CHRIS
POTTER
An
study
of
Chris
Potters
approach
to
jazz
standards
By
Jordi
Ballarn
Master
of
Music
program.
Main
subject:
Jazz
saxophone
Main
subject
teacher:
Simon
Rigter
Artistic
Research
Question
Table
of
Contents
INTRODUCTION
....................................................................................................................
5
WHO
IS
CHRIS
POTTER?
....................................................................................................
6
BIOGRAPHY
....................................................................................................................................
6
ARTISTIC
PERSONALITY
AND
MAIN
INFLUENCES
.............................................................
7
TRANSCRIPTIONS
................................................................................................................
9
PHRASING
............................................................................................................................
40
PRELIMINARY
CONCEPTS
........................................................................................................
40
ANALYZING
CHRIS
POTTER
PHRASING
...............................................................................
40
PRACTICING
THE
PHRASING
..................................................................................................
47
RHYTHM
..............................................................................................................................
51
TIME
AWARENESS
......................................................................................................................
51
TRAINING
TIME
AWARENESS
.................................................................................................
54
THE
MIXED
METER
....................................................................................................................
66
CREATING
LINES
.........................................................................................................................
70
RHYTHM
VARIETY
.....................................................................................................................
72
SOME
TIPS
FOR
WORKING
ON
RHYTHMIC
VARIETY
......................................................
74
MELODYC
DEVICES
...........................................................................................................
75
DIVIDING
THE
OCTAVE
.............................................................................................................
75
INTRODUCING
VARIATIONS
...................................................................................................
79
HOW
TO
USE
THIS
OVER
TUNES?
..........................................................................................
81
MORE
ABOUT
MOTIVIC
DEVELOPMENT
.............................................................................
84
CREATING
LINES
2
......................................................................................................................
86
MORE
HARMONY
...............................................................................................................
87
TRITONE
SUBSTITUTION
.........................................................................................................
87
OTHER
REHARMONIZATIONS
................................................................................................
90
THE
Vb9,
13
CHORD
..................................................................................................................
92
PENTATONICS
AND
CONSTRUCTIONS
IN
PERFECT
4THS
.............................................
92
REFLECTION
IN
THE
PLAYING
......................................................................................
96
REFLECTIONS
IN
COMPOSING
....................................................................................
104
TUNE
1:
BUT
IT
DID
NOT
HAPPEN.
EXPERIMENTING
WITH
PHRASING.
..............
104
TUNE
2:
ROTTERDAM
BLUES.
WORKING
WITH
DIVIDING
THE
OCTAVE
AND
RHYTHMIC
DEVICES.
..............................................................................................................
111
COMMENTS
.............................................................................................................................................
116
INTRODUCTION
BIOGRAPHY
Chris
Potter
was
born
on
the
first
of
January
of
1971
in
Chicago,
and
moved
to
Columbia,
South
Carolina,
at
a
very
early
age.
His
parents
were
not
musicians
but
they
had
a
fairly
good
and
heterogenic
record
collection.
He
remembers
some
Western
Classical
music
records
from
Bach,
Stravinsky
or
Bartok;
some
blues
records,
The
Beatles,
Bob
Dylan.
And
also
some
jazz
records
from
Dave
Brubeck,
Charles
Lloyd,
Miles
Davis
or
Eddie
Harris.
The
first
music
that
grabbed
me
was
the
blues.
My
parents
had
some
blues
compilations
from
musicians
from
Chicago.
Then
went
deep
into
The
Beatles
and
was
some
years
later
that
I
discovered
the
jazz
records
and
decided
that
I
wanted
to
play
the
saxophone
and
I
just
kind
of
bugged
my
parents
until
they
bought
me
a
horn.
So
it
was
the
saxophone
that
drove
me
deeper
and
deeper
into
this
particular
style
of
music
but
I
think
I
always
carried
with
me
that
idea
that
I
just
liked
music.
But
of
course
was
trying
to
learn
to
play
the
saxophone
that
I
went
deep
into
all
the
greats.1
He
started
playing
piano
by
him
own
at
the
age
of
7
and
saxophone
at
10,
first
inspired
by
saxophone
players
like
Johnny
Hodges,
Lester
Young
or
Coleman
Hawkins.
It
took
a
while,
he
says,
until
he
understood
Charlie
Parker.
But
when
he
got
it
he
went
deep
into
figuring
out
how
to
play
like
him
for
some
years.
At
the
age
of
15
he
was
playing
regularly
in
his
hometown.
He
remembers
having
two
weekly
gigs
in
the
same
place.
One
with
a
very
traditional
jazz
band
with
which
he
remembers
as
a
very
good
opportunity
of
learning
how
to
play
jazz
in
a
traditional
way;
and
other
with
a
more
experimental
people
with
whom
he
played
a
more
eclectic
repertoire:
maybe
a
standard
and
then
playing
free
for
a
while
and
after
that
a
Rollin
Stone
song.
A
prologue
of
the
musician
to
come:
a
very
opened
minded
player
with
a
very
deep
knowledge
of
bebop.
In
1989,
at
the
age
of
18
years
old,
he
moved
to
New
York
and
spent
one
year
studying
in
the
New
School
and
two
years
in
The
Manhattan
School
of
Music,
graduating
in
1993.
During
these
years
he
joined
the
band
of
Red
Rodney,
the
trumpet
player
that
played
in
Charlie
Parkers
band.
He
spent
four
years
playing
and
learning
at
the
side
of
the
the
guy
on
the
Charlie
Parker
record.
After
graduation
from
Manhattan
School
of
Music,
Potter
started
a
long
series
of
sideman
activities
with
many
artists
such
as
Ray
Brown,
Jim
Hall,
Dave
Douglas,
Mike
Manieri,
Dave
Holland,
Steely
Dan
or
Paul
Motian.
Although
he
recognizes
the
influence
of
all
the
good
musicians
he
worked
with,
through
different
interviews
he
emphasizes
his
admiration
for
Paul
Motian,
especially
1
Transcription
from
a
Master
class
in
the
Filmmuseum,
Amsterdam,
2008.
because
of
his
approach
to
music
to
not
wanting
to
have
a
plan
of
what
is
going
to
happen.
Being
as
un-analytical
as
possible.
Chris
Potter
released
his
firs
record
as
a
leader
in
1994:
Presenting
Chris
Potter
(Criss
Cross).
And
there
had
been
14
in
total
including
his
last
release
on
2009:
Ultrahang
(Artistshare),
recorded
with
his
band
called
Underground,
with
Adam
Rogers
on
guitar,
Craig
Taiborn
on
Rhodes
and
Nate
Smith
on
drums.
Through
all
this
records
we
can
recognize
a
very
unquiet
and
curios
musician
in
a
constant
search
of
new
ways
of
self
expression
and
enjoying
challenging
himself
one
way
or
another.
1
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=10384
2
Chris
Potter
Master
Class
DVD,
Robertos
Winds,
New
York,
2009.
1
Chris
Potter
Master
Class
DVD,
Robertos
Winds,
New
York,
2009.
TRANSCRIPTIONS
CHRIS
POTTER
ON
STANDARD
JAZZ
TUNES
Playing
standards
is
a
big
thing
on
how
do
I
approach
everything.
I
dont
do
it
so
much
anymore,
but
that
is
so
much
in
my
background.
And
it
is
very
often
the
framework
that
I
will
work
whatever
thing
I
want
to
work
on.5
Transcribed
material
from:
Woody
n
You
Red
Rodney
(1992),
Then
and
now,
Chesky
Records.
Airegin
Chris
Potter
(1993),
Sundiata,
Criss
Cross.
Amsterdam
Blues
Al
foster
(1997),
Brandyn,
Laika
records.
Anthropology
Tom
Cohen
(1999),
Digging
in,
digging
out,
Double
time
jazz.
Stella
by
Starlight
Jim
Hall
(1999),
the
jazzpar
quartet,
Storyville.
Star
Eyes
Chris
Potter
(2001),
Gratitude,
Verve.
Blues
Nouveau
Jim
Rotondi
(2003),
New
Vistas,
Criss
Cross.
All
the
things
you
are
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngoE1hreStc&feature=related
Giant
Steps
Bootleg
recording
in
Denmark
5
Transcription
from
Chris
Potter
Online
Lessons,
www.artistshare.com
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
PHRASING
PRELIMINARY
CONCEPTS
40
Timing
Talking
about
the
eighth-note
feel7,
we
could
say
that
CP
is
very
aware,
in
a
conscious
or
unconscious
way,
of
the
relation
of
his
playing
with
the
pulse
given
by
the
rhythm
section.
As
most
of
the
great
players,
he
is
able
to
play
on
top
of
the
beat,
of
push
it
forward,
or
lay
it
back
depending
on
the
moment,
listening
to
what
the
phrase
needs.
And
the
same
thing
happens
with
his
swing
feel,
normally
played
on
a
quite
straight
way,
and
in
concrete
spots
with
an
emphasized
triplet
feel.
The
following
example
shows
what
looks
like
a
constant
in
CP
playing:
Playing
on
top
of
the
beat
and
laying
back
the
ends
of
the
phrases.
Example
1:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Woody
n
You.
This
feeling
of
laying
back
the
end
of
the
phrases
is
often
mixed
up
with
a
more
accented
swinging
intention:
Example
2:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
Solo
on
Woody
n
You.
7
Eighth
note
feel:
this
expression
makes
a
reference
to
the
placement
of
consecutive
eighth
notes
in
the
context
of
a
pulse
and
groove,
and
in
this
particular
case
we
are
talking
about
swing
grooves.
41
The
so
called
swing
feel
tends
to
appear
in
a
more
clear
way
when
CP
goes
into
more
simple
lines,
where
he
deals
with
few
notes,
creating
a
sensation
of
going
with
the
groove.
Example
3:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Stella
by
Starlight
In
the
next
example
we
can
hear
very
clearly
how
he
is
playing
in
the
backside
of
the
beat
for
a
whole
blues
chorus
and
immediately
changing
the
time
feel
from
the
beginning
of
the
next
chorus.
Example
4:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Amsterdam
Blues.
Articulation
In
the
context
of
saxophone
playing,
articulation
has
mainly
to
do
with
the
decisions
made
on
how
and
when
to
put
your
tongue
on
the
reed,
what
is
know
as
tonguing.
Articulation
is
very
tight
up
with
the
timing,
or
better
to
say,
with
the
time
feel.
The
choices
the
player
does
on
how
to
articulate
the
line
will
influence
the
time
feel.
Traditionally,
the
basic
articulation
when
playing
jazz,
talking
about
consecutive
eighth
notes,
would
be
like
this:
42
In
CP
playing,
at
least
in
the
material
analyzed
in
this
research,
that
is
all
playing
over
swing
grooves,
this
is
also
the
main
articulation
technique.
But
we
find
very
often
eighth
notes
lines
where
all
the
notes
are
articulated,
in
a
way
that
reminds
me
a
bit
to
Harold
Lands
phrasing.
Example
6:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Stella
by
Starlight
This
kind
of
articulation
emphasizes
a
lot
the
straight
feel
of
the
eighth
notes.
It
is
less
common
in
higher
tempos,
where
is
harder
to
play
and
maybe
not
that
nice.
Of
course
there
are
many
places
in
the
middle
of
these
two
described
articulation
techniques
and
CP
came
out
to
be
a
very
flexible
player
in
this
issue,
as
we
can
see
in
the
following
transcription
of
a
chorus
over
Star
Eyes.
43
Dynamics
Dynamics
related
to
music
blocks
is
something
normally
underused
in
straight
ahead
jazz,
unless
we
are
talk
of
ballads.
We
dont
hear
very
often
crescendos
or
diminuendos
in
this
music,
or
a
whole
phrase
played
forte
and
the
next
one
pianissimo.
There
are
always
exceptions,
but
this
is
the
most
common
situation.
In
the
other
hand,
there
is
and
important
roll
of
dynamics
inside
the
traditional
bebop
line:
the
creation
of
accents
in
certain
notes.
This
part
of
44
dynamics
is
again
closely
related
with
the
articulation,
because
most
of
the
times
this
accents
are
created
not
only
by
playing
louder,
but
also
by
attacking
the
note
(tonguing).
The
combination
of
these
two
elements
will
create
a
stronger
accent,
a
very
ruff
one,
or
one
very
subtle.
If
we
focus
again
in
CP
playing
we
listen
a
quite
aggressive
way
of
attacking
the
notes
and
very
pronounced
accents,
that
connects
him
again
with
players
such
as
Sonny
Rollins
or
Steve
Grossman.
This
connection
is
even
more
clear
to
my
ears
when
listening
a
way
of
phrasing
some
lines
that
I
think
is
like
a
sort
of
trademark
of
this
kind
of
playing.
Putting
it
in
to
words,
I
am
talking
about
arpeggios
played
in
eighth
notes
or
eighth
note
triples
were
the
target
note
has
a
strong
accent
and
the
eighth
note
just
before
that
is
played
staccato,
in
a
more
or
less
exaggerated
way
depending
on
the
particular
case.
Described
like
this
sounds
very
confusing,
maybe
is
better
just
to
listen
to
some
examples.
Example
8:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Blues
Nouveau.
It
is
also
very
common
to
listen
one
staccato
eighth
note
as
a
kind
of
pick
up
for
the
note
on
the
beat.
Example
9:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Airegin.
45
The
basic
of
bebop
language
is
build
up
from
eighth
note
lines,
combined
with
eighth
note
triplets.
To
emphasize
target
notes
of
the
line,
normally
the
top
notes,
an
accent
is
played.
Example
10:
Fragment
of
Charlie
Parker
solo
over
Bloomdido
46
As
you
can
see
in
the
examples,
this
rhythms
are
implied
in
the
line,
but
actually
the
choices
of
where
to
put
the
accent
and
how
strong
would
this
accent
be
can
change
completely
the
meaning
of
the
phrase
and
suggest
another
rhythm
implied
on
the
phrase.
One
of
the
constants
that
appear
when
listening
to
CP
talking
about
his
approach
to
music
is
the
will
of
creating
contrast
and
a
feeling
of
what
he
calls
forward
motion.
The
variety
on
the
phrasing
described
on
this
chapter
is
a
huge
tool
for
generating
contrast:
Playing
on
the
bit,
and
pushing
it
forward
or
laying
it
back
depending
on
the
moment,
emphasizing
the
swing
feel
on
a
certain
spot
an
after
that
playing
some
very
straight
articulated
eighth
note
line,
etc.
To
be
able
to
combine
all
this
elements
in
an
organic
way
makes
the
musical
speech
way
more
interesting.
47
record
and
try
to
play
as
close
as
possible,
being
even
more
important
to
play
with
the
same
type
of
phrasing
that
playing
all
the
correct
notes.
Or
just
play
along
with
the
record,
and
try
to
put
the
feel
of
the
phrasing
into
your
own
playing.
In
this
particular
case,
playing
through
CP
solo
transcriptions
has
been
a
very
challenging
thing
to
do.
CP
is
a
player
that
really
masters
the
instrument
on
a
technical
level
and
I
found
walls
I
decided
not
to
try
to
climb
during
this
one
and
a
half
year
research.
Playing
fluently
as
he
does
in
the
altissimo
register
has
been
the
highest
wall,
and
I
decided
to
not
deal
with
that
in
this
research.
Another
thing
that
was
quite
new
for
me
was
the
level
of
activity
of
the
tongue.
Not
only
in
the
intensity
of
the
articulation
but
mainly
in
its
flexibility.
My
playing
was
based
in
the
standard
jazz
articulations
and
I
found
extremely
enriching
to
practice
CP
solos
for
this
issue.
I
also
wrote
down
some
articulation
sequences
for
consecutive
eighth
note
lines
that
I
incorporated
in
my
practicing
routines,
that
I
found
very
useful
to
improve
my
flexibility
on
this
subject:
48
This
can
look
like
a
pretty
basic
thing
for
a
classically
trained
player.
They
are
more
used
to
train
articulation
flexibility,
but
it
is
something
generally
left
apart
by
jazz
musicians.
I
did
not
try
to
practice
all
the
lines
or
all
the
scales
with
all
the
different
articulations
given.
But
I
found
it
an
interesting
thing
to
experiment
while
practicing,
to
listen
how
they
change
the
meaning
of
a
specific
line,
or
a
concrete
scale
pattern.
Sometimes
some
of
them
will
work
very
nicely
and
others
just
wouldnt
fit
the
concrete
line.
I
like
to
thing
about
this
also
as
a
way
of
ear
training,
understanding
it
like
hearing
a
specific
sound,
with
all
the
implications
that
word
has.
Also
found
interesting
to
try
out
articulation
sequences
that
imply
an
uneven
when
the
line
doesnt
suggest
it.
49
Example
13:
Same
articulation
in
a
scale
This
would
be
a
clear
example
of
how
phrasing
can
emphasize
a
certain
rhythmic
structure,
either
implied
on
the
line
or
not.
For
seeing
further
experimentations
with
phrasing
go
to
the
chapter
Reflections
on
composition.
50
RHYTHM
TIME
AWARENESS
51
Lets
see
some
examples:
Example
1:
Chris
Potter
playing
rhythm
in
5
over
the
first
four
bars
of
Airegins
B
part.
Example
2:
Chris
Potter
playing
rhythm
in
6
over
Giant
Steps
Example
3:
Chris
Potter
playing
rhythm
in
6
over
All
the
things
you
are.
Example
4:
Chris
Potter
playing
a
rhythm
in
7
over
Giant
Steps
This
last
one
is
just
happening
for
two
bars
and
actually
sounds
more
like
a
variation
of
one
idea.
But
I
am
pretty
sure
he
started
to
hear
this
kind
of
things
by
moving
a
rhythm
like
that
for
longer
periods
over
the
bar
line.
The
three
examples
shown
above
demonstrate
how
to
play
this
cross
rhythms
keeping
the
harmonic
rhythm.
I
also
noticed
that
CP
is
able
to
anticipate
or
delay
harmonic
changes
without
loosing
track
of
where
is
the
one.
I
do
not
know
if
he
developed
this
ability
from
this
approach
but
for
me
it
is
definitely
related.
52
In
this
example
we
can
observe
how
the
target
notes
are
a
bit
displaced
from
where
we
normally
would
expect
them
to
be.
The
note
B
in
the
G7b9
is
in
the
forth
beat,
and
the
resolution
in
the
third
of
Cm7
(note
Eb)
is
delayed
till
the
third
beat
of
the
bar.
And
because
of
the
context
we
can
notice
that
it
is
not
an
accident.
He
is
perfectly
aware
of
where
he
is.
This
is
even
clearer
in
the
following
example.
Example
6:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Amsterdam
Blues.
Starting
from
the
7th
bar
of
the
form,
we
could
say
that
he
is
playing
some
different
changes.
Instead
of
F7,
D7b9,
Gm7,
C7,
he
is
playing
A
major,
Ab
major,
G
major,
C7.
But
at
the
same
time
he
is
outlining
these
alternate
changes
on
groups
of
6
consecutive
eighth
notes
starting
on
the
upbeat
of
the
third
beat
of
F7,
creating
a
harmonic
rhythm
in
that
lands
on
the
first
beat
of
the
C7.
Of
course
he
is
not
thinking
all
these
things
on
that
moment,
but
for
sure
he
spend
some
time
in
the
practice
room
figuring
out
how
to
do
that
till
reaching
the
point
of
just
hearing
that
kind
of
lines
during
the
playing.
53
This
would
be
the
basic
schema
for
a
6
eighth
note
cross
rhythm
over
a
4/4.
The
idea
is
to
play
both
rhythmic
layers
being
able
to
feel
them
independently,
so
we
know
in
which
beat
of
which
bar
are
we
in
any
moment.
Once
we
are
able
to
do
it
as
it
is
written
we
can
try
to
change
one
rhythm
from
one
hand
to
another,
or
play
the
bottom
line
with
the
feet
and
clap
the
upper
one,
or
whatever
other
combination
that
comes
to
our
mind.
And
then
try
to
switch
from
one
set
put
to
the
other
without
stop.
All
this
kind
of
games
will
keep
our
brain
active
and
will
help
internalize
the
relation
in
between
the
two
rhythms.
The
same
approach
should
be
done
with
the
basic
outline
of
fives
and
sevens:
54
The
next
thing
I
did
is
try
to
figure
out
different
rhythmic
patterns
that
imply
this
kind
of
over
the
bar
line
divisions.
I
tried
to
go
from
the
very
simplest
ones
to
the
busiest
ones.
55
56
57
58
We
got
here
a
lot
of
different
possibilities
of
outlining
cross
rhythms
in
five,
six
and
seven.
The
next
step
would
be
to
be
able
to
play
these
patterns
over
a
tune
without
loosing
track
of
the
harmonic
rhythm.
For
that
I
found
very
useful
as
a
first
step
and
exercise
I
got
from
Steve
Coleman.
The
idea
is
to
play
the
same
patter
over
the
tune,
and
first
play
only
the
bass
notes
of
the
changes.
Once
you
are
able
to
do
that
you
can
start
to
go
to
different
layers,
outline
a
certain
voice
leading
and
slowly
get
into
improvising
melodies.
59
CD 2/TRACK 1
60
61
62
CD2/TRACK
2
63
64
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65
Till
now
we
just
talked
about
playing
a
cross
rhythm
melodically,
but
respecting
the
harmonic
rhythm.
Another
possible
thing
to
do
is
to
play
a
cross
rhythm
in
a
harmonic
sense.
The
following
exercises
are
based
on
this
concept
that
I
learned
from
Simon
Rigter.
The
starting
idea
is
to
impose
a
harmonic
rhythm
in
over
the
normal
4/4
structure
of
a
song.
Is
possible
to
keep
this
two
layers
going
on
for
as
long
as
you
want.
At
the
beginning
I
started
doing
it
during
three
4/4
bars,
that
is
the
length
that
this
game
needs
in
order
to
make
the
match
again
the
first
beat
of
the
two
time
signatures.
Like
this
sounds
very
complicated,
lets
see
a
practical
example.
This
is
the
harmonic
structure
of
the
B
part
of
Airegin,
by
Sonny
Rollins:
So
if
we
change
the
harmonic
rhythm
of
the
first
three
bars
of
the
first
and
second
pentagram
we
would
get
the
following
harmonic
rhythm:
66
Having
this
schema
in
mind
we
will
come
with
lines
like
this
one:
CD2/TRACK 3
Looking
at
it
can
seem
to
be
very
awkward
thing
to
do.
But
it
actually
sounds
pretty
normal
outlined
this
way.
In
fact
the
only
thing
that
is
happening
is
that
some
chords
are
being
anticipated
and
some
resolutions
are
being
delayed.
Charlie
Parker
was
already
doing
that
without
maybe
thinking
of
it.
Depending
on
which
form
we
want
to
do
this
mixed
meter,
we
will
not
have
enough
chords
to
fill
in
the
,
so
we
will
have
to
add
some,
like
we
can
observe
in
this
line
Simon
Rigter
made
up
over
All
the
things
you
are
during
a
lesson
I
had
with
him:
67
CD2/TRACK
4
For
now
what
we
this
is
make
an
alternate
harmonic
rhythm
in
3
over
the
4/4.
But
it
has
not
to
be
necessarily
like
that.
We
can
think
about
other
harmonic
rhythms,
and
we
can
make
them
also
in
a
not
regular
way.
This
is
an
example
of
that
over
Giant
Steps:
68
CD2/TRACK
5
69
Example
7:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Anthropology.
CREATING LINES
This
kind
of
lines
I
found
transcribing
CP
made
me
try
to
figure
out
how
can
I
do
it
myself.
Normally
all
the
shapes
we
practice
over
the
scales
or
all
the
lines
we
try
to
be
able
in
every
key
through
the
horn
are
based
on
structures
in
two
or
four,
and
sometimes
in
three.
And
consequently
these
are
the
things
that,
at
least
in
my
case,
come
to
my
ear
and
to
my
fingers
while
improvising.
So
I
started
to
look
for
lines
and
shapes
in
five
and
seven,
first
just
adapting
material
I
already
know.
For
example,
a
II
V
I
line
like
this
one:
Can
become
a
five-note
groupings
line
just
by
changing
all
that
seventh
chords
into
ninth
chords:
As
I
said
before,
lines
like
that
imply
again
a
delay
in
the
harmonic
rhythm.
In
this
case
the
line
resolves
to
the
first
degree
in
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar.
I
also
found
quite
handy
to
adapt
some
octatonic
shapes
in
similar
ways:
into:
70
All
this
kind
of
shapes,
applied
to
whatever
scale
can
be
isolated
and
worked
out
as
technical
exercises.
I
am
writing
them
on
the
context
of
changes
because
at
the
end
this
was
the
tricky
part
for
me.
In
the
example
written
above
the
octatonic
sequence
is
repeated
five
times
being
the
last
note
of
the
last
group
in
the
first
beat
of
the
fourth
bar.
Notice
also
that
harmonically,
the
lines
implies
a
dominant
sound
that
actually
doesnt
resolve
to
the
one,
goes
over
it
till
reaching
the
next
dominant
chord.
Lines
with
this
kind
of
approach
can
be
founded
in
CP
playing:
Example
8:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Airegin
Going
back
to
where
I
was,
talking
about
creating
lines
in
fives
and
sevens,
I
came
up
with
some
kind
of
rules
to
be
able
to
make
a
smooth
transition
to
the
real
pulse.
Not
in
a
very
systematic
way
like
trying
to
figure
out
all
the
possibilities,
just
realizing
some
constants
that
made
the
lines
work
for
me.
So
I
know
that
if
play
five
eighth
notes
three
times
I
need
an
extra
passing
tone
to
reach
the
one
of
the
third
bar:
Or,
like
we
already
saw,
playing
five
eighth
notes
four
times
we
get
to
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar,
or
five
times
and
the
last
note
of
the
last
grouping
is
in
the
first
beat
of
the
forth
bar.
Or
playing
two
times
seven
eighth
notes,
starting
in
the
second
beat
and
finishing
on
the
first
beat
of
the
third
bar.
71
Playing
three
times
seven
and
the
last
note
of
the
last
group
is
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar.
Starting
in
the
upbeat
before
the
one,
playing
three
times
seven
we
land
on
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar.
RHYTHM VARIETY
Closely
related
to
this
search
we
just
saw
in
the
previous
section,
CP
has
developed
a
very
rich
pallet
of
rhythms
that
he
uses
in
a
very
surprising
way,
looking
for
the
creation
of
contrast
in
his
playing.
Example
9:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
All
the
things
you
are.
The
use
of
quarter
note
triples,
mixed
up
with
eighth
note
triplets
is
a
trademark
of
CP
playing.
Also
the
use
of
sixteenth
notes
combined
with
triplets
is
very
common,
giving
a
feeling
of
tension.
Example
10:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Anthropology.
72
He
also
likes
to
play
with
rhythmic
patterns
that
are
on
the
limit
in
between
the
binary
subdivision
and
the
ternary
subdivision.
Sometimes
this
is
just
insinuated
by
the
timing,
and
sometimes
is
very
clear.
Example
11:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Giant
Steps
73
Example
13:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
All
the
things
you
are.
The
tips
I
received
from
different
people
in
my
network
about
how
to
develop
rhythmic
variety
have
a
lot
to
do
with
practice
improvisation
with
obligations.
In
lessons
with
Jasper
Blom
we
established
the
following
possible
parameters:
Play
phrases
starting
only
on
the
first
beat,
and
after
that
in
the
upbeat
of
the
first
beat,
in
the
second
beat,
and
so
on.
Use
the
same
approach
but
applied
to
the
endings
of
the
phrases
Be
aware
of
the
different
rhythmic
figures
(half
note,
dotted
quarter
note,
quarter
note,
quarter
note
triplet,
eighth
note,
eighth
note
triplet,
sixteenth
note,
sixteenth
note
triplet)
and
improvise
trying
to
use
them
all.
Play
only
in
eighth
note
triplets,
or
in
quarter
note
triplets.
Seamus
Blake
proposed
me
also
to
think
as
a
drummer
when
improvising,
and
as
a
kind
of
exercise
limit
myself
to
three
or
four
pitches
as
if
they
where
the
tombs
of
the
drum
kit,
to
focus
in
the
rhythmical
phrasing.
CD2/TRACK
6:
Example
of
improvising
using
different
rhythmic
figures
over
an
F
blues.
74
MELODYC
DEVICES
Dividing
In Equalin
Parts
This
is
a
concept
CP
The
talks
Octave
about
repeatedly
different
workshops
and
master
classes.
The
idea
of
the
division
of
the
octave
in
equal
parts
is
a
concept
that
became
very
popular
in
jazz
music
after
the
research
made
in
this
field
by
Dividing The Octave In Equal Parts
John
Coltrane.
He
first
applied
this
principle
harmonically,
creating
chord
progressions
related
to
dividing
the
octave
in
three
equal
parts,
obtaining
three
the
other.
Compositions
like
Giant
& cdistance
one
from
Tonics
in
a
major
third
Steps,
Countdown,
26-2
or
Satellite
are
based
on
this
principle.
On
later
works
Coltrane
did
not
need
to
have
this
progressions
in
the
rhythm
sections
to
be
&c
able
to
hear
similar
relations
in
his
improvised
melodies.
Coltrane
is
one
of
the
Probably the first step one can make, if he or she wishes to depart from the use of traditional tonal and modal
most
influential
saxophonist
of
the
XX
century,
and
many
other
great
musicians,
progressions and melodic structures, is to delve into material derived from the division of the octave into intervals
like
for
example
Michael
Brecker,
got
inspired
by
his
playing
and
developed
his
of equal value.
concepts
on
their
own
way.
The intervals
that step
divideone
thecan
octave
equal
parts
are the
the first
make,into
if he
or she
wishes
to following...
depart from the use of traditional tonal and modal
Probably
progressions
and melodic structures, is to delve into material derived from the division of the octave into intervals
The
main
source
of
inspiration
for
Coltrane
relating
this
subject
was
the
of equal value.
work
Thesaurus
of
scale
and
melodic
patterns,
by
Nicolas
Slonimsky,
a
The intervals that divide the octave into equal parts are the following...
compilation
of
material
based
on
symmetric
relations.
The
first
part
of
this
work
The Minor
Thirdoctave
in
equal
Major
Third
The
deals
with
mtritone.
aterial
generated
fThe
rom
the
idea
of
the
division
of
the
7thmajor
arpegio.) thirds
(an
(Augmented
parts.
The
octave
can
be
divided
in
arpegio.)
two
tritones,
(Diminished
in
three
3
minor
thirds
(#diminished
steps
augmented
four
seventh
chord),
six
whole
&
bMinor
Third
#triad),
The
The
Major
Third
The tritone.
(whole
tone
scale)
or
twelve
half
steps
(chromatic
scale).
(Diminished 7th arpegio.)
(Augmented arpegio.)
3
&
&
&
# # #
# # #
b Scale.)
b(Chromatic
The Minor Second
# # #
# # The Minor
Second (Chromatic Scale.)
3
#
# # # #
3
3
Using the above material as a creative basis of harmonic progressions,
melodies
and scales,
or even as tools for
3
3
If
wreharmonizing
e
consider
more
than
one
will
octave,
we
get
the
est
of
tused
he
iinntervals
voicing and/or
tonal
or modal
melodies,
sound different
from
the rtechniques
Tonal and whit
Modal
textures.
The reason
foroctaves
this fact, is are
that tonal
and modalin
concepts,
areminor
based on the
way theintervals,
Overtone Series
in
the
octave.
Two
divided
three
sixth
what
is shaped, whch
a utterly
natural structure-therefore
while this concept
based on Symmetry Alone.
actually
is
isan
augmented
triad
in
an
Asymmetric,
open
inversion,
so
isconsequently
closely
Using the above material as a creative basis of harmonic progressions, melodies and scales, or even as tools for
Cadences, "Musical Gravity", Tonal Centers (Not always), Functions and all other aspects that define music as a
voicing
and/or
reharmonizing
modal but
melodies,
sound different
from the techniques used in Tonal and
language,
are needless
to saytonal
still or
present,
with a will
very different
character.
Modal textures. The reason for this fact, is that tonal and modal concepts, are based on the way the Overtone Series
is shaped, whch is a utterly natural structure-therefore Asymmetric, while this concept is based on Symmetry Alone.
(Notalways),
Functions and all other aspects that define music as a75
Copyright
2005 dlazaridis.com
Cadences, "Musical Gravity", Tonal Centers
language, are needless to say still present, but with a very different character.
related
to
the
division
in
major
thirds11.
Three
octaves
can
be
divided
in
four
major
sixth
intervals,
what
actually
is
an
unfolded
diminished
chord.
The
perfect
fifth
is
one-twelfth
part
of
seven
octaves,
and
the
perfect
forth
is
a
twelfth
part
of
five
octaves.
So
by
these
divisions
we
get
again
the
twelve
notes
in
the
octave.
Also
with
the
major
sevenths,
which
actually
are
the
inversions
of
the
minor
seconds,
and
represent
the
division
of
eleven
octaves.
The
minor
seventh
is
the
division
of
seven
octaves
into
six
parts.
These
divisions
of
the
octave
are
directly
related
to
scales
and
harmonic
progressions.
We
just
saw
that
the
whole
tone
scale
and
the
chromatic
scale
are
the
division
of
the
octave
in
six
and
twelve
parts
respectively.
Some
other
scales,
if
not
coming
from
this
idea,
they
are
unavoidably
related
to
it,
like
the
hexatonic
scale
and
the
octatonic
scale
outlined
here,
that
in
fact
come
out
of
over
imposing
on
a
minor
second
distance
two
augmented
triads
and
two
diminished
seventh
chords
respectively:
There
are
also
harmonic
relations
related
to
this
idea
of
dividing
the
octave.
The
famous
circle
of
4rths
or
fifths
is
a
good
example
of
how
tonal
music
is
related
to
this.
I
already
mentioned
the
progression
known
as
Coltrane
changes,
but
actually
all
the
progressions
based
on
parallel
movements
can
be
also
related
to
this
concept.
I
do
not
want
to
go
deep
into
this.
It
would
take
too
long.
I
just
wanted
to
show
the
idea
because
in
spite
that
I
will
develop
this
idea
from
a
melodic
point
of
view,
it
is
impossible
to
ignore
the
harmonic
connotations
of
these
melodic
sequences
that,
depending
on
how
we
apply
them,
are
more
obvious
or
less.
So,
going
back
to
CPs
practicing
tips.
The
idea
is
very
simple.
We
choose
a
simple
motive
and
we
transpose
it
symmetrically
through
the
horn
in
different
intervals:
Minor
seconds,
major
seconds,
minor
thirds,
major
thirds,
perfect
fourths
and
tritones.
Eventually
also
in
fifths,
sixths
and
sevenths,
but
actually
this
ones
are
inversions
of
the
others.
Lets
do
it
with
a
very
simple
cell:
a
perfect
4th
11
Starting
from
the
tritone,
all
the
intervals
have
a
mirror.
So
the
perfect
forth
is
the
inversion
of
the
perfect
fifth,
the
major
third
is
the
inversion
of
the
minor
sixth,
minor
third
major
sixth,
major
second
minor
seventh,
minor
second
major
seventh.
Because
of
these
relations
we
get
the
same
amount
of
intervals
till
we
reach
again
the
starting
tone.
76
Notice
I
skipped
the
perfect
forth
division,
just
because
it
meant
repeating
a
note
in
this
concrete
case.
But
it
could
be
done
of
course.
Also
we
can
do
that
in
sixth
and
seventh
intervals
if
we
want
to.
Also
notice
that
in
this
specific
case
we
get
some
lines
that
fit
certain
scales.
A
perfect
forth
moved
in
minor
thirds
fits
the
diminished
scale
and
moved
in
major
thirds
fits
the
hexatonic
scale
written
before
in
this
chapter
(half
step
below).
77
78
INTRODUCING VARIATIONS
We
can
modify
whatever
cell
in
a
melodic
level
in
the
following
ways:
Given
cell:
Retrogradation:
Inversion:
Retrogradation
of
the
inversion:
Changing
the
order
of
the
notes:
This
way
we
find
multiple
variations
from
one
idea
that
we
can
again
transpose
in
different
intervals
in
the
same
way
we
did
with
the
original
cell,
or
we
can
try
to
mix
them
up:
79
These
variation
processes
and
the
possibility
of
mixing
them
up
create
a
crazy
amount
of
combinations.
There
is
no
sense
in
trying
to
practice
all
of
them,
but
is
good
to
be
aware
of
the
endless
possibilities
of
a
little
idea
like
this.
It
is
a
good
way
to
find
material
that
maybe
I
wouldn't
find
relying
only
on
my
intuition.
Through
this
system
I
find
things
that
I
like
and
then
I
go
with
them.
Other
things
just
don't
work
for
me
and
I
leave
them.
It
is
maybe
nice
also
to
try
to
mix
these
variations
randomly
while
improvising,
or
jumping
form
one
to
the
other
not
always
in
the
same
interval
but
in
whatever
interval
comes
to
your
ear.
CD2/TRACK
7:
Improvising
with
a
three
note
cell
over
an
F
blues.
Another
thing
I
tried
to
do
while
practicing
these
things
is
to
combine
it
with
the
rhythmical
material
we
talked
about
in
the
previous
chapter.
Four
note
patterns
would
fit
the
line
in
different
cross
rhythms
like
this:
Also
is
possible
to
use
rhythmic
patters
that
imply
more
notes,
crossing
on
the
cell
as
well,
what
can
make
the
structure
less
comprehensible,
if
maybe
that
is
what
you
want:
Something
I
found
out
also
while
checking
out
CPs
solos
is
the
possibility
of
generating
a
cell
from
this
logic
and
then
transpose
it
in
minor
seconds,
major
seconds,
etc.
Making
a
kind
of
division
of
the
divided
octave.
80
We
would
continue
this
in
minor
thirds,
major
thirds
and
so
on.
Also
could
figure
out
variations
of
this.
We
are
going
back
to
CPs
solos
to
figure
out
how
he
uses
this
material
in
his
playing.
Sometimes
these
sequences
are
very
nice
just
by
themselves,
and
they
have
an
enough
strong
statement
in
order
to
sound
good
even
if
they
have
81
wrong
notes
that
do
not
fit
the
harmony.
If
the
idea
is
clear
and
it
is
played
with
intention
works.
Simply
moving
something
chromatically
can
be
a
very
handy
tool
to
create
some
tension.
Example
1:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Airegin
Here
and
example
of
playing
with
a
perfect
forth
in
different
layers
and
directions,
on
a
sort
of
Eb
modal
context.
Example
2:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Star
Eyes.
In
the
following
example
we
can
see
again
a
perfect
forth
being
moved
chromatically
combined
with
a
cross
rhythm
in
six.
Example
3:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Blues
Nouveau.
82
The
structures
generated
with
these
sequences
can
be
played
completely
unrelated
to
the
harmony,
or
also
in
a
way
that
keeps
somehow
a
relation
with
it.
Example
4:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Anthropology
The
following
example
is
the
fragment
from
where
I
took
the
example
to
show
the
division
of
the
divided
octave.
Example
4:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
on
Amsterdam
blues
In
the
example
above
we
can
observe,
in
the
third
bar
of
the
second
pentagram,
a
symmetric
idea
that
doesnt
fit
the
harmony.
It
is
just
a
tiny
moment
of
outside
playing
inside
a
line
where
the
harmony
is
very
clearly
outlined.
This
is
maybe
more
clear
in
the
next
example.
83
As
I
said
when
explaining
the
way
of
practicing
these
ideas,
one
of
the
main
goals
is
to
gain
fluency
in
transposing
and
introducing
variations
in
a
simple
motive,
what
actually
helps
a
lot
in
developing
a
motivic
concept
in
your
playing.
Example
7:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Airegin
84
We
already
talk
a
bit
about
motivic
development.
We
saw
how
playing
cross
rhythms
have
a
motivic
connotation
and
we
also
so
some
possibilities
of
melodic
variations
of
a
motive
in
the
previous
section:
Transposition,
retrogradation,
inversion
and
inversion
of
the
retrogradation.
The
combination
of
these
melodic
and
rhythmic
concepts
gives
already
a
lot
of
possible
material,
but
there
are
some
more
elements
to
consider,
like
changing
the
rhythms
of
the
phrase,
repeating
notes,
condense
or
amplify
the
phrase
by
adding
or
quitting
notes,
make
the
intervals
bigger
or
smaller,
etc.
Example
8:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Stella
by
Starlight
This
is
a
clear
example
where
some
of
the
mentioned
things
are
being
used.
Improvising
is
composing
in
the
moment,
so
all
the
studies
about
how
to
develop
and
connect
motives
can
be
related
to
improvisation.
I
did
not
go
deep
into
that
because
it
could
be
a
single
research
by
itself.
I
particularly
like
to
work
this
kind
of
playing
based
on
intuition,
and
practice
it
by
improvising.
This
is
something
I
did
in
lessons
with
Jasper
Blom,
and
it
is
also
something
that
Chris
Potters
says
he
does
a
lot:
Just
take
a
very
simple
idea,
two
or
three
notes,
and
try
to
develop
it
in
an
organic
way
through
a
form
or
even
just
freely.
CD
2/TRACK
8:
Developing
a
motive
over
Stella
by
Starlight
I
want
to
insist
also
in
how
all
the
material
we
are
talking
about
refers
to
the
concept
of
creating
contrast
in
the
improvisation.
Creating
a
certain
image
with
your
playing
and
then
introducing
something
new
that
changes
this
image,
and
in
fact
this
new
element
acquires
a
different
relevance
because
its
relation
85
with
the
previous
image.
It
is
about
having
a
palette
with
a
lot
of
colors
and
being
able
to
combine
them
in
a
smart
way
to
obtain
a
more
interesting
painting.
CREATING
LINES
2
This
line
is
built
from
playing
something
around
Gm7
and
then
moving
it
in
minor
thirds
to
Bbm7
(that
is
the
same
than
Gm7b5)
and
then
to
Dbm7,
that
is
kind
of
C7alt.
The
line
continues
with
Em7
over
Fmaj7,
where
only
the
F#
is
a
wrong
note.
The
following
line
is
based
on
the
same
idea
but
in
groups
of
five.
Other
ideas:
86
MORE
HARMONY
TRITONE
SUBSTITUTION
In
the
third
bard
of
the
example,
the
line
clearly
outlines
a
C#m7
F#7,
resolving
to
Fmaj7.
There
some
spots
in
some
tunes
where
this
kind
of
substitutions
became
a
sort
of
standard
reharmonization.
For
example,
in
All
the
things
you
are,
playing
a
D7
to
go
to
Dbmaj7,
instead
of
the
original
Abmaj7.
Example
2:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
All
the
things
you
are.
87
Sometimes
not
the
whole
II
V
is
substituted,
and
the
both
layers
are
combined.
In
the
following
example,
CP
plays
B7
(tritone
V),
to
Cm7
to
F7.
Example
3:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Stella
by
Starlight.
We
also
can
find
tritone
substitutions
played
on
different
beats
of
the
bar,
creating
again
a
certain
delay
in
resolving
to
the
one.
Example
5:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Stella
by
Starlight
Starting
on
the
third
beat
of
the
second
bar,
CP
plays
an
E7
chord
that
connects
with
a
Dmaj7
that
resolves
to
Ebmaj7
on
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar.
The
Dmaj7
is
just
an
extension
of
E7,
attending
to
Barry
Harris
explanations
about
chord
outline:
Attending
to
this
explanation
Dm7b5
(VII),
Fm7
(II),
and
Abmaj7
(VI)
are
extensions
of
Bb7
(V).
And
the
same
logic
can
be
applied
to
its
tritone
substitute,
E7.
88
The
Ab7
is
expanded
till
the
third
beat
of
the
third
bar,
resolving
to
A
major
triad
that
resolves
to
Bbmaj7.
This
A
triad
could
be
considered
as
the
upper
structure
of
B7
going
to
Bbmaj7.
It
also
could
be
understood
as
A7
going
to
Dm7,
which
is
an
upper
structure
of
Bbmaj7.
But
because
the
dominant
sound
is
not
there
(no
minor
seventh
or
flat
ninth),
I
rather
think
that
these
types
of
line
are
coming
from
tritone
substitutions.
Example
7:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Anthropology
89
OTHER
REHARMONIZATIONS
A
form
schema
we
could
deduct
from
this
chorus
would
be
something
like
that:
90
Following
example
shows
some
alternate
changes
also
over
the
A
sections
of
rhythm
changes:
Example
10:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Anthropology
The
chord
schema
CP
is
playing
here
is:
Example
11:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Anthropology
A
form
schema
we
could
deduct
from
this
chorus
would
be
something
like
that:
91
Or
also
likes
to
play
with
both
13
and
b13
sound
at
the
same
time.
Example
13:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Airegin
92
Here
CP
is
playing
a
E
major
pentatonic
scale
over
the
four
bars,
giving
a
sound
of
C7alt,
or
F#7
(tritone
substitute),
that
is
expanded
over
the
whole
four
bars.
Related
to
this
idea
I
got
a
practice
tip
from
Rich
Perry
in
a
lesson
during
my
visit
to
New
York.
The
concept
is
to
play
very
simple
ideas
based
on
an
altered
sound
created
by
the
use
of
pentatonics
and
play
them
on
top
of
almost
every
chord.
We
did
this
over
a
minor
blues.
CD 2/TRACK 9:
Little
pentatonic
ideas
over
minor
blues
creating
altered
sound.
His
trick
doing
that
was
to
play
the
idea
as
late
as
possible
in
the
bar
and
getting
into
the
next
bar,
so
playing
the
altered
sound
on
top
or
the
chord
in
which
the
line
resolves.
The
idea
is
pretty
simple
and
this
use
of
pentatonic
scales
to
create
altered
sounds
or
other
colors
over
specific
chords
can
be
found
in
many
improvisation
methods.
But
I
found
this
creating
a
sound
very
close
to
what
I
hear
sometimes
in
CPs
solos,
first
because
of
the
idea
of
expanding
the
altered
sound
into
the
target
chord,
and
second
because
of
the
relation
of
pentatonic
scales
with
melodic
constructions
based
in
perfect
4ths,
interval
that
appears
very
often
in
CPs
solos.
For
example,
a
C
major
pentatonic
scale
can
be
outlined
using
only
perfect
fourths,
starting
from
note
E
(the
third).
93
This
kind
of
shapes
can
be
found
in
CPs
solos
as
a
way
of
outlining
chords.
Example
16:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
All
the
things
you
are.
We
can
see
how
the
Abmaj7
chord
is
outlined
in
perfect
fourths,
playing
the
notes
of
Ab
major
pentatonic.
The
following
examples
shows
also
chord
outlines
based
on
breaking
up
the
line
in
fourths
Example17:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Star
Eyes
Going
back
to
previous
chapter,
when
talking
about
dividing
the
octave,
motives
coming
from
pentatonic
shapes
are
normally
very
strong
and
useful
to
apply
in
that
idea
of
transposing
the
motive
in
different
intervals.
And
normally
it
is
pretty
easy
to
play
lines
related
to
the
harmony,
if
that
is
what
the
player
wants.
94
Example
18:
Fragment
of
Chris
Potter
solo
over
Amsterdam
Blues
In
this
last
example
CP
plays
again
with
a
C7
altered
sound
over
the
last
four
bars
of
a
blues.
He
plays
an
idea
over
E
pentatonic
and
repeats
it
over
F#
pentatonic.
95
Or
in
this
other
passage
there
is
a
phrase
with
groupings
of
three
and
two
notes
that,
without
going
over
the
bar
line
yet,
was
something
not
so
common
to
hear
in
my
playing.
I
also
start
looking
for
structures
in
fourths
for
now
fitting
with
the
harmony.
96
The
third
track
is
a
version
of
Amsterdam
blues,
a
major
blues
in
F
composed
by
Chris
Potter
that
I
transcribed
the
solo
as
well.
From
that
transcription
I
took
some
ideas
that
appear
in
my
solo.
The
following
line
shows
a
three
notes
motive
based
on
a
perfect
fourth
moved
in
whole
steps,
creating
a
line
that
doesnt
fit
the
harmony.
97
98
I
can
see
in
this
solo
the
consequences
of
working
in
the
time
awareness.
One
of
the
ideas
of
working
in
the
mixed
meter
is
to
get
more
freedom
in
outlining
the
chords,
anticipating
chords
or
delaying
resolutions
in
the
harmony
without
loosing
track.
Like
here:
99
Or
in
this
chorus:
In
the
first
line
we
can
see
a
phrase
going
over
the
bar
line,
resolving
to
Gm7
in
the
third
beat
of
the
fifth
bar
by
reaching
the
note
Bb.
In
the
seventh
bar
the
line
outlines
an
A7b9
on
top
of
a
Dm7.
The
idea
of
playing
pentatonic
scales
to
create
an
altered
sound
that
I
explained
on
the
chapter
dedicated
to
harmony
is
very
clear
in
the
following
passage.
The
sixth
track
is
a
studio
recording
of
Tan
lejos
y
tan
cera,
composed
by
Jose
Atero.
I
show
here
a
transcription
of
my
solo
on
that
track.
100
101
In
this
solo
some
of
the
things
worked
out
through
this
research
are
coming
out.
First
line
of
the
part
shows
a
motive
(an
ascendant
sixth)
moved
through
the
changes
and
rhythmically
modified
by
playing
a
cross
rhythm
in
seven
(starting
in
the
fourth
beat
of
the
second
bar).
There
are
also
many
lines
based
on
groupings
of
five
eighth
notes
like
this
one:
Or
this
one:
Or
this
other
one:
102
There
is
also
a
line
based
on
three
perfect
fourths
played
then
backwards
and
a
minor
third
down,
played
in
a
way
that
sound
almost
inside
the
harmony.
There
is
also
a
passage
based
on
mixed
meter.
This
line
is
actually
outlining
this
harmonic
rhythm:
This
following
example
is
a
very
simple
triton
substitution
I
copied
from
CPs
solo
over
Stella
by
Starlight.
Over
the
G#7b9,
I
play
D7
down
from
the
fifth
and
Cmaj7
up
resolving
to
C#m7.
103
REFLECTIONS
IN
COMPOSING
Writing
has
been
one
of
the
best
ways
for
me
to
practice.
I
feel
like
composing
has
helped
my
improvising
a
lot,
just
because
I
am
thinking
how
to
organize
everything
and
I
have
enough
time
to
go
back
and
change
my
decision.13
This
is
a
line
I
did
based
on
the
chord
changes
of
It
could
happen
to
you.
The
construction
of
the
melody
did
not
come
from
material
related
with
this
research
but
more
from
trying
to
use
chromatic
passing
notes
in
the
scales.
But
once
the
melody
was
done
I
tried
to
figure
out
ways
of
phrasing
it
in
a
different
way
that
how
I
would
do
it
without
thinking
about
it.
The
first
thing
I
experimented
with
was
about
which
notes
to
accent
and
which
note
in
order
to
emphasize
the
rhythmic
structures
created
by
the
lines
or
to
create
new
ones
only
by
the
distribution
of
those
accents.
What
we
talked
about
when
describing
phrasing
as
rhythm
creator.
The
possibilities
I
thought
about
were:
104
105
106
ARRANGEMENT
BASED
ON
PHRASING
AS
RHYTHM
CREATOR
Later
on
I
did
this
arrangement
based
on
the
version
of
the
melody
focused
on
phrasing
as
rhythm
creator.
The
accents
played
on
the
melody
on
that
version
are
converted
into
kicks
for
the
rhythm
section.
107
108
109
110
The
idea
of
this
tune
came
by
transcribing
the
theme
of
Amsterdam
blues.
This
is
an
F
blues
composed
by
Chris
Potter.
DVD 3/TRACK 5
111
112
113
114
115
COMMENTS
The
melody
is
mainly
based
on
constructions
moved
in
different
intervals.
Motive
two
and
its
development
The
head
finishes
again
with
constructions
in
perfect
fourths
but
this
time
fitting
more
the
harmony.
Also
the
Coda
is
based
in
this
kind
of
symmetries.
The
arrangement
of
the
rhythm
section
in
the
intro
and
the
first
eight
bars
of
the
head
is
based
on
moving
an
idea
to
different
layers.
116
This
idea
is
repeated
transposed
to
different
layers
with
some
little
variations.
117
CONCLUSION
118
personal
background,
what
music
I
listen,
the
music
I
play,
what
and
how
do
I
practice
but
actually
I
cannot
choose
the
final
result,
it
is
just
there,
and
should
not
fight
it.
Probably
it
does
not
fulfill
the
expectations
I
have,
or
the
expectations
I
think
the
others
have
from
me.
This
thoughts
are
just
interferences.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
in
the
moment
of
playing,
after
investing
so
many
time
and
energy
in
looking
for
new
things
to
play,
you
just
have
to
be
honest,
shut
down
your
mind,
and
listen
to
what
you
have
to
say.
It
is
not
an
easy
thing
to
do,
at
least
for
me,
but
is
the
only
way
to
really
find
your
place
in
the
music.
If
you
try
to
force
your
own
voice
is
not
going
to
come
from
a
deep
level,
I
think
you
just
have
to
let
it
happen.
There
is
a
lot
of
copying
before
you
reach
this
level
of
proficiency
where
you
are
able
to
let
it
go
and
say
to
yourself:
I
dont
know
if
this
is
good
or
not,
I
dont
know
if
anyone
is
going
to
like
it
or
if
I
like
it,
but
this
is
what
feels
to
me
like
the
most
natural
way
of
doing
it.
Chris
Potter.
119
CD
1:
Transcribed
solos
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Woody
n
You
Airegin
Amsterdam
Blues
Antrhopology
Stella
by
Starlight
Star
Eyes
Blues
Nouveau
All
The
Things
You
Are
Giant
Steps
CD2:
Demonstrations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Playing
cross
rhythm
in
seven
over
All
the
Things
You
Are
Playing
cross
rhythm
in
five
over
rhythm
changes
Playing
mixed
meter
over
Airegins
B
and
C
part
Mixed
meter
line
over
All
The
Things
You
Are
Mixed
meter
line
over
Giant
steps
Example
of
working
in
rhythmic
variety
over
F
blues
Improvisation
by
moving
a
three
note
motive
over
F
blues
Developing
a
motive
over
Stella
by
Starlight
Pentatonics
over
minor
blues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
120
MEDIA
REVIEW
LITERATURE
CDs
121
INTERNET
www.chrispottermusic.com
http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/jazz/789
http://www.jazz.com/features-and-interviews/2009/3/23/in-
conversation-with-chris-potter
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=10384
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngoE1hreStc&feature=related
www.artistshare.com
www.neffmusic.com
122