Let's share musical ideas
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No matter what level we are at, we can all learn from each other (there are some great players hanging around here–lots better than me). For those interested, let’s use Tommy’s backing tracks to jam out some musical ideas you’re working on/woodshedding. Hopefully we can all gain something from this. I know I will if you guys wanna post a video of your playing. My playing is pretty rough as I don’t have any performance experience, but I’ll still give it a go…who’s up for the challenge of getting better…c’mon and post yours.
I’ll start. Here are two passes through his “A Smooth One” in Eb:
Here’s one more in the same key (Eb), but this is the blues backing track from Tommy. Let’s hear from some others…
Nice playing on those clips, Craner…you got me obsessing on A Smooooth One. I have most of the melody worked out, but the chord progression puzzles me a little. The chart that I found has Bbdim7, Bb6, F6 under the head. I was hoping that it was a variation of ii-V-I, but that does not seem to fit. Is it just one of those Benny Goodman harmonized baseline deals like Flying Home?
No, It’s a II-V-I in AABA format. The II-V are split measure and the I is a full measure, so each II-V-I is 2 bars long. Essentially doing that 4 times to make 8 bars (one A section)–then do it again for two A sections (AABA).
In Eb: || F Bb7 | Eb7 | F Bb7 | Eb7 | F Bb7 | Eb7 | F Bb7 | Eb7 ||
The Bridge modulates to the 4th so in Eb (Tommy’s backing track and my video):
| Ab | Adim | Bbminor | Eb7 | Ab | Adim | Eb7 Cminor | F7 Bb7 |The Charlie Christian/Benny Goodman version is in F so you’ll have to transpose it up a whole step if you play along with the recording.
Interesting that you bring up Flying home because during soloing I just treat the A sections as Eb the whole time, with the exception including a five chord just to create tension/resolve (sort of I-V ideas). Which is similar to attacking the essentially 16 straight bars of Eb in Flying home before it goes to the bridge.
Thanks for setting me straight on the Smooth One changes. That’s what I get for trying to use a progression from somewhere other than the Jazz Chord Anthology. Anyway, I have been shedding the tune over the last few days and I like how you can get a lot of ideas for it playing melodically rather than trying to play the changes. I will get a take recorded just as soon as I get the bridge down and buy those backing tracks from Tommy.
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