LearnJazzPiano.com archives: how do i create 6let and 16th note phrases?

mstore -- 02/14/2005, 06:45:40 -- #11200

hello. I want to create phrases with 16th notes and even faster sixlets or what ever they are called in english (6 notes on one fourt) Are there any methods for this? How have artists in the past learnt to play phrases with more notes than eights? I play mostly swing. THe difficulty seems to be lack of material to fill out the solos with eights and short phrases with 16th:s it seems to be impossible to fill out anything with "sixlets" . please help me with this. martin

Jazz+ -- 02/16/2005, 11:46:50 -- #11252

Practice those on slow ballads. Perhaps practice clapping them with a metronome. Be able to switch gears without stopping from triplets to sixteenths to sixteenth triplets and then back down again.

7 -- 02/16/2005, 12:08:35 -- #11254

sextuplets

ziggysane -- 02/16/2005, 15:01:24 -- #11256

Related question.  Are 16th notes swung when a swing 8ths in use?  To try to clarify, say you have an 8th note followed by two sixteenths all on one beat.  Would you play the 8th note swung and the treat the 16ths as the last two notes of a sextuplet?  Or play the whole beat straight? Or just feel it?   What about 16th note triplets placed on the "And" off beats following an eigth? Again, give equal time to both and continue swinging after wards or really rush the triplet? Finally, what about those damned sheets and pieces that are "Swung" but employ both eigths AND dotted eigths attached to a sixteenth.  I think it would be redundant if they indicated the same thing, but it drives me crazy constantly switching from triplet/swing to sixteenth feels.  Is this another indication to just rush the sixteenth, or to follow the notation religiously? "Should this have been a seperate post?"  Danny

Dr. Whack -- 02/16/2005, 16:47:00 -- #11257

This was actually covered in another post a few weeks ago...poke around a bit and you may find it...someone had pasted an article on the science behind "swing feel" and hoe the relationships (long-short) change depending on the tempo - pretty interesting I think it boils down to - if you have to think about it, you're probably not doing it

Dr. Whack -- 02/16/2005, 16:47:23 -- #11258

*how not hoe

Jazz+ -- 02/16/2005, 20:02:31 -- #11262

" Are 16th notes swung when a swing 8ths in use? " At ballad tempos they can be swung or straight depending on the effect you want. At faster tempos they tend to get even. "To try to clarify, say you have an 8th note followed by two sixteenths all on one beat.  Would you play the 8th note swung and the treat the 16ths as the last two notes of a sextuplet?  Or play the whole beat straight? Or just feel it?" Different question, if I saw that figure written I would tend to play he sixteenths straight.   "What about 16th note triplets placed on the "And" off beats following an eigth? Again, give equal time to both and continue swinging after wards or really rush the triplet?"Play as written "Finally, what about those damned sheets and pieces that are "Swung" but employ both eigths AND dotted eigths attached to a sixteenth.  I think it would be redundant if they indicated the same thing, but it drives me crazy constantly switching from triplet/swing to sixteenth feels.  Is this another indication to just rush the sixteenth, or to follow the notation religiously?" It means to me tha the music editor was inconsistent. You can consider  them all the same swing or you can treat the dotted eighth sixteenth as very swung.

ziggysane -- 02/16/2005, 22:46:21 -- #11265

Thanks Jazz+.  The reason I was so curious about the last (the "swung" pieces that still have dotted 16ths) is that it appears frequently in Oscar Peterson's jazz etudes, and I wonder what his motivation would be to do so.  Thanks a lot though.  You answered everything very neatly.

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