Please help me identify this Doug Raney line (Billie's Bounce)

[Enricopg]

Hello all, first post here.

I can say that I registered in this forum to ask your help here. It’s been driving me crazy.

I am trying to transcribe the solo that Doug Raney is playing on his version of Billie’s Bounce. You can find the video of his live version on YouTube. I cannot identify the very first phrase at the beginning of his solo at 0.16

He is playing it on F7 I think but I cannot relate it to any scale or arpeggio that I know. Do you know what he is playing?

Thanks, Enrico

[grahambop]

At a quick listen it sounds like he starts on the 5th, goes down the F7 scale (including chromatic half steps down from F to Eb), some enclosure around the 5th below (i.e. 6, b5, 5), eventually ends on the flat 5. Pretty typical bop descending phrase really, based on F7 scale with some chromatics.

I can tell you the exact notes if you like, doesn’t sound too hard to figure out. Got some things to do first though!

[grahambop]

ok now I've done the washing-up, here are the notes! Starts on beat 3 of the F7 chord, mostly descending notes:

C Bb A G F E Eb F
D B C F Eb B

He slurs upwards into the last F and B notes.

Only 2 notes not in the F7 scale, the E and the B, both are standard passing notes. Ending on the flat 5 (B) is very typical of bop.

[djg]

At a quick listen it sounds like he starts on the 5th, goes down the F7 scale (including chromatic half steps down from F to Eb), some enclosure around the 5th below (i.e. 6, b5, 5), eventually ends on the flat 5. Pretty typical bop descending phrase really, based on F7 scale with some chromatics.

I can tell you the exact notes if you like, doesn’t sound too hard to figure out. Got some things to do first though!

yeah. there is a slight clam when he hits the f, so the line sounds a bit awkward. F7 bebop scale from the 5 down to the 7 then 9, 6, b5,5 and 1 b7 b5

[Vladan]

If tune's in F, that line is being played over Bb.

[djg]

If tune's in F, that line is being played over Bb.

yes, that's the beauty of the 13 in the F7 scale, it's the 3 of Bb7 as well, so the line works whether the band goes to Bb7 or stays on F7.

[grahambop]

It’s a fairly basic blues in F so first chord is F7.

(edit, ok I see what you mean, it could go to Bb7 in bar 2).

[Enricopg]

Ok thanks. At present I am doing some transcriptions of several musicians on Billie’s Bounce, including Jimmy Raney version and I didn’t find any difficulty in recognizing lines. This line to me sounded somehow awkward. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the chromatics or maybe the flat 5 at the end that was tricky. I don’t know. Thanks.