Jim Hall wrote a great article about the importance of learning all your scales of various sorts and the application of them to chord progression--BUT, more importantly to then FORGET all of it when you're playing. It just gets in the way of your ears if you try to rely on it for ideas. I wish I could find that article again--it was really good. I think it was in a Jazz magazine. Anyway, I think I loaned it to one of my students to read and never got it back.
So the chord choices are lift up to the guitarist-I like that, but I'm surprised that you're not as rigid about it as you are about the melody.
"not as rigid about it as you are about the melody"
But they are ! Backup should be based on the melody.
I don't think we're to view them as two seperate things, melody along with someone's chord progression.
Listen to Alec Finn, it's not so much chords but a backup
based on the melody. So, yes in a sense the backup is left
up to the guitarist (or bouzoukiest in this case) and yes he won't play the same thing each time - BUT each time it is
rigidly related to the melody.
I think Jim Hall was referring to attaining a zen-like state, where you were responding correctly to the melody with your unconcious mind, and using your concious mind to make that accompaniment more lively and interesting. Getting beyond thinking about the fundamentals, and focusing on the advanced techniques, that is.
I have never heard Mr. Hall playing in a way that ignored the melody!
Chords? / Sample Recordings?
Chords? / Sample Recordings?
Jim Hall wrote a great article about the importance of learning all your scales of various sorts and the application of them to chord progression--BUT, more importantly to then FORGET all of it when you're playing. It just gets in the way of your ears if you try to rely on it for ideas. I wish I could find that article again--it was really good. I think it was in a Jazz magazine. Anyway, I think I loaned it to one of my students to read and never got it back.
So the chord choices are lift up to the guitarist-I like that, but I'm surprised that you're not as rigid about it as you are about the melody.
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by razz2
Re: Chords? / Sample Recordings?
"not as rigid about it as you are about the melody"
But they are ! Backup should be based on the melody.
I don't think we're to view them as two seperate things, melody along with someone's chord progression.
Listen to Alec Finn, it's not so much chords but a backup
based on the melody. So, yes in a sense the backup is left
up to the guitarist (or bouzoukiest in this case) and yes he won't play the same thing each time - BUT each time it is
rigidly related to the melody.
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by BegF
Re: Chords? / Sample Recordings?
I think Jim Hall was referring to attaining a zen-like state, where you were responding correctly to the melody with your unconcious mind, and using your concious mind to make that accompaniment more lively and interesting. Getting beyond thinking about the fundamentals, and focusing on the advanced techniques, that is.
I have never heard Mr. Hall playing in a way that ignored the melody!
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by AlBrown