In this post we’ll take a look at Melakarta #45 – Shubhapantuvarali (that’s shoo-bop pahn-too-vah-rahlly….no really!). “Shubhap” (for short) has the same tonal DNA as another Melakarta, namely, #36 – Chalanata, which is the subject of an earlier post. It might be helpful to check that out for some pertinent background info, as well as any of the other posts in this category (hey, why not? – they’re FreeB’s). Due to the process known as graha bedham, which changes the śruti, or tonic, of a scale (Melakarta) to a different note within that scale, Melas #36 and #45 have the same … Read More
Category Archives: Woodshed
Based on a previous post (it’s a FreeB), which included a breakdown of Thelonious Monk’s challenging original, “Skippy”, I finally got around to putting together a one chorus “solo style” etude, as a means to decipher ways to navigate the changes of this roller coaster ride of a tune. Monk’s only recording of “Skippy” was from the 1952 Blue Note session that was released as part of “The Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2”, and which included an alternate take of the tune, as well. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, composing an etude for yourself can be extremely beneficial, in that … Read More
Joe Henderson’s tenor saxophone solo on his reharmonized version of Cole Porter’s “Night & Day” (downloadable transcription below), was recorded for the Blue Note label at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio (where else!) in Engewood Cliffs, NJ on Nov. 30th, 1964, ten days before John Coltrane recorded “A Love Supreme” in the same studio. “Night & Day” would be the final track on the “B” side of the original vinyl LP “Inner Urge”, Henderson’s fourth as a leader for Blue Note; and featured then current Coltrane Quartet members McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones on piano and drums respectively; as well as … Read More
This transcription of the first chorus of John Coltrane’s tenor solo on Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone”, was taken from a live (possibly radio) recording from sometime in mid 1954, when ‘Trane was on the road with Johnny Hodges’ septet. The band included Hodges’ fellow Ellingtonians, Harold “Shorty” Baker – trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. This version of “Mellotone” was originally released, to my knowledge, in on a “bootleg” vinyl in the 1970’s on the “Enigma” label. A friend of mine had it and I promptly copied it to cassette (remember those?…..OK, maybe not). Then as now, ‘Trane’s … Read More
As I’ve been recently treating the Harmonic Major scale like a new found toy, I’ve discovered, for myself at least, some of the unique and interesting qualities of this “hidden in plain sight” seven note harmonic system. The practice of adding a non-diatonic passing tone to the Major, as well as the Melodic & Harmonic Minor Scales and their modes began as the “eighth note” became the basic rhythmic pulse unit of the music called “BeBop”, and became known at some point as the “BeBop Scale” I think it was David Baker who first “bopularized” the term. In order to … Read More
It’s Joe Henderson time again, ladies and gents! Joe, as you should know, was one of the music’s more stylistically unique and influential tenor saxophonists and improvisers, as well as the composer of a healthy number of classic originals. His influence and legacy live on in his many recordings, made both as leader and sideman, during a career which spanned nearly four decades. Henderson’s tenor saxophone solo on one of those original compositions, an uptempo C Minor Blues entitled “Granted” (dedicated to the renowned NYC Jazz Radio personality and promoter, Alan Grant, who recently passed away at 93), is the … Read More
Unidentified Descending Shape (UDS) Landing Near You Origin determined to be from the planet Tritonius Minorus in the Diminished Scale System, according to reports from Deep Space b9 Don’t jump out the window just yet………..! Swap that tricorder for a trichord and check out this supplementary exercise based on my last post, which deals with a hexatonic scale comprised of two minor triads, a tritone apart (C- & F#-). As this scale seemed to have been nameless, and for lack of one better, I dubbed it the “Tritone Minor Scale”. It’s close resemblance to it’s likewise Diminished Scale offshoot cousin, … Read More
Judging from the title, this post is a follow up to last week’s, with some ideas on how one could apply these particular Melodic Minor 4th shapes in a ii-V7-i situation; at least in theory. What I’ve done here was to copy one of the single measure shape patterns from a particular MM scale for the ii7b5, and another one from the MM scale a minor 3rd above it for the V7alt, but not from the same identical scale degree, so that while the shape remains the same, the pattern’s interval makeup is slightly different. A common Melodic Minor device … Read More
On the heels of my last posted exercise, which was inspired by Walter Bishop’s “A Study in 4ths”, and which ended with an ascending figure of a diminished scale in Perfect 4ths, I thought it could be cool to further investigate some of the possibilities of P4th relationships within a diminished scale. I had considerably diminished the use of the diminished scale in my own playing for quite a while now, since I’ve felt that the modes of Melodic Minor (which is 2 notes shy of being a diminished scale), primarily the “altered scale” (seventh mode, diminished / whole tone) … Read More
Actually, your honor, I ain’t stole nuthin’! I just borrowed a little bit, which I’m tryin’ to return, by way of the Universe! Hey, I hadn’t even heard of Master Guitarist & Educator, John Stowell until a few months ago, when my long time buddy, Prof. Dave King of the University of Music & Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany (see post from 5/29/2013), took part in one of John’s master classes which was given at the school and sent me some video links. Needless to say, I was intrigued by Stowell’s harmonic and scalar concepts; especially his ideas of mixing … Read More