It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Time feel is everything

タイム感がジャズのすべて

Wikipedia

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Swing Jazz

Before "what is jazz today" was established

今日言われるところの「ジャズ」の定義が確立する以前のジャズ。皮肉な事に「スィング・ジャズ」は現代の定義されるジャズではなかった。

Louis Armstrong: Before WWII era, Laid back time feel isolated to solo performer, while the rest of the band is on the beat

サッチモ：大戦以前の時代、ジャズ特有のレイドバックするタイム感はソロイストに限られ、バックバンドはオン・ザ・ビートで演奏していた。

 

Count Basie Orchestra - Corner Pocket (1962): Base and drums on the beat together

カウント・ベーシー・オーケストラ：ベースとドラムはオン・ザ・ビートでぴったり合った演奏。

 

Erroll Garner Plays Fly Me to the Moon: His left hand on the beat, while the right hand behind the beat

エロール・ガーナーの演奏に注目。左手がオン・ザ・ビートなのに対し、右手はビハインド・ザ・ビートだ。

 

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Be Bop

Charlie Parker and his Be Bops style establishes bass on top of the beat and drums behind the beat to give wider beat space for the soloist who can then play the mix of on top of the beat and behind the beat to create the speed and the thrill

チャーリー・パーカーが始めたバップのスタイルが今日のジャズを定義した。それはベースがオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートでバンドをドライブし、それに対しドラムがビハインド・オブ・ザ・ビートで空間のある幅の広いビート感を作り出し、ソロイストはその空間を自在にオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートとビハインド・ザ・ビートを混ぜてスリルのあるタイム感を醸し出す。

 

 

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Miles Davis

The birth of the cool jazz style: less notes, more groove with bass on top of the beat and drums behind the beat

マイルスのもたらしたクール・ジャズはバップの音の洪水から脱し、音数少なく、ベースがオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートでドラムがビハインド・ザ・ビートのグルーヴをさらに発展させた。

 

Tony Williams who can switch between behind the beat and on top of the beat, while Ron Carter who can be on top of Tony's on top of the beat

トニー・ウイリアムスは自在にオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートとビハインド・ザ・ビートをスイッチ出来る恐ろしいドラマーだったが、ロン・カーターはトニーのオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートより更にオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートでバンドを引っ張っていたのが驚異的である。

 

 

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Aggressive Time Feel

攻撃的なタイム感

Kenny Burrell plays on top of the beat, while his drummer, Sherman Furgason gives funk music like wide beat feeling

ケニー・バレルというギタリストは特異で、恐ろしくオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートで演奏するが、それに対しドラマーのシャーマン・ファーガソンはファンクのようなビート感の広い演奏でサポートしていた。

 

Pat Martino (before who lost his memory) played incredibly meticulous behind the beat

記憶をなくす以前のパット・マルティーノは機械の様な正確さでビハインド・ザ・ビートを演奏する。

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Learn to listen to bass and drums to understand the jazz groove. Grooving jazz is always bass on top the beat even when there is no drummer. Bass has to drive the group, and there is a definit difference between on top of the beat and rushing. Rushing won't groove. On top of the beat means digging down the beat.

ジャズのグルーヴを知るためにベースとドラムを注意して聴くのが大切。グルーヴするジャズグループは必ずベースがオン・ザ・ビートで、たとえドラムレスでもベースひとりでバンドをドライブしている。ここで気をつけなくてはいけないのは、オン・ザ・ビートと走っているのとは違うことだ。ただ走っているのではグルーヴはしない。オン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビートはビートを掘り進んで行くというようなイメージだと思う。

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Funk Music: Tightly behind the beat between bass and drums

ジャズと違いファンク音楽に於いてはベースとドラムがタイトにビハインド・ザ・ビートを演奏してグルーヴする。

 

 

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Go Go style: same as Funk but more hop

ヒップホップの原型であるゴーゴー音楽はファンク同様のビート感だが、ファンクよりホップする（立ち上がり感）

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Brazilian Time Feel

ブラジル音楽のタイム感はビハインド・ザ・ビート

 

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Latin Music Time Feel

ラテン音楽のタイム感はオン・トップ・オブ・ザ・ビート

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Reggae: Caribbean music is on the beat, yet it grooves hard

レゲーやカリブ音楽はオン・ザ・ビートなのにグルーヴ感がすごい

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The simplified explanation of the difference between Japanese and/or Asian groove and the rest

日本やアジアの音楽がどう違うのかを簡略して説明する。

The beat that is thrown away from the drum

日本やアジアのビートは打ち下ろすのではなく投げ飛ばすのである。

The beat that is struck down to the drum

打ち下ろすビートとはこう

What Schöenberg Said

The one of the most important 20th Century composers, Arnold Schöenberg notes a diminished 7th chord is an extension of a dominant chord with lowered 9th and omitted root (p.348 "Theory of Harmony" ISBN 0-520-04944-6).

Let's take a look at what is being talked here.

When a C#dim7 chord appears in the key of C Major, followed by a D-7 chord, it is a diatonic functioning diminished chord, I#dim7". The theoretically correct chord scale would be as follow:

This C#dim7 chord can be understood as an A7(b9) without root, functioning as V7(b9)/II, and the expected chord scale is a perfect match.

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When you see a diminished chord, and if you could identify it as a diatonic functioning diminished chord quick enough on your sight reading, all what you need to do is to call up your cool Dominant 7th b9 lick on the Major 3rd below the root of the diminished chord.

But things might not be that simple when you are sight reading on stage. What if you see a Bb dim7 chord, which you couldn't tell if diatonic functioning? The Major 3 blow is Gb. What if you are not comfortable with Gb(b9) lick?

Read on..

 

Finding a Hook

This is an example of a non diatonic functioning diminished chord in another well known standard song, As Time Goes By, starting at its bridge:

Whether the changes are correct or not, you are facing this onstage, sight reading. There is no way the A diminished chord is acting as a diatonic functioning chord, since it is not followed by a half step or the same root. See my workbook.

You must be able to see the chord tone of A dim7. Seeing a chord tone right away is essential to improvisation. Once you see a chord tone, you should see four dominant chords:

The note on the A dim7 chord which does not appear in those four dominant chords becomes tension. Let's examine.

• Gb does not appear in F7 » F7(b9)
  
• B7 is a good match with A dim7 » B7(b9): This has to be the Mixo b9 scale because of the -3rd note of A dim7, which is b9 to B7.
  
• Eb does not appear in D7 » D7 (b9,b13): Tension b13th is added because of the context, that is, proceeded by F-7 and followed by C-7.
  
• Ab7 is also a good match with A dim7 » Ab7(b9): This has to be the Mixo b9 scale because of the root note of A dim7, which is b9 to Ab7.
  

Any one of them will work. You pick one that you like, and blow away.

Just add b9th, but what about b13th?

Let's step back. Here is the summary of the steps, which you need to process in a split second on the stage when sight reading:

1. Identify the chord tones of the diminished 7th chord
2. Produce four dominant chords which share the tritones with the diminished 7th chord
3. Pick one of them you like, hopefully, the one closest to the context, as explained
4. Add b9th then blow

Since we are accustomed to adding the b13th when we blow such phrase, would it work in this situation? It works most of the time, as I did on the D7 to A dim7 example. On the other hand, b13th of Ab7 is F-flat, and it will take away from the context. In any case, improvising live does not need to be theoretically correct, while it is still important to know what you are doing.

End of this subject.

Theoretically correct scale

Here is an except from Someday My Prince Will Come, bar 9 - 12:

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The Db diminished 7th chord appears as a tonal functioning diminished chord, bIII diminished 7th, that is, analyzed as passing from III-7 to II-7. The non chord tones of the tonal functioning diminish chord are determined by the Key of the Moment, B flat, in this case.

The theoretically correct scale will be as follow:

Note that parenthesized numbers indicate avoid notes.

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A lot of double-flats. As we discussed in the Workbook, we can respell the Db diminished scale to the C# diminished scale for conveniences. After all, theoretical correctness is not required when you are on stage and blowing hard.

Note that parenthesized numbers indicate avoid notes.

What Can You See?

A diminished 7th chord is built with two tri-tones, which means it could represent four dominant chords:

Let's try to fit these chords to the key of B-flat, which is the key of the moment of this song, Someday My Prince Will Come. This is not a theoretical analysis since we are not considering what chord might follow.

• A7 = possible V7 of iii-: the scale would be Altered Mixo
  
• But on stage, we often like to play A7(b9,b13) instead, to make it more interesting
  
• Eb7 = possible SubV of iii-: the scale would be Lydian b7/Mixo #11
  
• C7 = possible V of V: the scale would be Straight Mixo
  
• Gb7 = possible SubV of V: the scale would be Lydian b7/Mixo #11
  

Which one of them has all the chord tones of C#dim7? The answer is A7(b9,b13).

Let's compare the scale:

If you add C natural, which is a #9th of A7, and often added when the b9th is used, the resulting scale is identical. Coming up with a cool phrase on A7(b9,b13) is a lot easier than sight reading C#dim7 and trying to figure out the non chord tones according to the key of the moment.

Don't Jump Around Avoid Note

When note moves in the interval more than 2nd, human ear catches it as structure rather than passing note within a phrase. If the last note before the jump or first note after the jump is an avoid note, it stands out and destroys tonality. Slower the tempo, worse the effect.

Here is an example of V-I phrase:

Here is an example when avoid note S4 sticks out and bothers the tonality:

However, if avoid note is followed by a valid note in half-step, the avoid note will act as an approach note. While it still catches ear, the unity of the tonality won't be destroyed as bad: