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Practicing Bebop

i am very much interessted in bebop lines. i know all the stuff about the bebopscale and the chord-notes-on-the-beat-stuff. but i still cant figure out what the lines are about or how to practice them. plz help me...thx !

by PomPom on 10/10/2007, 03:09

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i'd suggest you pick up the omni book and track down the recordings there are transcribed from.

see it here: (https://www.amazon.com/charlie-parker-omni-book-c/dp/0769260535/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6528510-0179332?ie=utf8&s=books&qid=1192030782&sr=8-1)

but buy it through one of the links scot has put up so that it benefits ljp.

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by sdm on 10/10/2007, 09:09

then you have to listen. listen. listen.

beyond the pool of note choices, notice (as you listen)

...swing feel
...prevalence of 8th notes
...combinations of long and short notes
...repeating patterns
...in bebop, chromatic movements
...rests/breathing
...abrubt rests at the end of phrases
...lines starting on a pickup (not beat1)
...

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by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 09:11

i would take a favorite song (for me it was how hight the moon),
and practice it slow/medium/fast, frontwards, backwards, blindfolded, different keys.
until you own it as scot would say.

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by jmkarns on 10/10/2007, 09:24

here's a quick way. start practicing the bebop heads, like donna lee. if you can do the heads, you will have picked up the stylistic cues of bebop.

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by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 11:20

i play a lot of bebop solos but i have never felt comfortable playing the head of donna lee on the piano for some reason. i do like that first phrase though and quote it often. the bebop heads i like that seem to lay well on piano for me are au privave, anthropology, parisian thoroughfare, blues for alice, four, groovin high, ornithology, etc,

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by Jazz+ on 10/10/2007, 11:16

donna lee is tough on the fingers for sure. i agree it doesn't lay on the piano all that well, but people play it all the time. it's probably not for beginners but still there's some typical charlie parker style lines in there.

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by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 14:35

haven't we all struggled with donna lee?! one has to remember bird was playing it in the eb alto key, so we're not even playing it in the key it was conceived in. or doesn't that make a difference?

another one i've found unpianistic (at least in parts) is 'joy spring'. anyone agree? great tune though! and what about the bridge of joe henderson's inner urge?

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by DrJazz on 10/10/2007, 16:14

what makes the biggest difference is that we're not even playing it on the instrument it was conceived on.

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by 7 on 10/10/2007, 22:07

re-the bridge of joe henderson's inner urge

this is an excerpt from this file-https://www.learnjazzpiano.com/citadel/scotcit.mvc?action=files&sub=file_details&id=1075846998

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by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:42

here's some more of the type of exercise shown above with giant steps,this time using a section from joe hendersons'"inner urge":


              maj7  maj9  #11  13
emaj7#11  d#  f#  a#  c#  d#  f#  a#  c#
c#maj7#11c  d#  f#  a#  d#  g  a           c
dmaj7#11  c#  e  g#  b  c#  g#  b  e
bmaj7#11  a#  c#  f  g#  c#  g#  a#  f#
cmaj7       b  d  f#  a  b  a  b  f#
amaj7       g#  b  d#  f#  b  g#  b  f#
bb7       ab  c  d  f#  c  ab  c  g
g7       g  d  d  g  d  a  b  f
f#m7b5     f#  e  d  a  e  b  b  e


    what you've got here is-columns 1-4,melodic movement from chord to chord using the same extension on each; columns 5-8,melodies which are more about voice leading. as far as my use of the g7(actually i think you'd want dom7w/9 and 13 on that and the bb7)i'm referring to the recent excellent recording of this tune on the wallace roney cd "village".

     a few more melodic concepts to work with for this tune:on each of those maj7#11,also on the 2 maj7s,here are few "scales"you can use and the tensions/chord tones they're built on-

13/7/9/#11,3/9/1/13,13/7/9/3/#11,5/13/7/9/#11,13/7/9/3

(1+2 are descending,3-5 ascending),also try playing ii-v patterns from the 13th as if it was the root of the min7,,i.e. on the emaj7#11,use c# e g# b,then move down a half-step melodically to bb like you were going to the 3rd of the f#7.

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by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:45

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Practicing Bebop

There are 10 comments, leave a comment.

by sdm on 10/10/2007, 09:09

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 09:11

by jmkarns on 10/10/2007, 09:24

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 11:20

by Jazz+ on 10/10/2007, 11:16

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 14:35

by DrJazz on 10/10/2007, 16:14

by 7 on 10/10/2007, 22:07

by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:42

by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:45

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Practicing Bebop

There are 10 comments, leave a comment.

by sdm on 10/10/2007, 09:09

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 09:11

by jmkarns on 10/10/2007, 09:24

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 11:20

by Jazz+ on 10/10/2007, 11:16

by jazzwee on 10/10/2007, 14:35

by DrJazz on 10/10/2007, 16:14

by 7 on 10/10/2007, 22:07

by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:42

by smg on 10/12/2007, 15:45

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