”One thought can produce a million vibrations” Concept #1 Posted on: 02/09/11 Category: Advanced Bass Lessons, Advanced Compositions, Advanced Soloing, Advanced Technique, Advanced Theory, Blog, Uncategorized

‘ One thought can produce a million vibrations’

#1

My posts have been few and far between as of late as I have been super busy recording my first album as a leader. More on that later.

I have decided to upload my thoughts on practicing that I stumble upon during my own routine. ‘’One thought can produce a million vibrations’’ is a quote from the great John Coltrane. There are many concepts that may seem simple but a lifetime can be spent on applying these concepts and sounds to our playing.

SO I’m going to be putting up concepts and ideas that I use to inspire myself and create new sounds and ideas. Many of these concepts come from listening to the greats whether on record, in interviews or if you’re lucky enough, in person. All of these ideas are for you to use in whichever way you want. Maybe you will spend 2 minutes, maybe 3 years, maybe they will stay in your subconscious and pop up one day in a rehearsal or on the band stand.

Here’s #1

C7 (#9#5)    =    Ab Maj triad

C

So the thought of using triads to get the sound of extensions and upper structures on Dominant chords (or any chord for that matter) is nothing new. Our ears should know the sound of a triad by now. If you don’t know your triads then you need to know!

The whole point is to use something familiar to deal with something unfamiliar.

Now I could stop the post here and let you run wild but seeing as this is the first concept I’ll show you where I would take this idea when I practice.

We have C7 #9 = C dominant 7 chord with a #9 and a #5 in our chord voicing.

So we can play Mixolydian and add a #9 (b3) and a #5 (b6) but that may sound like you’re playing what you already know and just adding in a note here and there.

Try recording the chord or finding it on a loop or in a song from the real book.

The 6th bar in the A Section of Aeregin by Sonny Rollins.

Listen to the chord. How does it make you feel? What do you see? A painting?

A photo of you when you were a baby? A Donut?

Can you hear resolve points. It’s a F7(#9#5) chord for one bar moving to Bbm7 in the next.

Now in the melody, Sonny has a b5, then the #9 and then a b9. He has 3 alterations in the melody on one chord. Every note in the melody in that bar is an alteration on an F7 chord!

So lets apply the sound to our playing using the equation.

C7 (#9#5)    =    Ab Maj triad

C

Record a C7 chord.

Now play an Ab Major Triad ascending and decending.

How does that sound to you? How does that make you feel?

Now find obvious points for resolving the chord to Bbmin7 as in Airegin.

The main reasons for alterations on chords is to create unique sounds and to create more points of tension and resolve.

The main reason for getting sounds into your playing is to use them on tunes, in your lines and in your compositions!

If you were applying it to Airegin you have F7 (#9#5) for one bar going to Bbmin7 in the next.

So the #5 of F7 which is C#, resolves a semitone down to C, the 9^th of Bbmin7.

Listen to that sound and develop ideas around it.

The #9 of F7 can either remain where it is and become the b7 of Bbmin7 or can resolve up a tone to the root of the chord Bb.

Find your own sounds and ideas. Develop your ideas. Find that chord in tunes and transcribe lines from the greats!

I could go on forever.

That’s one concept.

C7 (#9#5)    =    Ab Maj triad

C

I hope you can see that you can take simple thoughts and ideas into the stratosphere.

Next time, my post will be a lot more concise but now you know what to do!

ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE MAIL ME G-RIDE@LIVE.COM