Transcription 

Solo

I was able to write down only first half of the solo, second part was fully improvised

David D. said
... If I am understanding correctly, you want to find neighboring triads of the same quality in a chord...

Hi David. As per previous discussions, in reality we can play whatever we want But for this exercise, the idea is Major triads a whole step apart. We select them from the scale associated with the underlying chord. For a Dm7 chord, we think D dorian, or C major, which are the same. Therefore, the triads are F-G major, or the IV-V triads from the major scale. For a G7 chord, we use the same two triads. For a 7#11 chord we usually think of the melodic minor. For the G7#11 chord in bars 13-14 of Just Friends, we think G lydian dominant, which is the same as D melodic minor; the two triads are G-A major, or the IV-V triads from the melodic minor scale. That is why you only hear-see major triads in the examples. We can spend a lifetime exploring all the applications of major triads a whole step apart, before even considering other possible triad pairs.

Best.

So it seems like we are not necessarily looking for neighboring triads of the same quality as the chord.  My question is why not?  The Cmaj to Cmin in the first 4 bars of Just Friends really defines the character of the melody, so what is the purpose of playing Major triads across those 4 bars?  Is that considered "Modern"?  Would triad pairs of the same chord quality be less modern?

Also, in the context of dominant chords, can we look at diatonic pairs as a way to build and or resolve tension?  for instance if we play the ii-iiio, would that build tension and if we played it in reverse, or played iiio-IV, would that resolve?  More generally, if that is a valid concept, how could we expand the usage of triad pairs in the context of a ii-V-I?  Or there is no tension or resolution since everything is diatonic?

When I did a similar exercise in the past, I found myself playing mostly triplet type patterns due to the obvious three-note structure of the cell, which gets tiresome pretty quickly.  Can you suggest some rhythmic strategies to get out of the triplet structure and maybe even do a short video with some examples?  What can we do to create more melodic lines from the triad pairs?

The first thing is his articulation and how "in the pocket" he sounds. His feel! The attack of his notes and how he articulates is part of what makes him unique. 

The second thing is his approach to the harmony. He plays quite a bit "outside", but it's his commitment to coming back inside that makes it so hip. The tension and release. 

Thoughts? 

I’m 23, started playing sax when I was 9. I’ve had many teachers over the years but I’d say most of my progression has come from listening and playing along with music and Jamming with my brother and other people. I was part of a big band at a university while I was in high school and studied some theory but I’ve never really put enough time and effort into traditional practice and have relied mostly on my ear and instincts.

The last 9 months I spent traveling around the world and I ended up playing with many bands and musicians in the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia and in the states. It’s been incredible and really reignited my love for the saxophone. The peak of my trip was the snarky puppy “Rabbit Hole” camp, I was debating about going for a couple months and couldn’t be happier with my choice to go. My main reason of going was to learn from Bob and to watch him play. I can’t describe what a privilege it was and how happy and connected to music I felt during that week. 
I already knew beforehand that Bob was a great teacher and player, and I had a pretty good sense that he was a great guy, but it was really remarkable to see just how much he loves passing on information, how passionate he and all of snarky puppy are about music and teaching, and how kind and patient he was with me and all the other people there. I was extremely inspired.

As for music I listen to, I listen to classic rock, soul, folk, blues, country, Jazz. Some of my favorite artists currently are- Tedeschi Trucks, Marcus King, Nathaniel Rateliff, foy Vance, Chris Stapleton to name a few..

favorite sax players- Bob Reynolds, Ryan Zoidis, Zoot sims, Kamasi Washington, Hank Mobley, Karl denson,(I happen to listen to more guitarists than sax players) 😬

one incredible sax solo and song I’ve loved for years is “someday” by Jonathan zwarts. One of my all time favorite songs and sax solos and it’s unfortunately not well known. The sax player is Julien Wilson. 

I’m back in the studio because I don’t want good to be good enough anymore. I want to be great at it and I believe I can be if I really dedicate myself to it. I’m currently planning on going to music school and want to first put in the work and hopefully get into a good program. 
I’m hoping I can be consistent here and get the most out of this studio. Just need to be focused and not get lost in the abundance of incredible information here. That’s all, see you guys around:)👋

I feel like an extreme slow learner. It is only 30sec. I could transcribe and play sort of in sinc with you. The transcribtion it was do-able.

there is a long way to go...for me.

I think the altissimo part is actually D and F, but I’m not quite there yet! 😅

And thanks for the encouragement about the double time. That means a lot!

The real moment for me was once I played the triad pairs against a chord.  F major and G major sound very different against C major 7.

I feel like I need another week to properly compose a solo.  After exploring a lot of ideas over several days, I settled on a couple of motives that I could apply to each pair.  Two of the motives came from a transcription I did of Jerry Bergonzi explaining Triad Pairs.

Thank you as always.  Your feedback goes a long way.

Annoyance at myself is powerful motivation, so I want to fix what I didn't get right. The task is: play a melody (in this case it's I Could Write a Book) a cappella with the metronome, but the metronome is beating dotted quarter notes. It's pretty gnarly. As a stepping stone, I decided to just sing the song while tapping quarter notes, to get better acquainted with the constant 3:2 feel. The singing is nothing to write home about, but it was a good excuse to make sure I knew the lyrics. A part of my brain is listening to the 3:2 interaction between my hands and the metronome and just chanting "nice cup of tea, nice cup of tea" (IDK if anyone else uses these mnemonic devices to recall polyrhythms, "nice cup of tea" is handy for 3:2)

Here’s part two, the one I wrote out. 

Bob, looking forward to seeing you live with Snarky Puppy in Omaha in a couple weeks.

Here’s part one, transcription of Bob’s playing.

 Video

https://soundcloud.com/kemal-e.....lcony-jump

Here’s my take…

Well done everyone who has posted so far - great work!

I need to sort that flying index finger...

I'm not sure about the phrase in bar 12 of my composed solo, that ends on the C natural (over Emin7). It may also be my intonation, but on reflection it doesn't sound like the best choice. Anyway, I left it in for posterity!

I’m panned to the right, Bob to the left 👍