Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 4 2009, 06:13 PM

Hi Olle!

This is place where I will give you assignments and upload videos. You will do the same starting tonight. Bookmark it, subscribe to it as it will be easier to follow when I post new things in!

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 5 2009, 03:13 PM

Lets get started Olle!

In your guitar CV you lay out your goals perfectly. Plenty of things to work on and I will do my best to teach you in all areas new things so you can improve
For your 1st assignment I have decided to combine theory and harmony with practical application (improvising and phrasing).

Here is your 1st assignment Olle :

- Read my theory and harmony posts from links provided bellow.
- Once you have read everything, write out cadences for following tonal centers
1) Db Ionian
2) F# Dorian
3) C Phrygian
4) G Lydian
5) F Mixolydian
6) F# Aeolian

When you hand me answers to these questions, it is time to :

- Pick one mode and record backing track using VST instruments of your choice.
- Minimal requirement is Trio setting (bass drums and accompaniment of your choice!)
- Record your improvisation over that backing track, submit it in this thread.
- Record video, upload it to Youtube and embed it in this thread with your solo.

Feel free to improvise anywhere from 2 up to 10 choruses!

Let me know if you need any help Olle!

Pedja

Posted by: Oxac Sep 5 2009, 03:50 PM

I'm not sure if I understood it correctly but here's my shot.

1) Db Ionian

We have a couple of cadences here.

Plagal Cadence would be IV - I -> Gb - Db
Perfect Cadence would be V - I -> Ab(7) - Db
Imperfect Cadence would be any chord ending on V -> That would give us Db, Ebm, Fm, Gb, Ab(7), Bbm or Cm5 - Ab(7)
Interrupted Cadence would be V - any other chord -> Ab(7) - Bbm per example.

Now, we can use these cadences to build what ever chord progression we need/want.

Imperfect Cadence + Perfect cadence would give us the popular IV V I. If we substitute the subdominant with it's minor parallell we would get the II V I. With the ending chord played twice as long as the other ones.
2) F# Dorian

The chords would be:

I IV: F#min Bb

I IImin: F#min G#min


3) C Phrygian

We have the following cadences I - bIImaj and I - bVIImin.

Cmin - Dbmaj
Cmin - Bbmin

The combination: Cmin - Dbmaj - Bbmin - Cmin


4) G Lydian

We have I - II and I - VIImin

Which yield: Gmaj - A & Gmaj - F#min

The combination: Gmaj - A - F#min - Gmaj

5) F Mixolydian

We have I bVII & I Vmin

F - Ebmaj & F Cmin

6) F# Aeolian

Imin IVmin Vmin Imin
Imin VI VII Imin

This would give us:

F#min Bmin C#min F#min
F#min D# E# F#min

Let's see if I got this right

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 5 2009, 04:17 PM

Olle couple of corrections

F# Dorian is F# min and B not Bb major.

F# Aeolian cadence is F# minor D E F# minor.

When I asked for cadences I didn't really want classical harmony but rather one cadence of your choice for each root.

Now you can focus on picking one mode from the ones you did and create backing track with solo!

Posted by: Oxac Sep 5 2009, 04:25 PM

Yeh, I always get confused when writing VI and not bVI for aeolian...

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 5 2009, 04:28 PM

Ok Olle, I am sure typo prevented you from getting it.

Any questions regarding backing track and soloing?

Posted by: Oxac Sep 6 2009, 09:07 AM

Actually yeah. Since I should pick one mode, should I stick to it 100% or can I use chromatism and substitutions?

i.e. I chose Ionian and play II V I, can I alter that to II bIIalt I? Just to spice things up.

Or I chose Dorian and let the bass use a walk also containing chromatic passing notes.

Can I solo with "out" notes?

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 6 2009, 10:13 AM

All great questions Olle. I will cover all those approaches with you. Lets start first with simple cadence and soloing over it.
If you choose Ionian, then II V I would be ideal. Pick a key and do basic Min7 Dom7 Maj7 voicings. Create a backing track (doesn't have to be long, you can loop voicings and bass line) and then you can solo over it.
When it comes to soloing I want you to do different approaches :

- One chorus of inside playing (just chord tones and passing scale notes)
- One chorus of soloing with tensions
- One chorus of outside playing (use chromatic approaches and reharmonized soloing)

Pick a key of your choice!

Posted by: Oxac Sep 6 2009, 02:56 PM

Reharmonized soloing? Would that be something like soloing with the altered scale over the dominant chord? (pretending we substitute it with a tritone sub)?

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 6 2009, 04:44 PM

Yes Olle but not just that. You can apply tritonic system soloing like Coltrane did for example. Anything that sounds to your ear like outside approach, do it.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 10 2009, 09:57 PM

Olle when can I expect 3 choruses from you?
Let me know if you need any help man !

Posted by: Oxac Sep 13 2009, 07:15 AM

Later tonight actually I have 20 jazz standards that I've got to learn. That's why my absence has been so obvious, but today I have the whole day to do whatever I want

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 13 2009, 07:39 AM

That is great to hear Olle, look forward to it!

Posted by: Oxac Sep 13 2009, 06:11 PM

Inside soloing with tensions (I think)

Inside soloing with chord tones + outside soloing.


-EDIT- I have a simple progression in B dorian. Bmin - E and coloured it up to nines, 13 sometimes.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 13 2009, 07:16 PM

Olle for first video I was just expecting soloing with tensions. So you could have done arpeggios containing 9 11 13 type sound or combination of them or just some of them. That was the intention. Second video is far better in my opinion and I like that you had a go at outside playing, it will get stronger in future I am sure.

Try to record another video doing just soloing with tensions before we move on.

Posted by: Oxac Sep 13 2009, 10:28 PM

Ah, tensions exclusively, will do. It shouldn't take too long since I already have a backing.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 14 2009, 12:59 AM

Ok Olle, post it when you have it ready!

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 17 2009, 11:57 AM

Olle,

I will be out of my town today, back tomorrow.
I am expecting a video from you regarding soloing with tensions strictly. After we are done with that one we will move onto new assignment.

Let me know if you need any help,

Pedja

Posted by: Oxac Sep 18 2009, 01:12 PM

Yeah... Man, I can't make an interesting solo with only tensions, there's only three notes to use (9th 11th and 13th) and I get no release from them... Some Ideas or something similar to listen to would've been nice.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 18 2009, 06:45 PM

Send me your backing and I will record a take with just tensions to give you an idea of what I am looking for!

Posted by: Oxac Sep 21 2009, 11:33 AM

Hey man, sorry for the delay, was away during the weekend.

Here's the backingtrack.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 21 2009, 12:03 PM

Do you have some count in before the chords actually start? What tempo is this in? Do you have longer backing?

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 21 2009, 01:27 PM

Here is my improvised using only tensions.

Posted by: Oxac Sep 22 2009, 11:02 AM

Hi Pedja, do you still want a version like this?

-EDIT- Aah... Now I get it. I have to play around much more with the rythm to make an interesting solo out of only soloing with tensions Great example Pedja, Thanks a lot.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 22 2009, 11:08 AM

Hi Olle,

I am glad my take helps man. You got it now, try to apply some repetition, sequence, development, motives etc

Let me know how it goes!

Pedja

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 28 2009, 05:46 PM

Olle how is the video coming ?
I hope you are practicing those arpeggios for tension sounding solos.

Posted by: Oxac Oct 1 2009, 10:59 AM

I think it's going ok. I didn't record video because my access to my computer and internet is very limited.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Oct 1 2009, 11:00 PM

It is definitely a progress compared to previous upload. I would like you to be more rhythmically active and use motives in your melodies. In this one you had plenty of space

Posted by: Oxac Oct 2 2009, 09:07 AM

The reason that I have a lot of spaces is that I don't like the sound of tensions (alone).

So do you think I should record another solo or should we leave this for now?

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Oct 3 2009, 09:13 AM

We can move on now to another mode where we would do the same thing as with Dorian.

Pick a mode from the ones listed below. Create a backing track (drums bass and chord accompaniment). Solo 3 choruses using chord tones in 1st chorus, tensions in 2nd chorus and outside approaches in 3rd chorus.

1) Lydian
2) Mixolydian
3) Aeolian
4) Phrygian
5) Ionian

Pick a root of your choice Olle.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Posted by: Oxac Oct 7 2009, 09:04 AM

O.o Cool. I wanna do lydian.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Oct 7 2009, 11:56 AM

Ok Olle
MTP rules have changed and there will be one weekly assignment that you will need to complete. I will open up a new thread for you later today