Sonny Clark , solo run!!!! on LearnJazzPiano.com

Jazz Piano Book Reviews • Piano Teacher Search • Jazz Piano Links • Jazz Piano Lessons

Sonny Clark , solo run!!!!

hi all,

on sonny clark's album "sonny clark trio" sonny clark plays a solo version of i'll remember april.

at 10 seconds into the song clark does this typical quick run downward toward a d7alt chord. you hear "pro's" doing this a lot. and as it really sounds hip, i was wondering is it some kind of "quick" trick. some scale he plays???

plz help! tnx!

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 13:59

There are 11 comments, leave a comment.

i don't have the record but i can transcribe it for you if you can post an mp3 somewhere.
maybe it's a pentatone lick ala tatum
nihonjin

LJP Like

by nihonjin on 12/14/2006, 14:17

i've actually transcribed that solo -- when i come across it (my papers are a mess), i'll let you know what i came up with.

honestly, it'd be faster to just take it down yourself, but i'm curious as well, since i can't remember exactly the part you're talking about.

LJP Like

by on 12/14/2006, 14:27

you can listen to it here

https://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2614826

LJP Like

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 14:49

i figured this out:

ab bb ab f eb c bb ab f eb c bb ab f eb d

so its a run over three octaves...

what kind of scale is this and how does it relate to d7!!

it is an ab major pentatonic scale...

so that means:

major pentatonic on the tritone of a dominant 7 chord always sounds hip :)

am i right?

LJP Like

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:01

it's still played at the speed of light however... very difficult to achieve...

LJP Like

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:45

i still have to look that one up and check my transcription to verify.  i can't remember how clark plays that.  i wouldn't think about it as a scale, though -- just putting the common tensions to a dominant 7 chord, repeating it over a few octaves.  that's just the way i'd think about it, though.

another one to get into his rubato style is "love walked in" from "dial 's' for sonny."  he was just as good as bud at copping the tatum style.  plus, that one, you learn about all you need to know about block chords when he gets back to the head after a few wicked choruses.

great album, though -- love that "tadd's delight" and the rare reading of "bebop."  he sure did have a nice touch.

i'd like to look back and see if i can find my transcription and listen to the record again -- perhaps others can do the same.  it's a real masterpiece, that performance -- one of the few pieces i've bothered to transcribe both hands of since i was a teenager.

LJP Like

by on 12/14/2006, 16:52

book for learning to identify and apply these kinds of phrases in your solos.

ben blau

LJP Like

by Ben Blau on 12/14/2006, 17:48

yes, it's that descedning ab (f-) pentatonic run.
those notes are characteristic of the keys of ab major, eb major and db.

it works over many chords rlated to those keys:

d7 alt, ab7, abmaj7, dbmaj7, gbmaj7, fmi7, bbmi7, ebmi7
ab7 sus, bb7 sus, eb7 sus, etc.

LJP Like

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 18:34

are there more of these typical licks? which are especially useful in playing solo?

LJP Like

by ayolt on 12/15/2006, 06:32

you can always play the pentatonic scale a tritone away on a dominant chord. it's often called the altered pentatonic, because it contains a lot of the altered tensions of the chord.

actually, teh cry me a river lick is different. it would be, on an altered chord, f eb bb gb f eb

LJP Like

by hepcatmonk on 12/15/2006, 07:28

what a great album, the guy really swings his great lines.

LJP Like

by Jazz+ on 12/23/2006, 20:42

Reply to Thread

Please sign in to post.

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

Scot Ranney's Jazz Piano Notebook, Volume 1 - jazz piano tricks of the trade

Volume 1 of this educational jazz piano book contains 15 jazz piano exercises, tricks, and other interesting jazz piano techniques, voicings, grooves, and ideas Scot Ranney has picked up over decades of playing on stage.

Being a pro jazz pianist requires good ears, experience, and a bag of tricks that create the kinds of sounds people expect to hear from a jazz pianist. The entries in this book will give you some of those tricks.

buy pdf version - buy coil binding version - videos

"Latinesque"

Volume 2 has 14 jazz piano exercises and tricks of the trade, and quite a bit of it is Calypso jazz piano related material, including some Monty Alexander and Michel Camilo style grooves. Jazz piano education is through the ears, and books like this help connect what you're hearing to what you want to play.

buy pdf version - buy coil binding version

Volume 3 contains 12 jazz piano exercises and explorations by the acclaimed jazz piano educator, pianist, author, and recording artist Tim Richards.

Tim wrote the well known "Exploring Jazz Piano" and "Improvising Blues Piano" books and has several others to his name.

Tim has a new book out Beginning Jazz Piano (Pts 1 and 2)

Many of Tim's books now come with free access to interactive sheet music ONLINE, which permits slowing down of the backing and performance tracks, as well as the option to loop passages for practice purposes.

Tim now also has online VIDEO courses for his books, including Beginning Jazz Piano, Improvising Blues Piano and Exploring Jazz Piano Vol 1:

buy pdf version Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Notebook Volume 3 -

Volume 4 is by Jeff Brent, a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and author of "Modalogy" and other acclaimed jazz theory and education books. In this book Jeff shares detailed analysis of transcriptions of live performances. He covers everything from the shape of the songs to the tricks and licks he uses in improvised lines to the ideas behind his lush chord voicings.

buy pdf version - buy coil binding version

Jazz piano education is cool.

be the main character in your own story

Sonny Clark , solo run!!!!

There are 11 comments, leave a comment.

by nihonjin on 12/14/2006, 14:17

by on 12/14/2006, 14:27

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 14:49

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:01

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:45

by on 12/14/2006, 16:52

by Ben Blau on 12/14/2006, 17:48

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 18:34

by ayolt on 12/15/2006, 06:32

by hepcatmonk on 12/15/2006, 07:28

by Jazz+ on 12/23/2006, 20:42

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In

Sign In to LearnJazzPiano.com

Sonny Clark , solo run!!!!

There are 11 comments, leave a comment.

by nihonjin on 12/14/2006, 14:17

by on 12/14/2006, 14:27

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 14:49

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:01

by ayolt on 12/14/2006, 15:45

by on 12/14/2006, 16:52

by Ben Blau on 12/14/2006, 17:48

by Jazz+ on 12/14/2006, 18:34

by ayolt on 12/15/2006, 06:32

by hepcatmonk on 12/15/2006, 07:28

by Jazz+ on 12/23/2006, 20:42

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In