust Baker on this and listen to the exercises as you play through them. I played though lesson 2 tonight and I think you will hear the ii-V7-I in the later exercises in Lesson 2.

[Evan]

Think of basic rootless voicings as simply replacing the ROOT with the 9th (2nd, same note).

That's less confusing than I expected .

Creating your chords with smooth voice leading you'll only need a 1/2 step movement between the b7th and 3rd to create the new chord you're movng to.

I'm not following this though. Do the three chords you described illustrate that concept?