| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Soloing like Oscar Petersen | |
| mikesmodern -- 09/15/2006, 15:46:29 -- #29847 | |
| I'd love to learn how to throw some of those 2 handed chord blocks into my soloing like Oscar Petersen. If you're familiar with his live recording of "Tenderly", this is exactly what I'm talking about. Diana Krall also plays a lot like this in her solos. To simplify, they seem to play the melody to the head, ("The evening trees..." in the case of Tenderly) in a pair of triads(?) and then add to it in a rhythmic kind of improvising. I've listened and tried, but get completely lost. I can come close by playing the same chord with both hands, but I know that isn't what they're doing! I hope I'm making some sense here. Any suggestions by anyone who knows what I'm looking after would be great. Thanks in advance for any guidance. | |
| jmkarns -- 09/15/2006, 15:56:02 -- #29847 | |
| Yes, I have noticed that with Oscar's playing. I think it dates back to what he learned from Tatum and Cole. I can't get a grip on it either though. | |
| Scot -- 09/16/2006, 08:11:52 -- #29847 | |
| Most of the players who picked up that swing two handed block chord things did it by studying big band arrangements. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Nestico, Brookmeyer, etc.. I was talking to Bill Mays about this once and that's how he did it. Another thing that works as a formula is to use a four note voicing in the left hand and play the melody as an octave in the right hand. It's a big sound that is very close to the block chord sounds you're hearing. Another thing to do is forget about listning to OP and those people doing it, go to the source and listen to George Shearing or go one better and get a book about (or by) George Shearing that talks about his block chord and their usage. | |
| SolArt -- 09/18/2006, 04:32:48 -- #29847 | |
| Yes, octaves in the RH playing melodies/lines sound very pro and it may take a while getting used to moving your whole hand about to play them, but it's defintely worth the effort to master this actually easy technique. Also a two octave gap at places sounds great, albeit you need both hands. I'm curious, how many of LJP contributors use these techniques? | |
| SolArt -- 09/18/2006, 04:33:10 -- #29847 | |
| I do. | |
| time to talk -- 09/18/2006, 07:16:28 -- #29847 | |
| Since I'm still learning about the ins and outs of harmony ect I haven't arrived to improvising yet but I once transcribed that kind of playing off a Benny Green/Russell Malone duo album on a song he solo'd on.. it was quite hard and disorienting getting used to playing it but when I did eventually get it under my fingers it was as if someone else was playing it (and certainly not me).. It sounded Soooooooooo good.. | |
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