Colonel Bleeped!
Coltrane's "Satellite" - The First Eight
Col. Bleepdat knows "Satellite". This post presents an exercise over the chord changes to the first eight bars of John Coltrane's "(Giant) Step-ed Up" up treatment of the popular standard, "How High the Moon", (Charlie Parker's "Ornithology" is based on the straight changes of the tune).
I posted a full transcription of Coltrane's solo, on "Satellite", as well as information about the solo and the recording itself, so I won't repeat that here.
"Satellite" is but one of several 'Trane originals, based on standards, over which he superimposed his version of the "Cycle of Descending Major Thirds", which has become known to the world as "Coltrane Changes" or "Giant Steps Changes".
I posted a full transcription of Coltrane's solo, on "Satellite", as well as information about the solo and the recording itself, so I won't repeat that here.
"Satellite" is but one of several 'Trane originals, based on standards, over which he superimposed his version of the "Cycle of Descending Major Thirds", which has become known to the world as "Coltrane Changes" or "Giant Steps Changes".
Actually, this exercise covers the first four bars of "Satellite", since the second four are a repetition of the first, down a whole step (as is the original "How High the Moon").
G Maj7 / G Maj7 / G-7 / C7
F Maj7 / F Maj7 / F-7 / Bb7 the first 8 of "How High the Moon" becomes
G Bb7/ Eb F#7 / B D7 / G-7 C7
F Ab7 / Db E7 / A C7 / F-7 Bb7 Coltrane's first 8 of "Satellite".
The "cycle of descending maj. 3rds", where each successive Maj. triad is preceded by it's dominant, is in effect for the first 3 measures before cycling back to the original root (in this case "G"), which is now the root of G-7, the ii part of the traditional ii - V7 (G-7 C7), leading to the key of "F", a whole step lower.
The melodic content, in each of the first two measures is made up of basic 1-3-5 ascending Major triads and 9-b7-5-3 dominant 7th descending arpeggios.
In bar #3, the triad takes on an optional "ghost" note and the dom. 7th chord is expressed through a b7-8-9-3 digital scale pattern.
The ii-V7 in bar #4 is expressed through digital pattern 1-2-3-4 on the ii chord and a 6-5-3-1 descending arpeggio on the V7.
Once again, the melodic content of each 4 bars of this exercise is identical, transposed in each case down a whole step and connected by the preceding ii-V7 in the final measure of each segment.
Since the lines move in descending whole steps, there are 2 groups of six keys, and one can start anywhere within those 6 keys, before cycling back to the beginning.
G Maj7 / G Maj7 / G-7 / C7
F Maj7 / F Maj7 / F-7 / Bb7 the first 8 of "How High the Moon" becomes
G Bb7/ Eb F#7 / B D7 / G-7 C7
F Ab7 / Db E7 / A C7 / F-7 Bb7 Coltrane's first 8 of "Satellite".
The "cycle of descending maj. 3rds", where each successive Maj. triad is preceded by it's dominant, is in effect for the first 3 measures before cycling back to the original root (in this case "G"), which is now the root of G-7, the ii part of the traditional ii - V7 (G-7 C7), leading to the key of "F", a whole step lower.
The melodic content, in each of the first two measures is made up of basic 1-3-5 ascending Major triads and 9-b7-5-3 dominant 7th descending arpeggios.
In bar #3, the triad takes on an optional "ghost" note and the dom. 7th chord is expressed through a b7-8-9-3 digital scale pattern.
The ii-V7 in bar #4 is expressed through digital pattern 1-2-3-4 on the ii chord and a 6-5-3-1 descending arpeggio on the V7.
Once again, the melodic content of each 4 bars of this exercise is identical, transposed in each case down a whole step and connected by the preceding ii-V7 in the final measure of each segment.
Since the lines move in descending whole steps, there are 2 groups of six keys, and one can start anywhere within those 6 keys, before cycling back to the beginning.
B. Stern
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