LearnJazzPiano.com archives: using online transcriptions to develop voicings/improv approach

smg -- 06/07/2004, 08:20:53 -- #4798

Over the weekend I dug into the pile of transcriptions I've printed off the web and wanted to post some ideas I got for ways developing players can use them.Many of them are for "advanced"players only if approached as a piece to be played,based on the technical demands of the solo;however that fact doesn't have to prevent beginning/inter- mediate players from using them as well..... Many players here discuss the voicings they've been learning and how to expand their conception....often they've learned these voicings from a source which focuses first on easily understandable voicings based on basic principles of using the root and another important note in the LH w/other chord notes in the RH and expanding on this by adding chord tensions;then offers the same chord types as "rootless" voicings..this is of course a good place to start and familiarizing oneself with this type of thing is a good way to get into the study of voicings..I'd suggest  this as the next step- Armed with the skill to look at a given voicing and be able to identify which notes are being used and how they relate to the root,take a look at some of these(I've posted the links to the 2 I was working on)online transcriptions,take a given voicing that you like and set up a practice routine around it: 1.Play this voicing in all 12 keys (to the extent it is practically usable re-voicing range) 2.Compare it with other voicings you already have learned for the same chord type;see what the principles used are for each of the options(i.e.the voicing you know is the kind I referred to above;this new one has the root and third in the RH on top of a structure in the LH that you're used to playing in the RH over the root in the LH) 3.What are the notes being used melodically in conjunction with this voicing?(Here you don't have to worry if your capacity to technically execute this isn't yet up to the level needed;we're using these solos analytically as sources to derive practice material from....)If you play the voicing,do the melodic note choices sound connected to you?Can you see how a combination of the notes used in the voicing and these melodic ones add up to a "scale"?Once you've determined this and possibly figured out what scale is being used,practice the chord voicing along with it,also try coming up with patterns and ideas of your own based on this "harmonic area" of voicing/scale relationship. The 2 solos I worked on could be used as the next step from studies here at LJP or other studies you might be into- -the first link would work well in conjunction with the block chord studies over at  Albetans' Area -the second would be a good way to develop "upper structure" voicing concepts As long as you are able to understand theoretically what's going on in any solo,you will be able to make this kind of connection for yourself....there are many solos online,most of which are listed over in "Links"....... A couple of final notes- Using solos in this way is conceptually related to the idea of "not transcribing anything but learning it by ear first" and the consequent avoidance many developing players have of transcriptions based on this... Correctly using the above principle to work on using your ear as a guide and developing an ear-finger relationship to figuring out RH lines(and LH voicings when possible,there have been a lot of threads here at LL about this)is recommended and one good way to learn/internalize another players' approach(for more,see the file "Developing....." over at 360 degrees....)..in this case the transcriptions are being used much like a "voicings" study would be with your own analytical ability substituting for the type of info these studies provide..... I'd recommend this to anyone who realizes the discrepancy between the type of voicings being actually used by the players they're listening to and the ones they're spending hours a day learning....why not start working on these instead?? Here are the links-

smg -- 06/07/2004, 09:10:38 -- #4799

http://www.jazzcenter.org/ (Go to the transcriptions section and check out "Freddie Freeloader" by Benny Green) The second one may be temporarily unavaiable-the link is http://www.assocontinuum.com/ and the solo I was working on is "Stella by Starlight" by Keith Jarrett..I tried the link and it looks like that part of the site is down.....any info about this?

smg -- 06/07/2004, 15:48:48 -- #4810

I tried a few more times but it seems that "assocontinuum" is out of commission for now,at least the part of the site that had transcriptions......but don't let that stop you re-large amount available online and commercially.....just working with the ones over at "jazzcenter" and here at LJP and using this approach will give you a lot to work with.........

smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:18:28 -- #4827

Here's an example of the type of transcription you can do this with,although it's handwritten the quality of the player and ideas(Larry Goldings with John Scofield) more than compensate......I'll be posting other ones I find here as well... http://www.cims.nyu.edu/~barnett/music/jazz/darksolo1.gif

smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:42:15 -- #4829

Another good one,this is Oscar Peterson- http://www.free-scores.com/frame.php?url=http://www.jazzytunes.com/&CATEGORIE=70&TITRE=Jazz+tunes

smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:43:14 -- #4830

(again scroll down until you see the link)

albetan -- 06/08/2004, 14:14:18 -- #4834

T smg: Thanks Gary for that nice Peterson's transcription.

comrade c -- 06/11/2004, 18:18:33 -- #4873

smg, awesome post re learning voicings in applied format. thanks!

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