Blues melodic style: the basics | 9 | The blues 7th chord, the two blues scales, and blues riffs. |
A Note on Reviews | 10 | |
Jazz Theory | 11 | Review of Ken Stanton's text, now out of print. |
CD Review: Danilo Perez | 11 | |
Walter Bishop, Jr. Master Class | 11 | Bish's instructional video. |
Practicing Scales | 11 | General discussion, with suggested pattern of constantly changing starting points. |
Six-note scales | 13 | Some scales adding a note to the pentatonic. |
Style Analysis: Bud Powell | 14 | Oblivionsolo analyzed. |
Combining Upper Structures | 17 | Advanced chord voicings with more than one upper structure. |
Great Warm-up Exercise | 18 | A 12-key strength and dexterity exercise by George Cables. |
Substituting Vsus(b9) for V7 | 19 | An awkwardly titled discussion of the sus. b9 chord. |
Filling in the Blues Structure | 20 | A too brief discussion of the 12-bar blues progression. |
A Diminished-scale Voicing | 21 | Different ways to use the 3-note chord of a perfect 4th stacked over an augmented 4th. |
Dorian minor | 22 | Details of this basic scale. Melodic patterns, upper structures, etc. |
Good news | 24 | Science proves practice makes perfect. |
Jessica Williams | 24 | A plea for greater recognition for this pianist. |
A Chromatic Approach | 24 | A skeptical review of David Liebman's text. |
The Ultimate Jazz Fakebook | 25 | A boost of an underrated songbook. |
Style Analysis: McCoy Tyner | 25 | Monk's Bluessolo shows Tyner's unique approach to the blues. |
A Real 5-Finger Exercise | 28 | A Hanon-like exercise by the author, using unaccustomed finger sequences. |
Typology of Dominant 7th Chords | 30 | My theoretical approach. |
The Diminished Scale | 32 | Its symmetries, patterns; the four triads. |
The Case of Stan Getz | 34 | A comment on Getz's peculiar position in jazz history. |
Style Analysis: Keith Jarrett | 34 | So Tendersolo is analyzed and found to be quite inside. |
Your Repertoire, and Fakebooks | 35 | |
Letters | 37 | A few raves from readers. |
Time and the River | 37 | Comments on swing. |
The Universal Mind of Bill Evans | 38 | Review of this strange old video. |
Weight | 38 | Relaxation exercise from the old classical school. |
*Developing a Voicing Vocabulary (I) | 39 | Left hand rootless voicing exercise. San Diego State's Rick Helzer is the author. |
Reinventing Stella:a Case Study | 41 | Reharmonization of standard, based on broad principles. |
The Half-Diminished Scale | 43 | Another discussion of a basic scale. |
Basics: L. H. Rootless Voicings | 44 | Fundamental II-V-I stacked-third voicings. "A" and "B" positions. With exercise. First of a series. |
More on Mixolydian | 45 | A more penetrating discussion of McCoy Tyner's use of this scale in his blues style. |
*Developing a Voicing Vocabulary (II) | 47 | A further exercise from Rick Helzer. |
No Mind | 49 | Application of Zen principles to jazz. |
Dick Hyman, Piano Pro | 49 | A review of a book probably not worth reviewing. |
Utterly Unimportant Fact | 50 | Meet the mel. |
Style Analysis: Bobby Timmons | 50 | The Openersolo. Classic bebop lines, though post-1960. |
An Oscar Peterson Run | 51 | A Tatumesque descending scale. |
Nonconforming Scale Choices | 54 | Using seemingly "wrong" scales over chords. |
The Harmony of Bill Evans | 55 | Review of Jack Reilly's book. Less than meets the eye. |
Salsa Guidebook | 55 | Rebeca Mauleon's good textbook is reviewed. |
Basics: Shells | 56 | The two-note left hand figures used by Bud Powell and his followers. |
Style Analysis: Th. Monk | 57 | Ugly Beautysolo is studied and found both too hard and too easy to analyze. |
Two from Maybeck | 57 | CD reviews (Barron and Norris). |
Summary of the Melodic Minor System. | 59 | A reference chart of the melodic minor modes. |
Major 7 #5 chords | 60 | A hot chord of recent years. |
Triads and Their Added Notes | 61 | Using triad arpeggios, with added 9 or b9 or #9 or #11, in improvised lines. |
Lydian Dominant | 62 | Another basic scale. |
*Developing a Voicing Vocabulary (III) | 63 | Rick Helzer at it again. |
Turnarounds | 66 | A fraction of what could be said. Four good transcribed examples. |
Neighbor tones | 68 | A basic melodic device. |
Book Reviews | 69 | Jazz Anecdotes; From Birdland to Broadway; Handbook of Chord Substitutions; Ways of the Hand. |
Style Analysis: Stephen Scott | 70 | A fast rhythm changes solo (Crazeology).Devices to sound hip at fast tempos. |
Basics: the Circle of Fifths | 73 | A detailed explanation. |
The Whole-Tone Scale | 74 | Another in the Scale series. |
Descending from bV(mi7b5) | 75 | A common descending progression in reharmonizations of standards. Examples. |
Using Visualization in Practice | 77 | A well-known modern practice concept. |
A Cedar Walton Flourish | 77 | A fascinating little descending run. |
Altered-scale exercise | 77 | |
A b13 Scale | 78 | An invented 8-note scale (phrygian with added maj. 3, or lydian with added #9, are two modes.) |
Correct Ending to Blue Monk | 79 | Monk's own ending, that nobody uses. |
Parallel So WhatChords | 79 | Moving stacked-fourth voicings in parallel. |
Basics: Alterations | 79 | Detailed discussion of b9, #9, #11, and #5. |
The Tonic Minor Scale | 81 | The "minor-major" or "melodic minor" scale. |
The Lydian Chromatic Concept | 83 | A summary and review of George Russell's well-known theoretical text. |
Thinking in Jazz | 84 | A dissent from the chorus of praise for Paul Berliner's massive study. |
More book reviews | 85 | The Jazz Improvisation Series by John Mehegan; The Augmented Scale in Jazz by Weiskopf & Ricker; Latin Jazz Piano Techniqueby Olegario Diaz. |
Style Analysis: Mulgrew Miller | 86 | Solo on Without a Song. |
Dan Delaney
| 86 | Note about a teacher who offers personalized video lessons by mail. |
Diminished-scale exercise | 89 | |
Notes on Inner Urge | 91 | Discussion of the modern harmony of Joe Henderson's tune. |
Classic Album | 92 | The album in question is Night Dreamer (Wayne Shorter). |
Two-chord Jams | 93 | An excellent way to work with students. |
Deep Thoughts | 94 | Different ways of focussing on music. |
Basics: Upper Structures | 94 | Those triads from another key in the right hand. |
Style analysis: Horace Silver | 97 | Solo from The Opener. |
Lenny Tristano Scales | 100 | Lenny's weird scale exercises, with a page of examples. |
Joy Spring intro | 100 | Everyone should know the authentic intro to Clifford Brown's classic. |
Shpfltnat | 100 | A superior music font for your computer. |
Think Lydian | 100 | Using the lydian scale as a basic resource. |
Deconstructing Stars Fell on Alabama | .103 | An analysis of the tune's progression and ideas for reharmonization. |
My Philosophy | 106 | A summary of my ideas about studying jazz improvisation. |
Style Analysis: Kenny Kirkland | 107 | His Ana Mariasolo. Modern, but straightforward. |
Playing Rhythm Changes Today | 110 | |
Basics: the Chord/Scale Concept | 111 | Scales are chords, and chords are scales. |
Complex Intro Vamps | 112 | Examples of carefully composed introductory vamps, by Geri Allen and Allen Farnham. |
Melody is King | 113 | A reminder of what's really important. |
Progression Fundamentals (I) | 115 | Circle of fifths progressions. |
1 2 4 5 Scales | 116 | These 4-note scales are a good right hand resource. |
The Jazz Theory Book | 117 | Review of Mark Levine's newer work. |
*The Contemporary Jazz Pianist | 119 | A long review of Bill Dobbins' 4-volume instructional work, by contributor Roger Smook. |
Basics: Walking Bass Lines | 120 | |
Letter | 121 | From Dieter Feldkamp, a jazz teacher in Germany. |
Reflections: the Early 60s | 122 | The classic Blue Notes of Shorter, Mobley, etc. |
Style Analysis: Jessica Williams | 123 | Her unique lush style on Dear Lord. |
"Coltrane Changes" exercise | 126 | Left hand rootless voicings for a Coltrane-style progression. |
Corrections | 126 | Errata from previous issues. |
V11 | 127 | Using the unaltered 11th with dominant chords. |
An Exotic Scale Revisited | 128 | More on the "b13 scale" introduced in No. 8. |
Good Reads | 130 | Seven jazz books I like. |
Basics: Chord Voicings in Two Hands | 130 | |
Style Analysis: Jim McNeely | 132 | Sipping at Bell's,a good F blues example. |
Close-position Pedal Point Progressions | 136 | Voicing turnaround progressions within an octave's space. |
Two Resources | 137 | Ekay Music's transcriptions; the Encore/Coda music camp. |
Jazz Zen (Further Thoughts) | 137 | |
Slow Scale Practice | 137 | Ideas from The Art of Piano Playingby George Kochevitsky. |
Progression Fundamentals (II) | 139 | Stepwise progressions. |
Charlie Parker Omnibook | 141 | Essential in your library. |
Charlie Parker's Bebop Lines | 141 | Some of his melodic devices. |
Style Analysis: Bill Evans | 143 | From Sareen Jurer.My longest transcription. |
Basics: Harmonic Rhythm | 148 | An important and neglected subject. |
*On Motivation | 149 | By Dieter Feldkamp. |
Jazz Primer on the Web | 150 | Never mindthis web page exists no longer. |
Ninths | 150 | Making bell-like voicings with ninths. |
X#9 | 151 | A dominant 7th with 9, #9, #11, 13. |
*Before We Go On | 152 | More ruminations of Dieter Feldkamp. Articulation of Straight, No Chaser. |
Rock 'n Roll | 153 | Back to basics. |
Marantz Field Recorder | 154 | The Cadillac of portable tape recorders. |
Style Analysis: Chick Corea | 154 | Upper Manhattan Medical Group. |
Comping | 159 | General comments on this important skill. |
The Art of Comping | 160 | A lukewarm review of Jim McNeely's instructional CD and workbook. |
The Barry Harris Workshop | 160 | Four hours of video and a workbook explain Barry's tried and true teaching system. |
Ending to 'Round Midnight | 162 | The familiar samba-time coda is rarely written down. |
Counterpoint | 163 | Moving inner voices. They arise from harmonic ideas. |
*A Threefold Way of Learning | 165 | Dieter Feldkamp discusses the "centers" of the mind. |
Barry Harris melodic exercises | 166 | My own piano version of some of his beginning workouts. |
*Development of Blues Form | 167 | By Duncan Burgess. |
Style Analysis: Gene Harris | 167 | The bar-room style Blues for Rhonda. |
Basics: Suspended chords | 171 | |
My System | 173 | 22 chord types, with my own system of symbols. |
Dept. of Amplification | 173 | More comments on comping, and on chains of dominant 7ths. |
Tea for Twoby Tatum | 174 | A harmonic variation. |
The Augmented Family | 175 | Augmented 7th, augmented with 9th, whole tone, and altered chords. An unusual chord substitution is suggested. |
*Listening | 177 | Dieter Feldkamp on real listening. |
Crush Voicings | 177 | Voicings with semitones in them. |
Transcribing | 178 | Tricks of the trade. |
Style Analysis: Herbie Hancock | 179 | Dance Cadaverous. |
Basics: Passing Diminished Chords | 183 | Filling space harmonically with diminished chords. |
Two Hands | 185 | The left and right hands have different natures. |
Up 1-4-5, Down Bop b9 Exercise | 186 | |
Moment's Notice:Turnarounds | 187 | The progression of Coltrane's tune is analyzed, and variations of turnarounds are discussed. |
The Improvised Line | 189 | The most basic devices of right-hand melody. |
*Reviews | 190 | Feldkamp recommends two recent works, Key Jazz Rhythms,by Fred Lipsius, and Jazz Conception,by Jim Snidero. |
*Thoughts on Learning Jazz | 191 | Dieter Feldkamp favors listening to the masters instead of practicing exotic scales. |
Style Analysis: Wynton Kelly | 192 | Groovin' Highand Well You Needn't. |
Long-term Musical Development | 195 | Music students dream of mastering their shortcomings, but rarely do so. | |
Groovin' High:original arrangment | 196 | Dizzy's intro, breaks, and coda. |
Eurhythmics | 196 | The "Dalcroze" method of studying rhythm, and integrating the body and mind, should be better known. |
Arpeggio-rest exercise | 198 | |
Progression Fundamentals (III) | 199 | Progressions in 3rds; the "leading-tone" dominant; "Coltrane" changes. |
Effortless Mastery | 201 | Kenny Werner's recent book on spiritual development is recommended. |
*Technique | 201 | General discussion by Dieter Feldkamp. |
Style Analysis: Jimmy Rowles | 203 | An elegant Sophisticated Lady.Bass line too. |
*Fast Jazz Improvisation | 206 | Feldkamp once more, with some serious bebop exercises and practice recommendations. |
Me, me, me | 209 | I'm sorry already I took up space with this autobiographical entry. |
New Scale Exercise | 209 | A more evolved form of the scale method in No 2. |
Introductions | 211 | A discussion of "intros" with 4 great examples. |
*Basic Rhythmic Sensibility | 213 | Dieter Feldkamp discusses some profound basic rhythm exercises. |
Style Analysis: Walter Norris | 215 | Crazy She Calls Me,an unusual standard, is given Norris's special harmonic treatment. |
Rhythmic Identity | 220 | Different beats of the measure have different meanings. |
Pentatonic Scales | 221 | Whole books have been written on this subject, but I have just a few comments. |
Still More Thoughts on Scales | 222 | I must be obsessed with this topic. |
American Popular Song | 222 | Alec Wilder's very worthwhile history is written from a musician's point of view. |
The "Other" Dom. 7 Substitute | 223 | First there was bII7, then bVII7, and now III7. |
Ballad Time | 224 | Playing ballads involves feeling time on many levels. Time After Timeis the example. |
Improvisatory approach to line facility | 226 | Building free improvisation skills from simple gestures. |
Style Analysis: Cedar Walton | 226 | For All We Knowreally swings. |
Going for the Dance | 230 | Communicating rhythm is the great thing. |
*Practice | 231 | Dieter Feldkamp discusses practicing, and gives some exercises for sharpening your focus. |
*Cross-rhythm | 232 | Feldkamp on a resource that's used in just about every jazz solo. |
Voicing Ideas for Prelude to a Kiss | 233 | Duke's classic becomes a showcase for my wacky voicing ideas. |
*Oscar Peterson Exercise | 235 | A rhythm exercise, left out last issue. |
Short Takes | 235 | Seven ideas that might have been articles, if there were any more issues. | |
IAJE Convention | 237 | Themeeting of the jazz world. |
New Sleeping City | 237 | A valedictory offering--one of my own tunes. |