Members Megatron_69 Posted December 5, 2008 Members Posted December 5, 2008 is great! I've got a bookshelf full of books. Several are jazz based. This is probably the best Jazz resource I have come across just short of the Real Book itself. Most of the the Jazz Books(guitars books in general) are crap. I'm not even done reading it yet and it's helped a great deal. Anyone with a bit of basic(classical theory) and some basic grips could jump right in. Good Stuff.
Members JnBroadbent Posted December 5, 2008 Members Posted December 5, 2008 Hey cool man, Jazz lessons are kicking my nuts so I might pick this up.
Members Stackabones Posted December 5, 2008 Members Posted December 5, 2008 It's often used as text at the schools. Good book.
Members Mike Saville Posted December 5, 2008 Members Posted December 5, 2008 I'd agree with that recomendation - if you want a book on jazz theory then the Levine book is the one you want.
Members Terje Posted December 5, 2008 Members Posted December 5, 2008 There is a very smart pentatonic trick presented in that book.
Members bgator Posted December 6, 2008 Members Posted December 6, 2008 There is a very smart pentatonic trick presented in that book. Can you share (for those of us that don't own the book)?
Members Terje Posted December 7, 2008 Members Posted December 7, 2008 Can you share (for those of us that don't own the book)? I have shared it here so many times but why not again, huh? Over aii-V7-I in C, i.e. Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 the G-majorpentatonic scale willwork over all three chords, without ever hitting any bad notes over the G7 and Cmaj7 chords and sounding really nice over both the Dm7 and Cmaj7, possibly a little lame over the G7 but easily fixed once you've got the basic idea down. You could for instance play the Ab altered pentatonic over G7, i.e. Ab Bb B Eb F, or the G dominant pentatonic which is the same as the G major pentatonic just raising the 6th (E) to a b7th (F). In fact, G major pentatonic will work for any chord in the key of C in a jazz setting. You can use this trick as a starting point for improvisations. Find out what the tonal centers of the song are and find out what major pentatonic scale goes with it, starting on the 5th for each tonal center. Add chromatic notes for intetrest and tension as you keep working on the tune. Another good one, also in that same book (which you really should buy, cheapskate! ), is to play the D major pentatonic scale over Cmaj. Another good one is to play C# major pentatonic over G7alt. since it hits all (or most of) those altered notes. Now, this opens up for a nice move, C major pentatonic over Dm7, C# major pentatonic over G7 and D major pentatonic over Cmaj7, with lots of options for playing sequences, which is one of the keys to making those altered notes sound logical.
Members heavy D Posted December 8, 2008 Members Posted December 8, 2008 I think it's a very good book. One reason I like it is because it's not made for guitarists. This can be a detriment for some, however. Take the pentatonic info Terje is talking about- it's all good stuff, but you have to apply it to your instrument. My advice- while going through the book apply everything you learn to the same position you would normally play in. For example, Terje says over a ii-V-I in C play a G pentatonic, which is fine. But don't play it in the position you'd normally play a G pentatonic in, play it in the position you'd normally solo over that ii-V-I in. I mean it's not a shortcut. If it's the same position, cool, but if not learn it in a new one. The reason is you want to be able to see why a G pentatonic sounds good. See and hear, but they go together. IMO, the book over emphasizes melodic minor, along with some of the other substitution concepts, but the great thing about the book is how it keeps referring you to the source material. If you don't have the records the written examples are on, get them! And not just for the example, but for the whole record. The albums he's pulling from are some of the best there are. So you should be listening for the stuff you're learning in these records as you go through the book. Also keep in mind that when guitarists refer to something as being pentatonic we often mean minor pentatonic, but if the book says pentatonic they mean major pentatonic.
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