Transcription V - Hayden Chisholm "Oracle Hymn 13"

A few months ago I presented a transcription of Hayden Chisholm’s “Oracle Hymn 9”. Todays transcription, “Oracle Hymn 13” seems to me a sister piece to “Oracle Hymn 9”. The modal language is dense and knotted but not inelegant—quite the opposite in fact. As usual, Chisholm’s control, intonation, and phrasing are exemplary. Getting this kind of phrasing across on the guitar is tricky to impossible but I have found the attempt instructive. You can find a full transcription of the piece here and watch my performance of it here.

Improvisation V - "Like Someone In Love" Part 2

In previous improvisation exercises, I changed the fret range but kept the key the same. In this series of exercises on the song “Like Someone in Love”, the fret range stays the same but the key of the song will change each month. This month the key is G major while last month it was Eb major. The fret range is the same as last month, between the 6th and 10th frets inclusively.

For new readers, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, B, the third of a G major 7th chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique V - Pentatonic Scales; Alternate G/D♭ Major - Three Strings

Over the last few months, my technical exercises have used all six strings and the entire range of the fretboard. This month, I have decided to restrict my use of strings. As before, I am alternating between pentatonic scales separated by a tritone. What is different is that I am switching direction every three strings.

This means there is less time between ‘turning around’—playing six notes on one string in order to switch scales and direction. This is probably the most technically challenging moment of the exercise as I have to subtly change the orientation of my right hand based on the direction I am picking. Even though I am ‘economy’ picking these exercises, I still find a slight slant in the direction I am picking helps. This is the adjustment I have to focus on when ‘turning around’ on one string.

The rules for this exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play a G major pentatonic scale starting on the guitar’s third string or the lowest sounding string of any set of three adjacent strings.

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (G-A-B, switch strings, B-D-E).

3. Every three strings switch to the pentatonic scale a tritone away and change direction.

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

A transcription of this exercise is available here and you can watch my performance of it here.

Ear Training V - Echoing One Randomly Generated Note

Over the last four months my ear training exercises have focused on triads. This month begins a series of exercises devoted to recognizing single notes. The task of this particular exercise is simply to echo one randomly generated note. Once comfortable with this exercise, a good challenge is to increase the tempo. This helps keep me on my toes and hone my focus.

Unlike previous exercises, there is really only one way to execute this one: by echoing each note. You can see me do both here and download the code for this exercise here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Transcription IV - Dave Liebman "Fancy Free"

People familiar with Elvin Jones’s recording Live at the Lighthouse will know that the performances of Jone’s two saxophone players Dave Liebman and Steve Grossman are, well, insane. Both players maintain feverish intensity throughout unusually long solos—all while articulating what now seems like canonic but what then likely seemed pretty fresh post-trane language. A full transcription is beyond the scope of this blog but you can find about a minute of Liebman’s solo transcribed here and watch my performance of it here.

Improvisation IV - "Like Someone in Love" Part 1

The improvisation exercise for this month is based around a different song, the jazz standard “Like Someone in Love”. Compared to “Stella by Starlight”, the harmony in “Like Someone in Love” moves a little bit faster. Since more chords last for only a half note, improvising according to the exercise’s rules requires slightly faster thinking. The fret range this month is the 6th-10th frets inclusive.

For any new readers, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, Bb, the fifth of an Eb major 7th chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique IV - Pentatonic Scales; Alternate F/E Major Every 2 Strings

In previous technical exercises I alternated between pentatonic scales a tritone apart. My stated reason was that such scales held no common tones. Acknowledging that pentatonic scales separated by a semitone also have no common tones, I stated that my reason for avoiding scales related this way was because the fretboard patterns created by their alternation were too similar. Well, this month’s exercise does alternate between pentatonic scales separated by a semitone but in such a way that the fretboard patterns which result are more interesting, varied, and—most importantly—difficult to predict.

Rather than switch scales every three strings, this exercise switches between scales every two strings. Since the guitar’s strings produce three pairs of adjacent strings and I am alternating between two scales, the sequence of scales is different on the ascent than on the descent. For example, this particular exercise ascends F-E-F pentatonic and descends E-F-E

The rules, as usual, are:

1. Using three notes per string, play an F major pentatonic scale starting on the lowest available note in the scale found on the guitar.

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (F-G-A, switch strings, A-C-D).

3. Every two strings switch to the pentatonic scale a semitone away. The first switch will be from F to E pentatonic.

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

A transcription of this exercise is available here and you can watch my performance of it here.

Ear Training IV - Major, Minor, and Diminished Triads; All Inversions; Closed and Open Voicings

Last month I introduced the diminished triad into my ear training and found I needed to revert to practicing with only root position chords. This latest exercise maintains the three triad qualities but plays them in all positions and inversions and in either closed or open voicings. This is certainly the most difficult exercise I have tried so far. I still find determining the position of diminished triads tricky, perhaps because of the chords relatively symmetrical structure, but I do feel that I have made meaningful progress.

Once again, you can work with this exercise by either improvising along with the randomly generated chords or echoing them. You can see me do both here and download the code for the exercise here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’

Transcription III - Ben Van Gelder "Countdown"

This performance comes from a bootleg recording made, I think, by a friend of a friend of mine and was circulated among our musical community pretty broadly. Van Gelder’s solo on “Countdown” is remarkable for many reasons, from the heavy handed back-phrasing which opens the solo to the dizzying and long eighth-note lines that end it. Upon closer inspection it seems like Van Gelder was probably working out some rather specific musical ideas at this time—certain contours and melodies make repeated appearances. Harmonically, he seems to favour hexatonic colours rather than the changes verbatim. Without an accompanying chordal instrument, however, this particular emphasis is less apparent. The full transcription can be found here and you can watch me perform the last minute of it here.

Improvisation III - "Stella by Starlight" Part 3

Once again, this month’s improvisation exercise is the same as last month’s except that the range within which one arpeggiates has been shifted to between the 1st and 5th frets inclusive. This range of the guitar can be tricky as it requires a bit more stretching. Nonetheless, it is a familiar range for most guitarists. Because of this, I find my habits are more well-worn here than elsewhere on the fretboard. This exercise helps me break those habits.

For new readers, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, G, the third of an E half-diminished chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique III - Pentatonic Scales; Alternate E♭/A Major Every 3 Strings

The technique exercise for this month is the same as last month’s expect that now, instead of switching scales every six strings, I switch every three strings. I have again chosen scales a tritone apart which means that when you switch strings into a new scale, the first note you play will not be the same as the last note you played on the previous string—which is the rule for switching strings within the same scale. The rules for this exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play an Eb major pentatonic scale starting on the lowest available note in the scale found on the guitar (F on the low E string).

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (F-G-B♭, switch strings, B♭-C-E).

3. Every three strings switch to the pentatonic scale a tritone away. The first switch will be from Eb to A pentatonic.

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard and reverse direction.

A transcription of this exercise is available here and you can watch my performance of it here.

Ear Training III - Major, Minor, and Diminished Triads in Root Position

So far my ear training exercises have focused exclusively on major and minor triads. This month I have decided to work on recognizing diminished triads as well. Initially, I jumped right in with triads played in all positions and inversions. I found it too difficult, however, to recognize the position of the diminished triads played this way. So this month’s exercise is back to triads in root position but now including diminished triads.

As always there are two ways to approach this exercise, by improvising along with the chords or echoing them. You can see me do both here and find the code for this exercise here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Transcription II - Hayden Chisholm "Oracle Hymn 9"

I have admired the music of Hayden Chisholm for many years now. My favourite works of his are those written for saxophone ensembles, pieces like “Love in Numbers” and “Density Movements”. Also delightful are his pieces for saxophone and accompanying drone—usually a sruti box. “Oracle Hymn 9” stands out as a particularly moving example of such a piece. The modal colours seem unique among his other pieces. A full analysis is warranted but for now you can find the complete transcription here and view my performance of the piece here.

Improvisation II - "Stella by Starlight" Part 2

This month’s improvisation exercise is the same as last month’s except that the range of the arpeggiates has been shifted to the 9th and 13th frets inclusive. As useful as I find this exercise within one fret-range, its real power seems to me to lie in this kind of variation. Just as I am getting used to where all the notes lie within a particular range of the fretboard, when I alter the range—sometimes by as little as one fret—everything changes.

For any new readers, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar (in this case, from fret 9th-13th inclusive).

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, D, the seventh of am E half-diminished chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique II - Pentatonic Scales; C Major up - F♯ Major Down

This month’s technique exercise varies last month’s by changing the scale every time the direction of the melody changes. On the ascent, play C pentatonic and on the way down, F#. Why these two keys? They have no common tones. Of course, pentatonic scales a semi-tone apart also have no common tones. So why not ascend C pentatonic and come down Db? Since these two keys are a semitone apart, the physical pattern created on the fretboard on the ascent would repeat on the descent only one fret higher. When one alternates between C and F# pentatonic, or any two pentatonic scales separated by a tritone, the fretboard pattern will be different on the ascent than on the descent. I don’t like to create habits based on shapes and patterns and so I prefer this latter option.

As I mentioned last month, these exercises are based on a set of constraints and rules. The rules for this month’s exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play a C major pentatonic scale starting on the lowest available note in the scale found on the guitar (the low E string).

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (E-G-A, switch strings, A-C-D).

3. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar switch to an F# major pentatonic scale and change direction. To continue this pattern all the way up and down the fretboard you could generalize the rule as follows: when you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

Because the rules of this exercise are a little more complicated than the last one, it may be helpful to refer to my transcription. You can watch me play it here.

Ear Training II - Major and Minor Triads; All Inversions; Closed and Open Voicings

Last months ear training exercise was to identify major and minor triads in root position only. This meant that the root of each chord was relatively easy to track as it was always the lowest note. This month’s exercise involves major and minor triads in root position, first, and second inversion. This means that the root will not necessarily be the lowest sounding note. Additionally, the triads will be played in either a closed (within an octave) or open (greater than an octave) voicing.

I approach this exercise in three steps:

1. Identify the root of the chord knowing that it may not be the lowest sounding note

2. Identify the lowest sounding note to identify the position/inversion of the chord

3. Identify the character of the chord or its highest note to access its voicing

As usual, this exercise can be approached in two ways: improvising along with the chords or echoing them. You can find the code, now contained in a Supercollider file (.scd), here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Transcription I - Chris Potter "Everything Happens to Me"

Paul Motian’s “On Broadway Vol. 4: The Paradox of Continuity” is one of my favourite standards recordings. It was listening to this record that first exposed me to the late piano player Masabumi Kikuchi. With repeated listening, I have especially come to appreciate Larry Grenadier’s incredible playing and the way it ties the ensemble together. The track “Everything Happens to me” features a really wonderful solo from Chris Potter. You can find the full transcription here and watch my performance of it here. There is a lot to talk about with this solo but if I were to offer only one observation it would be this: notice the incredible voice leading in measures 1-4 and 13-14. In measure 1-4 Potter weaves melodies around descending half-steps from an F# on beat one of measure one to a B on the ‘and’ of beat two in measure 4. He does this again, weaving melodies around a descending half-step sequence, starting with a G# on beat one of measure 13 and ending on an F on beat two of measure 14.

Improvisation I - "Stella By Starlight" Part 1

Practicing improvising on your own can be very tricky. I find it helpful to create simple, game-like scenarios based on a small set of rules. These games don’t necessarily make one improvise in the fullest sense of the term but they help develop my ability to think quickly about harmony and the guitar. The rules for this improvisation game are as follows:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar (in this case, from fret 5-9 inclusive).

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, Bb, the fifth of a E half-diminished chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

This exercise and others like it help me work out my knowledge of the fretboard in a rather rigorous way as well as force me to hear chords resolve one to another in ways I wouldn’t normally choose. Though the point of this exercise is to improvise using the rules only, it may be helpful to read through one chorus of the exercise, which you can find here. You can also watch me playing this exercise here.

Technique I - Pentatonic Scales, Three Notes Per String

As with other aspects of my playing, I often find it helpful to practice using a set of rules or constraints. These rules force me to visual the fretboard in unexpected ways and help me break out of well-worn habits. This exercise involves the following rules:

1. Using three notes per string, play a C major pentatonic scale starting on the lowest available note in the scale found on the guitar (the low E string).

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (C-D-E, switch strings, E-G-A).

3. When you get to the first string, add one note and come back down through the scale, still playing three notes per string. To continue this pattern all the way up and down the fretboard you could generalize the rule as follows: when you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

Obviously such an exercise does as much to help develop one’s knowledge of the fretboard as it does technique but it is worth mentioning that, for me, this exercise helps my left hand technique by forcing me to span large intervals on one string. I play this using an ‘economy’ picking motion which makes the three notes per string pattern easier to execute. To develop this kind of picking, practice the exercise at a variety of speeds and with a variety of accent patterns. While you can accomplish the exercise in its entirety with only the rules listed above, you can find the exercise notated in full here. You can watch me play it here.