Bluesette and playing to the chord
This is my last educational article for the jam. My composition schedule is falling pretty far behind due to the jazz writing I have been doing. It's interesting, and has allowed me to clarify my own ideas, but I have music to write, and prepare for…
The Way You Look Tonight
This song, a timeless movie and stage classic, has a feature that is extremely handy for intermediate improvisers. It has an entirely regular harmonic rhythm. What the heck is THAT, you may ask? Well, it is the rate at which the chords change.…
Recordame Sample Solo
Rather than my usual verbal assault on your mind, I have opted to write out four choruses of "improvisation" on this song. Think of it as Reverse Transcription! All devices of any significant duration or structural significance are identified…
Notes on "Have You Met Miss Jones?"
The MJJ workshops serve many purposes: everyone is learning something about how to play, how to teach, how to listen, and how to interact. To be as effective as possible at these pursuits, one has to become an observer of details: musical, social,…
SafeTones in "Love For Sale"
Love for Sale" has a longer song-form, bigger than any blues, and longer than most “show” tunes. It has four 16-bar sections, three of which are similar, if not exact repeats, and the bridge. The most interesting feature of the song is its opening…
Alone Together
Alone Together, by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, is a prime example of their American Songbook writing which often featured non-standard phrase lengths and alternation between the major and minor modes on the same root. So, I approach this tune…
