Do jazz players tend to do it all? All the scales, chords, rhythms, all the styles? Yep. The following ideas present a curriculum of study for the internalization of the jazz language, with links back into the theoretical discussions within the text. Basically divided in three levels, which would translate loosely into beginning, intermediating and advancing, the distinctions are arranged by the following theory. So, where to begin?
Starting diatonically. The pathway of a gradually increasing complexity that the theory of jazz takes in this text has three principle turns from it's diatonic origins as it heads towards the polytonal environment. Initiating in the diatonic realm is the long-term goal to develop the ability to articulate on their chosen instrument any musical idea i.e., a scale, mode, arpeggio, chord, chord progression, lick, honk and squeal from any pitch, or simply "anything from anywhere." This anything from anywhere translates into learning one's instrument and basically exhausting the diatonic resources. So, in attempting to develop to this level of understanding we might choose to play all of our scales, arpeggios, chords, licks and ideas from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale. Coolness emerges in that by approaching things this way, we get a sense of the closure within the resource, i.e., there are only 12 pitches, 12 major scales, 12 Aeolian modes etc. Of course we would try to supplement this shedding with learning tunes, and by the time this ability begins to become manifest, chances are we have say 25 standards jazz compositions under our fingers, 25 in the works and another 50 tunes on the "get to at some point" list. And depending on which 25, chances are we have gotten to most of the resource.
Adding in the symmetrical color. The next level of the theory is initiated by examining and shedding the multiple resolving properties as provided by the symmetrically constructed augmented and diminished colors. By adding a b9 to a vanilla V 7 chord and shed it's multiple resolving properties within conventional chord motions to both the major and minor tonalities. By augmented the triad within the V 7 chord and heading for it's potential non diatonic destinations. Basically that anywhere there is a V 7 chord within the 25 or so standards, to try the b9 and +5 and see what shakes out in regards to creating tension to motor our cadential motions. Part of the search in this area is in gaining a sense of how the common jazz chord substitutions, as found written into many standards, can be traced back to this V 7b9 chord theoretically. Getting a sense of how these symmetrical colors work and getting them under our fingers sets up the third phase of this curriculum. By this time perhaps our 25 tunes becomes the 50 tunes under our fingers, with 25 in the works and 25 on the back burner. With 50 tunes under our fingers, most if not all of the jazz coolness of color has emerged.
Softening the diminished color / polytonality. The third part of the curriculum uses the multiple resolving properties of the symmetrical colors and their ability to perfectly invert to enhance the motion between any two musical points as our ears determine. As the major 3rd of the augmented color and the minor 3rd interval of the diminished color are divided into their possible permutations, we "soften" the colors into various dominant chord colors and filter these softened colors through the motions and principles as established by their multiple resolving properties. As so often happens, these softened dominant colors contain various types of triads in their upper structure. These configurations create the bridge towards polytonality. Once this toll has been paid so to speak, we can "de - dominant" our V 7 chord by removing the tritone from the palette, and perhaps begin to create our melodies, chords, progressions, modulations etc., on a symmetrical cycling of pitches. These cycles in a sense create various types of "tone rows", partially the basis of modern jazz today and the modern jazz to come?
The cool part of all of this is that all of this study and shedding of our resource all loops back onto itself eventually if the cycles of pitches are carried out or extended long enough. And because it is a loop, a player can get on or off at any point in the loop where they are comfortable. So, diatonic elements and polytonal triads all come from the same loop? Exactly. So what determines ... Well, the artist of course. If someone was to hear the polytonal looping of the Dorian and Lydian colors in it's diatonically ascending formula and say, "man, that's for me", what else really matters? Must they explore the "anything from anywhere" to get where they need to be?
These "forks in the theory road" as described above in three parts are based on and parallel the artistic development of American legend John Coltrane throughout his career. By carefully listening to his playing and examining the compositions he wrote throughout his career, we can theoretically project a logical, theoretical program of development for the aspiring jazz artist, that lays the groundwork for development from the initial diatonic sounds, up through the multiple resolutions of the symmetrical colors and into the polytonal world, thus basically exhausting the resource and moving along the path blazed by Mr. Coltrane in his career.
The trick is that each of us must move at our own pace, thinking that we can accelerate things if we so choose by diligent and aggressive study. Can we force our ears to hear and understand more complex sounds through the shedding? Can we speed up the process by challenging ourselves by playing things we do not truly hear or theoretically understand, thinking that maybe at some point there might be some sort of "epiphany of assimilation" of the colors, advancing our knowledge of the jazz language?
I think these learning possibilities are all true. It is just one of the many reasons that people teach or coach younger players. For to nurture and experience the explosive growth potential of a talent is perhaps truly among the most magical things we can ever behold.
So where to begin? Well, what tunes are you learning? What are the elements used to create the song? If at any point in your studies if you need help just ask o.k?
Part 1 / diatonic elements / melodic resources.
What songs are you working on? Pick a tune eh?
Do you have written music for the song? Can you read standard music notation?
Hip to the major and minor pentatonic colors?
Can you create these two colors from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale on your chosen instrument?
Can you create these two colors from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale at the piano?
Understand how to add in the tritone into these pentatonic groups of pitches to create the blues color? The major / relative minor colors?
Got a blues scale under your fingers?
Have you taken the blues challenge yet?
With this blues challenge ability in place, have you started to pepper in the substitution possibilities outlined in the blues chord substitution charts?
What blues heads are under your fingers?
Have you written out any of your own blues licks into the 12 bar blues form?
Got a major scales under your fingers?
Can you sound the pitches of the C major scale on the piano?
Can you filter this scale through the diatonic interval studies?
What song in the major tonality are you learning?
What songs are you working on?
Are you hip to the relative major / relative minor scales pairings?
What song in the minor tonality are you learning?
Can you run the major scale through it's 12 keys?
Are you familiar with the organizational properties of the cycle of 5th's?
Can you run the natural minor scale through it's 12 keys?
Are you able to extract the 7 church modes from the major / relative minor scale?
Can you alter the natural minor scale to create the harmonic minor color?
Can you alter the natural minor scale to create the melodic minor color?
Can you build and accurately sound a diminished scale on your chosen instrument?
Can you build and accurately sound a whole tone scale on your chosen instrument?
Part 1 / diatonic elements / harmonic resources.
What songs are you working on?
What are the first partials created by the overtone series?
Are you familiar with 4 basic configurations of tertian triads?
Can you arpeggiate these triads?
Can you sing the arpeggiation of the major triad?
How is your ability to spell out the letter names of triads?
What are the four important ways to configure the triad?
Can you spell these four different types of triads from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Can you create the two inversions of the major triad?
Can you create the two basic inversions of the minor triad?
Can you create the diatonic triads on each of the scale degrees of the major scale?
Can you project the above idea from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Can you create the diatonic triads on each of the scale degrees of the natural minor scale?
Can you project the above exercise from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Can you add the 7th to each of the four different types of triads?
What songs are you working on?
Can you create a 7th chord on each of the degrees of the major scale?
Can you create the above exercise from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Are you cool with the numbers?
Can you create a 7th chord on each of the degrees of the minor scale?
Can you create the above exercise from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Can you create quartile chords from each of the 7 degrees of the major scale?
Can you create quartile chords from each of the 7 degrees of the minor scale?
What are the three common types of chord cadences?
What is chord type and chord function?
What are the two chord degrees used to define a chord's type?
What is the key component that sets dominant harmony apart from tonic harmony?
What is the principle type of harmony used in the blues?
What are the three chord types used in the Two / Five / One chord progression?
What songs are you working on?
Can you arpeggiate up to the seventh degree each of the three principle chords in the 2 / 5 / 1 harmonic motion?
Can you run the above exercise from each of the 12 key centers of the chromatic scale?
Can you recreate the arpeggio exercise in the minor tonality?
Can you run the above minor tonality exercise from each of the 12 key centers of the chromatic scale?
What are the diatonic color tone extensions for tonic harmony in the major tonality?
What are the diatonic color tone extensions for tonic harmony in the minor tonality?
What are the diatonic color tone extensions for dominant harmony?
Can you create different chord voicings of the three chord types?
Can you aurally define which of the color tones create which of the four main musical styles of American music?
Can you spell a fully diminished 7th chord?
Can you spell an augmented dominant 7th chord?
What are the characteristics of the suspended 4th chords ( sus 4 )?
Can you create two different voice leadings for a authentic cadence? Plagel cadence? Deceptive cadence?
What is implied by the term diatonic modulation?
What happens in a non diatonic modulation?
Part 2 / parent scale / symmetrical colors / multiple resolutions / chord substitutions.
What is implied by the idea of anything from anywhere?
What does the formula of 7 + 5 = 12 imply?
From what scale degree of which equal tempered minor scale can we diatonically create the fully diminished 7th arpeggio?
What allows for one fully diminished 7th chord to properly resolve to 4 major tonal centers?
What allows for one fully diminished 7th chord to properly resolve to 4 minor tonal centers?
Can you arpeggiate the diminished triad chord from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
What are the two common scale configurations created from the fully diminished 7th arpeggio?
What are their intervalic formulas?
How are the four most common chord substitutions of the jazz language created from the fully diminished 7th arpeggio?
What is the intervalic formula for the whole tone scale?
Can you spell an augmented triad from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale?
Can you articulate these 12 augmented triads on your chosen instrument?
Can you add a blue 7th to each of 12 augmented triads?
What scale degree can each pitch of the whole tone scale assume creating it's unique multiple resolving properties?
What six major keys will the G whole tone scale resolve to? Minor too?
What pitches do the six pitches of the whole tone scale resolve to?
Can your create the above resolutions convincingly on your instrument?
What six minor keys will the C 7 +5 chord resolve to? Are some destinations better than others? Why?
Can your create the above resolutions too the minor tonality using the augmented colors convincingly on your instrument?
Part 3 / softening the symmetrical colors / polytonality.
What interval is used in creating the fully diminished 7th chord? Can you sound this interval at the piano?
Can you arpeggiate on your chosen instrument the fully diminished 7th arpeggio? Can you create the fully diminished 7th chord at the piano?
By moving by what interval is the fully diminished 7th chord perfectly inverted?
Can you invert this chord at the piano? What chord is created by the 4th inversion?
What four different dominant 7th chords are created by lowering any one pitch of the B fully diminished 7th chord?
Create a polytonal idea on your chosen instrument.
What is the common name given to the Db 7 dominant chord in the following cadential motion? What is the root of the diatonic V 7 chord it replaces?
| D min 7 | Db 7 | C major | % |
What cycle of intervals is used to create the major colortones? Can you create this cycle at the piano?
What cycle of intervals is used to create the minor colortones?
What cycle of intervals is used to create the dominant colortones?
What happens to the pitches after the 9th of the dominant colortones is sounded?
What are the two modal tonalities cycled in the major overtones?
What are the two modal tonalities cycled in the minor overtones?
What tonality dynamic is created by the these two cyclings of environments?
In thinking 2 / 5 / 1, maybe need a few new ways to jazz things up a bit?
So, what's next? Mmm ... oh ... cool with the "post bop" thing?
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker