Armonic Conversation

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CHOPS BUILDER

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Pedal-Point Comping BY PINO MARRONE

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GUITARISTS SPEND SO MUCH time sharpening their lead playing that they often forget how exciting it is to be an accompanist. Ironically, if you do build comping skills, you’ll have a head start on one of the most challenging lead-guitar styles of all: chord melody. The trick is to keep evolving by learning new approaches to harmony. For instance, try your hand at the hypnotic

device known as pedal point. To achieve pedal point, simply hold a low note—or pedal tone—beneath a series of shifting chords. This is a great way to add tension and vibe to chord progressions, and jazz pianists and bassists have been exploiting this effect for decades. On guitar, however, the fingerings can be demanding, so warm up your hands, get a hybrid pick-and-fingers approach

going (or drop the pick altogether), and check out Ex. 1a. First, with a swinging feel, play just the C pedal in the lower voice. Then, try it again, adding the chords. Learn to handle these wide grips, and you’ll have a hip new way to play a II-V-I progression in F. To create an intriguing sense of suspended time, try phrasing the chords in a three-beat feel against the underlying 4/4 groove, as in Ex. 1b.

Ex. 1a

$

= 100-120 3 =

$ $

$ )

#

(IIm7) Gm11/C

(V7) C13 9

(I) Fmaj7/C

' $$$($ %%%% ' # $$$($ %%%% ' $$($ %%% & & & & ' $$($ %%% 4 # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " 4 $ $ % $ $ $ $ % $ $ $ $ % $ $ $ $ %* 1 3 2 4

3 1 4

1

1 4 1

2

8 11 10 12

T A B

8

8

8 10 9 11

8

8

8

8

8 6 9

8

8

8

8

5 5 10

8

8

8

8

8

Ex. 1b

$

= 100-120 3 =

# Fmaj7/C F6/9 * ' $$$( $ %%%% ' # $$$$ *** ' $$($ $$$ & ' $$$ *** & & & ' $$( $$ & 4 # $ $ & !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " 4 $ $ % $ $ % $ $ $ $ $ $ % $ $ %

$ $

$ )

Gm11/C

C13 9

1 3 2 4

3 1 4

1 4 1

3 1 1

2

1

8 11 10 12

T A B

8

8

8

1 4 0 GUITAR PLAYER MAY 2002

8 10 9 11

8

8

8

8 6 9

8

8

8

5 5 10

8

8

8

8 7 7 8

8

8

“With the right attitude you can even sound heavy when playing an acoustic guitar.” — G. Amber Valentine of Jucifer, March ’00, GP

terdays,” “Alone Together,” and “Beautiful Love.” For further pedal-point adventures, try playing Ex. 2 up a half-step during the A section of a “rhythm changes” tune in Bb. Or, transpose it down to F to add variety to a jam on Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” Also, try playing just the chords, leaving the pedals to your bass player—teamwork! In gen-

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Pianists such as Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Keith Jarrett broke new ground by taking liberties with chord qualities while vamping over a pedal tone. Ex. 2 presents a slick way for you to do the same thing on guitar. Try using these kaleidoscopic changes as a vamp in the key of D minor, or as a substitute for the typical Dm7Em7b5-A7 section of standards such as “Yes-

eral, don’t get hung up on naming every cluster. Trust your ears and instincts, and pursue cool sounds and colors.

C H O P

A guitar clinician and former G.I.T. instructor, Pino Marrone has worked with his mentor, Joe Diorio, as well as with Dianne Reeves, Joe Farrell, and Kenny Kirkland. Contact him at [email protected]. g

S Ex. 2

$

= 100-120 3 =

$ )

#

#

#

+

# # A7sus4 #9 E # /A B # maj7 # 5/A * %% %%% $$( $ %%% %% ++, $$$ ** # # $$$ *** , $$$($ ---4 % # % % $ % * $ % !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " 4 & $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

$ $

B maj7 5/A

1 1 3 4

E /A

A13 9

4 3

4 4 4

B maj7 5/A

2 1 3 1

2 1

1

T A B

5 5 7 8

8 7 6 5

8 8 8

5

5

5

5 5 7 8

5

6 5 7 5

5

5

5 5 7 8

8 8 8

5

5

5

5

5

LESSONS ONLINE AT TRUEFIRE.COM

B U L

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D E R

May ’02 Guitar Player Feature Lesson: Roots Rock Pigrimage,

BY ANDY ELLIS

May ’02 Guitar Player Chops Builders:

Double Stop Blues, Classic Column,

BY PATHIK DESAI BY JUDE GOLD

BY ARNIE BERLE

Reader’s Challenge,

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Pentatonic Ladders,

BY IVAN PONGRACIC

Pedal-Point Comping,

BY PINO MARRONE

Audio Versions at GuitarPlayer.TrueFire.com

This month’s Guitar Player lessons, and hundreds of previous months’ lessons, are currently available for immediate download. Visit today and get $10 worth of TrueFire cash! Net scrapers: To decode GP’s music notation and hear Sessions sound samples, visit the Lessons Archive on the Web at guitarplayer.com.

PH OTO S : PAU L H AG G A R D

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MAY 2002 GUITAR PLAYER 1 4 1

LESSONS I N T E R M E D I AT E

WOODSHED Parallel Lines—The Inside Track to Outside Comping BY

PINO

MARRONE

IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPOSITIONAL about-faces in music history, jazz musicians of the ’60s eschewed the ultra-fast chord changes they had pioneered in the previous decade and, inspired by everything from 20th-century classical music to Indian ragas, began exploring song forms based on as few as one or two chords or modes. In 1964, for example, John Coltrane—the same man who just five years prior gave the world the fast and fearsome “Countdown” and “Giant Steps” progressions—released A Love Supreme, the most adventurous modal exploration this side of Miles Davis’ groundbreaking 1959 modal masterpiece Kind of Blue. Despite the limitations implied by a music based on a single scale or static bass-pedal groove, albums

such as Miles Davis’ Live at the Plugged Nickel [1965] and Coltrane’s Live at the Village Vanguard [1961] showcased how musicians of that era often entered “outside” territory by disregarding the suggested harmony altogether through the use of parallel motion, harmonic superimposition, and other clever harmonic devices. One of the most fascinating discoveries I made during my first few lessons with my mentor, Joe Diorio—a true master of outside playing—was that a lot of the really free comping sounds introduced to jazz by pianists such as McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock were based on a simple 20th-century classical music device known as parallel motion. Based on the C Dorian mode, Ex. 1—a series of stackedfourth grips that you can apply on standards such as “Footprints” and “Mr. PC”—provides an introduction to this rich and sophisticated sound; a sound generated by moving an unchanging harmonic cluster up and down in pitch. Taking things a step further, Ex. 2 features one of the most common chord structures used by modern jazz pianists for outside comping—the “So What” voicing, as it’s sometimes called in jazz jargon. This grip stacks two perfect fourths and tops them with a major third. Played over an Fm7 “Love Supreme”type groove, the voicing offers such flexibility that

when we move the shape around freely (while concentrating on achieving a singable melody with the top voice) it creates a truly multidimensional comping sound.The lower notes in each voicing may go entirely outside the key while a strong melody on the top voice keeps the whole thing sounding lyrical. (It’s interesting to note that whenever you comp this way it makes the soloist sound outside even if they’re playing entirely inside the tonality.) Another captivating voicing that is wellsuited for parallel comping is the maj7b5. In Ex. 3 you’ll see this harmony shifted up and down the neck and superimposed over a Dm backdrop. (It jumps to a higher set of strings— and an easier fingering—at bar 6.) One way to feel more comfortable with this type of comping is to momentarily forget about the root names, etc., and just go for the right sound. While these mesmerizing modern harmonic tapestries can be tricky to play on the piano, they’re actually surprisingly easy to execute on the guitar—just move the given grip up and down the neck, refingering for different string sets if necessary. Today, guitarists such as Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Jim Hall, and Pat Metheny make extensive use of parallel motion. The harmonically ambiguous nature of parallel voicings can easily sound vague when played without enough rhythmic propulsion and confidence, so I recommend practicing these sequences until they become second nature. Perhaps the best way to learn the art of modal playing is listening to this kind of music with concentrated attention, playing along with great recordings. Most of all, take inspiration from the modal pioneers who risked their careers and fan bases in pursuit of these new sounds and don’t be afraid to go out on a musical limb yourself. g

Joe Diorio

124

J U N E 2 0 0 6 G U I TA R P L AY E R

P H OTO : RO G E R B A L Z A N

LESSONS I N T E R M E D I AT E

EX. 1

# '' ## '' ### &&& )## ' & # # $$ 4 ''' ' # ' ) #& # ( & ##+ * # ' #& )# ' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " 4 % ## && #!

# = 180

*Cm7

2 2 1

1

2 1 1

&&

T A B

15 15 14

8 7 7

2 2 1

1 1 1

13 13 12

10 10 10

3 3 1

11 11 10

8 8 8

2 2 1

10 10 8

1 1 1

7 7 6

5 5 5

*Symbols reflect general harmony.

## '' $ ## && # , ,, '' ( )# * ' $$ #& , )## ,, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " ! ' 5

2 2 1

3 1 1

8 8 7

T A B

6 6 5

9 8 8

8 7 7

EX. 2

# = 115

' -# # ' '' /# & $$$ 4 ''' ## ,, ( - ### ( $ $$ ### ''' '' . - $ ### &&& 4 - )## ,, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " % ! Fm7

1

&&

T A B

8 9 8 8

7 8 7 7

# $$ )###

#& $ $$ ### &&&

18 19 18 18

16 17 16 16

4 5 4 4

2 3 2 2

3 4 3 3

- ## '' - ## && ## ,, '' ## && #)# ,, '' $$$ ( )## '' * . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " !% 5

T A B

EX. 3

10 11 10 10

/

$

# = 180

13 14 13 13

(Fmaj7 5)

&&

8 9 8 8

$

$

(F maj7 5)

(Fmaj7 5)

' '' 4 ,, ' ( $ ### * '''' '''' $''' / )# /$ '' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " 4 % ,, $ ''' ! 1

T A B

&&

5 4 7 8

6 5 8 9

5 4 7 8

etc.

8 7 10 11

6 5 8 9

3 2 4 6

# ' ## &&& $ #### &&&& #)## ''' / # # & # $ $ # & $ - #)### ,,,, & # # . . # & # #& )# !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " !% 5

T A B

5 4 7 8

5 4 7 8

13 13 15 16

10 10 12 13

8 8 10 11

5 5 6 8

&&

G U I TA R P L AY E R J U N E 2 0 0 6

125

Lessons Jazz Picking and Phrasing BY PINO MARRONE

essential part of this music. In this lesson, we’ll add pizzazz by including some spicy picking to your jazz phrasing. The percussive effect will work for anyone searching for vibey phrasing—in jazz as well as other styles like rockabilly, blues, and country. For years I enjoyed singing along to my favorite solos by horn and piano players, and I kept trying to figure out how to make the guitar speak a line the way I heard them do it. While living in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to be able to play, study, and hang with many jazz guitar legends like John Pisano, Joe Diorio, and Joe Pass among others. One thing that got my attention was the fact that some of these players who came up during the ’50s and ’60s had a way of projecting their bebop lines by getting a percussive effect with their picking articulation to add rhythmic momentum. Oftentimes this is done with such subtlety that it goes unnoticed by most people. It’s a tiny detail, but it makes a huge difference in terms of

ANYONE WHO HAS TRIED KNOWS it can be tricky to articulate a line on the guitar and get it to “speak” the way horn players can. This makes jazz phrasing on the guitar an important and ever-evolving issue. Jazz lines are loaded with rhythmical ornaments—those zippy melodic embellishments that are used to heighten a line’s drama, create variety, and push the improvisation along. Ornamentation is an

44          44                  3 3 3 3         Ex. 1a

Ex. 1b

3 5 3

6

T A B

3 5 3

3 5 3

6

T A B

6

3 5 3

6

Ex. 2

 = 110

34                                    3 3 3 3 3       3   3   G7

á la Joe Diorio

1

3 5 3

T A B

6

3 5 3

6

3 5 3

3 5 3

6

3

6

5

3

3 5 3

6

5

3 5 3

5

3 5 3

5

                 3              4

3

3 5 3

T A B

5

3

5

3

5

2 4 2

3

5

2 4 2

3

5

2 4 2

3

5

2 4 2

3

5

2 4 2

5

3

5

3

5

MORE ONLINE Watch Marrone throw down with Joe Diorio.

Hear Marrone’s phrasing on his version of “Chelsea Bridge.”

Get these links and more at www.guitarplayer.com/holiday2010

76

HOLIDAY 2010 G U I T A R P L AY E R . C O M

dynamics, punch, and overall projection. This concept instantly became part of my playing but, surprisingly enough, it has remained relatively obscure to many players. The sixteenth-note triplet followed by an eighth-note is a staple of the bebop line, and many players will execute the phrase in Ex. 1a

Lessons each beat while keeping the overall feel with a loose, dynamic bounce. Notice how picking this way you can make your motif sit on the groove with more punch and detail. Ex. 3 illustrates how to add life to a classic sounding F harmonic minor bebop line with quick chord changes. In Ex. 4, we apply the concept to another bebop swing line over a II-V-I-VI progression in Eb. Now check out the more contemporary sound-

by hammering on and pulling off between the G and the A on the first string. We’ll now be picking the G again immediately after the hammer-on instead of pulling it off and immediately gliding the pick back towards the F on the second string like on Ex. 1b. Ex. 2 consists of a descending G7 Mixolydian phrase over a famous 3/4 blues groove. Start at a relaxed tempo and apply a loose stroke. Make sure to nail the first note on

ing phrase in Ex. 5, which features diatonic fourths on the top three strings played over an Em drone. The next time you’re jamming over a slower, bluesy Em7 pedal tone groove try Ex. 6, a trippy, more rhythmically sophisticated, eccentric kind of phrasing that someone like Herbie Hancock might do. With practice, this way of phrasing will become automatic and find its way in many types of jazz lines. g

Ex. 3

Gm7 5 C7 Fm                        44

3    3           

 = 152

Fm

á la Bird

8 9 8

T A B

11 10 9



Ex. 4

 = 120

Fm7

7

8 9 8

10

7

8

9



B 7

11

8

9

10

C7

E maj7

Fm7

44                             3                 T A B

6 7 6

9

3

3 4 3

6

3

4

3

5

5

3

6

6

5

4

3

6

Ex. 5

 = 110

             4          4

   12 10 8 7 12 12 10 10 8 8 7 7   9 6 9 11 9 7 6 9  Em

á la Coltrane

T A B

Ex. 6

 = 94

                                            4

  

4   3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3     á la Herbie Hancock

Em

T A B

12

12 14 12 14 14 11 12

15

15 15

14

17

17 17

16

15

15 15 14

14

14 15 14 15 15 12 14

14

14

14 12 12

GUITARPLAYER.COM

12 12

11

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10 10

HOLIDAY 2010

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