Graham English Official Site » jazz harmony http://i.grahamenglish.net Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:20:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 2006-2010 http://feeds2.feedburner.com/TheGrahamEnglishBlog graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English) graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English) Music 1440 graham english, ear training, songwriting tips, lifehacks, NLP, music education, GTD, peak performance I am a professional blogging musician, songwriter, recording artist, music educator, and lifehacker. I sing, plays keyboards, and explore the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way. I am a professional blogging musician, songwriter, recording artist, music educator, and lifehacker. I sing, plays keyboards, and explore the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way. Graham English Graham English graham@grahamenglish.com No no http://i.grahamenglish.net/images/albumart/Avatar-1-144x144.jpg Graham English Official Site http://i.grahamenglish.net 144 144 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 15 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1085/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-15/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1085/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-15/#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:23:01 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1085/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-15/ This will be the last dominant 7 pentatonic scale pattern in this series. This pattern begins in the “outside key” and moves to the tonic key for two notes before switching back. The second part of the pattern begins in the tonic key, switches to the “outside key” for two notes, and then returns to the tonic.
Pentatonic Pattern 15


If you can keep the key signatures straight as you play this, then you’re definitely ready to move on to something more challenging.

And hopefully, if you’ve been following this series, you can imagine phrases that aren’t confined to the tonic key.

That was the purpose of this series on playing outside. To stretch your ear and technique beyond conventional tonality. I hope you’ve enjoyed the exercise.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 15

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1085/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-15/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 14 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1080/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-14/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1080/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-14/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:40:28 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1080/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-14/ Now this pattern is the exact opposite of the twelfth dominant 7 pentatonic scale pattern. Every other note is transposed into the “outside key” but this pattern begins in the outside key and is a full bar long.
Pentatonic Pattern 14


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 14

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1080/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-14/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 13 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1076/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-13/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1076/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-13/#comments Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:34:28 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1076/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-13/ This pattern is almost the exact opposite of the previous dominant 7 pentatonic pattern. Every other note is transposed into the “outside key” but this pattern begins in the outside key and is only two beats.
Pentatonic Pattern 13


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 13

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1076/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-13/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 12 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1075/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-12/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1075/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-12/#comments Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:11:48 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1075/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-12/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern is super squiggly. Every other note is transposed into the “outside key” for superior in-the-moment transposition skills.
Pentatonic Pattern 12


As always, don’t just memorize this pattern technically. After you have your technique down and can play it relatively fast, focus on your mind and how it understands the theory logically as you play.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 12

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1075/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-12/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 11 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1070/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-11/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1070/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-11/#comments Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:08:34 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1070/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-11/ The primary purpose of this dominant 7 pentatonic pattern is to force you to transpose keys a number of times during the bar. If you keep your wits about you as you play this pattern and don’t just memorize it without giving it any thought, you’ll start to become extremely comfortable moving between two keys at will. This pattern changes keys 5 times within a single bar.
Pentatonic Pattern 11


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 11

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1070/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-11/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 10 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1068/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-10/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1068/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-10/#comments Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:30:28 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1068/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-10/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern sandwiches the tonic key with two full beats of the “outside” key on either side. It starts in the transposed key, moves to the tonic key, and finishes in the transposed key.
Pentatonic Pattern 10


What I like about this pattern is how the “outside” key flows over the bar into the next pattern. This gives you some experience of playing with tension not only by mode, but also by meter.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 10

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1068/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-10/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 9 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1066/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-9/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1066/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-9/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:58:04 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1066/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-9/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern spends a full beat in the original key, modulates to the “outside” key for two full beats, and then returns to the original key for the final beat.
Pentatonic Pattern 9


You can play around with this pattern and find some useful alternatives. Try pushing the pattern back a beat so it starts on beat 2 and notice how it feels different. Or you can pull the pattern forward so it starts on beat 4 of the bar. Obviously, you can do this with all of the previous patterns to experiment and come up with unique and interesting twists.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 9

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1066/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-9/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 8 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1063/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-8/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1063/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-8/#comments Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:04:47 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1063/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-8/ Similar to dominant 7 pentatonic pattern 3, just by playing around with two different scales, we can invoke many more different keys and harmonic shapes. This is the first pattern to start in the “outside” key.
Pentatonic Pattern 8


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 8

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1063/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-8/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 7 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1061/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-7/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1061/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-7/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:10:13 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1061/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-7/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern gets challenging again. Like the previous pattern, it spends more time in the “outside” key. Only the first and fifth notes are in the original key. This means that you have to switch keys a total of three times during the entire eight-note phrase.
Pentatonic Pattern 7


A useful exercise is to take a single bar of this pattern, find the next bar that continues the scale, and put them together to create a two-bar phrase. It would like something like this: Bar 1 + Bar 5, Bar 2 + Bar 6, and so on.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 7

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1061/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-7/feed/ 0 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 6 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1059/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-6/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1059/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-6/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:16:25 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1059/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-6/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern spends more time in the “outside” key. Only the first full beat of each phrase is in the original key. Without looking at this pattern, can you play it? You should be getting more comfortable switching keys. Even if it doesn’t feel completely natural, you might be able to imagine what the following pattern will sound like.
Pentatonic Pattern 6


And that’s key to getting the most out of these patterns. It’s not just a technical exercise, but an exercise in expanding your sense of harmony.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 6

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1059/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-6/feed/ 1 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 5 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1057/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-5/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1057/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-5/#comments Sun, 10 Jun 2007 15:28:15 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1057/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-5/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern gets tougher again. It has four notes in C and four notes in D flat but they are all spread throughout the bar.
Pentatonic Pattern 5


Again, this pattern helps you to get comfortable transposing quickly. And all of these patterns get your ear comfortable with hearing a number of different sounds: the dominant 7 pentatonic scale, the juxtaposition of two neighboring scales, the polytonal sound of consistently playing “outside” the key, and with some of the patterns, the sound of quickly changing melodic motion.

So think of these patterns as tools to increase your musical vocabulary, improve and challenge your ear, and to practice technical peak performance.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 5

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1057/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-5/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 4 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1054/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-4/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1054/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-4/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:07:49 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1054/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-4/ This pattern should be easier than the previous dominant 7 scale pattern. The transposition doesn’t split the bar so you only have to think about transposing once during the full pattern.

The rewarding function of this pattern is that you can use it as a preparation to go deeper into the transposed key. While the pattern drops back down to the original key at the beginning of each bar, in a practical application, you can remain in the transposed key. So it can be used as a fresh twist in your solos because you’re beginning to play outside the original key on beat 4, which will provide tension not only tonally, but with the meter as well.
Pentatonic Pattern 4


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 4

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1054/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-4/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 3 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1052/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-3/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1052/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-3/#comments Wed, 30 May 2007 17:42:22 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1052/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-3/ This dominant 7 pentatonic pattern is similar to the previous pattern. It still moves up a half step for a total of 2 notes in an eight note pattern. But this time, the transposed notes are the fifth and eighth notes in the sequence. This means that you have to transpose up a half-step twice during the pattern, rather than just once.
Pentatonic Pattern 3


If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that this pattern creates shapes that invoke other keys than just C and D flat. For instance in bar 2, the transposed pattern invokes an E minor arpeggio with a Major 7th leading tone. There are other nice little sonic easter eggs in there if you go searching.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 3

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1052/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-3/feed/ 2 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 2 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1048/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-2/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1048/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-2/#comments Wed, 23 May 2007 15:07:34 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1048/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-2/ If Pattern 1 seemed easy to you, I guarantee you’ll find this next one more challenging.

Last time, we simply took a four-note pattern and transposed it up a half step for the second half of the bar. This time, we’re using a full eight-note pattern and transposing only the fifth and sixth notes up a half-step.
Pentatonic Pattern 2


The purpose of this pattern is to make you comfortable switching between modes for just one beat. Some of the sequences will be easier for you than others. Just practice slowly until you can play it in all keys at a fast speed and wrap your head around what you’re playing in real time.

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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 2

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1048/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-2/feed/ 1 Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 1 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1045/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-1/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1045/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-1/#comments Tue, 22 May 2007 00:56:37 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1045/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-1/ A favorite scale of jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane, is the Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale.
C Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale


During the 60’s, Trane, and other avant-garde musicians like Ornette Coleman, created a unique style of “playing outside” the chord changes. Often, this sound was created by playing a half-step above the tonic mode.
D flat 7 Pentatonic Scale


While it’s easy to play in D flat over the key of C, these masters of tension and release would weave in and out of the tonic as if they were tearing harmony apart and rebuilding it.

This series of patterns is designed to make you comfortable switching between two modes a half-step apart. We’ll start simple and get more complex as we go.

This particular four-note pattern changes modes every two beats. Obviously, you would want to practice this in all keys.
Pentatonic Pattern 1


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Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale Pattern 1

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1045/playing-outside-the-dominant-7-pentatonic-scale-pattern-1/feed/ 3 Confusing Music Theory Fundamentals And Cliche http://i.grahamenglish.net/1022/confusing-music-theory-fundamentals-and-cliche/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/1022/confusing-music-theory-fundamentals-and-cliche/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:11:32 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1022/confusing-music-theory-fundamentals-and-cliche/ Wanna hear something provocative? Check out this quote from an old issue of keyboard magazine.

“On this experimental record, I’ve been trying to explore more jazz harmonies. The thing is — and I’m gonna piss off a lot of people here — the II-V-I hits my barf button like nothing else. It’s the most horrible cadence in the known universe, so I’ve been looking at jazz that takes off in other directions.”
- BT, music producer

Now I respect everyone’s right to have a musical opinion. But I bring this up to warn people against forming strong negative opinions (aka limiting beliefs) about something as basic as the fundamentals of music.

I respect BT as a musician. He puts out great music. But his comment is the equivalent of Michael Jordan saying that lay ups make him want to puke. Better yet, it’s like Arnold Schwarzenegger saying that biceps are a terrible thing. Maybe the reason BT makes such good music is because of his strong opinions. I don’t know. But I do know that the average musician is going to need as many choices as possible in their musical lives. Why limit yourself?

Do what you need to make the basics interesting for you. Just don’t close the doors on a boundless library of musical experience.

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/1022/confusing-music-theory-fundamentals-and-cliche/feed/ 5 Top Music Theory Articles for 2006 http://i.grahamenglish.net/991/top-music-theory-articles-for-2006/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/991/top-music-theory-articles-for-2006/#comments Tue, 19 Dec 2006 19:08:27 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/991/top-music-theory-articles-for-2006/ Looking back over 2006 I can say that I learned a lot. And it seems that I taught a lot too! These music theory articles should keep you busy over the holiday break.

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/991/top-music-theory-articles-for-2006/feed/ 1 Piano Voicings Part 6: Clusters http://i.grahamenglish.net/892/piano-voicings-part-6-clusters/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/892/piano-voicings-part-6-clusters/#comments Mon, 07 Aug 2006 14:00:19 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/892/piano-voicings-part-6-clusters/ Clusters usually span no more than a fifth and include both half steps and whole steps. Clusters increase tension and when preceding open chords can make them seem wider. Clusters also sound good when rolled.

cluster voicings

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/892/piano-voicings-part-6-clusters/feed/ 2 Piano Voicings Part 5: Kenny Barron Voicings http://i.grahamenglish.net/889/piano-voicings-part-5-kenny-barron-voicings/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/889/piano-voicings-part-5-kenny-barron-voicings/#comments Sun, 06 Aug 2006 15:17:24 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/889/piano-voicings-part-5-kenny-barron-voicings/ Kenny Barron voicings are composed of two perfect fifths in each hand and separated by a minor second:

Kenny Barron voicings


This symmetrical voicing can also be played with a major second between the two hands creating a completely different chord quality. Notice the increased tension from the #11 at the top:

Kenny Barron voicings

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/889/piano-voicings-part-5-kenny-barron-voicings/feed/ 0 Piano Voicings Part 4: Upper Structure Chords http://i.grahamenglish.net/885/piano-voicings-part-4-upper-structure-chords/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/885/piano-voicings-part-4-upper-structure-chords/#comments Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:13:12 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/885/piano-voicings-part-4-upper-structure-chords/ Upper structure chords consist of a triad-or triad inversions-over a tritone. Here’s a chart of common upper structures:

upper structure voicings

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/885/piano-voicings-part-4-upper-structure-chords/feed/ 0 Piano Voicings Part 3: Fourth Chords http://i.grahamenglish.net/882/piano-voicings-part-3-fourth-chords/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/882/piano-voicings-part-3-fourth-chords/#comments Fri, 04 Aug 2006 15:35:13 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/882/piano-voicings-part-3-fourth-chords/ Fourth chords create harmonies reminiscent of McCoy Tyner’s playing. Stacked fourths have a wide open texture and are complimented very well by pentatonic scales. Begin on the third of a major scale and keep adding fourths as your taste dictates. Most voicings include a tritone as well as fourths. Fourth chords, similar to So What chords, can be moved around all scale degrees creating either new chords or variations on the root.

fourth chord voicings

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/882/piano-voicings-part-3-fourth-chords/feed/ 0 Piano Voicings Part 2: So What Chords http://i.grahamenglish.net/879/piano-voicings-part-2-so-what-chords/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/879/piano-voicings-part-2-so-what-chords/#comments Thu, 03 Aug 2006 18:09:34 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/879/piano-voicings-part-2-so-what-chords/ So what chords get their name from the song of the same title on Miles Davis’ record, Kind Of Blue. This voicing consists of a series of three perfect fourths with a third on top:

so what voicings

So what chords can be moved up and down all scale degrees of all modes very successfully. Try harmonizing melodies using so what chords:

so what chords

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/879/piano-voicings-part-2-so-what-chords/feed/ 1 Piano Voicings Part 1: Left Hand Voicings http://i.grahamenglish.net/877/piano-voicings-part-1-left-hand-voicings/ http://i.grahamenglish.net/877/piano-voicings-part-1-left-hand-voicings/#comments Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:28:13 +0000 Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/877/piano-voicings-part-1-left-hand-voicings/ Left hand piano voicings enable you to play the basic progression of jazz harmony, II-V-I, with good voice leading while freeing your right hand for soloing. The most important notes in these chords are the third and seventh because they determine the chord quality. The root and fifth of the chord don’t require much attention because they are implied by the rest of the chord. Here are the basic left hand voicings in first position:

left hand voicings


Here are the left hand voicings in second position:

left hand chords


Try substituting the tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th) for the V chord. This substitution is sometimes called a Valt (#5,#9) chord (depending on the root in the bass):

jazz voicings


Try altering other scale degrees:

jazz chords

]]> http://i.grahamenglish.net/877/piano-voicings-part-1-left-hand-voicings/feed/ 2