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Understanding Coltrane Changes and Patterns

The document discusses understanding Coltrane changes and patterns, emphasizing the importance of identifying key centers in pieces like 'Giant Steps.' It suggests starting with simplified practice by focusing on the tonic system and using specific patterns that Coltrane employed to outline changes. The document provides examples of musical patterns to practice, highlighting their different feels and textures.

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jon
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205 views3 pages

Understanding Coltrane Changes and Patterns

The document discusses understanding Coltrane changes and patterns, emphasizing the importance of identifying key centers in pieces like 'Giant Steps.' It suggests starting with simplified practice by focusing on the tonic system and using specific patterns that Coltrane employed to outline changes. The document provides examples of musical patterns to practice, highlighting their different feels and textures.

Uploaded by

jon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Understanding Coltrane Changes and Patterns

Simplify.
We’ve actually already talked about this in the previous sections, but it’s important to go over it
again.

Identify the Three or Four Tonic System at hand. Pinpoint the different key centers you are
cycling through so that you know what you are dealing with.

Let’s use Giant Steps as an example again:

This looks familiar right? The first three bars of Giant Steps tells you almost everything you need
to know. The key centers being cycled through are: B major, G major and Eb major. The
relationship from one to the next is a major 3rd down.

Start off practicing this tune very slow and just worry about playing the notes in each major
key. Ignore all of the chords in between and don’t worry about voice-leading or sounding hip.
Just digest the key centers as each bar passes by.

Simplify the tune first, then move forward!

Do as Coltrane did.
Obviously, the go-to-guy for understanding how to play over these changes is…you guessed
it…John Coltrane. So, first of all make sure you are listening to his records and observing how he
plays over these tunes.

Let’s keep talking about Giant Steps: If you listen, Coltrane loves to play different patterns to
outline the changes. Coltrane uses them in a very musical way, but of course patterns by
themselves are very robotic. However, working on some of the patterns he utilized and
applying them throughout the tune is a great practicing tool, so let’s go over some patterns to
practice:

1
Pattern: 1 2 3 5
Example: Bmaj7= B C# D# F#

This one you hear Coltrane use all of the time. Take the given scale or mode for each chord
(Major for maj7 chords and Mixolydian for dom7 chords) and play the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th
tones of the scale for each chord. In these examples we are looking just at the first 8 bars of
Giant Steps.

Pattern: 5 3 2 1
Example: Bmaj7= F# D# C# B

This one is obviously just the inverse of the last pattern, but it has a different feel and sound.

2
Pattern: 5 6 7 9
Example: Bmaj7= F# G# A# C#

This is another great one to practice. This time it hits on some extensions which of course ads a
different texture. Notice how you can clearly hear each chord change being outlined.

Pattern: 9 7 6 5
Example: Bmaj7- C# A# G# F#

Again, this is one is the inverse of the previous pattern.

(from Learn Jazz Standards, Brent Vaartstra)

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