I think you made the concept quite clear. Instead of playing lines unique to each individual chord, play lines that suit more than one chord and keep the continuity flowing. This has the effect of “smoothing” out the solo.
Thanks Christian! I've been working with your videos you did on simplifying the 251 progressions. I found that pretty freeing but i was still tending to stay in safe territory. This video really unlocks the secret of simplifying the progression in order to give yourself more options. I look forward to more insights from you in this direction.
Amazing video as always, Christiaan! Lots of useful info on here. I had a buddy come over last week for a GJ jam and I shared some of your knowledge with him about simplifying progressions from your previous videos.
Hi Christiaan! i looked in the index on your patreon for these videos could u combine all of your harmony videos to one grouping? like a series? i've seen maybe 3 of them. if they already r in one place sorry i'll keep looking. thanks for all your work with these videos they r gold
I'd like to see the approach on Giant Steps, Take the A Train, Rhythm Changes, Harlem Nocturne, and other songs with interesting chord changes. Perhaps some modal tunes too? Keep up the great work! 😀
If you are into the bebop scale as I am you can play the bebop on the V of any tonic ON the tonic e g G7 bebop on C maj 6 or 7 . And you can play a minor ii V by playing the bebop scale a min 3rd above the Y alt of the ii V. eg Bb bebop over E-7 b5 to G alt ))) Thx for your info
I don't really see the benefit of thinking about a particular "bebop scale" as opposed to just thinking of a diatonic scale (say mixolydian) with an odd number of passing notes (1, 3, or 5). I'm interested in understanding how you see a bebop scale as a special thing.
"Naming things" in improv provides the improviser with handy heuristics. For me thinking about a "bebop scale" immediately guides my hand and ears to certain parts of the fretboard and to a certain sound and to certain lines. I think for that it is useful (because I trained myself that way).
Good stuff, and analysis. I think it's also important to think (or feel) the melody at least during part of the solo. Listeners appreciate it when you at least "reference" the melody. Thanks for the work! P.S. Great choice of a tune. Love that one!
Thanks Paul. Yeah, thinking about the theme can be cool although most of the solos that people are studying of the greats do not have much of that. In fact Django and Grappelli often didn't even know the full themes and Parker and Coltrane solos have no trace of themes anywhere!
I disagree. In "My Shining Hour" first chorus, Coltrane outlines the melody ua-cam.com/video/AI3HrXkmsl0/v-deo.html at least in terms of the lines rising and falling in the same way as the melody -- like a poet would have two couplets have the same type of ryhthm and rhyme, up and down-turn of the phrasing.
It depends on what you're going for, and your role in the band. If you're the band leader, then of course you're going to have to play the head. My experience has been playing with sax and trumpet players. When you play with a horn player, they're almost always going to play the head while you chunk out the chords. Then they'll take one or two choruses where they play some permutation of the melody, Usually the piano or guitar will solo next. By that point, the melody is well-referenced, and the song needs to (in my opinion) push into some new territory. If you reference the melody too much at this point, you might be robbing the song of the final melody resolution at the end of the song. There is a cool effect when the song has gone far out from the original melody, and then ties back together at the end. That said, I still think it is a good idea to have the guide tones implied by the chords and the melody flickering throughout your solo.
Love this video Christian. Thanks. Could you perhaps go through backstage Sally by Wayne shorter? I'm trying to get my head around it at the minute. It seems very tricky, but I'm sure it isn't as complex as it appears. Looking forward to the next one of these regardless. Thanks again.
Hi Jim, thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna make more of these. I'll put the song on the list but fist I want to do some more well known tunes (that's better for the views). Your suggestion is good though for when I have 15k+ subs or so!
Hi Christiaan, great video. Can you suggest a simplification of the changes in After You've Gone from bars 25 - 32? (Am | E7 | Am | Cm | G | B7 | Em | A7) I always have trouble with these. Also I enjoyed your ideas about substitutions. Perhaps you could make another video on this topic? Thanks for your work.
Did you say "Beatles scale" at 6:20? The closed caption said "leave of skill" and later "people's skill"!!! I really love this simplification as I can't play jazz yet. This really helps. Thank you.,
Thanks for the reply. I did not even know there was a bebop scale. In looking it up I got a new and helpful perspective on playing lead and improvising. Wow - 2 huge insights just that fast! l need to learn more from you!!!
Kool thanks. I like how you simplified the progression down to play and hear the different substitutions. Good work, maybe will see you playing with Stachelo or someone sometime.
Yes, that is just simply true. I just made a video about it and I'll make more. It is the exact way I look at harmony. Unfortunately chord/scale theory and "modes" theory is obfuscating this fact!
Hey Christian, great lesson! I want to make a video about Dolphin Dance. How did you overlay the Realbook chart on top of your video? I just have a MacBook. No fancy video equipment.
How do we know when a chord isn't essential to a song or melody as intended by the composer? How do we know if a song has been re-harmonized from the original? Can all songs be resolved to the three chord forms, dominant, minor, diminished or I IV V? What are there specific steps to follow?
Like I said in the video, it's all very tune dependent. But yes, everything can be reduced to either major, minor or dominant. Diminished is just a form of dominant although you have to know which ones to use (again tune dependent) and half dim is just minor6 in an inversion. I will do more videos like this with other tunes and you can see the process!
Thanks, it's just a retardation of G7. You can call it a side step or a tritone sub of D7 (another suspension chord). It works because I continue the line resolving to Ddim before resolving to C6!
You could do it but not generally. On A- it is very appropriate to play an A-6 sound. If you'd play that sound on C6 you're expressing a lydian flavour on the I chord. That is something that you might not always want!
@@ChristiaanvanHemert I think Joe Pass or Barry Harris also said that '' I don't believe in two chords'' that's very funny. Great video by the way, thanks a lot.
Yes, in the key of G they're both altered sub dominants so completely interchangeable. You could also play F#7 and/or C#double dim (which is the same as Eb7)!
Thank you. Sorry, haha. Why when I see "simplify" or "easy" in a jazz (any music instruction) video the instruction is mind-boggling complicated? You do say, "hard to describe in a video." It does become simplified when applied. But, trying to describe "simplify" and "easy" and someone like myself (an idiot ha) attempting to comprehend it gets complicated. I think the key is to just listen, and throw away chords and choose one point made(instruction) and build on it by picking up a guitar. Thank you
This is by far one of the greatest lessons on youtube. Thank you.
Total respect and gratitude for this information and giving it up for free. very generous of you. I will be giving u a tip.
I think you made the concept quite clear. Instead of playing lines unique to each individual chord, play lines that suit more than one chord and keep the continuity flowing. This has the effect of “smoothing” out the solo.
This is brilliant!
It is a mix of Schenkerian Analysis and functional harmony.
The way I was taught is either Tonic, Subdominant or Dominant. Period!
Thanks Christian! I've been working with your videos you did on simplifying the 251 progressions. I found that pretty freeing but i was still tending to stay in safe territory. This video really unlocks the secret of simplifying the progression in order to give yourself more options. I look forward to more insights from you in this direction.
Thanks Don! I'll make more!
Most helpful vid I have ever seen.
Amazing video as always, Christiaan! Lots of useful info on here. I had a buddy come over last week for a GJ jam and I shared some of your knowledge with him about simplifying progressions from your previous videos.
That's cool Giancarlo!
Hi Christiaan! i looked in the index on your patreon for these videos could u combine all of your harmony videos to one grouping? like a series? i've seen maybe 3 of them. if they already r in one place sorry i'll keep looking. thanks for all your work with these videos they r gold
I'd like to see the approach on Giant Steps, Take the A Train, Rhythm Changes, Harlem Nocturne, and other songs with interesting chord changes. Perhaps some modal tunes too? Keep up the great work! 😀
Giant steps? Hmm, interesting. I might do that, probably good for the views too!
If you are into the bebop scale as I am you can play the bebop on the V of any tonic ON the tonic e g G7 bebop on C maj 6 or 7 . And you can play a minor ii V by playing the bebop scale a min 3rd above the Y alt of the ii V. eg Bb bebop over E-7 b5 to G alt ))) Thx for your info
I don't really see the benefit of thinking about a particular "bebop scale" as opposed to just thinking of a diatonic scale (say mixolydian) with an odd number of passing notes (1, 3, or 5). I'm interested in understanding how you see a bebop scale as a special thing.
"Naming things" in improv provides the improviser with handy heuristics. For me thinking about a "bebop scale" immediately guides my hand and ears to certain parts of the fretboard and to a certain sound and to certain lines. I think for that it is useful (because I trained myself that way).
Good stuff, and analysis. I think it's also important to think (or feel) the melody at least during part of the solo. Listeners appreciate it when you at least "reference" the melody. Thanks for the work! P.S. Great choice of a tune. Love that one!
Thanks Paul. Yeah, thinking about the theme can be cool although most of the solos that people are studying of the greats do not have much of that. In fact Django and Grappelli often didn't even know the full themes and Parker and Coltrane solos have no trace of themes anywhere!
I disagree. In "My Shining Hour" first chorus, Coltrane outlines the melody ua-cam.com/video/AI3HrXkmsl0/v-deo.html at least in terms of the lines rising and falling in the same way as the melody -- like a poet would have two couplets have the same type of ryhthm and rhyme, up and down-turn of the phrasing.
It depends on what you're going for, and your role in the band. If you're the band leader, then of course you're going to have to play the head. My experience has been playing with sax and trumpet players. When you play with a horn player, they're almost always going to play the head while you chunk out the chords. Then they'll take one or two choruses where they play some permutation of the melody, Usually the piano or guitar will solo next. By that point, the melody is well-referenced, and the song needs to (in my opinion) push into some new territory. If you reference the melody too much at this point, you might be robbing the song of the final melody resolution at the end of the song. There is a cool effect when the song has gone far out from the original melody, and then ties back together at the end. That said, I still think it is a good idea to have the guide tones implied by the chords and the melody flickering throughout your solo.
Love this video Christian. Thanks. Could you perhaps go through backstage Sally by Wayne shorter? I'm trying to get my head around it at the minute. It seems very tricky, but I'm sure it isn't as complex as it appears. Looking forward to the next one of these regardless. Thanks again.
Hi Jim, thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna make more of these. I'll put the song on the list but fist I want to do some more well known tunes (that's better for the views). Your suggestion is good though for when I have 15k+ subs or so!
Yes Christiaan, that makes sense. Thanks for the reply. I'll be watching whatever you decide to do anyhow.
Hi Christiaan, great video. Can you suggest a simplification of the changes in After You've Gone from bars 25 - 32? (Am | E7 | Am | Cm | G | B7 | Em | A7) I always have trouble with these. Also I enjoyed your ideas about substitutions. Perhaps you could make another video on this topic? Thanks for your work.
Did you say "Beatles scale" at 6:20? The closed caption said "leave of skill" and later "people's skill"!!! I really love this simplification as I can't play jazz yet. This really helps. Thank you.,
"Bebop Scale"! Haha
Thanks for the reply. I did not even know there was a bebop scale. In looking it up I got a new and helpful perspective on playing lead and improvising. Wow - 2 huge insights just that fast! l need to learn more from you!!!
Excellent video and video's.
Good looper work. What looper do you use?
TC Ditto Looper. Thanks!
Kool thanks.
I like how you simplified the progression down to play and hear the different substitutions.
Good work, maybe will see you playing with Stachelo or someone sometime.
Oliver Massaien wrote a huge book "The Craft of Musical Composition" to proove that every chord movement functions as a I IV or V.
Yes, that is just simply true. I just made a video about it and I'll make more. It is the exact way I look at harmony. Unfortunately chord/scale theory and "modes" theory is obfuscating this fact!
I can ot fin the book, the only book I could find is written by Paul or something
Hey Christian, great lesson!
I want to make a video about Dolphin Dance. How did you overlay the Realbook chart on top of your video? I just have a MacBook. No fancy video equipment.
You can overlay images with any video editing software. I use Davinci Resolve, which is free but has quite a high learning curve!
How do we know when a chord isn't essential to a song or melody as intended by the composer? How do we know if a song has been re-harmonized from the original? Can all songs be resolved to the three chord forms, dominant, minor, diminished or I IV V? What are there specific steps to follow?
Like I said in the video, it's all very tune dependent. But yes, everything can be reduced to either major, minor or dominant. Diminished is just a form of dominant although you have to know which ones to use (again tune dependent) and half dim is just minor6 in an inversion. I will do more videos like this with other tunes and you can see the process!
Great content. at 11:36, you mention playing an ab7, I think I'm missing something here, what is your reasoning for this?
Thanks, it's just a retardation of G7. You can call it a side step or a tritone sub of D7 (another suspension chord). It works because I continue the line resolving to Ddim before resolving to C6!
I agree with the major, minor and dominant thought. Taking a page from Joe Pass.
Would you also simplify the A- to C6 and the F6 to D-?
You could do it but not generally. On A- it is very appropriate to play an A-6 sound. If you'd play that sound on C6 you're expressing a lydian flavour on the I chord. That is something that you might not always want!
Can this simplification also be applied to chord melody?
For sure, though the simplification gives you the space to find many interesting ways harmonize a melody!
"Forget about the 2" Joe Pass said almost exactly the same words.
I actually went back in time and told Joe Pass that!
Wow, you're even better than I thought ;)
:)
@@ChristiaanvanHemert I think Joe Pass or Barry Harris also said that '' I don't believe in two chords'' that's very funny. Great video by the way, thanks a lot.
Django played a Cm6 against a C# diminished in the bridge on Lady Be Good....
Yes, in the key of G they're both altered sub dominants so completely interchangeable. You could also play F#7 and/or C#double dim (which is the same as Eb7)!
This style is not obtainable for me, but I enjoy watching anyways!
Thanks Greg!
.......and who the F$%^ gave this a thumbs down? give urself an uppercut.
What was simple about any of that?
Thank you. Sorry, haha. Why when I see "simplify" or "easy" in a jazz (any music instruction) video the instruction is mind-boggling complicated? You do say, "hard to describe in a video." It does become simplified when applied. But, trying to describe "simplify" and "easy" and someone like myself (an idiot ha) attempting to comprehend it gets complicated. I think the key is to just listen, and throw away chords and choose one point made(instruction) and build on it by picking up a guitar. Thank you
Just go as slow as you need to and rewatch, you'll get it at one point I promise!