DAVID N. BAKER’S MODERN JAZZ SERIESCONTEMPORARY PATTERNS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE Page SCALE SYLLABUS CHAPTER I: DAILY JAZZ CALISTHENICS. 5 Pentatonics Fourths Fourths in various combinations CHAPTER II: MODAL PATTERNS. ....... Dorian Ascending Melodic Minor DiminisheaiWhole Tone Diminished Whole Tone Mixed Patterns Additional Dorian Modal Patterns. CHAPTER III: COLTRANE CHANGES. “"Countdown” Changes: Substitutions for the Il 6 1 Progression ant Steps” Changes: Patterns Starting with a Major Chord eta CHAPTER IV: THE II Vr PROGRESSION REALIZED THROUGH THE USE OF CONTEMPORARY PATTERNS. . II Vr Patterns Using Various Pentatonic Scales I Vs Patterns Using Contemporary Materials in Random Fashion CHAPTER V: BEBOP REVISITED (an original vertical composition... realized in contemporary fashion) and THE HARLEM PIPES (an original modal composition realized in contemporary fashion) 115PREFACE Improvisational Patterns: The Contemporary Era'" is one of a continuing series of pattem books predicated on the belief while certain patterns seem to transcend eras and styles, the greater body of Improvisational materials is of high speciticity with regard to Its time and place within the jazz continuum. The late 1950s saw a number of major new musical trends in jazz, among them the following: the first modal compositions ("Milestones,"" “So What," and others); George Russell's magnum opus The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization for Improvisation; Ornette Coleman's prophetic, quartet; the beginnings of a formal movement called liturgical jazz; extended explorations in the area of Gunther Schuller termed “third stream”; continued flitations with the ethnic music of other cultures such as Spain, the West Indies, India, and Arica; and the continuing evolution of the bebop phenomenon, For the contemporary jazz player, the advent of the aforementioned musical phenomena has necessitated many changes in thinking and approach as well as the re-evaluation of raw materials ‘The kinds of changes in jazz growing out of the music of Ornette Coleman (the avant garde, new music, free music, etc.) are the subject of another book in this series. For the jazz musician who would function successfully in the post-bebop or contemporary era, the understanding of many new concepts and the grasp of many different kinds of materials is absolutely mandatory Fourths, pentatonic scales, modal scales, vertical scales used modally, tone rows, and set systems are all presented In this book. I! V: progressions realized in a contemporary fashion are exemplified in specially constructed patterns and in patterns ‘culled from the playing of the jazz giants of contemporary music. The materials are also presented in modal situations. ‘The musical calisthenics presented in the beginning of the book offer the wherewithal for gaining familiarity, digital skill, ‘aural awareness, and mental ease with the raw materials of the language of contemporary jazz ‘Among the other problems which confront today’s jazz musicians and which are dealt with in this book are the following 1. How to handle unusualiunorthodox chord progressions such as those found in “Glant Steps", “Stablemates", “Dolphin Dance”, “Miles Mod " "500 Miles High”, Gaucho”, "Slumber", "Brite Piece”, “Tomorrow's Expectations", "Soleil d’Altamira”, “LeRoi”, and others. Some solu: tions to the problems found in such tunes as these are presented in Chapter Ill: Coltrane Changes. 2, How to successfully handle the longer building blocks necessitated by modal compositions. in the past the im: proviser dealth primarily with one-, two-, or four-measure phrases as the prime building blocks; however, with the ad- vent of modal music (citca 1958), four, eight-, and sixteen-measure (and longer) cliches, licks, and patterns became the rule rather than the exception. As a result, the improviser must have longer, more comprehensive, more diversified, ‘and generally more technically demanding patterns memorized and under finger. Chapter i: Modal Patterns deals with this problem. 3, Because of the staticness of a modal situation, a wider varlety of scale choices and a more imaginative use of them is necessitated if interest is to be sustained. ‘Angularity is one means of energizing an otherwise static scale line. (A diatonic line may be made angular by octave displacement) This technique is particularly effective with fast-moving eighth-note oriented melodies. See example cone below: EXAMPLE 1 ‘Another way of energizing @ static line Is called detlection. In this technique the object is to prevent a scale from falling into recognizable and predictable patterns. The order of notes, rhythm, dynamics, octave placement, etc. are constant: ly rearranged to achieve this, See example two below: coms EXAMPLE 2 which, using detection, becomes this: b:Yet another way of energizing a tonally static line Is to create harmonic and melodic tension by moving in and out of the tonality via fourths, pentatonics, tone rows, etc. See example three below: EXAMPLE 3 Db A final observation with regard to the music of this era and genre: A virtuoso technique Is absolutely mandatory. (The calisthenics in Chapter | of this book aim at developing this kind of technique. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF THIS BOOK +. Take one of the pages of calisthenics each day and play it through different keys, varying dynamics, articulation, phras- 7g. register, and other elements and always working toward maximum speed. (Use the metronome to measure improvement.) ‘Skip around between the pentatonics, fourths, and fourths in various combinations. The exercises are net arranged in order of cragressive difficulty. Also practice using the calisthenics in actual playing situations based on your analysis of the material nvoived. 2, Play through the various I Vs patterns, choosing different ones to commit to memory. Other patterns shouid simply be sracticed for familiarity. To develop dexterity with this kind of material, the player should then practice using the material 'sposed to the appropriate keys) on familiar tunes. An excellent way of working the il Vr patterns is with the Jamey Aeber- 2 play along records, particularly volumes 3, 16, and 21, and with volume 3 of Advanced Improvisation by David N. Baker. AS ‘ayer becomes more and more comfortable with the material, the logical progression is to more difficult material. (Le. con- ‘e7-90"ary Jazz tunes and the more difficult play along records, such as volumes 4, 8, 9, 10, 14, 18, and 19, as well as the play '3 compositions in volume 3 of Advanced Improvisation by David N. Baker. Experiment with the sound of the different ai, pentatonic, and fourth realizations of the Il V: progression, choosing a few each day to commit to your repertoire of pat- 3. The four., six, and eight-measure modal patterns should be memorized as blocks and used in various modal compos Again, l recommend that players search through the various Aebersold play along records for appropriate tunes for prac- 2. | especially recommend volume 1, side 1, tracks 1 and 3; volume 2; volume 4, side 1, track 2; and volumes 5, 9, 10, 11, and Don't be afraid to experiment with “dissonant” or “outside” patterns. They begin to sound and feel natural with repeated you Become more and more comfortable with material, begin constructing solos along similar lines. ‘eluded are two original compositions with solos that exemplify the techniques herein described. “Bebop Revisited” 5 2 vertical tune based on the changes to “Back Home Again in Indiana” and shows how one might use fourths, pentatonics, like on a standard or bebop tune. “The Harlem Pipes" Is a modal tune and the improvisation on it exemplifies the man "= which a player such as McCoy Tyner, David Liebman, or Joe Henderson might realize it. Fractice itigently and don't be discouraged. The material resists you at first. Persist and thing will begin to happen.Daily Jazz Calisthenics: Pentatonics— be -~@g fe frp] foeact J ee I eee £9 be ppt? tee bee-p ope { | We H 4 | HEE Gal eS + i |! A : | 4 : i tt d i B | ; a it d Hag Bee Ly uf il ‘a & 8 a4 e e i. a6 ee a . CiDaily Jazz Calisthenics: Fourthsee be. he. rtd re TT ©Daily Jazz Calisthenics: Fourths in Combinationssee bo he += pale pe — ba al 8s be a 6a 4 phe. —-— be J bebe be De pte OX= oe ee t Gag Ee J 2 oJ be GL ww e = - aan =a J : = PoE peg DE yy © @a =I ben ieee a aS ~ tee zs PFS GhsIT 5 _——= ® GE ao = © beg ace ee Ey @5 a 1 ae a Fe] Sbisdoe ao € ° Gan a G °C. ert i Gere 4 +o Jb De ae — he a Pela aes jos cro). rT) a= Fb Deter a = a fn passi te i sada, obs = = =p-br— TT] SFa +oTe ae adbe i SeSSS be ip =| bpp be , aS PP bp pe pe Pe be ——o — Tt) 3 be 6Dorian: DEFGABCD Modal PattemsModal Patterns Ascending Melodic Minor: DE F GAB C# DModal Patterns Diminished/Whole Tone: G Ab Bb Ch Db Eb FG 43© 444641Modal Patterns Diminished (G Ab Bb Bh C# DE FG) D- (67) 8 GLa = ire —_ b CisSS52Modal Patterns Whole Tone— a Se Ce a =Modal Patterns exe Patterns D- (67) y Ss) _ _L Bp Siohe aX 58oy bebeAdditional Dorian Modal Patterns 7 ——_—, : D-__ ee cp Pee» apt SO Eee op 8 ef i 64aren fer =p pte fp ——— abr Ree Etre66oo outside oe poe —— 2) 32: eee ee ae—— outside AColtrane Changes: COUNTDOWN changes =: = é = = 9 6 = —— ;—# eS ©=e be pa pd 3 obo + at 2 he be ==76+By nO bee mht er fpf be : —— ey = a82.Pentatonics D- By Ap By 83Coltrane Changes: GIANT STEPS changes B, a By 8486Ap ea SS A ties oe avs ®DFGACD 1 V7 Patterns Using Various Pentatonic Scales D- Gf= =a ——— —f ee 2 Sr ——DFGACD D- Gr ® ®DFGACD ® ®EGABDE D- ® ®© © © ®€ © © © © © © ®@GBLCDFGCES FGBC ® ® © © © ®@FAL BDCEDF D- Gy @ oe f= :BDEFEAB ® © @® ® © © ® © ®FEABCHE FS 994 Hl e 4 ® © ®© © ®©& © © © © © © ® Bb D> Eb F Ab Bbpoz E F# GE BCH D- Gr 101G, Ab Cb Db Eb Gb Ab i a d OF 6) oF OF 2 2 ee Oe 8 he {ia La 102b Gb Ab Bb Db Ebll V7 Patterns Using Contemporary Materials in Random Fashion D- b G6, CD107a==usBEBOP REVISITED 4ths, Pentatonics, Coltrane changes, | 7th patterns, and tone rows52 Befet= neGy @ Pentatonies a Ie 7 abe ———_ = be Beyet ug@ Coltrane© 7th patterns By D Fg tte ee eo Pe >.© i2tone : ms Dy > Gy —— 3a 3 ce — — e- pes waHARLEM PIPES 4ths, pentatonics, and varied modes lotin G- cay§ = roses = Coe bebe epabeoe/ ———< pawaGy “Fb be ba 126pe baie zs = ee be 27 — fa ——— zee © on Fgbay 623 See NT