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Jazz guitar articulation and relation to phrasing
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Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,thanks for the tips.I can see why you like this one,it has a lot of feel to it.I am tring to get the notes to the head down,then I will work on the articulation of the notes.I must admit ,I am doing a little of both while learning the notes.Can not help it.hahaha
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Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California

PostPosted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill, I am still working on the head,but am starting to learn the solo.Is there any way you could attach the sheet music you have to a responce here.I would like to compare the sheet music to what I have got.If not that is ok,just thought I would ask.Anyway thanks for the thread,as it has pushed me in a cool direction.
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billbluesandjazz



Joined: 29 May 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dean, I have several versions - the Charlie Parker Omnibook has transcriptions of his solos (note that it depends on the recording used for the transcription) e.g. the fast version of Ornithology is NOT what is transcribed in the Omnibook. Aebersold Playalong "All Bird" has the music for this and many others, but no demo of the head. Hal Leonard Charlie Parker volume has a demo of the head. Another difference is that the Aebersold version uses the head from Bud Powell (my personal favourite) whereas the Omnibook and Hal Leonard stick with the original Parker version.

Sorry I don't have the music in electronic version.

All the best with this. Bill
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Mark
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Ornithology Reply with quote

billbluesandjazz wrote:
I have several versions - the Charlie Parker Omnibook has transcriptions of his solos (note that it depends on the recording used for the transcription) e.g. the fast version of Ornithology is NOT what is transcribed in the Omnibook. Aebersold Playalong "All Bird" has the music for this and many others, but no demo of the head. Hal Leonard Charlie Parker volume has a demo of the head. Another difference is that the Aebersold version uses the head from Bud Powell (my personal favourite) whereas the Omnibook and Hal Leonard stick with the original Parker version.


Bill (and Dean),

I just read your recent and previous post(s) for the first time. Sorry that I've missed them because you're talking about one of my favorite subjects, and I certainly would have chimed in earlier had I known.

Yes, the lesser-known version of the Ornithology head has always been my favorite, too. I used to play it on bass many years ago in a jazz piano quartet in the East Bay (SF Bay Area). Back then my main technical workout on bass was playing hundreds of bebop and blues heads, because it coincides perfectly with my philosophy that the majority of study time should be devoted to something you would actually play for someone, as opposed to mundane scales and exercises. Language spawns language and strength generates strength. But I digress... Wink

In either case and speaking of Jamey Aebersold, my last recorded version of "The Study of Birds" was done on guitar and using the track from the All Bird collection. To check it out, click here. Hope you guys enjoy it!

- Mark
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billbluesandjazz



Joined: 29 May 2009
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Location: Scotland

PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark, thanks for posting and for your Ornithology version - it sounds great. I have saved it to my library for further study!!

This brings me right back to my original topic, how to articulate jazz/bebop on the guitar. I have been busy recording various versions of the head at about 240 bpm - I like the tone best with the tone control rolled right off, but it does change the articulation - it is less pronounced than with the tone on the amp at 12 o'clock and the guitar just a touch rolled off on the neck pickup ( I am using a Collings 290 electric, but the same holds true for my archtop which actually needs more tone rolled off to get the warm sound). This does however show up even the slightest mistake, whereas tone rolled off hides many!!


When bebop is played fast then the swing eights are almost straight, so it is the articulation which provides the jazz feel (IMO).

My conclusions so far are:

1. Do not use any compression - this removes your ability to use dynamics, and the guitar already has much less dynamic range than an alto for example.

2. Use hammer-ons, hammer-offs and slides on the downbeats (yes you may change this if the note is the highest in the line or the phrasing is in triplets, but this gives a much smoother line than all or even mostly picked).

3. Alternate picking is probably a no-no unless for a fast picked run - (see 2. above)

4. Considering the articulation forces you to make choices of fingerboard position, fingering and picking - merely being aware of this seems to improve the feel.

5. It is one thing to play the head with good articulation after practising it over and over - improvising is another matter. Major 7th runs played over ii/V/Is a la Robert Conti help, as long as you have practised the articulation in the run, something that is not obvious to start with!

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Bill
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Mark
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

billbluesandjazz wrote:
Mark, thanks for posting and for your Ornithology version - it sounds great. I have saved it to my library for further study!!

This brings me right back to my original topic, how to articulate jazz/bebop on the guitar. Any suggestions gratefully received.


Bill,

You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. Regarding the subject of articulation, there are many factors involved, and when it comes to the equipment and settings used, much of it becomes a personal issue.

For instance, the recording I just shared with you was done directly in, so no amp involved whatsoever. I never practice with an amp, because it forces me to bring out more nuances and dynamics in relying only on my language vocabulary, phrasing, etc. My great friend, jazz guitarist Henry Johnson (Chicago) does the same thing. For the record and with all due respect to many fine players, I consider HJ to be among the top bebop guitarists in the world, if not the best.

The guitar on that recording is my main archtop, a '70 Gibson Super 400. I'm using the same type of strings I've used for over 35 years, Labella tapewound 800's (.014 - .067), a key part of my sound and tone. Front pickup only with tone at full treble. Reverb and EQ are software-based.

As far as your articulation conclusions are concerned, mine are somewhat similar. Again, it depends on personal choices and whether you approach improvising jazz guitar from the Wes perspective (along the fingerboard) or not (position playing). I favor the former, and therefore use a lot of slurs whether I'm using the right-hand thumb or a flatpick. Ideally in the tradition of horn players and legato phrasing, slurring should be into the downbeats and not from those beats, although if I'm using my thumb and and playing in excess of 250 bpm I tend to use as many slurs as possible, using my touch and ear to get the proper articulation.

George Benson is a master at that approach, so much so that many conclude that he's picking every note when in actuality he's using primarily downstrokes and slurring. It's just that his slurs are executed with such conviction. Ever since I started working harder in developing my thumb ability a la Wes, I've seen a great deal of growth in the left-hand along similar lines.

Finally, yes.. you can achieve the same level of articulation you do when playing heads if you take that element into consideration when it comes to your jazz language vocabulary (e.g. II-V's, turnarounds, etc). And a terrific way of perfecting it is to work those great clichés into model solos, just like Bird did. After all, Ornithology was Parker's favorite solo for How High the Moon, and almost every one of his tunes is cut from the model solo cloth. All for now...

- Mark
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Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California

PostPosted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark and Bill ,Thanks for the very cool info.,I love this tune.I am almost up to speed on the head.Also ,I was plesantly suprised to hear the tune and know that the head I am learning is the same.I have two or three phrasings of the head ,and hopefully soon I will be able to post my progress.I am going to buy a stand alone recording unit.I am leaning to a Tascam unit.Thanks again Ron
Oh ,by the way ..when I play this ,I feel like I am playing music.hahaha
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billbluesandjazz



Joined: 29 May 2009
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To Mark

Many thanks for the encouragement. I do practise every day without an amp, but recently am tending more to using an amp - in particular I find that playing with the volume up lets me practise comping either fingerstyle, with thumb brushes or lightly strummed, switching to pick for solos or riffs behind a soloist. I have noticed that playing with an amp develops your clarity in terms of damping unwanted string noise (of course it depends on the guitar/string setup - some are much more resonant than others). I understand that Wes would only practise with an amp since he always wanted to hear the sound that he would be producing when he played with others. Also playing solidbody guitars without an amp is OK, but you do lose quite a bit!

Regarding position playing, I tend much more to playing along the fingerboard - not only does this provide more opportunity for articulation, but stops the "me too" sound that so many position players have.

Playing legato into the downbeats is exactly what I work to achieve unless my ear tells me different!

Thanks also for your equipment info - my archtop is an Epi Emperor Regent on which I had a full pro setup and a Kent Armstrong floating mini-bucker pup fitted. I use Thomastik Infeld tapewound strings. The only problem I have is that that guitar and case are so heavy that I cannot realistically take it on public transport so I tend to play out with my Collings.

Thanks again - off to work on my Ornithology model solo!!

To Dean

For recording, think about what you want from a recorder. For example, do you want a full, standalone multi-track device, complete with CD burner, or do you want something that you can use to capture any situation on the fly - both have their uses. I have recently purchased a Zoom H2 recorder for carrying with me. It is a great device for anything from solo instruments right through to band practice. You need to have either a computer or another recorder for multi-tracking, but the Zoom also functions as a USB mike to a pc or mac.

All the best, Bill
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Dean



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill, thanks for the heads up on the zoom.I will look into it ,too.I worked on the solo today ,got the notes down, to two measures...I still enjoy this song.
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billbluesandjazz



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To Mark and Dean

Quick update - have a couple of model solos down now, but not up to tempo - one is an "exercise" version with more notes than I would normally play, the other is a sparser and in my opinion more musical version. I have kept reasonably "inside" except for a certain amount of chromaticism. I played them to-day with my jazz teacher (a sax player!) - he comped on keyboard while I played the head and improvised. Am finding that playing "live" I hear a phrase and play it even if the broad structure of the solo stays the same - it seems to be producing results.

What seems to be working for me is:

1. learn the changes (comping)
2. learn the head
3. play over the changes with runs and bebop clichés
4. fool around with 3. finding my own runs and melodic phrases - leaving space as well
5. let go and play without thinking too much

Mark, you are right that playing common bebop phrases (copied or improvised) tends to automatically produce the articulation. Leaving room for the music to breathe also helps.

Dean, glad the Zoom info was useful - most people with the H2 love it - simplicity plus small size seems to be a winning formula. Great you are playing Ornithology - most people give up on it!!

Practising hard since next week am playing in a 5 day series of jazz workshops.

All the best, Bill
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Dean



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To All, This song also makes you hold your breath longer and make those guitar faces more.This is pure fun.Thanks again Ron
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Mark
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

billbluesandjazz wrote:
Mark, you are right that playing common bebop phrases (copied or improvised) tends to automatically produce the articulation. Leaving room for the music to breathe also helps.


Bill (and Dean),

I've written extensively regarding the need for call & response dialogue in music, between solo phrases (aka "taking a breath"), between members of a band listening to each other, and between the performer(s) and the audience. To me, it's also a critical component in successful composition, something that jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery personified in his brilliant blend of single-notes, octaves, and chords, all done in a conversational manner.

If you never got a chance to read my "Seven Steps to Changes Heaven" article that appeared in Jazz Improv magazine, drop me an email at my site address (mark@visionmusic.com) and I'll be happy to send along a PDF copy. Given what you've shared, I'm sure you'd thoroughly enjoy it.

On the bebop and horn-influenced front, Have We Met? is an uptempo Rhythm Changes head that I wrote for bass some time ago. Guitar doubles on the head. "Fake" bridge, so the bass walks while guitar plays Wes-style upper-string chords. Just the riff-based head and out, but note the breathing/spacing between phrases. Hope you enjoy it!

- Mark
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Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Mark, That is very cool.I know this mite sound funny ,but working on this is helping me make sense of what you have been saying all along.The horns, and breaths,and timeing.For some reason this makes more sense to me as music.I had been in sort of a rut till I started learning this piece.It has pulled me out of a slump.I am really getting a lot of miles out of this one.
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billbluesandjazz



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark - thanks for that and Have We Met is a cool head - I can see why you play bass too!

All the best. Bill
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

billbluesandjazz wrote:
Mark - thanks for that and Have We Met is a cool head - I can see why you play bass too!


Bill,

Sure thing, and glad you dug the tune. I simply can't overstate the value in a guitarist (any genre) playing bass, and I can't imagine what my playing and composing would be like minus that instrument as a double. In jazz the bass has such a huge role, because unlike other genres you actually get to improvise all of the time within the rhythm section, plus you're welcomed to play heads if you can and you're expected to take bass solos. Imagine that, eh? Wink

As previously mentioned, my main bass workout used to be playing bebop and blues heads every day, including most of the Parker tunes like this version of the Ornithology head that I recorded some time ago. I teach that tune and many others in my jazz bass course (Lessons by Mail). On guitar these bebop heads sound so thin in comparison to the bass, plus there's an organic aspect of using your fingers instead of a pick.

Btw and on a related note, I will be releasing my "Four On Six: Walking Bass for Jazz Guitar" ebook/mp3 series soon. I have a half-dozen editions ready to go: C Jam Blues, Giant Steps, Sugar, I Got Rhythm, Take the A Train, and Billie's Bounce. Stay tuned...

- Mark
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