Why is it so difficult to solo on a cycle of 5ths?
for example i am working on yesterdays by jerome kern. i find it hard not to hear the cadence of the melody in my head while soloing over the part with the 5ths. this is very annoying as i end up playing the same lines over and over again. any tips for soloing of the cycle of 5ths?
There are 6 comments, leave a comment.
short answer: because you haven't transcribed/practiced it enough.
long answer: the real key to sounding good over a cycle revolves around capturing the voice-leading within your line(that is....if you are playing a line). the guide tones(third and 7th) move down chromatically, so a good place to start would be getting comfortable moving them. when you are comfortable, try starting a line really high on the piano and coming all the way down, changing chords where appropriate. when the chords change, hearing the movement of the 7th to the third makes the line really strong.......it's not necessary all of the time, but it is essential to get that sound in your playing. lets take bb,eb,ab, db, gb.......this line would work(eigth note line...4 notes to each chord): d, c, bb, ab, g, e, eb, db, c, a, ab, gb, f, (up)ab, b, d, (down)db. notice that when the chord changes, the line lands on the third of the new chord. after practicing this idea, try changing directions from time to time...example: d, c, bb, ab, g, (up)bb, db, (down)b, (up)c, (down)a, ab, gb, f, d, db, b, bb.
hope this gives you a couple ideas.
using the last four notes of minor 7th chords or dominant 7th chords as melodic soloing choices. complete with midi audio examples.
https://www.jeff-brent.com/lessons/universalscale.html
by combining those two concepts, you'll have a nearly infinite set of possibilites at your disposal.
descending it keeps coming out right on the 3rd or 7th.
that is probably why decsending lines are more common in bebop than ascending.
i would add that when ascending we need to adding a chromatic passing tone or a surround tone to make it keep coming out right on the chord tones.
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