jazz são vitórias e derrotas...

Tirado deste excelente blog

“O Jazz é fácil de compreender depois de possuir a “chave” e , mesmo assim, com constantes triunfos e derrotas.Especialmente no jazz moderno é de reparar como Brubeck e Desmond, absolutamente por eles próprios, sem mais do que o seu sistema nervoso como suporte, vagueiam por selvas de invençãoassaltados por constantes emboscadas .Assim a excitção provem não da vitória mas do esforço para se manterem tão sómente “vivos”. Brubeck, por exemplo, descobrirá, para seu horror, que caiu num cliché, e é entusiasmante ver como sairá dele, como pega no cliché, brinca com ele, o investiga, o desmonta, como tenta reconstrui-lo em algo de novo e, umas vezes conseguindo, outras falhando, apenas lhe resta continuar, deixando para trás um registo de vitória ou de derrota nesse dado momento. É por isso que o jazz moderno, apesar do seu aparente lirismo, é frio. Frio como uma conversa importante ou como Harry James. É frio, nervoso e está sobre tensão, como num almoço entre o editor e o autor, cada um deles cometendo erros e obtendo vitórias e, quando acaba, mal se sabe o que se passou, se foi bom ou mau, apenas que acabamos de viver uma “experiência”. É por isso que acho a música clássica menos excitante, porque apenas evoca o eco de uma “experiência” passada. É uma parte da sociedade, uma das suas mais nobres partes mas mesmo assim não faz parte da alma. Subsiste apenas o eco da alma do compositor. E, para além disso centra-se quase inteiramente nas suas vitórias e não na sua vida.”

Norman Mailer.
Anotação no diário a 17 de Dezembro 1954

Modes names

Melodic Minor

1. Dorian #7 - C D Eb F G A B - CmMaj7
2. Phrygian #6 - D Eb F G A B C - D7sus(b9)
3. Lydian #5 - Eb F G A B C D - Ebmaj7(#5)
4. Mixolydian #4 - F G A B C D Eb - F7(#11)
5. Aeolian #3 - G A B C D Eb F - G7(b13)
6. Locrian #2 - A B C D Eb F G - Am7b5(#9)
7. Ionian #1 - B C D Eb F G A - B7alt

Harmonic Minor

1. Aeolian #7 - A B C D E F G# - AmMaj7(b6)
2. Locrian #6 - B C D E F G# A - Bm7b5/Bdim7
3. Ionian #5 - C D E F G# A B - Cmaj7#5
4. Dorian #4 - D E F G# A B C - Dm7(#11)
5. Phrygian #3 - E F G# A B C D - E7(b9,b13)
6. Lydian #2 - F G# A B C D E - Fmaj7(#9)
7. Mixolydian #1 - G# A B C D E F - G#dim7

Harmonic Major

1. Ionian b6 - C D E F G Ab B - Maj7(b6)
2. Dorian b5 - D E F G Ab B C - Dm7b5(#9, #13)
3. Phrygian b4 - E F G Ab B C D - E7(b9,#9,b13)
4. Lydian b3 - F G Ab B C D E - FmMaj7(#11)
5. Mixolydian b2 - G Ab B C D E F - G7(b9)
6. Aeolian b1 - Ab B C D E F G - Abmaj7(#9,#5)
7. Locrian b7 - B C D E F G Ab - Bdim7

Tritone substitutions

Instead of copying to here, just check the folloing forum, where I posted my current knowledge.

How to start?

Hi folks

I would like to share how it is working for me.
I too have lots of sources, and besides the few ones you can discard immediatelly at a glance, there are hundreds manuals that you will have to try out.
I usually think that I don't loose anything in learning from different sources.

So here is how it happened with me: I had classical backgorund and I wanted to dive into jazz. So I started learning from lessons on the internet, which didn't work out because the materials were very "disconnected"

I started Joe Pass method, and I learned something useful, though I had to change some things to work for me. At a point I felt there was no point in going on and I started another method: Mickey Baker. After more than one year I am still satisfied with it, because the exercises really sounds like Jazz, and I feel I keep evolving.

So I suggest for start getting an old renowned book, like Mickey Baker or Mel Bay or Mark Levine's (I only know Baker's).
At the same time keep always working on standards (Real Book) and make your own compositions.

Seems easy, no?

---Well, now I just started having lessons with jazz great Pedro Madaleno.

Scales and patterns and fingers

Hi m78w and all,

I agree that a good instrumentist has to go through the scales, in order to improvise successfully and fluently.

Regarding the patterns, I have been dealing with this subject for some time now, and I have built the patterns and fingerings I find most useful. There is one difference from your approach, I always go down through all 6 strings, not only 1 octave.

I also try to learn 8 patterns for each scale, following Joe Pass method. He called the form C, A, G, E, intermediate and D (CAGED System), plus 2 slightly different that A* and E*

I will put the charts for C ionian. You have the fingering I prefer, and on bold is the root:

C major (ionian)

C form (open strings)
[chord]

0-1-----3-------------------------
0-1-----3-------------------------
0----2----------------------------
0----2--3-------------------------
0----2--3-------------------------
0-1-----3-------------------------

[/chord]

A form
[chord]

-1-----2-----4-------------------
-------2-----4-------------------
----1-----3--4-------------------
----1--2-----4-------------------
----1--2-----4-------------------
-1-----2-----4-------------------

[/chord]

A* form (note the simmetry on first 3 strings!)
[chord]

-------1-----2-----4-------------
-------------2--3----------------
----------1--2-----4-------------
-------1-----2-----4-------------
-------1-----2-----4-------------
-------1-----2-----4-------------

[/chord]


G form
[chord]

-------------1-----3--4----------
-------------1--2-----4----------
----------1--2-----4-------------
-------------1-----3-------------
-------------1-----3--4----------
-------------1-----3--4----------

[/chord]


E form
[chord]

-------------------1--2-----4----
----------------------2-----4----
-------------------1-----3--4----
-------------------1-----3--4----
-------------------1--2-----4----
-------------------1--2-----4----

[/chord]


E* form (again, note the symmetry)
[chord]

----------------------1-----2-----4-------
----------------------------2-----4-------
-------------------------1--2-----4-------
-------------------------1--2-----4-------
----------------------1-----2-----4-------
----------------------1-----2-----4-------

[/chord]

intermediate form
[chord]

----------------------------1-----3--4----
----------------------------------2--3----
----------------------------1-----2-----4-
----------------------------1-----2-----4-
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------

[/chord]


D form
[chord]

----------------------------------1--2-----4-------
----------------------------------1--2-----4-------
----------------------------------1-----3----------
----------------------------------1-----3--4-------
----------------------------------1-----3--4-------
----------------------------------1--2-----4-------

[/chord]

Then I made the same for minor natural, dorian, bebop, harmonic minor, and some others (the most easy ones)...

Hey, pros, I wellcome comments on the patterns, the fingers, the approach, etc.

Bebop scales...

[borrowed from a post from squid

Ok, so i wanted to chime in here since it seems appropriate to mention the major bebop scale as traditionally accepted. that is:
scale degrees (from the root of the scale) 1 2 3 4 5 #5 6 7.

In other words, a major scale with a passing tone between the 5th and 6th scale degrees.

To anyone unfamiliar with bebop scales, the general idea is to strategically place a passing tone in a 7 note scale in order to form an 8 note scale which, when played in a continuous eighth note rhythm with a chord tone on the downbeat, causes the chord tones to continue to fall on the downbeat. Essentially, this can be done using a passing tone wherever it works to this effect.

There are, however, some commonly accepted versions of the bebop scale mentioned such as the major i just mentioned and the bebop dominant as described by jonasfixe and mr. beaumont.

The other common one is the bebop dorian, but this is a point of contention in the literature of jazz theory...

the bebop dorian scale is alternately described as

1) 1 2 b3 3 4 5 6 b7 (dorian with both the major and minor 3rd)
and
2) 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 6 b7 (dorian with both the major and minor 6th)

In the first case, if we were to play the corresponding dominant bebop and dorian bebop scale in a ii-V situation, we'd find that both contain the same notes.
Specifically, in a ii-V to Cmaj:

Dorian bebop(1) = D E F [F#] G A B C
Dominant bebop = G A B C D E F [F#] (mixolydian with both 7ths)

One consideration here is that it is common to simply play the dominant tonality over the entire ii-V in bebop, and these tones are gleaned from an analysis of that type of approach. However, if these scales are thought of as separate entities and played as such, different chord tones are in fact emphasized.

Dorian bebop(2) = D E F G A [Bb] B C

As for the 2nd bebop dorian, i personally don't get it in the case of a ii-V since that "B" is emphasized and sounds to me like an arrival to the V chord. That's fine if you're going for an anticipation, but as for a type of scale designed to facilitate movement within a chord, it doesn't really seem to fit the bill IMO. In a "modal" situation, though, it sounds real cool to my ears.
But yeah, it's the concept of forming that 8 note, rhythmically symmetrical scale that is the real meat of all this, and it can be applied to just about any scale that has an odd number of scale tones to begin with from phrygian dominant to melodic minor to your basic pentatonics...

How to learn to read music

Hello, I studied classical guitar for some years, and here is what works for me:
First of all reading is one thing, playing by sight is another.

As for reading, here are some tips:-practice rythm separately: try to beat rythm patterns. If you don't have any book, search the web, or create your own, always trying to keep them simple.
-practice reading notes names (without singing). To achieve this you will find it easier to memorize where they lie in the partition.

As for playing, the issue of placing the notes on the guitar does not have a straight forward procedure. Here is for me the best procedure:

1-Try to understand the musical idea. If you don´t know it, try to sing, or play only the main melody.

2-Isolate the bit that makes sense alone.

3-Try to place it on the guitar. As several frets are possible, you should try them all and choose what best fits you. For me, it is oftem more a question of "playability", than of "what sounds better"
I've seen lots of fingerings and TABs that suggest places that don't work for me, or simply are wrong. So you shoulçd see them as suggestions, not as "the right way to play the notes"
Often you will choose a position and years later, you go back to that music and find it inadequate, thus changing it.
It happens a lot and it's part of our never ending learning process.

Good luck