Re: [Harp-L] shortlychromatic - Miles

["Eugene Ryan" <ryan.eugene@xxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Dempster wrote:

> > When people talk about playing Miles Davis solos I am
> > amazed; not that it's something I've tried, mind you, but I can imagine
> > it might be rather challenging.
Hey Rick,

Since I mentioned this recently, I'll chime in.  I don't think they are all
that difficult, the ones I've tried anyway.  The trumpet solos on Kind of
Blue use mostly simple lines, but the timing and choice of notes are so good
that it makes the album a perfect study.

Anyway, they're not all that hard on the chromatic harmonica, which is what
I've been using.  We had this discussion on the list a while ago where Chris
M was advocating using a diatonic harp for So What, and I was advocating
using a chromatic harp.  When I hear "half-step modulation", I don't think
blues harp.  And I spent a lot of time some years ago overblowing and trying
out playing in remote keys - so before the war starts, let me say that
that's what I found - that it is much more effective for me to use a
chromatic harp in those situations, and for playing jazz in general

By the way, thanks for your post there on chord partials.  I must check out
this guy Gwen Foster.  It's a pity you don't have some sound samples, but I
get what you're talking about.

> > you create the impression of a
> > seventh with a # (augmented) 5th, which sets up a
> > gravitational field (like the flat seventh) that is
> > just begging to go to the D chord.

I think you're just captured the essence of tonal harmony in that
sentence :-)

Eugene
http://www.eugeneryan.com