The Bebop Scale

**christianm77** · 03-29-2018, 12:33 PM

I like that, PaulN

I might add that much of my practice is now associated with soft concepts, but the development of flexibility is key.

For instance I might not repeat a pattern or line once I have executed it correctly. The aim is not to ingrain the exercise in my muscle memory, but to work on the process of executing lines in real time. At the speed of jazz as Reg would say.

Warne Marsh taught this way. I think the ability to execute concepts in real time is an important jazz skill.

(BTW I kind of feel Warne is in the top ten of truest, freest and most imaginative improvisers of the post war period. He really is that good.)

However, I can’t say that is right for everyone at every level.

For instance - In Barry’s classes, modules are chained together very quickly to create bebop lines. Again you have to be very on top of your instrument to be able to do this. It serves as a complete ‘roast’ a real test that states in no uncertain terms whether or not you have reached that level.

A high level of hard concept is required to step up to that particular plate. I remember when I first started going to Barry’s classes I didn’t have a prayer. But I improved a lot through practice.

Horn players and pianists tend to be much more ‘on it’ in the classes, in my experience, than most of the guitar players incidentally. There are a number of reasons why this is so.

One is that basic hard concept (for instance play a C arpeggio in all positions) is pretty difficult on the guitar. The other is that a lot of hard concept is ingrained from an early age through classical playing and so on for other instruments...

**pauln** · 03-29-2018, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by christianm77

Horn players and pianists tend to be much more ‘on it’ in the classes, in my experience, than most of the guitar players incidentally. There are a number of reasons why this is so.

One is that basic hard concept (for instance play a C arpeggio in all positions) is pretty difficult on the guitar. The other is that a lot of hard concept is ingrained from an early age through classical playing and so on for other instruments...

The non-guitarists' instruments require different mechanics of execution for each structure (scales, chords) for each key signature. That is, the sax for example uses different fingerings for each scale, and spends endless hours arping and scaling up and down in each key to learn which of the alternate fingerings for a particular pitch works best depending on the previous and subsequent pitch... in the altissimo range of the sax there are single individual pitches that may be formed from a choice of over a dozen distinct fingerings, so the sax player just needs to know the weeds of this keys/fingerings without thinking... similar to the classical approach - it's a given that one already is "on it".

A lot of the soft concepts are naturally drilled into the classical approach, what with the standard notation pre-marked up with Italian words, abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols... instructions that suggest the composer's soft concept layer. They are used to understanding music this way.

**christianm77** · 03-30-2018, 04:05 AM

Good points.

There are some things that are easier on the guitar. But I do not believe these things are much of an advantage for standards jazz.

Ymmv