LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Reharmonization 101
Scot -- 01/24/2004, 11:44:09 -- #1074973448
Moon River
On the other forum, we were talking about Moon River and what we can do.

I mentioned that a lot of the big time players often reharmonize not just the chords, but on melody notes.

So for Blue Moon, well, there some beautiful things you can do.

For simple chord reharmonization, I have utilized a descending bass line.  These changes are for the first part of the song.

| C          | G/B            | Am9         | C/G    |
| F          | C/E            | Bm7b5       | Bb7#11 |
| Am7        | Gm7  C7b9      | FM7         | E7#9   |
| Am7  Am7/G | F#m7b5   F7#11 | Em7  Ab7#11 | Dm7 G7 |

Now, it's a slow and beautiful song. All Henry Mancini songs are beautiful, except for maybe one or two TV show songs.

How about that harmonizing each melody note? This is a GOOD thing to look at and work on. Makes you sound pro :)  I'm only going to do the first to lyric lines here, but that's more than enough to get you started.

C    Bb7 Am7 F     Dm7  Db7 C
Moon Riv er, wider than a   mile

Gb7 F     Em11 Dm7 G7 CM7    Bb7#11  Bm7b5  Bb7#11  Am7
I'm cross ing  you in style, some    day    Old     dream....

See?  Very very cool. Also, everyone should know this tune. It's an AMAZING song!  Post some midis!

Oscar Peterson: Note-for-Note Transcriptions of Classic Recordings
dharminor -- 09/23/2004, 21:11:50 -- #7393
diminished 7th harmonization
when harmonizing a melodic line and adding specificly diminished chord substitutions is there any general rule on when they can be added to part of a melody. if you could maybe show it on "A Night In Tunisia" I'd appreciate it and also whether the left hand can play a different chord underneath the melody note and the diminished harmonization.

Whacky -- 09/25/2004, 07:19:29 -- #7422
well to me it's just a matter if experimentation...think of certain melody notes as being chord tones..for example the note A in any of the following chords: (and others)

A
Am
D
Dm
F
F#m
B7
Bb Maj7
Bbm (maj7)
Eb7(#11)
G9
G Maj9
Em11
Eb dim
C13
C13 sus 4

gotta go...

dharminor -- 09/26/2004, 16:23:31 -- #7467
thanks whacky

guti11 -- 11/02/2004, 20:55:59 -- #8578
Tanks
i am just impresioned for your generosly help, no mani people like you

Scot -- 11/04/2004, 15:38:14 -- #8631
Music is all about being generous with your soul, heart, and time. And I enjoy this site as much as any of you who visit it.

Thanks!

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unussunu -- 11/09/2004, 13:42:44 -- #8789
the abosolute best ear training
----------www.TEORIA.com
based in spanish, English choice of course.  It has everything.

for a higher tech go to
---------www.eartrainer.de  
a cool flash program

Oscar Peterson: Note-for-Note Transcriptions of Classic Recordings
7 -- 11/10/2004, 09:05:52 -- #8817
Direct link:

http://www.teoria.com/

Site dedicated to the study of music theory. Their "online books" section is actually a free browsable manual of everything concerning music theory. The "exercises" section contains  all kinds of great tools for scale & chord construction as well as things like chord & interval recognition. Make sure and check out the "articles" section as well! Links, too.

gbengakol -- 12/19/2004, 07:26:43 -- #9775
altered chords
hi,pls i wanna know how to really make use of altered chords.i would be very grateful if i could have a lecture on this.  
    also i hear of tension here and there but don't know how to really use it pls shed more light on this  too. thanks

albetan -- 12/19/2004, 07:40:26 -- #9777
Look for these files in search engine (upwards):
Extended chords (write: extended)
Substitute and embellishing chords (write: substitute)
Altered seventh chords (write: altered)

femi -- 02/15/2005, 10:02:54 -- #11222
more examples
pls scot can you use more chords to explain this topic reharmonisation.
can the seventh chord used in the leading chord example be of different qualities or only seventh without alterations

Scot -- 02/16/2005, 23:08:04 -- #11267
Seventh chords can be of many different qualities.  I just put the simple sevenths in examples to make it easier to understand.

By all means expand the 7th chords. It's the idea of how the reharmonization works that is important, not the actual chords.

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Lafaille -- 03/28/2005, 18:48:10 -- #12265
Mission Impossible - Lalo Schifrin
Dear:
I live in Brazil and need so much ( teachering Jazz, Bossa ) the free partition of Title above. Please replay me with full response.
Thanks in advance. Hamilton Lafaille <hamilton_lafaille@yahoo.com.br>

Monty Alexander: Transcriptions of Standards
Scot -- 03/28/2005, 21:36:33 -- #12274
Hi, all interaction is done on this site, not through email. So go ahead and ask questions and we'll try to answer them.

Neighbor -- 03/30/2005, 04:40:37 -- #12314
Neighbor For you Art Tatum fans
I've been studying Art Tatums' techniques.  Good piano excercises to get the dexterity and harmony he had-is to practice your scales in thirds and sixths intervals.  Try getting the jazz hanon book and try your regular classical hanon excercises!  If any body has more tips to get this type of virtioso playing please give all of us some secret tips!!!!!            Neighbor

sdm -- 03/30/2005, 15:46:33 -- #12326
Thanks Neighbor.  Can you explain "practice scales in thirds and sixths?"  Do you mean run scales a 3rd or 6th apart or practice a run of thirds in the scale?

Neighbor -- 04/06/2005, 01:12:49 -- #12514
Thank for the Interest SDM From Neighbor
Everything that you said to practice in scale playing works when it comes to Arts' style of playing. For example, have you ever heard the relationship between Mathmatics and Music?  They both really do go hand in hand.  They both go into infinity and the possibilities are endless.  Try the jazz runs in trills in 3rds and 6th's.  Here is a cool exercise I thought up and started to practice.  Let's start simple, play the Cmajor scale with your left hand and with your hand play the Db major scale.  Next still with your left hand play the CMajor scale then with your left play the Dmajor scale.  Do this staying in the Cmajor scale in the Left Hand and go up Chromatically with your right hand in 1/2 steps then thirds and then Sixths etc.  Then try both hands vice versa.  When you hear Tatum his little complex harmonies are built in this fashion.   Till the next tip.
                                                  Neighbor

sdm -- 04/06/2005, 11:30:56 -- #12519
Interesting, Neighbor, I'll give it a try.  

As for math and music, yes, there's plenty of evidence for that.  I worked in high-tech for a while and the head of the software engineering department had a PhD in piano performance.  I see that there are a lot of computer types here although that may have more to do with the medium.  Still, you do see a lot of musicians in technical fields.

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PeteBax -- 08/01/2005, 10:08:44 -- #17131
FBEADGC
"Freddy Bead Great Cat"  FBEADGC is all the flat keys going forward all the sharp keys going backwards; circle of fourths forwards; circle of fifths backwards and; 4ths are 5ths going down; I think its been a long time since I studied  music. I once wrote a piece of music called "Freddy
Beads Blues" never told anybody what it meant before

Monty Alexander: Transcriptions of Standards
christinefaye -- 03/13/2006, 00:20:07 -- #25140
HARMONIZATION
SIR, when you play jazz, do you really have to think of the thoeries learned or do we have to really just experiment? should the techniques and ideas of classical style be trashed? please reply. thanks. this is my email add: christinefaye@yahoo.com

Scot -- 03/15/2006, 13:03:35 -- #25221
Here's how it works.

When you practice jazz, you think about theories, formulas, and all the stuff you are trying to progress in.

When you perform you forget about all that and just have fun.

The things you practice will come out in your performances if you practice them enough.

Never ever ever get into the habit of being too much in your head when performing!  

Play from the heart, practice from the head.

garethcullen -- 05/04/2006, 06:56:25 -- #26961
new
Hi Guys,
I am new to this site.. and very interested in Jazz voicings.. paticularly 2 handed big cool voicings :) However lacking ideas or suggestion re this... can anyone suggest/ pt me in right direction pls..?

albetan -- 05/04/2006, 08:42:37 -- #26962
See at Albetan's area these files:
Melodic Voicings 1, 2, 3, 4.
Performing Jazz lead sheets.

garethcullen -- 05/04/2006, 09:08:49 -- #26963
ok.. where do i find that info pls?

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sdm -- 05/04/2006, 11:07:35 -- #26967
Go to the top of this page, find "Rooms: Show List."  Click on Show List.  Albetan's room is on the bottom panel in the second of four columns.  Click there and, once there, click on List Files just under the room title in the light blue bar.  Can't miss it (well, you could).  There are a number of super lessons in Albetan's files.  Enjoy!

qelly -- 08/10/2006, 07:10:48 -- #29236
WOW!
mr. scott, i wish you could make this ideas available to Nigerians..we are in want of good books and materials.

Scot -- 08/17/2006, 12:16:57 -- #29347
These ideas are available to everyone!  Just come to this site and explore all of the resources everyone has uploaded.

Bonnie -- 01/21/2007, 14:14:39 -- #32593
Girl from Ipanema
Is it possible to get this uploaded- a kinda
nice music to playm esp. an amateur.
Thanks

Bonnie

Scot -- 01/22/2007, 10:05:10 -- #32610
Well, it's a copyrighted song so we can't do that here. Why don't you buy the old Stan Getz/Gilberto recording?  You can't get much better than that if you want to learn Girl from Ipanema.

dintino -- 05/13/2007, 15:29:09 -- #35021
Blue Moon
Hi, while reading about Reharmonization 101, I came up to some nice writing about harmonizing every note in Blue Moon and other great tips in other tunes. I must have cliked a link or something, for the page is not where I though it will be. If anyone can help, it will be appreciated. Dintinos.

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J+azz=jazz -- 05/29/2007, 10:24:06 -- #35278
Hm
WoW

decookman -- 09/13/2007, 10:07:29 -- #37052
decookman
mylove

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