Lament and Modes
Found in: Curriculum, Jazz Clues, Scale & Key Signature
Jo C., Australia
Just wondering if the sheet music for ‘Lament’ in the Jazz program is treated as a completely separate exercise to the improvisation in the reference book. Alternatively, do we work out what 4 note chords to use in the LH for the sheet music version as well?
Gordon Harvey, Australia
I like to put them together by creating a little arrangement. We’ll play the piece through once using jazz clue 2, go into the improv section for as long as we like, then return to a repeat of the piece. This reflects the ‘head-solo-head’ arrangement that is standard practice in jazz.
For the repeat, to make it more interesting, I keep going with the stride (bass>chord) left hand we introduced in the improv part. I still use just jazz clue 2 as the chord at least to begin with, although it’s easy to add jazz clue 1 to make a three-note chord.
From memory, this is how I play the song in the SHM audio.
Later on, you can make the chords a full four notes.
Jo C., Australia
Gordon Harvey Thank you! That certainly gives me some direction. I just wasn’t sure if the Eflat octave to what looks like a Gbmaj7 chord etc in the improv exercise was a pattern to be repeated in the score? Neil says this exercise is ‘leading somewhere’. Is the idea of modes picked up in the development levels?
Gordon Harvey, Australia
Jo C. I don’t remember Neil saying that. Perhaps it goes into the vault of mysteries along with the title of Squidgies Boogie 😉.
Anyway, no, it would be a bit radical to repeat the improv pattern in the score. For one thing, it’s effectively in a new key (the RH is in 5b whereas the actual song is in 6b). I see it as being in Eb Dorian – my favourite mode! So moody and gorgeous.
And no, modes are not much touched on in the development levels, as far as I remember. I could rave on about them for ages. Maybe one day…
Jo C., Australia
Gordon Harvey Ugh! Now I can’t get modes out of my mind and although I have had very little experience with them am wondering, if Lament was indeed ‘leading somewhere’, what that might look like in Simply Music language. So I went from this spreadsheet of ideas to this circular diagram. Now I can get on with my day. 😂
Gordon Harvey, Australia
Jo C. Wow, did you do that yourself? Impressive and I’m glad you got it off your mind. There are various ways of seeing and learning the diatonic modes. I’m not sure which is best, but I like this.
Original discussion started January 24, 2023