Jazz Intros Lesson

[Samrsmiley]

Hey guys, I have just posted a lesson on playing intros to jazz tunes. There are lots of great ideas and transcriptions on the page from Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, and others. Check it out!

Please feel free to comment here or there on the ways you approach intros-it's such a wide topic, it'd be great to have some ideas on how everyone approaches it!

Jazz Guitar Intros

[slowpinky]

Hey Sam - great stuff again...a bit of enharmonicism in those examples but theres a great range of approaches there.
The intro is something that has really changed style with the times in many ways.

If Im playing an intro to a ballad - I'll often start in another key altogether - typically a third away: Sometimes an improvisation around the last 8 or the bridge with a twist - if Im playing with a singer, it will usually end in a dominant chord that voice leads as obviously as possible into the top of the tune.

Abm7/// Db7/// Gbmaj7/B7/ Gbmaj7/// Gbmin/ Gbmin/maj7/ Gbmin7 / Gbm6 Fm6(Dm7b5)/// G13///(pause)

This something that I tried on 'I cant get started' (in C) a few weeks ago which worked pretty well - its important to put emphasis/take a breath, on the penultimate ii V.

[Samrsmiley]

Slowpinky that's a really great idea. It probably works so well since you use the mi iv chord to get you back to C. I like that idea a lot!

[slowpinky]

Thanks - but looking back on it I think I was trying to play something on the bridge - and in the heat of the moment ended up doodling around in Gb for a bit longer than intended - just playing it again it works more logically like this

Bbm11 Eb7 Ab/ Db7/ Ab - Abm11 Db7 Bbm Eb7 - Dm7b5 G13...

I think that was what I was aiming for - but heck - the other version turned out ok!

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by slowpinky

....... its important to put emphasis/take a breath, on the penultimate ii V.

Hi SP. I'm going to be a vocabulary police officer for a moment so please forgive me. If you are meaning the final ii-V (Dm7b5 G13) than that is the ultimate ii-V. Penultimate means the next to last. Sorry mate but I just had to. It's a great word that I've heard used a number of times in a musical setting but I've heard it used to mean 'ultimate' quite often.

It's also very likely you know what the word means and I've misunderstood what you're indicating but I can't see another ii V in that progression.

[slowpinky]

Thanks BG - Im pretty good at being on the word patrol myself and I was just being lazy...
It's the penultimate two chords - the ultimate being the tonic (which I left out) -

but I will take issue - Dm7b5 to G13 is definitely not the 'ultimate' ii V in my book!

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by slowpinky

Thanks BG - Im pretty good at being on the word patrol myself and I was just being lazy...
It's the penultimate two chords - the ultimate being the tonic (which I left out) -

but I will take issue - Dm7b5 to G13 is definitely not the 'ultimate' ii V in my book!

Yes, it would be very difficult, perhaps even foolish, to name any one particular ii V as the ultimate, I agree. There's just so many good ones.

And although I'm pleased (and not really surprised) to find out that you in fact know the meaning of the word I find myself somewhat dissapointed as a Constable of Vocabulary Usage that my 'bust' wasn't a good one. Maybe later I can pistol whip someone for confusing 'their' with 'there'. That would improve my mood immensely.

[slowpinky]

I find myself somewhat dissapointed as a Constable of Vocabulary Usage that my 'bust' wasn't a good one.

No it was a fair cop - I think I got off way too lightly.

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by slowpinky

No it was a fair cop - I think I got off way too lightly.

Right then. I'll let you off with a warning but I'll be watching you.

[Samrsmiley]

I think the ULTIMATE ii-V would have to be Emi7b5 to A7b9... in Dminor, the saddest of all the keys.

[jazztele]

Oooh...make it an A7#5b9 and resolve to a Dm/maj9 and we're talkin'!

[Bob L]

Does a minor/major 9 chord mean the 7th is a major 7th above the root?

[klasaine]

Originally Posted by Bob L

Does a minor/major 9 chord mean the 7th is a major 7th above the root?

Yes.
Dm9 with a C# (instead of C nat) in there. On a guitar it doesn't necessarily need to be in any particular octave.

A nice voicing is: D F C# E (low to high).
Another, sans root: F A C# E (low to high).

[BigDaddyLH]

Just for wordniks!

penultimate -- next-to-last
antepenultimate -- two before the last
preantepenultimate -- three before the last

[slowpinky]

preantepenultimate -- three before the last

Im going to be post-neo-original and steal that one BDLH!

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLH

Just for wordniks!

penultimate -- next-to-last
antepenultimate -- two before the last
preantepenultimate -- three before the last

I can imagine seeing "Third to last" as a crossword puzzle clue; preantepenultimate would be a beast of an answer!

[BigDaddyLH]

And those remind me of the British names for notes:

quaver -- 8th note
semiquaver -- 16th note
demisemiquaver -- 32nd note
hemidemisemiquaver -- 64th note

[boneyguy]

I say old trout I really do hate to be a bother but I must say that I found your preantepenultimate hemidemisemiquaver to be just the slightest bit ahead of the beat.

Oh, this one's getting used at the Saturday blues jam fo' sho'.

[Bob L]

I fooled around with the min/maj 9 chord last night. It is the final chord of the James Bond theme song, is it not?

[jazztele]

You bet!