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This weeks jam will be "Whisper Not," by Benny Golson.
The goal here is to improvise. Take a chorus or 3. Play with a track, or not. Don't overthink it. Everybody's cool here, and if they're not, we kick their ass out.
If you want comments and criticism on your playing, say so in your post. If someone doesn't ask for critique, don't critique their playing.
Keep it fresh. Don't spend all week working out a perfect chord melody. No need to play the melody at all. Let's just say its a given that knowing the melody is important.
Let's talk shop on the tune as we go. Talk about approaches, whatever. Ask players questions.
I'll start us off this week, ill try and post a new tune every Thursday night (yeah, I put Friday's date, it is Friday already in Belgium)
Have fun with this and keep it loose. All levels welcome. Make fun of a beginner and I'll harass you on every post you make here for the rest of your sad, pathetic life.
Here's one bluesy chorus on whisper not. Comments and criticism always welcome.
Who's in? Who's next? Post below!
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01-14-2021 09:01 PM
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Jeff, I'm not sure I get the project entirely. Is it just improvisation and no melody?
This tune, technically, has several parts/repetitions and there are stops/hits, a shout chorus, tags and a tag end... it's not that approachable, really, it's quite complex!
How do you envisage it done? Or is it all up to us?
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Nice bluesy version Jeff. Great tune, I’ve probably dabbled with it occasionally but not tackled it properly, might have a go at it.
The way I see it, it’s one of those tunes that looks quite busy on the chart, but really it’s just based around Cm, Gm and Dm (and the bridge is Gm). It only looks more complicated because Benny Golson puts minor ii-Vs in front of all of them (and 2 coming out of the bridge to get back to Cm).
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Originally Posted by ragman1
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Originally Posted by ragman1
Instead I will post this classic
Don't overthink it, just play a chorus or two and take it from thereLast edited by Lobomov; 01-15-2021 at 09:44 AM.
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Very nice playing and a fine sounding Tele there, Jeff!
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Originally Posted by ragman1
Melody doesn't have to be played, but you surely could. But the key is keep it simple, keep it brief, keep it about the improvisation, don't worry about tags, arrangements, etc. Just play the song like it'd be played at a jam with people you never met before.
Re: this tune and grahambop's analysis-- pretty much exactly how I thought of it here. Just played on some of the V's too. And yes, the melody gives a LOT of info about what's going on in this tune. I can't believe I hadn't played it before last night!
And thanks for the nice comments folks, hopefully a lot of people will take a chance on this and jump in. I look forward to listening.
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Nice playing and feel, "Mr B" -- I like it!
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Thanks. Well, I've done it while you've been posting.... Played the melody because I think it helps 'cement' the feel and done some improv. The tag ending is too fast for my thumb so I've simplified it and faded out. Hope that's all okay. It is what it is :-)
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Just put your lips together and blow
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Graham -
I just saw it as a lot of repetitive minor ii-V's. Not very bluesy in the end, though.
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Originally Posted by ragman1
The melody really does establish the feel on this one. If I keep the melody in mind it prevents me from running a bunch of ii-V's, which I think is good.
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Jeff -
If I keep the melody in mind it prevents me from running a bunch of ii-V's, which I think is good.
I have to say I'm having trouble hearing bluesy on the chords, don't know why. You did rather well there :-)
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Originally Posted by ragman1
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Yeah! I love your initiative. Today I checked the chords on iReal Pro looked like a Dorian C, Locrian A and a fake Phrygian D then used as V to the Dorian G. I listened to Anita O’Day, Al Jarreau, and Art Blakey. I hope to have time to transcribe the melody tomorrow to find if my chord perception is ok. And to really get to know the melody. I hope more people pick up on this, it’s a great song a bit Dizzy like and Dizzy is one of my favourites. So bear with me another week and I’ll do my very first jazz improvisation on guitar.
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I do not understand ...is it a jam?
Everyone has a different background.
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Originally Posted by kris
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Originally Posted by kris
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Originally Posted by Eck
You can make this tune really simple, just 3 blues scales, Cm, Gm, Dm. Lots of good sounds in just that, no modes needed.
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There is my 2 choruses solo over Whisper Not.
Hope you like it.
Coments welcome
Box
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Originally Posted by kris
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Originally Posted by kris
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Great. In time, backing not too loud, all the right notes + bluesy bits. You make it look easy :-)
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Sounds great rp, nice relaxed feel.
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 01-17-2021 at 05:21 AM.
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Excellent, rp - enjoyed it!
(everybody else's contributions so far as well)
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Originally Posted by alpop
Thanks for a nice coment.
Do not worry...do not afraid me at jam...;-)
I try to play melodicaly with good feel...this is very important for me.
Most important thing for jazz musicians is playing live...ofcourse today is very difficult and sometimes imposible.
So before pandemic time I played a lot of gigs and I had a lot of jams-so what I play today is a result of quite big expierience.
I try to play long lines and do not want to play licks/what I practise everyday/.I try to play what I hear and what I feel.It is very hard work to be jazz improvisor.Ofcourse I have a big colection of jazz CDs//piano,sax,guitars etc/.
I practise everyday/4-5 h a day/ on different guitars/hollow,Tele,Strat,nylon strings etc/.
This take I play fingers/right hand/ but on anothers guitars I use also picking technique-I work on relaxing right hand a lot.
Jazzingly
Kris
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Originally Posted by kris
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Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
This solo can be more "jazzy" without vibrato articulation on some notes.
Cool,clean notes ...reason why I like hard tension strings/13-14/...:-)
...Anyway nice feel.
Jazzingly
kris
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Currently learning the tune - melody and chord progression. Not sure if I will feel comfortable enough to contribute but it's a great tune to learn anyways - so thanks, Jeff!
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I really enjoyed learning this tune. Here is one chorus of soloing. I'm not proud of all my decisions, but in the spirit of the thread, I'm sending it out anyway! Criticisms and suggestions are welcome.
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Originally Posted by alpop
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Originally Posted by alpop
I really don't have much to critique as far as one chorus goes...I guess I'd just say if you were to take more than one, stray further from the space the melody takes up with your lines...but for a one chorus pass, this is exactly my kind of playing.
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Originally Posted by alpop
Maybe this help
Jazzingly
kris
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Nice playing everybody!
Here is my effort. Backing Hal Leonard Real Book Volume 2.
@Kris: was your backing MrSunnybass?
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Now I played the first part on piano and really just two run downs on a minor chord and really to me the Locrian A chord is a Cm/A. The D7b9 feels a bit like when you go from C to F and insert an E7 in between. Nice to see how a I-vi-ii-V works if you start on a minor chord, the vi and ii get a flat 5 and the V a flat 9. Then a clever sort of turnaround.
That’s too me a way to interpret the progression in the way that I hear it.
Singing it in my head but no time to even record the chords yet. I may sing it wrong too with so little checking.
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Originally Posted by hohoho
MrSunnybass -yes.There are o lot his bass comping on youtube.
Jazzingly
Kris
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Originally Posted by Eck
Basically if you think you have to learn separate language for a m7b5 chord you don’t. I daresay you know a lot more dorian and melodic minor stuff than locrian.
Also we have that m3 relationship as well - you can go Cm Ebm on Am7b5 D7
This sort of descending bass progression makes that relationship plain.
As Joe Pass said there are only major, minor and dominant chords. The trick is to see through their disguises.Last edited by christianm77; 01-18-2021 at 08:56 AM.
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Thanks to all for the encouragement and taking the time to listen, and comment.
rpj: I have done that scat thing in the past. My current method for getting new ideas into my playing is to steal a phrase that I like and then play it in different keys, adapt it to different chord qualities, add pickup notes (enclosures), change the timing, etc. Choose a different idea everyday, move on, and hope to see some of that pop up in my playing.
mr.b: Thanks for getting this up and running! Next tune I may try two choruses and stray a bit further.
kris: Much appreciate your comment on feel. A little too bouncy, bouncy? I have never been cool.... I will give that some serious consideration.
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Originally Posted by alpop
Advice:
- Never try to swing;
- keep your playing smooth and even.
- practice saying the ‘ands’ at a tempo to get feeling of the upbeats.
- practice your scales accenting the ‘ands’ (but again don’t try to swing.)
That usually sorts people’s swing feel out fairly quickly
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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Originally Posted by hohoho
I like your snappy tone too...strat?
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Jeff -
Sorry, how often will you be changing the tune? Not that I'm wanting it gone :-)
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Originally Posted by ragman1
I want to get to where other folks can call tunes, too, not just me.
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hohoho -
Nice!
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Originally Posted by Eck
Japanese Re-issues of a bunch on Kenny Burrell...
Today, 05:18 PM in The Players