intermediate

This part I focus on using one upper structure triad and mixing it with the 4 notes of the dominant 7 chord to create a melodic fragment.

I will use the key of C as an example in parenthesis.
In summary, we are using a Maj Triad built off of the 6th scale degree of a V7 chord that leads to I. This could be the V7 of a ii-V7-I. (D-7 G7 Cmaj)
The idea to make the melodic fragment is to use the 4 notes of the V7.
I III V VII (G, B, D, F) and mix them with the notes of a Maj triad built off of the 6th scale degree of the V7(G7). So an Emaj triad. E, G#, B.

This is for Barry! Here's a slow mo' of 4 in 1 with a really nice stick drop at the end. (Inside joke for long time, vibesworkshop members).

Maybe this will be of some help with the etude.

I left the sticks after the throw up there for all to examine. You see I can tell the future by how the sticks fall onto the vibes. And I see a lot of good vibe playing in the future for everyone based on that throw.

here is part 3 where I discuss improvising using the upper structure triads on the dominant chords for "My One and Only Love"...

For example...
In the A section you have a B-7b5 to E7 to A-....
for the E7 I use a G triad as the upper structure so the voicing looks like this:
G# B D G moving to an A C E for minor.
Now when improvising try to create melodies that utilize the notes from an E7 (E G# B D) and mix in a G triad (G B D) so it might look like G G# B D E. Move around the octaves and try to make melodies that resolve to the A minor chord.

In Part 2 I talk about the specifics on how to use the triads with the dominant 7 chords to create harmonic movement.

For example.

The G7 on the 2nd measure would have an E triad as the upper structure. So voicing it out would look like this:
G B F G# B E
this chord moves to an A- so if you just take the G# B and E and move them to A C E you have a really nice movement to the minor sound!

Sorry for the low audio for my speaking...if it is too low I can type it out for you guys if you want.

Hey guys, here is a lesson on playing upper structure triads on "My One and Only love". Using these triads will show how easy it is to think about upper structures of harmony.
I also demonstrates a way of thinking about chords and triads instead of using scales to create melodic improvisation.
The first part is a demonstration of the melody focusing on the upper structure triads.
The Second part is an explanation of the chords.
The third part is an explanation on improvising over the chords.

Look under 'Check This Out' for the link to the PDF of this lesson.

Here's Behn's chord melody of Bye Bye Blackbird. The videos are coming, but meanwhile practice his chord melody.

Again I left the chord symbols out, you can put them in. That's your homework assignment. :-)

This is a great lesson. Just go through all the tunes you know see where you can put this. Pull out the real book, whatever!

Also check out Behn's comping. He plays really clear rhythms IMHO.

Let's face it, not every gig allows us to play the difficult and hip jazz tunes we all spend hours shedding. Even many of the best known standards are completely foreign (and possibly boring) to a large section of general audiences today.

So what to play for all those restaurant and casual gigs that might hire a solo vibes player as an alternative to a pianist or guitarist? It's surprising how well many tunes from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even the 90s will translate to solo vibes. Tunes people will generally recognize and appreciate are great choices to sprinkle into your sets.

I was checking out all kinds of versions of 'How Deep Is The Ocean' on youtube and came across this lesson by Andy Laverne. I thought this was pretty cool.

I especially found the screen of his face above the keyboard funny to see and the way he analyses the tune after with only the piano playing is pretty cool.

Oh yeah, and check the ending. He explains what Bill Evans did on the end.

TJ