Experiment

[Christian Miller]

I was wondering if some keen forum members might indulge me in a little experiment.

This is triggered by the unknowability of what exactly was going through any musicians head when they improvised or composed their music and the nature of that sort of post-hoc analysis.

Here is a transcription of a solo I played. Could some (bored) THEORY CATS have a go at analysing it?

As I played it, I actually know exactly what I was thinking when I played it, but I'm interested to see how people interpret the notes. If anyone bites, I'll wait a bit before I outline my thought process.

[pamosmusic]

I was wondering if some keen forum members might indulge me in a little experiment.

This is triggered by the unknowability of what exactly was going through any musicians head when they improvised or composed their music and the nature of that sort of post-hoc analysis.

Here is a transcription of a solo I played. Could some (bored) THEORY CATS have a go at analysing it?

As I played it, I actually know exactly what I was thinking when I played it, but I'm interested to see how people interpret the notes. If anyone bites, I'll wait a bit before I outline my thought process.

Okay …

m1 … F major triad stuff, enclosure around the root
m2 … just walking down the scale, little bebop device back up to the third of F7
m3-4 … big F7, walking down and running up that major triad off the b7. F6 into an enclosure of the Bb in the next measure.
m5-6 … Bb7 scale into a triad arpeggio, with that enclosure around the third. m6 really feels like a quote to me but I can’t think of what
m7-8 I think you’re playing Blues for Alice changes … Am-D7, Abm-Db7. … though you’re only playing the minor
m9 is the same line as m7 but for Gm and goes into the C7 scale thing in m10. Kind of typical dim7 arpeggio and fin.

THEORY CAT, out

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

First thing I'd say this is a jazz blues in F.

[GuyBoden]

I'd need to hear it.

[CliffR]

I suspect you were thinking of Bach, particularly his earlier funny period. That G# into the Am7 pickup at the start has Bach's handwriting all over it.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

Playing over barlines ms. 1 - 6

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

I'd need to hear it.

I hear it in my head reading the score. Can a theory cat be a inner ear reader?

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

I suspect you were thinking of Bach, particularly his earlier funny period. That G# into the Am7 pickup at the start has Bach's handwriting all over it.

The first thing that came into my mind about that was Barry Harris LOL.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

The notation has either not the correct key signature or you might think Lydian.

[GuyBoden]

I hear it in my head reading the score. Can a theory cat be a inner ear reader?

I was hoping that Christian would post a video clip of him playing the solo.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

[...] little bebop device back up to the third of F7 [...]

That is almost Jimmy-Bobby-ish vague LOL.

It's either BH four phrase or scale tone above and double chromatic below the third enclosure.

EDIT: One could also say special enclosure case for major thirds: chromatic above (equals a scale tone) + scale tone with chromatic passing tone from below.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

Got to go to the supermarket now before it closes. That experiment is a great idea. Looking forward to the puzzle's solution.

[pamosmusic]

That is almost Jimmy-Bobby-ish vague LOL.

I can only aspire to your level of insight.

First thing I'd say this is a jazz blues in F.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

Oh goes well gee I’m so sorry. If only I could’ve been more insightful. Something like this:

From the big picture first into the details.

[Tal_175]

You're playing Fmaj7 over F7's. You're out of your mind.

[pamosmusic]

You're playing Fmaj7 over F7's. You're out of your mind.

Or he’s Charlie Parker

[Bobby Timmons]

It sounds like and is organized like bebop to me. Where you prioritize chord tones and extensions, do enclosures or approaches to them, fill in the rest with some scale tones, and then use some chromatic devices for good measure.

[CliffR]

I know, I know! Like me, Christian, your thoughts were still so focussed on the final season of Battlestar Galactica - just what is the nature of Starbuck!? - that the notes just flowed out without the intervention of conscious thought?

[pauln]

It appears to be the missing answer to this exchange yesterday from the "Thinking Theory" thread...

pamosmusic : Say you're going to work on blues and you want to work on chromatics. What do you do?

Bobby Timmons : Approaches and enclosures to chord tones. Also practice just winging it with chromatics. I winged it with chromatics on my No Mo clip. I suppose I could look for notes to add to the blues/mix scale.

pamosmusic : What approaches and enclosures? What chord tones?

[Tal_175]

Or he’s Charlie Parker

I think, he is playing D7 ideas over F7 in a couple of places. So you got the E natural there (I don't mean the passing note use in bar 3) which is a Barry Harris thing as well.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

<irony> Christian Miller is theory and improvises over an F blues by playing intervals, arps and scales AND THAT IS THE FCKING TRUTH, you retarded mofos!!! </irony>

EDIT: My buddy (the bot) says the same thing BTW.

[Bobby Timmons]

^ Exactly

[pamosmusic]

I think, he is playing D7 ideas over F7 in a couple of places. So you got the E natural there (I don't mean the passing note use in bar 3) which is a Barry Harris thing as well.

Nah. Bar 1 it’s passing. An enclosure.

Bar 7 it’s part of that chromatic walkdown of minor chords, i.e not a dominant at all.

[Tal_175]

Nah. Bar 1 it’s passing. An enclosure.

Bar 7 it’s part of that chromatic walkdown of minor chords, i.e not a dominant at all.

I'd say Amin7 is a D7 idea.
I also didn't mean bar I. But pickup to bar 1.

[pamosmusic]

I'd say Amin7 is a D7 idea. I also didn't mean bar I. But pickup to bar 1 .

Sure, but the orthodox BH think there is F7 to the third of D, meaning F7 over the D7, not vice versa. It’s in that same diminished family so maybe, but I’d wager our man is thinking “Blues for Alice” … et voila

And yeah pickup to bar one is still part of that enclosure, probably.