[Harp-L] Jazz chromatic books-fakebooks



On Jul 10, 2009, at 11:10 PM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

Has anybody ever tried sitting down with a jazz fakebook

Of course.

-- there are several brands out there -- and played those tunes on a harp?

Sure. No feeling. But then the chart is only a guide. I was just telling Mike Rubin that I break meter. And that AIN't good in ensemble playing.

While transcribing a tune off a recording is certainly a valuable
experience -- wouldn't playing from a fakebook or Jamey Aebersold playalong book save
lots of time? (Most of the tunes mentioned are standards that have been
transcribed.)

Yeah, IF you can find the tune. I'm going to type a word here that I wouldn't normally so everyone close your eyes. Most fake books are SHIT. I'm not talking about the way they're printed or arranged. I'm talking about their selection of tunes.
Mostly old worn out torn out standards that have been beat holy he!! to death. Gimme a break, How much junk from th 40s and 30s and ...damm..even the 20s can a person stand. When is everyone gonna get off the Ellington kick?

The conversation is about playing jazz -- and most jazz standards already
have been transcribed. If people don't like a transcription, they can change
a few notes or the rhythm. But isn't that easier than starting from scratch?
Why reinvent the wheel?

I agree with you. I am a LOUSY reader. Spell that with 2 'Ousys'. And since I DO break meter and use 9/16th and 7/16th rests in place of 1/2 rests, and 5/16th and 3/16th rests in place of 1/4 rests, I use white out.

Some people want to develop their transcribing skills. But perhaps others
just want to play the tunes -- and playng from a fakebook might be quicker to
start playing.

It is. And for those wanting to learn music. or sharpen their skills, you can RE-write music into another key. While you are transposing the notes on your manuscript paper, sound out the note, think the note, and ALSO (and this is the important part), imagine WHERE the note is. All notes have an address. The address never changes. There ain't no one foreclosing on notes. Ain't no notes moving. And notes never die. Remember their addresses and deliver the mail.

smo-joe

Phil



In a message dated 7/10/09 7:59:57 AM, ryan.eugene@xxxxxxxxx writes:


Winslow writes:
One problem with copying music played on other instruments is that a
phrase may sound musical and natural on the instrument that orirgnally
played it, but on harmonica may sound awkward and unmusical (or at least
un-jazz).

I agree that some transcribed solos may work and some may not, but I think
if you try them, you'll figure out what works and what doesn't. It's a
really valuable activity, well worthwhile - and as Richard says, it's not
always a lot of work. In terms of things working on harmonica or not
working, I think the great players like Toots and Stevie were very
successful at figuring out how to make things work on harmonica.

If you transcribe, you will get the following:
- the sound and feel of great playing in your 'fingers'
- the notes, phrases and overall arc of each melodic phrase
- characteristic licks of the player
- the time feel of the playing, how to play great swinging eight notes
etc.
- your ear gets a lot better
- you find out what doesn't work
- you get to play at tempo and find out how to handle this - and the types
of things that work at tempo on harmonica
- it's a lot of fun playing the same lines/solos/notes/bends as these
great
players - even if you're just copying, you're playing great music and it
feels like that!
If you analyse the playing afterwards if you have some theory, you can
probably see why certain note/pattern choices work. The danger in not
applying any analysis/theory is that you may not be able to take what you
learned from that solo and extrapolate it to other tunes - but equally,
there's not much point in playing reams of scales if it doesn't sound like
jazz.
I've transcribed a reasonable number of jazz tunes in the last year or so,
both on and off the instrument, and here are some of the tunes and
conclusions I've come to about them (dunno if it'll be of much use to
anyone, but it might show some of the surprises I got and some things I
learned):
- Miles Davis' solos - work great on harmonica - no real surprise
- Lester Young's Body and Soul - works well, but can sound a little stiff
on a Super 64 chrom (compared to Lester) if you play it in the same range
-
also uses a Bb note lower than the 64 range
- Jim Hall's Stella - works really well on harmonica - that was surprising
to me, and this was a great find as I love Jim's playing
- a jazz blues walking bass solo on a Super 64 - good to get the quarter
note feel and how the player approaches each chord, but on the down side,
on
the 64 you have to either play too high or jump up or down in spots, which
makes it sound a bit different than the recording. This one was
interesting
because the solo was definitely not according to the formulae you see in
jazz books for playing bass lines. Yeah I know, should have used a bass
harp
- no harm to be able to do it on the spot on your main harp though.
- Wynton Kelly's piano solo on Freddie Freeloader - only some parts work
well, which was surprising as it's a pretty bluesy solo and relatively
simple.
- Parker solos - really hard to make it at the tempo, and can sound quite
unnatural - but some of it works!
None of this is to take away from other approaches, and I very much look
forward to Winslow's book on jazz chromatic harp. I still recommend to
transcribe as well.
Eugene






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