The Reharm Room

[marino]

Steve - I guess by now, we both are thinking the same thing... how easier and more natural is to make music than trying to "explain" it! (keyword "trying")

 

It's very clear. I thought you were talking about 'technical' resolutions (changes of key), while you were talking more about 'directional', or expressive, ones.

 

Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain. Back to music now, I hope...

But before, a little bit of sleep. 'See' you soon...

 

(no, I'm not bored, just tired)

 

 

[SK]

Yep, the very reason I never try to do that. Ha, thanks for reading whatever I just wrote. If it made some sense, at best, maybe it will open us to experiment with our different approaches for future reharms.

 

 

 

[Legatoboy]

I think SK is saying live in the moment harmonically (cordially) as you would in an improvised line. An extension of the definition of modern improvised playing to the 'form' itself also!

 

I hear this every week in terms of my line and my studies are starting to move in this direction harmonically also!

[Jazz+]

Marino,

 

Thanks for your changes and the excellent analysis, it all makes sense. I wrote them down and it inspired me to come up with a couple of my own reharmonizations of ATTYA.

 

J+

[SK]

Very cool, Jazz+. Hope to hear them sometime.

[marino]

Marino,

 

Thanks for your changes and the excellent analysis, it all makes sense. I wrote them down and it inspired me to come up with a couple of my own reharmonizations of ATTYA.

 

J+

 

Thanks, Jazz+. Don't forget to post your results!

 

 

[vicsant]

Hi guys,

 

What an awesome thread!! The music you guys have shared is truly amazing!

 

I have a question:

 

When you decide to harmonize a melodic segment with parallel harmony, what RH voicings do you prefer to use? And how do you work out the LH bassline with those harmonies?

 

Thanks,

 

Vic

[vicsant]

So many possibilities you almost have to use a specific example.

 

Hi Dave,

 

Two examples I really love of parallel harmony is what Michel Camilo did with "Caravan". He played this tune with Anthony Jackson on bass and Dave Weckl on drums.

 

Another great example is Billy Taylor's solo jazz piano rendition of the Christmas carol "Deck The Halls..."

 

If you've heard these examples, maybe you can give me some insights on the voicings these artists used.

 

 

[marino]

Vic,

Dave already gave you a veritable crash course in upper structures... I haven't heard the examples you mentioned (maybe a couple of short audio clips would help), but for now I would only mentioned quartals. To harmonize a D (melody), you play (bottom to top) E A D, or G A D, or D A C D.

Of course it also depends on the underlying harmony, if the melody is chromatic or diatonic/pentatonic, etc.

 

 

[marino]

Almost forgot... for block harmonization, you also have the 'traditional' George Shearing block chords, with the diminished chord on non-chord tones. It's very much a '40 sound; but there's a more modern-sounding version, taught by Barry Harris and Mark Levine, with drop-2 and one changed note. It's a bit complex to explain in a post, however.

 

 

[Legatoboy]

Marino,

 

I brought up 'Locked-Hands' (block chords) and drop-2 earlier, somthing I had discovered through my studies, Yes! In varying degrees I think it can be applied to a modern sound and is a great way to get a blowing, improvised sound - cordially ( in a manner as you would improvise a single note line in). It doesn't have to be used just for the melody.

 

lb

 

 

Almost forgot... for block harmonization, you also have the 'traditional' George Shearing block chords, with the diminished chord on non-chord tones. It's very much a '40 sound; but there's a more modern-sounding version, taught by Barry Harris and Mark Levine, with drop-2 and one changed note. It's a bit complex to explain in a post, however.

 

[Jazz+]

.

[SK]

.

+1 and ditto

 

Dave and Carlo, you guys deserve a medal for all the free good info you're providing. Trying to describe music or teach basics in a few sentences can be confusing, but you guys do a great job.

 

But speaking of needlessly confusing, here's Yogi Berra's perspective:

 

Jazz according to Yogi Berra

 

Interviewer: Can you explain jazz?

 

Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The

other half is the part people play while others are playing something

they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the

wrong part, its right. If you play the right part, it might be right if

you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong.

 

Interviewer: I don't understand.

 

Yogi: Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it.

It's too complicated. That's whats so simple about it.

 

Interviewer: Do you understand it?

 

Yogi: No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn't

know anything about it.

 

Interviewer: Are there any great jazz players alive today?

 

Yogi: No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for

the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the

ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead.

Some would kill for it.

 

Interviewer: What is syncopation?

 

Yogi: That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before

or after you hear it. In jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen

because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can

be jazz, but only if they're the same as something different from those

other kinds.

 

Interviewer: Now I really don't understand.

 

Yogi: I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that

well.

 

 

 

 

[SK]

To make up for that... something worthwhile: I have this series of videos at home but tjjazzpiano brought it to my attention that they're now also on YouTube.

 

Bill Evans' insights are timeless and completely relevant to the present. Worth checking out, along with Steve Allen's comments. This one's part 1 of 5.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm6V7bWnVpw&eurl=http://linear1.net/jpcollective/index.php/topic,337.msg3082.html

[marino]

Dave and Carlo, you guys deserve a medal for all the free good info you're providing. Trying to describe music or teach basics in a few sentences can be confusing, but you guys do a great job.

Well, I'm a long-time teacher, so I'm used to verbalize those concepts. Of course, one thing is to grasp the concept, another thing is to apply it in a musically appropriate way.

Understanding things is usually a good first step, though.

 

But speaking of needlessly confusing, here's Yogi Berra's perspective:

 

Yeah, I know that, it's funny, but it annoys me. Jazz is mysterious, but not SO mysterious.

 

 

[marino]

Dave, your examples are ab-so-lu-te-ly great!!

 

You should charge us for those.

 

 

[SK]

Wow Dave. Top notch.

 

I also love Evans' thoughts on that series.

 

Yeah Carlo, the Yogi thing is a little annoying, but maybe funny for those who hadn't seen it.

 

Dumb story - I just remembered my very first 'live' reharm on a band gig. It was a dance club, and I was about 19. The song was "Color My World" - a rock ballad waltz in 6 with slow, four note arpeggios.

 

I put raised 5's on the major sevens, and made the minor chords minor major sevens, etc. The dance floor took on a sick "Twilight Zone" groove. I was afraid people would get mad... but they kept dancing.

[vicsant]

I did write 5 examples of the first 4 bars.

 

Thanks Dave! You're awesome...

[Legatoboy]

Dave,

 

Thanks for sheet on Caravan. . .

Tony

[Legatoboy]

SK,

 

I really liked the Evens/Allen YT, thanks for that!

lb

 

[marino]

Downloaded - before you come to your senses and *really* start charging us.

 

I especially love #7 and #10.

 

And guys - you *are* realizing that you're getting an almost complete course on block chords in just two pages, right?!

 

:thu:

 

 

 

 

[vicsant]

Well..I'm on a roll with this.

Here are 5 more examples of the first 4 bars of "Caravan"

 

And my head's spinning!!

 

Dave, I've downloaded both pdf's and transcribed them over to Finale so that it'd be easier for me to "read" and "hear" playback through Finale.

 

I've got a couple of weeks ahead to study all these....it just goes to show that you can really do anything in music and make it sound great!

 

I'm just amazed at how you've come up with so many variations of the theme!

 

Do you have all these voicings under your fingers so that you can play them so effortlessly?

 

Vic

[vicsant]

 

And guys - you *are* realizing that you're getting an almost complete course on block chords in just two pages, right?!

 

:thu:

 

 

I've always been amazed by the concept of playing block chords. Dave has just shown that there are so many ways of doing it.

 

So how does one start practicing all these so that it comes naturally? (I know....years and years of practice!!)

 

I cannot imagine practicing all these voicing in all 12 keys!!

[Floyd Tatum]

Steve, I've seen that Bill Evans video before, but it was fun to watch it again. It's interesting that his brother is also a jazz pianist. I like what he says about how it's better to play something simpler, and really know what you are playing, than to try to fake something more complex. I've done both, so I know what he means! I've come to the same conclusion that I prefer to play something simpler that I can really get behind. Although, as he said, you have to be adventurous sometimes also, and reach for things, in order to grow. Balance. I wish there were more practical examples from Bill, but it was still good anyway.

 

Bill is such a good player it's hard for him to deliberately play simply, or bad. When his brother asks him to "now, play the melody, very simply", and Bill's left hand is playing some fabulous stuff! Then in another place, Bill is trying to demonstrate someone 'faking it' in his right hand, but he's so good, that even what he considers 'faking it' sounds good anyway, or at least, it does to me! There's just one place in that video where he deliberately plays root-position basic chords, and it's a strange feeling to hear that coming from Bill. To think that some critics have called him a cocktail pianist. It's a meaningless criticism. I guess to someone that knew very little about playing piano, there might be a resemblance between what he plays and some average guy playing solo piano in a lounge, on the surface. I can't remember who said this: "Show me a cocktail lounge where somebody plays that good and I'll go there right now and drink cocktails", or something to that effect.

 

Dave, thanks for posting all these examples, they're really great! Enjoyable to read. I'm working through it slowly. So far, just the 'scale line' things.

 

Just a question about "Scale Line #1". There's a couple of places where I'm a bit confused about what you meant. Like, the fourth chord, first system - is that d# in the right hand? I ask because there was a d# in the second chord, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to carry over?

 

And same chart, Scale Line #1, second system, 4th chord, is that a Bb in the left hand, or a B nat.? In the 6th chord, is that really a Cb in the left hand, or did you leave out a ledger line, and it's really an Eb?

 

I quikly tried to play through the Caravan things, I need to spend more time with them. But, I echo vicsant's question - can you actually play these up to speed? If so, that's it, I quit!

 

[vicsant]

Here's Dave Ferris' 10 examples of his block harmonization of the tune Caravan which I inputted into Finale. This is a pdf format of the Finale score.

 

Thanks Dave!

 

Dave Ferris. Caravan Ex. 1-10

[vicsant]

Vic, it looks like we have some accidental problems in there.

Maybe Finale didn't "look at it" logically .

It's mostly stuff I call "courtesy" accidentals. There are a few wrong notes in places, also I don't like to use F flat, C flat or double flats.

I'm getting a bit tired so if I have time I'll PM you with the changes tomorrow.

 

Again, thanks so much for your efforts. It looks great!

 

I tried to double check the notes I played into Finale with my midi keyboard while reading from your original score. Yes, Finale had a tendency to output a lot of F flats, C flats, and double flats which I had to correct manually from what you originally wrote out. (I guess I didn't check well enough)

 

Please let me know the changes so that I can put them in. I'll also include 11 to 13.

[vicsant]

Hi Dave,

 

Here's the updated score with examples 1-13.

 

Dave Ferris.Caravan 1-13

 

[Phil W]

That is stunning Dave! I'm just looking at them, having printed them out, I've not tried to play them yet. Great work.

[Legatoboy]

Dave,

 

Thanks again for the updated Caravan sheet! I'm headed to the piano!

 

 

[moj]

Thanks Dave and viscant.