Tunes

Here is Donna Lee. A Quick and Dirty Audio Duet. I played both parts. You can listen.

Your job is you accompany me and use rootless voicings. Download the Accompany me track. Use Garage Band or whatever to record your part. put them together and make an mp3 file and post it!

I can help! (Time permitting)

I've also included a PDF with some rootless voicing examples.

Day 5 is similar to Day 4 with open position chords. Take notice of the final chord in this lesson. It's a Cm6 chord with the 11th in the top. This is a great voicing for minor chords. Be sure to memorize this one and put it through some different keys.

Day 3: You will notice some open position chords in this progression. They are on the ii-V part. The tonic chords are still closed. Make note of the crunchiness in the closed chords.

This tune is a tribute to Sara Vaughn. I've always loved it, but as far as I can tell it never really made it into the popular fake books. A friend of mine transcribed it back in the the late 1970s. I recorded this version for piano and marimba a few years ago.

The form is kinda long and a lot of fun to improvise on. It's usually done in even 8ths. I checked Youtube and found several covers by a variety of great jazz players. There are also lyrics for the melody, although I don't know who wrote them.

A lead sheet is included.

So here's the deal.

I wrote an etude of all eighth notes. It's important for us to be able to weave through the changes, up and down and up and down. It's important for us to move the line in seconds. We do it much more easily with 3rds, but 2nds is where the magic happens.

• If you're going to do this right, write in the changes and study the lines.
• Play the etude down.
• Memorize the etude completely.
• Throw away the music.
• Play the etude in other keys.
• Smile at how much you've learned