LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Bebop Vocabulary

dr1keyz -- 03/13/2005, 01:26:27 -- #11888

What is the best way to build a be-bop style musical vocabulary? (good recordings, books, etc)

7 -- 03/13/2005, 03:07:26 -- #11891

May I suggest that a basic understanding of how bop lines are constructed might be useful: Bopology 101 Learn to solo in the BeBop idiom. Complete with MIDI audio examples. http://Jeff-Brent.com/Lessons/Bop101/bop101.html

bopper -- 03/14/2005, 10:39:22 -- #11916

Barry Harris' instructional dvds. They are not free but they are the best. I think they are still sold through www.jazzworkshops.com

dr1keyz -- 03/14/2005, 11:10:10 -- #11917

I heard about his videos...would his video help a serious advanced player, or is it for beginners to intermediate?

GS_Jon -- 03/14/2005, 11:34:39 -- #11919

C'mon...the best way to learn the bebop vocabulary is to eat, sleep, and breathe Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, Fats Navarro, and Bud Powell.  Sing along with the recordings.  Sing without the recordings.  Transcribe solos.  Get an Omnibook.   Listen, listen, listen.  Listen until you are sick of these guys, then listen more.

nn -- 03/14/2005, 12:42:08 -- #11920

Hey, cmon, why bother with bebop?? Bebop is so out. What's so hip about playing scale X over chord Y anyways ?? (that's all there is to bebop, really). Cmon, we're in 2005 for Pete's sake, wake up. Bebop is over. You wanna be hip don't do bebop, do hip-hop.

dr1keyz -- 03/14/2005, 12:52:10 -- #11921

I dont do a lot of be-bop. My playing is "hip" already. I have a serious modal style but I think that a a musician, it is good to be able to play different types of styles. The musician that are closeminded have a closeminded sound and they begin to sound redundant. I focus on ALL aspects of music from Bebop to hip hop, from classial to gospel...but thanks for your imput.(nn)

Dr. Whack -- 03/14/2005, 14:26:49 -- #11924

If to you bebop is "playing scale X over chord Y", I think you've missed a point or two - hehe

Paul -- 03/14/2005, 16:18:39 -- #11925

I would also learn a bunch bepop heads. Make your own little arrangements or work out some of the published arragements that are available. Take melodic fragements that you like and learn them in  all keys and try to use them in your improvisations. There's tons of books that cantain bebop licks. Scott mentions one he likes called the "Bebop Bible". I'd like to check it out but it's out of print. Of course the Omni book is great too. Learning bebop is a fun and challenging way to work on your chops. Hip hop(funk) is cool but it won't do much for your chops. I agree that's it's very important to learn lots of styles and it seems very closed minded to dismiss a musical genre just because it's old. Someday I hope to learn stride, rags, and dixieland and even some more classical.

beanabus -- 03/15/2005, 08:40:58 -- #11945

I play a lot of be-bop. I find its the style I naturally produce :-) Bop is nothing to do with scales. There is also a common misconception that is very hard theoretically, and intellectual. It's not. It's actually easier than 30's jazz from a changes point of view. Here are some cliches Learn where the thirds and sevenths of each chord are. Then practice 'winding' around them chromatically. Charlie parker used to go up the arpeggio to the ninth, then wind downward chroamtically. Very common gesture. Over a II-V-I, take the line you play over the II and transpose it upward a minor third to go over the V. 'Moving fifth' very common. Over the start of Confirmation changes: FM7 | E-7b5 A7 | D-7 G7 | C-7 F7 | BbM7 Play lines based ont he F major, and move the fifth upwards, e.g.: FM7 | FM7+5 | FM6  | F7 | BbM7 This trick can be made to work in other contexts, like minor II-V-I's. Anticipation and expansion - that is playing over changes before they appear or after they have gone, is a common technique. Ignoring chords is very common. For example, if you have this progression: Eb-7 Ab7 | D-7 G7 Just play over the G7 chord. Spiral downwards chroamtically over fourth  wise progressions: A-7 D7 G-7 C7 A-7 Ab-7 G-7 F#-7 Never forget, Blues licks can made to work over any chord type. In short Be-bop is never 'correct' rather its playing fast and loose with the changes and having a good time. The biggest thing that will give you the be-bop sound are the rythmic properties. Alternate very short phrases with long ones. Accent irregularly. Above - listen tot the records. It's not a current style, and I don't think there's much call for it, but I enjoy playing it and listening to it, and that's my justification.

tianjing -- 03/15/2005, 09:53:39 -- #11948

hey, I was listening to a Charles Mingus recording of Moanin', and I was wondering if that was bop or not.  It sure sounded very nice, especially the baritone melody :)

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