The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hey Forum :-)

    I still have plenty of time until my entrance tests at the local conservatories here in germany start, but I still want to get into some more modulating stuff since I may have to play one modulating piece at those tests.
    You have to chose from 3 out of 6 forms:
    blues, modal, 2-5-1, latin, ballad, fusion
    I already got some latin pieces and ballads that I'd love to play at those tests. But since they're all slow to med-tempo I think I should at least play one (at least kind of-)up-tempo piece.
    I know All The Things You Are... but I really heared/plaied this song too much and I want to get into other modulating pieces. They should be playable at med- to up-tempo but playable :-) (So no... no Giant Steps, sorry :-P)

    Hope you can help me out!
    Cheers,
    Schumi

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    A Rythym Changes tune might work for you. Diatonic during the A section, but the B moves thru a series of dominant chords. Many ways to think about each of them. Good luck with the auditions.

  4. #3

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    "Cherokee" is a classic testpiece that all aspiring jazz musicians need to learn (just ask Charlie Parker). And it does quite a bit of modulation. One of the beauties of this song is that no matter what key you play it in, either the A or the B section is going to give you fits. :-)

    Get this one under your belt and you may raise some eyebrows in your audition.

    Here's a chart I found on the web. You can simplify it somewhat and still get the changes nailed. Play this one as fast as you possibly can.


  5. #4

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    thank you for those tips... I already thought of playing Oleo (since I find it way easier on uptempo than my favourite RC-theme Moose the Mooch :P). Cherokee is a nice idea though.. i will check it out today after work..!

    Maybe I will post some of my attempts on the pieces I do prepare for audition to get some feedback and work on the things I do not recognize myself.


    Any other ideas on modal pieces?

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by shoome
    thank you for those tips... I already thought of playing Oleo (since I find it way easier on uptempo than my favourite RC-theme Moose the Mooch :P). Cherokee is a nice idea though.. i will check it out today after work..!

    Maybe I will post some of my attempts on the pieces I do prepare for audition to get some feedback and work on the things I do not recognize myself.


    Any other ideas on modal pieces?

    so what
    impressions
    milestones
    maiden voyage
    witch hunt

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by randalljazz
    so what
    impressions
    milestones
    maiden voyage
    witch hunt
    I absolutely adore this tune... but it may be a lilttle bit "overkill" for an audition test, wouldnt it?
    //Edit: Just looked at the leadsheet... I think its doable... and worth it to play pieces that not everybody else is playing at the audition...

    anyway, thanks for all the recommendations :-)
    Last edited by shoome; 06-09-2010 at 08:23 AM.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by shoome
    I absolutely adore this tune... but it may be a lilttle bit "overkill" for an audition test, wouldnt it?
    //Edit: Just looked at the leadsheet... I think its doable... and worth it to play pieces that not everybody else is playing at the audition...

    anyway, thanks for all the recommendations :-)
    You should definitely post some of your practice videos here. "Peer review" is a valuable form of evaluation.

    Milestones is a great tune, but it's pretty fast, so unless you're comfortable soloing over it, do something easier like So What or maybe All Blues (both on the same album). Maiden Voyage is another good one.

  9. #8

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    yeah i think it really is too fast for me... as for a practice video, i just recorded myself playing Someday My Prince Will Come... I dunno, I just recently picked this piece up again, and it seems like a completely new tune to me at the moment... So it really is not the best take I think, but you'll get a little of how (not) good I am...

    But I'd still be happy for some feedback

    Last edited by shoome; 06-10-2010 at 02:05 AM.

  10. #9

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    Pick a standard with modulations
    Joy Spring
    Recordame both simple

    Have you meet Miss Jones
    Nostalgia in Times Square
    Minority
    Alone Together
    Silver's Serenade
    Stella by starlight
    Invitations
    Jeannine
    Best Reg

  11. #10

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    Hey shoome... nice feel and playing. When you solo you have basically three way or tools to give shape to your solos, Rhythmic, Harmonic and melodic, which all can be put into a shape or... form. Don't let the chords or what your able to play over the chords... shape your solo. Have a plan or form for your solo. After you train yourself and come up with your personal favorites...your top 10 solo forms... kind of like templates, eventually you'll naturally play this way. It's something you need to practice, like most skills.
    Best Reg

  12. #11

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    Here are a few more Ideas for tunes...

    Four on Six, Scrapple from the Apple, Blues for Alice,.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by randalljazz
    so what
    impressions
    milestones
    maiden voyage
    witch hunt
    Maybe something with a bit more changes than Impressions or So What. Does Dolphin Dance count as modal? Sorta modal? How about Bright Size Life?

  14. #13

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    Wouldn't the whole point of playing a modal tune for an audition be to illustrate the ability to play different ideas over a static chord progression?

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by FatJeff
    Wouldn't the whole point of playing a modal tune for an audition be to illustrate the ability to play different ideas over a static chord progression?
    I would have said "wank", but you're a gentleman and a scholar

  16. #15

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    Thank you all for the recommendations, guys I think there are plenty of nice tunes ahead for me now!

    I'd love to get any additional feedback/criticism on my video, if anybody wants to... I already got told (and I recognize this myself very often when hearing my impros) that I sound very "scale-ish"... I'm working on that atm with getting more in to arpeggiated playing to give the solos more colour and be playing less notes overall ;-) Anything else?

  17. #16

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    I'm sure you know that there is a bebop tradition of taking a standard and creating a head for it made out of improvised bebop licks; Donna Lee is the favourite example of this. Jim Hall's Waltz New his version of Someday My prince Will Come. You might get some ideas for soloing over the song from this head.

    After an into, the head begins when the guitar and bass play in unison octaves.

  18. #17

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    I'll tell you what, listening to Jim Hall should give you some ideas for how to get away from sounding, "Scaleish." One of the all time greats!

  19. #18
    If you want something in 3/4 that modulates, go for "Bluesette". Also, "I'll Remember April" and "Nuages" are fun as well.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gambrosius1984
    If you want something in 3/4 that modulates, go for "Bluesette". Also, "I'll Remember April" and "Nuages" are fun as well.
    Oh yeah, Bluesette is non-stop circle of fifths!

  21. #20

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    thanks for all the great tunes... don't really know where to begin I recently started playing milestones. And I find it very hard... Not the melody or the changes (if you can call it 'changes' ) but to get ideas for playing over one chord. I never plaied a modal tune before, so maybe that's the problem... but I think I can really learn something out of it, so I keep going!

    @BDLH: Thanks for that Video! I knew that there is this tradition in bebop but i never knew there was a new head for someday. I will try to transcribe that head today afternoon and hopefully get some ideas out of it

    @gambrosius: I'm mainly looking for pieces for my auditions next year and I think i'll stick with someday when I choose to play a 3/4 tune. Or is this plaied too often at auditions?


    At the moment I have a Latin piece that I definitely will play and I can't decide between 'Someday' and 'In A Sentimental Mood' for a ballad to play. So I'm looking for a (kind of...) up-tempo piece and thought of a modal tune... If you have other ideas for some up-tempo pieces (dont have to be modal, but I have to be able to play it.. -> see video for some information) I would really appreciate all the recommendations.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by shoome
    @BDLH: Thanks for that Video! I knew that there is this tradition in bebop but i never knew there was a new head for someday. I will try to transcribe that head today afternoon and hopefully get some ideas out of it
    You don't have to transcribe it: the link I gave to Waltz New is that head.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
    You don't have to transcribe it: the link I gave to Waltz New is that head.
    I discovered that as soon as I clicked the link Thanks!