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07-04-2020 04:17 AM
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That cycle 5 harmonic minor is the ascending counterpart to the cycle 4 which shares the 2 common tone 2 shifting voice movement. Curiously the two groupings in cycle 4 and 5 are independent from each other whereas all other cycles eventually go through the cycles in all inversions.
The harmonic minor is so beautiful and I find utility in this by making the G7 (V7) chord the destination chord of the cycle, and thereby turn this run into a voice led progression that can be used in any tune by having it serve as a dominant feed in to any chord. Nice if used as a secondary dominant chord because in addition to the non diatonic nature of the harmonic minor, is the "outside" yet mysteriously beautiful non diatonic harmonic structure of secondary dominants.
And for further mind bending, take all those Eb's and turn them into E's and you have some VERY cool harmonic major sounds!
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Yeah, always noticed that about cycle 4 and 5. Understand the choice made because the alternative although nice requires jumping around a bit more in order to address all the inversions. Might look something like this in drop 2:
Cycle 4:
CGBEb ..... EbAbCF ..... FBDAb ..... GDEbB .... etc.
Cycle 5:
CGBEb ..... BFGD ..... AbDFC ...... GCEbAb .... etc.
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Just to put it out there:
Diatonically (alter chord qualities and intervals for different scale types)
Cycle 2 descends
... IMaj | II- | III- | IVMaj | V7 | VI- | VII-7b5 | IMaj | II- | III- | IVMaj | V7 | VI- | VII-7b5 | IMaj | II- ...
Cycle 4 ascends
... IMaj | IVMaj | VII-7b5 | III- | VI- | II- | V7 | IMaj | IVMaj | VII-7b5 | III- | VI- | II- | V7 | IMaj | IVMaj ...
Cycle 6 ascends
... IMaj | Vi- | IVMaj | II- | VII-7b5 | V7 | III- | IMaj | VI- | IVMaj | II- | VII-7b5 | V7 | III- | IMaj | VI- ...
Cycle 7 descends
... IMaj | VII-7b5 | VI- | V7 | IVMaj | III- | II- | IMaj | VII-7b5 | VI- | V7 | IVMaj | III- | II- | IMaj | VII-7b5 ...
Cycle 5 descends
... IMaj | V7 | II- | VI- | III- | VII-7b5 | IVMaj | IMaj | V7 | II- | VI- | III- | VII-7b5 | IVMaj | IMaj | V7 ...
Cycle 3 descends
... IMaj | III- | V7 | VII-7b5 | II- | IVMaj | VI- | IMaj | III- | V7 | VII-7b5 | II- | IVMaj | VI- | IMaj | III- ...
So instead of key specific (absolute nomenclature) I'm using diatonic chord designation-roman numeral (relative nomenclature) so this is easier translated to any key you're working in. If you're not comfortable with thinking of chords this way, then working with this material is going to be challenging. It deals with movements within tonal centres and if you "Play by the chord names" strictly, then these alternative routes are somewhat counter to that thinking.
I also gave 2 octaves so you can see entire sections easily, (see a II V I progression without a break in the line...).
Also you can see that cycle 2 and cycle 7 are complementary, but one ascends and the other descends, 3 and 6 the same, 4 and 5 too.
I also observe that cycle 4 has groupings of major triad chords together, and minor triad groups together. This is really handy for me because sometimes I want a line of chords with a darker, more minor sounding quality for the line, and sometimes using a smooth group of chords with a major quality sound has a very different effect.
Cycle 3 and 6 share a lot of common tones so the movement is subtle and the movement along the neck is not as dramatic.
When I really start practicing these, I learn to perceive movement that is not as function oriented to my ear, but more melodic. I can't really describe this further, but it's something that seems to be an observation with others whom I've worked with.
As I work with a cycle:
First I try to get the fingering right, and my fluency with fingerboard note locations and chord shapes on different strings improved.
Next I try to navigate the chords by knowing where the root movement goes, and lateral movement across the fingerboard improved.
Then I tried to hear the movement of voices that lead me to the next chord root, and my ear really improved.
Then I tried to be aware visually how my hands were moving from one aural note grouping (chord) to the next moved, and many of my habits of chord grabs and chord movements were freed.
Then I tried to feel the chords (kinesthetic) as they moved. This has given my hands a totally new "hand sense" which I find unconsciously creeping into everything I play. When I hit "the zone", I'm finding sounds I never suspected, connexions across the fingerboard I never used, visualizations and traveling up and down the neck within and between changes in ways I can't explain.
And the connective tissue between theory, ear and hand gets stronger in ways they've not connected before.
So just some observations in the midst of the COVID immersion.Last edited by Jimmy blue note; 07-04-2020 at 03:39 PM.
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Here's a question about fingerings for triad spread voicings.
If you start on say strings 4,3,1 and the cycle is going down the neck, is it best (when starting out) to
stay on the same string set even if there is a difficult stretch? If you stay on the same string set
you can see the voice movement better and I have found some gaps with some positions I am unfamiliar with
and have to think a little harder as to where the chord tones are.
Or should I just switch to a different string set at that point and save injury to my hands?
I think the considerations are a little different for 4 note voicings.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
Shouldn't that be:
Cycle 2 descends
Cycle 4 descends
Cycle 6 descends
Cycle 7 ascends
Cycle 5 ascends
Cycle 3 ascends
Am I missing something, or do I have a copy of the book from an alternate universe?
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
I have been working with the triads, close and spread and in the root in the middle voicings of the spread, there are at least 3 ways you can finger the same chord. Work with one until you're really familiar, then expand your knowledge. Don't get overwhelmed. There may be a number of ways to finger an individual chord; be patient. All this knowledge will greatly broaden the way you relate to chords and the tendency of movement to the next chord when you have them under your fingers.
Eventually you'll know these voicings by ear on all sets of strings. Once you are over the learning curve, you'll fearlessly use these chords in all applications, parallel voicings or voice led, or combined.
That's one of the things about this, it may look like a lot of work, but in learning it in such an exhaustive and broadly non prejudicial way, you don't acquire gaps in your knowledge based on just fingering things one way.
Again NEVER stretch your hands if they feel uncomfortable.
Good warm ups are an excellent idea. Do you warm up your fingers and hands before a practice session? A good warm up will set the tone of the entire day. Its value cannot be overestimated.
Good luck
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Originally Posted by FwLineberry
The overall movement is an ascending one for the least amount of movement.
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
I'm working through this stuff to practice inversions as well as voice leading, so I just stay on the same string set and arpeggiate any chords I can't reach.
I can see where a person needs to work through this stuff utilizing more than one string set, and using more practical fingerings, as well.
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Here's an applied overview of one route to improvisation that includes the voice leading material in the context of All The Things You Are.
Thanks to Kenji Herbert for contributing this beautiful example.
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Hello Guy
the voicings on your post #701 remind me very much of Don Grolnick's tune 'The Cost of Living', which was recorded on Michael Brecker's first album. It's on YouTube.
That tune is (conveniently) in C minor as well, and harmonised with harmonic minor, and melodic minor, plus a modulation or two. You can see some of the score on Scribd.
Regards
Mick WLast edited by Mick Wright; 07-05-2020 at 10:48 AM.
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Hi Jimmy blue note
You'll know that the falling fifths / rising fourths thing will also works well, when dealing with seventh chords (well, you said 'you were almost exclusively working with triads). I thought that you might enjoy trying this one for a breath of fresh ''sevenths' air!
Almanac three has a great alternative voicings section where Mick Goodrick starts to mix the voicings within sequences from scale step to scale step (e.g. cycle 2, alternating drop 3 and drop 2&4, below, and also a very full sounding 'falling fifths' sequence, in a drop 3 voicing). I like the fact that in cycle 2 here the basic scale rises steadily in voices two and four, while the roots move between the other two voices.
All the best
Mick W.
Last edited by Mick Wright; 07-05-2020 at 11:47 AM.
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Thought I'd share here a preview of a project I'm working on. I'm not a programmer, but have been having fun with this.
So far, just for seventh chords, but will not be too difficult to include triad, quartal, triad-add4, etc. Also option for including open strings.
Staff notation or audio would probably be well beyond my capabilities.
Any suggestions from viewing? Just for general use and exploration - likely a promotional tool for my own instruction, to be frank, but also has just been a fun thing to put together during quarantine here.
Posting this as the video uploads:
Comment on the TAB voicings.
User has two options:
Select string sets, or select max fret range.
When selecting string sets, voicing shows whether or not the octave is possible on that string.
When selecting fret range, I came up with some formula to show a combination of what leads from chord to chord best as well as what is most practical. When 'fret range' is selected, In some cases a dozen voicings are shown, in some 1 or none, as some chords have more fingerings than other.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
It's very obvious that Cycle 4 is an easy way to go from I to IV:
Cmaj7 -> Fmaj7
But keep those chords to two beats each, and it's also a good way to go from I to vii:
Cmaj7 -> Fmaj7 -> Bm7b5
And over two measures (or one measure with one beat each), you go from I to vi:
Cmaj7 -> Fmaj7 -> Bm7b5 -> Em7 -> Am7
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And over two measures (or one measure with one beat each), you go from I to vi:
Cmaj7 -> Fmaj7 -> Bm7b5 -> Em7 -> Am7
Which brings up a question on cycles, Is it "legal" to change the Em7 to an E7 when working on a cycle?
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And over two measures (or one measure with one beat each), you go from I to vi:
Cmaj7 -> Fmaj7 -> Bm7b5 -> Em7 -> Am7
I like this idea, I would like to see more like this.
I'm going to try this over There Will Never Be Another You.
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
Personally, I find the more fluent I become with the cycles, the more varieties and scales I want to incorporate into the concept. Harmonic major, switching chord degrees and keys mid progression to follow a modulation, switching in and out of diatonic/melodic minor/harmonic minor scales so I can add or reduce the amount of chromatic tension, etc.
I also use small segments of a cycle. I don't tend to stay or play a cycle all the way through, I don't feel they're used best that way. They, like learning a scale, are best practiced to acquire facility, and then as the sounds become internalized into the ear, they wind up creeping into comping or chordal soloing.
One note about harmonic substitutions like the E-7 to E7 you mention, one thing I think about is what substitutions might be appropriate for the first chorus, and what substitutions might be more effective for a second chorus. When playing passages with the head, I won't go as far "out" as I would say on the last chorus of a solo. There is a move from specific to individual, from the recognizable qualities of a piece that I tend to work closer to in the original statement or as a solo space begins. This moves towards the personal interpretation of note choice and harmony as I take the listener on that trip. But that's me. In other words, I pay respect to the piece and as the givens of a composition are stated, they give way to the soloist's imagination and resources to recreate in a more personal and hopefully beautiful way.
Different cycles have different qualities. Different scale bases have different qualities and impact. Different chord voicing families have very different sonic impact (The almanacs run the cycles through 3 scale origins, and all possible 4 note chord groupings and their inversions. There's a LOT to explore)
So if E minor would be better served functionally with E7, then by all means.
These cycles are also useable in a non strictly functional way, as voice led textures that you can connect at both ends to "portals" out of and into the harmony of the piece.
The more you play around, the more you'll see things about root movement and voice movement that you didn't have before.
It'll also make you look at pieces in a different way. Maybe not so restrictive, but three dimensionally, so you can create your own harmonic textures that fit within the chords everyone else plays.
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Another question while waiting for the next installment (hopefully) from Jimmy Blue Note.
Did Mick ever think about an "almanac" for single string solos or have an interesting method he used as a teacher?
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
There's something he calls the unitar, the single string pure linear instrument and he has the suggestion that the student explore this even before learning position playing. It's the truest one to one correspondence between the guitar as a linear instrument, the sounds of intervals, sense of movement and the way the hand relates to the instrument to create sound. It's his belief that creating true improvisational music, you must know the ear, the feeling of intervallic distance (ear training), the hand (kinesthetrics) and once integrated on a guitar, the relationship of linearity with the most counter-intuitive layout of the 6 string guitar.
As far as soloing in a linear way, he did not believe in learning solos or transcriptions before you had a solid command and sense of internal melody and the ability to translate melody from the ear/imagination to the instrument. In other words, don't learn from the hand or the imitative ear before you develop the internal ability to make music.
He felt very strongly that knowing the foundations of music before you attempt the affectations and styles of individuals is important if you're going to be a deeply dedicated advancing guitarist. Know your toolset and don't let the limitations of others determine your own course of study or natural development.
That's kind of The Advancing Guitarist in a nutshell.
I asked him about transcription and he said "It's not a bad thing in itself, but you need to know the language well enough that you're not simply playing someone else's ideas. " He didn't believe in entire solo transcriptions for their own sake but rather, listen and if you want to transcribe, only take what's important to you and learn from it and NEVER play what you've lifted until you make it your own. That means until you understand the process and choices that artist was faced with, what it meant to choose that particular phrase, you cannot claim it as yours, and then not until you've made your own version of that phrase that is original and based on YOUR choice.
He believed that if you know the language (lexicon, syntax, semantic content), you can take anyone's solo and understand it from the player's perspective. It's this ability to know that allowed him to gain the reputation of being able to read a soloist's mind and play the perfect thing that made them sound better than they could have ever been. I know, because I played duo with him for 8 years and it was an unreal experience.
As far as a book on things to do, No, he didn't believe in giving specifics. Just be patient, learn to use your ears, build your knowledge base and keep growing. His teaching style consisted largely of pointing out things in a way that a student became aware of what they might do to unblock their obstacles of habit and prejudicial assumptions.
It was a style of teaching that was well suited for self motivated players who were not looking for easy or quick answers. The music is the teacher, he was an informed listener.
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Originally Posted by sjl
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Is Mick retired?
What does someone like him do in retirement?
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Originally Posted by Irishmuso
Improvisational music is such an open field, and a relatively young one. It is inclusive of all attitudes. The things Mick offers are not for everyone. Not by a long shot. But that's why I decided to work on supportive material, so those who are restless with their present playing, looking for options, can find some new directions.
There are many, or most who are pleased with the ways in which they, say, find a connection from chord to chord. If it's you, then yes, explore that until you own it. That's jazz.
There are also those who say "How can I find a way to realize these sounds I hear?" or "I wonder if there's a way to connect chords so my familiarity with the fingerboard and those sounds within the zones of comfort can be tied together in a seamless and effortless way?" And for that kind of curiousity, there is no "method" but rather some comprehensive laying out of possibilities where you go to some musical Home Depot, find the materials you never suspected, and go about putting together your own house. Far more labor intensive route, but if your personality is of that ilk, then an almanac of possibilities and no specific instruction can be a great resource.
It was the recognition that just having a book of possibilities and no commentary is very off putting, that I decided to write a book that has some guiding exercises and etudes that somewhat mirrors the video that Kenji plays in post 710.
It's jazz. Lots of ways to be happy. This is just one option.
I really do hope questions and comments about materials, intentions, experiences, philosophies, impressions... will inform this dynamic thread. Please!
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
But COVID shut the school down at spring break and instead of any kind of acknowledgement, he posted a sign on his office window before the spring break "School's out" and he was retired.
He discusses things as the book grows and he paints watercolours now.
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In response to the comment of the Almanacs being unavailable, I am in fact making a PDF version available as shareware; PM me, I send you access to a copy, you print it up yourself and voluntarily contribute to our project if you want.
Only if you're serious.
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Originally Posted by JohnoL
and also in reply to sjl's question, 'but anyway the books are not available?'
Always happy to state the obvious - just in case anyone doesn't know - 'The Advancing Guitarist' is still easily found, after more than thirty years in print, at booksellers and music stores and online, and there is also at least one translation (Japanese, I think?). The book is a treasure trove with the focus on 'Advancing'. In part this is done through a better understanding of harmony, intervals, voicings, and cycles, but these concepts are based in turn on the single-line material (using the major and two minor scales) such the 'unitar' idea that JimmyBlueNote mentioned above. It is all resolutely 'do-it-yourself' once again, but it offers an excellent workout in many technical areas for almost any style and standard of player. There is a lot of wise and succinct text around the instructions and notes (no tabs), which stands re-reading very well. I always find there's something new and useful to think about, even after dozens of re-reads.
Yes, it does all take a long time, to get through such material, just like many other very worthwhile things do: perhaps books like these are the closest things to 'shortcuts' that exist.
Additionally and still easily available to buy, online, there is the most recent book by Mick Goodrick (with Tim Miller) 'Creative Chordal Harmony for Guitar' (2012). It says 'chordal' in the title but around a quarter of this book is conventionally-notated single-line arpeggios (without rhythms - these are not licks) and most of the book uses the changes for Stella by Starlight in Bb major as the harmony example.
The intro and final section explain the book's core idea of 'rootless scales' (from which are derived the ten 'pairings' of non-overlapping three-note chords: triads, quartels, clusters, 7 no 3rd, and 7 no 5th). I'm only just scratching the surface of this — didn't it have its own thread for a while, too? For anyone working seriously on the Almanacs, this book is another very useful piece of important supporting material.
All the best
Mick W.
Peripheral Gear, NWD
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