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PERSONAL PROJECT: PEP7WOODY AND MEBy Nick WaltersCONTENTSPage 3List of Musical Examples Page 5 AcknowledgementsPage 6IntroductionPage 8Part 1: The Improvisational Style of Woody ShawPage 23Part 2: My Attempts To Play Like WoodyPage 35ConclusionPage 37AppendicesPageBibliographyLIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Ex. 1 – ‘Sashianova’ bars 43 – 46Ex. 2 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 53 – 54Ex. 3 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 55 – 57Ex. 4 – ‘You Stepped Out Of A Dream’ bars 47 – 51Ex. 5 – Pentatonic ScaleEx. 6 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 65 – 71Ex. 7 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 8 – 10Ex. 8 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bar 85Ex. 9 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bars 41 – 48Ex. 10 – ‘Rosewood’ bar 8Ex. 11 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 19 – 20 Ex. 12 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bars 33-34Ex. 13 – ‘If’ complete soloEx. 14 - ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 37 – 41Ex. 15 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 70 – 72Ex. 16 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 113 – 120Ex.17 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 25 – 27Ex. 18 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 17 – 19Ex. 19 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 53 – 56Ex. 20 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 11 – 17Ex. 21 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 70 – 73Ex. 22 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 38 – 40Ex.23 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st version bars 8 – 10Ex. 24 – Pentatonic ExercisesEx. 25 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ 1st Version bars 4 – 8Ex. 26 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st Version bars 20 – 22Ex. 27 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ 2nd Version bars 41 – 45Ex. 28 – Exercise linking C and D flat pentatonic scalesEx. 29 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st Version bars 30 – 34Ex. 30 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 69 – 71Ex. 31 – ‘Mode For Joe’ starting at TIMEACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI would like to thank the staff of Trinity College of Music, without whom I could not have completed this project. Special thanks go to Martin Speake, my project supervisor, Simon Purcell, the Head of Jazz, Chris Batchelor, my trumpet teacher, and Sophie Fuller, course director for personal projects. I would also like to thank Aidan Shepherd, Rebecca Nash, Diccon Cooper and Keith de Barra for recording the tracks on the accompanying cd with me.INTRODUCTIONWoody Shaw (1949-1989) was one of the key jazz trumpet players from the mid 1960s right up to his untimely death at the age of 44. He had a very distinguished career, performing and recording with many of the all-time great jazz musicians, including Eric Dolphy, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Kenny Garrett and Freddie Hubbard to name but a few. He is held in high esteem by many jazz musicians, especially trumpet players, and is commonly regarded as ‘the last innovator in the trumpet lineage’. He has been one of my favourite players ever since I was first introduced to his music around three years ago. The aim of this project is to discover what it is about Woody’s music that appeals to both myself and others so much, and to try to develop some of these ideas into my own playing and approach to music.This project is a piece of practice based research, and is split into two parts. The first is an in-depth study of Woody’s style based on careful analysis of 9 solos I have transcribed from different stages of his career. I have discovered several key elements of Woody’s approach to music which I will discuss at length providing musical examples to back up what I say – the complete transcriptions will be available as appendices at the end of the project. The second part of the project will document my attempts to incorporate some of these key aspects into my own playing style, complete with musical examples and transcriptions of my own playing. It will describe the reflective approach to practice I have been taking in the past few months.The idea of practice based research is one familiar to all jazz musicians, and whilst I have some experience in this field I will be looking to refine my techniques over the course of this project. The main way of developing as a jazz musician is through practice based research, whether in a formal setting like this or the less formal setting of the practice room and the jam session. All jazz musicians are constantly researching new ways of approaching the music, and none of this research can be separated from the practical aspect of performing jazz music. My goal in this project is to develop this skill, crucial to the development of jazz musicians, to help me improve the way I learn in the future.In the course of compiling my thoughts about this project I have been keeping a blog, the address of which is . I have found the process of documenting my thoughts in the form of a blog extremely helpful and I aim to maintain it after the completion of this project. Some areas of this project are lifted straight out of blog entries I have made.PART 1:The Improvisational Style of Woody Shaw...my big goal is to play the trumpet like nobody else has played it. I don’t know if I’ll do it, but I would like to sound like Woody Shaw. I come from the tradition of great trumpet masters of the past like Dizzy [Gillespie], Brownie [Clifford Brown], Lee [Morgan] and Freddie [Hubbard]. But I want to sound like Woody Shaw. I’ve been heavily influenced by Trane [John Coltrane] and Eric Dolphy and saxophonists in general, so I see a unique course developing in my own style. I think I sound like Woody Shaw.To help me better understand Woody’s approach to music I have transcribed 9 of his solos from different stages in his career. The solos are (in chronological order):‘Zoltan’ – from Larry Young’s Unity (1965)(Appendix 1)‘If’ – from Larry Young’s Unity (1965)(Appendix 2)‘Sashianova’ – from Little Red’s Fantasy (1976)(Appendix 3)‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ – from Little Red’s Fantasy (1976)(Appendix 4)‘Rosewood’ – from Rosewood (1977)(Appendix 5)‘The Legend of Cheops’ – from Rosewood (1977)(Appendix 6)‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ – from United (1981)(Appendix 7)‘There Will Never Be Another You’ – from Solid (1986)(Appendix 8)‘You Stepped Out Of a Dream’ – from Solid (1986)(Appendix 9)From these, and from wider listening, I have developed ideas about the key elements of Woody’s style I am most attracted to. I shall now talk about each of these elements in turn, providing, where appropriate, musical examples to back up what I am saying.SOUNDWoody has a beautifully full and fat sound in all registers of the instrument, and this sound is one of the things that most attracts me to his playing. Producing a good sound was also one of the most important things to Woody. In a 1978 interview with Downbeat magazine he said:I still believe the main thing about trumpet is that tone. I like to hear a big fat round pretty sound. I don’t care what a cat’s playing, if he’s got a big round pretty sound, he’s got me.VibratoWoody has a tremendous sense for the tasteful application of vibrato. He possesses a wide vibrato, similar to some early jazz trumpeters such as Louis Armstrong, but he uses it sparingly, and to great effect. Often the last note in a phrase is coloured with a tinge of vibrato, and at other times he rests on a note briefly in the middle of a phrase with a hint of vibrato. ArticulationThe way Woody articulates notes is very important to the sound he generates and to the way he plays in time. His tonguing skills are highly developed and he is able to articulate incredibly fast passages involving larger intervals which would be impossible on the trumpet without being articulated. He is also able to maintain fast tongue speeds for long passages without his tongue getting tired and the notes becoming uneven. His range of articulation, from soft, legato tonguing through to spiky and accented is vast, and he frequently uses different types of attack to provide contrast in his lines.InflexionsWoody also breaks up his lines with all sorts of inflexions – for example, smears, falls, trills, ghosted notes and false fingerings, to name a few. These help to create interest and provide contrast with the smooth, legato lines he also plays. RHYTHMTime-feelOne of the main reasons Woody always sounds great is his amazing time-feel. It doesn’t matter how advanced harmonically or melodically a phrase is, if it does not sit in time rhythmically then it will sound strange and wrong. Musicians like Louis Armstrong and Lester Young still sound great today because they have what jazz musicians refer to as ‘great time’ – the ability to make notes sit in exactly the right place, the ability to ‘swing’. Woody Shaw was also blessed with this ability. For me, Woody’s solo on ‘Sashianova’ from the 1977 album Little Red’s Fantasy is a perfect example of his great time-feel. The tune has a medium-up tempo latin feel, and Woody’s quaver lines all sit really well with the rhythm section creating a strong sense of dynamism and momentum. He plays right on the beat, whereas a lot of players (myself included) tend to drag behind the beat which diminishes the energy and intensity. He also shows his astounding technique with strongly articulated double-time phrases – for example:Ex. 1 – ‘Sashianova’ bars 43 - 46Woody’s strong time-feel is strongly linked with his incredible skills of articulation mentioned earlier. The ability to maintain tempo through long lines of incredibly fast semiquavers is one that will have taken many years of dedicated work.Harmonic AnticipationWoody commonly anticipates an upcoming chord by several beats, creating tension which is swiftly resolved when the underlying harmony catches up with him. Here are a few examples:Ex. 2 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 53 - 54Ex. 3 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 55 - 57Ex. 4 – ‘You Stepped Out Of A Dream’ bars 47 - 51This anticipation results in much more fluidity and rhythmic variation. The approach is especially useful when playing standards or other tunes where the harmonic rhythm is generally set at one chord per bar. Phrases of unexpected lengths which transcend barlines can create excitement and tension for the listener.HARMONYPentatonic ScalesWoody was a keen user of pentatonic scales in both his improvising and his composing. Many people have commentated on Woody’s ‘intervallic’ approach to improvising – by this they are referring to his use of larger intervals, such as 4ths and 5ths, which were not commonly heard played by trumpet players at the time. Both 4ths and 5ths are essential features of the major pentatonic scale, used extensively by Woody in a variety of situations. Here is the C major pentatonic scale with all the possible 4ths and 5ths shown:Ex. 5 – Pentatonic ScaleIn an interview with the Musician magazine, Woody says:Larry [Young] was the first musician I worked with who utilised the pentatonic scale, and he turned me onto African and Oriental music to hear the many different kinds of music made in this scale. I realised after listening to these records, you don’t need a lot of notes to make complex, intricate and brilliant music, and less is often more. I attribute much of my harmonic knowledge to Larry Young...By 1965 and Larry Young’s album Unity, Woody’s interest in the pentatonic scale is clear. The first tune of the album, ‘Zoltan’, was written by Woody based on the March from Zoltan Kodaly’s Hary Janos Suite and the tune is composed entirely of pentatonic scales (see Appendix 10 for a lead sheet). This is an early example of possibly Woody’s favourite use of a pentatonic scale – the use of the major pentatonic scale based on the ninth of a tonic major chord. For example, he might play a D major pentatonic over a Cmaj7 chord. The result is a lydian sound due to the #11 found in the pentatonic scale – in this case, F#. Here are a few examples of Woody putting this into practice:Ex. 6 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 65 – 71 (E flat pentatonic scale used over D flat maj7#11)Ex. 7 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 8 – 10 (E pentatonic scale played over D maj7)Ex. 8 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bar 85 (D flat pentatonic scale played over B maj7)Woody also uses pentatonic scales in other contexts. Here is an example of a basic use of a pentatonic scale – D flat pentatonic played over a D flat maj7 chord:Ex. 9 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bars 41 - 48Another common use of the pentatonic scale is the dominant pentatonic scale played over a major 7th chord – in this case, E flat pentatonic played over A flat maj7 (a C flat is also included as a passing note.Ex. 10 – ‘Rosewood’ bar 8Another device commonly used by Woody is the linking together of two separate pentatonic scales in varied rhythmic groupings. He often uses two pentatonic scales a perfect 4th apart, creating a strong sense of tonality as this has a strong V-I sound. The following phrase, linking F# and B pentatonic scales, can be found in several of his solos:Ex. 11 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 19 – 20 Ex. 12 – ‘The Legend Of Cheops’ bars 33-34Other examples can be found of Woody linking pentatonic scales a semitone apart and a major 3rd apart – however, these will be dealt with in a new section, discussing techniques used by Woody when he plays ‘outside’ the underlying harmony.Outside PlayingWoody frequently ventures away from the underlying harmony of the tunes he plays on, creating tension and excitement – his skill at playing ‘outside’ and then resolving ‘inside’ is one of the things I love most about his playing. In Woody’s case, the term playing ‘outside’ generally refers to bitonality – that is, Woody plays strongly diatonic material but in a different key to the underlying harmony of the piece. One of the ways he does this is by the classic technique of ‘side-slipping’. This is simply shifting up or down a semitone, as the two sounds produced (eg. B major or C# major over C major) are two of the most dissonant sounds possible. It is worth here looking at a detailed example, Woody’s solo on the Joe Henderson blues ‘If’ taken from Unity. The tune is a blues in G (for a B flat trumpet), and most of Woody’s solo is formed by the juxtaposition of two major pentatonic scales a semitone apart, B flat and B. B flat major pentatonic creates a bluesy, ‘inside’ sound which can fit throughout the chord sequence, whereas B major pentatonic represents an ‘outside’ sound which is dissonant with every chord in the sequence. Also of interest is the way Woody changes at will between the two scales at different points of the bar, creating varied rhythmic patterns and groupings.Ex. 13 – ‘If’ complete soloAnother device used by Woody as a means of getting ‘outside’ is the combination of pentatonic scales a major 3rd apart. In this he was influenced by John Coltrane, whose ‘Giant Steps’ chord changes based on key centres a major 3rd apart revolutionised jazz harmony in 1959. In later years Coltrane started superimposing ‘Giant Steps’ changes over modal vamps as a means of playing ‘outside’. Here are some examples of Woody using pentatonic scales a major 3rd apart to get ‘outside’ – note the use of pivot tones common to both scales.Ex. 14 - ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 37 - 41Ex. 15 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 70 - 72Here is an example of Woody constructing a line using several pentatonic scales together in his solo on ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’. Note the way the E flat on the fourth beat of bar 118 is used as a pivot note between B and E flat pentatonic scales, again linking pentatonic scales a major 3rd apart.Ex. 16 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 113 - 120Another approach used by Woody in his solo on ‘Zoltan’ is the superimposition of chords a minor third below the actual chords. On several of the D maj7#11 chords, Woody plays B major pentatonic scale, resulting in dissonance between the D# in B pentatonic and the D natural in the bass. Also, in bars 17 and 49, Woody clearly plays phrases outlining F7 (using the bebop scale) despite the underlying chord being A flat maj7#11, creating a clash between the A natural of F7 and the A flat in the bass. He does a similar thing in bar 54, outlining D7 over F maj7#11. The result is a strange sound where most of the notes used are ‘inside’ and fit with the underlying harmony, but one note is sharpened and gives the line a brighter sound.Ex.17 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 25 – 27 (B pentatonic played over D maj7#11)Ex. 18 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 17 – 19 (F7 outlined over A flat maj7#11)Ex. 19 – ‘Zoltan’ bars 53 – 56 (D7 outlined over F maj7#11)Eric Dolphy was also a major influence on Woody’s approach to ‘outside’ playing:...it was Eric Dolphy who really turned me around. The thing about Eric’s music is that you could either play the changes or be free on it. He taught me to play inside and outside at the same time. It had form and made a lot of sense. Eric is the one who helped me find my own individual approach to playing bining Pentatonics, Bebop Language and ChromaticismWoody was interested in all kinds of music and allowed them to influence him in a coherent and personal manner. Talking in 1983 about his current quintet he said,One of the characteristics of my band is that we play in many varied styles. We play in the mainstream tradition, the avant garde tradition, and we play in the bebop tradition – which is the basis of modern jazz. What I’m doing now is a culmination of all the experiences I acquired during my 10 years as a sideman.Woody’s artistry comes from the way he combines all of his experience to create his own personal voice. In the 1960s, he spent time with Horace Silver cementing his hard bop language as well as exploring fresh harmonic territory with Larry Young and the avant garde with musicians such as Eric Dolphy. He developed a style which combines bebop language with pentatonic ideas and also with more atonal chromaticism with ease and at will. Example 19 above is one example of Woody using bebop language. Here is another example of Woody showing how comfortable he is using bebop language and devices such as enclosures:Ex. 20 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 11 - 17Here is an example of Woody beginning a line with an enclosure, moving on to pentatonic material before ending the line with some chromaticism:Ex. 21 – ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ bars 70 - 73Chromaticism is another method Woody used to link together pentatonic scales. In the following example, Woody begins by linking C and G pentatonic scales to create a strong I-V-I sound in C, then uses chromaticism to help shift a semitone lower and outline I-V in B before again using chromaticism to set up a strong ii-V-I in F.Ex. 22 – ‘Rosewood’ bars 38 - 40PART 2:My Attempts To Play Like WoodyOver the past few months I have been studying Woody’s playing closely and deriving exercises to help me incorporate some of the features of his playing I admire the most into my own style. I feel I have made progress in this attempt even though there is still much for me to do. To help me chart my progress I have made some recordings of the tunes ‘There Will Never Be Another You’, ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ and ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’. The first set was recorded on the 12/3/10 and the second set on the 20/4/10, and both sets of recordings feature Aidan Shepherd on piano, Diccon Cooper on bass and Keith de Barra on drums. Also referred to is a recording of a showcase I did at Blackheath Halls on the 11/5/10 with the same band except for Rebecca Nash playing piano instead of Aidan Shepherd. The recordings can be found on the accompanying cd, which has the following tracklisting:‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ - 1st version (12/3/10)(Appendix 11)‘There Will Never Be Another You’ – 1st version (12/3/10)(Appendix 12)‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ – 1st version (12/3/10)‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ – 2nd version (20/4/10)(Appendix 13)‘There Will Never Be Another You’ – 2nd version (20/4/10)(Appendix 14)‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ – 2nd version (20/4/10)‘Mahjong’ (11/5/10)‘LHC’ (11/5/10)‘Mode For Joe’ (11/5/10)I have transcribed my solos from both versions of ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ and ‘There Will Never Be Another You’, and I will be using examples from these to highlight areas in which I am making progress as well as areas I still need to work on.In trying to work out how I am going to best manage my practice time in order to see the improvement I would like I have been heavily influenced by the ideas of the jazz pianist and educator Simon Purcell, particularly his article ‘On Practicing’ in which he introduces the concept of the Improvisational Practice Cycle - ‘a continuum of 7 stages (mirroring language acquisition)’. The 7 stages are:AttractionReproductionApplicationManipulationModificationTransformationReadinessThese headings have helped me to develop ideas taken from Woody’s style of playing. As I have been attracted by various ideas, I have slowly worked my way through the stages – initially reproducing Woody’s idea exactly in a mechanical fashion, moving towards the goal of being able to manipulate his ideas and transform them into something new. In some areas, I feel I have reached the point where I am starting to transform Woody’s ideas, whereas in others I am still at the reproduction stage.SOUNDThis one of the most important areas of being a musician, and yet also one of the hardest to know how to improve. I have been working a lot on my breathing, trying to put as much air through the instrument as possible to hopefully achieve the fullest sound possible. I have also been practicing long notes daily – these are very important technical exercises for trumpet players to practice their breathing abilities, as well as the ability to keep the muscles of the embouchure focussed. These exercises have also helped me to slowly develop my vibrato skills. I have gradually been working towards increasing the speed of my vibrato ‘pulses’ – my vibrato is not as fast or as wide as Woody’s yet but it is improving.I have also been working a lot on improving my articulation and increasing the speed and endurance of my tongue. To achieve this I have been practicing technical exercises, such as those from Herbert L. Clarke’s book Technical Studies for the Cornet, with a metronome and gradually increasing the speed. My tonguing speed has been gradually increasing since I first started focussing on it, and the results can be heard in my playing – EXAMPLE.In the recordings, my sound is sometimes good and full, although at other times it can be harsh and brash. They have revealed to me that as my lip gets tired towards the end of a solo I tend to overblow and use too much brute force to get the notes out – EXAMPLE. This is partly a stamina issue, but also a psychological one in that as I get tired I tend to tense up which creates a vicious cycle – the more I tense up the harder it becomes to play, so I tense up even more. In my practice I have been utilising the play-rest approach to try and help me stay relaxed and not feel I have to play all the time. There is a definite improvement by the last recordings, especially in ‘Mahjong’ where my sound is nice and relaxed throughout. However, in ‘Mode For Joe’, some of the old overblowing creeps back in – this is something I am going to have to keep tabs on. I have also been practicing various types of inflexion and trying to incorporate them into my improvising. This has been more challenging than I anticipated – it is hard to add inflexions to a phrase and make them sound natural. In the first recordings, I have a horrible tendency to fall off notes in a really ugly fashion – an example can be heard at EXAMPLE. Fortunately, I seem to have dropped this habit in the later recordings, and by the last recordings my inflexions are beginning to sound more natural.RHYTHMTime-feelListening back to the first recordings I made, I was shocked at how inconsistent my time-feel was. On all 3 tracks recorded on the 12/3/10 (tracks 1-3 on the cd) there is a definite tendency to lag behind the beat. I was surprised to find that this was especially noticeable on the medium tempo ‘There Will Never Be Another You’. With the help of my project supervisor, Martin Speake, I came to realise that the problem lay with my quaver feel. My attempts to break up lines with different articulations were resulting in uneven quavers and a tendency to play behind the beat.Martin advised me to spend some time practicing with a metronome, firstly playing through a set of changes using only crotchets to help cement my crotchet feel before moving on to doing the same with quavers. Another exercise he introduced to me was to set the metronome to 40 beats per minute, then play a chorus of quavers. The next chorus, play triplet quavers, then semiquavers, then groups of 5, and so on. I found both of these exercises tough at first, and I would commonly find myself out of time with the metronome – in contrast with the evidence from the recordings, I often found myself rushing. However, the exercises proved extremely useful and I slowly became better at staying in time with the metronome.I also spent a lot of time playing the transcriptions of Woody’s solos I had done along with the recordings. Some of these were simply too fast for me to play, or contained passages I was unable to play at full speed, so I slowed them down and then gradually increased the tempo. Martin also advised me to listen to and play along with some Charlie Parker solos as he also has a great time-feel when playing quavers. I have transcribed his solo on ‘Home Cooking III (I Got Rhythm)’, which can be found on the boxset Complete Charlie Parker On Dial, and I have been gradually learning the solo whilst playing along with the recording.So have these exercises been helping my time-feel? In the recordings made on the 20/4/10, I feel there is an improvement, although there is still work to be done. Some phrases are sitting nicely, but others still have a lumpy and uneven feel to them. The time-feel on ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ is particularly shaky – I am not pleased with this recording at all. However, since these recordings were made I have been working on my time-feel a lot, and I am far more pleased with the recordings of the gig on the 11/5/10, particularly on ‘Mahjong’. There are still elements of the old unevenness, and I need to continue working on these exercises, but on the whole I am pleased with the improvement I have made in the past three months. I have gone from assuming that I was probably playing in time to an increased awareness of the crucial need to play every phrase perfectly in time, and I think the result can be heard in my playing.Harmonic AnticipationThis is an area in which I haven’t done any specific exercises – however, some elements of it are creeping into my playing. Here is an example where I anticipate the F7 chord (over which I play B pentatonic scale, a tritone substitution) by one beat.Ex.23 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st version bars 8 - 10HARMONYPentatonic scalesPrior to starting work on this project I had not worked on pentatonic scales at all so I was starting from scratch in this department. Two books have helped me immensely in this task – Jerry Bergonzi’s Pentatonics (Inside Improvisation Series, Volume2), and Pentatonic Scales for Jazz Improvisation by Ramon Ricker. My first task was to gain fluency in all twelve major pentatonic scales. I did this first by simply running up and down the scales, then by missing out every other note thus emphasising the 4ths inherent within the scale, and then by missing out two notes and emphasising the 5ths. These are the larger intervals that were rarely played by trumpet players before Woody came along due to their difficulty – instead, 3rds and scalic passages were more prevalent. Here are four of the exercises I developed and practiced regularly in all keys:Ex. 24 – Pentatonic ExercisesThe use of pentatonic scales has been creeping its way into my playing, even in the first set of recordings. I have been able to insert pentatonic scales in several of the ways Woody did – below are a few examples. Many of the lines are heavily based on the patterns I had developed in my practicing.Ex. 25 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ 1st Version bars 4 – 8 (A flat pentatonic used over D flat maj7#11)Ex. 26 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st Version bars 20 – 22 (B flat pentatonic used over E half-diminished, E flat pentatonic used over A7)Ex. 27 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ 2nd Version bars 41 – 45 (F# pentatonic used over E maj7#11)I have also been developing Woody’s idea of combining two pentatonic scales together, and the contexts in which the linking of pentatonic scales could be used. Here is a table detailing situations in which two linked pentatonic scales could be used (it only goes up to augmented 4th as the next interval, a perfect 5th, creates the same effect as a perfect 4th, and major 6th the same as a major 3rd etc).Interval Between Pentatonic ScalesSituations for useMinor 2ndThis is a classic device of ‘side-stepping’, creating tension by slipping out of key with the underlying harmony before resolving back in the home key. Woody uses this idea frequently – for example, see his solo on ‘If’. Pentatonic scales a semitone apart can also be used over a V-I resolution creating a tritone substitution – for example, a D flat pentatonic can be played over a G7 chord resolving to either a C or D pentatonic over the Cmaj7 chord.Major 2ndThese can be played over a maj7 #11 chord. The two pentatonic scales combined actually create a lydian mode (for example, C and D pentatonic scales create C lydian mode).Minor 3rdThese can be used over a dominant 7th flat 9 chord – for example, the linking of C and E flat pentatonic scales will include all the notes of the C mixolydian mode plus an E flat (the flat 9). The four pentatonic scales coming from the same diminished axis (eg. C, E flat, F# and A) can also be combined together in the same way the four triads from a diminished scale can be combined over a dominant chord. Finally, switching between pentatonic scales a minor 3rd apart can be a way of playing outside, superimposing a fresh set of chords.Major 3rdIt was Woody’s linking of the E flat and B pentatonic scales in tunes such as ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ and ‘Rosewood’ that got me thinking about how various pentatonic scales can be linked together. In both cases, he uses scales a major 3rd apart to leap outside the changes, possibly influenced by the ‘Giant Steps’ changes of John Coltrane. He also uses common tones to link the two scales together – for example, the major 3rd of the C pentatonic becomes the root note of the E pentatonic a major 3rd up. The idea can be extended to include all pentatonic scales on the same augmented axis (eg. C, E and G#).Perfect 4thWoody also uses this idea frequently as these two pentatonic scales combined create a very strong dominant – tonic effect, strongly outlining a tonality. Sometimes this outlined tonality fits with the underlying harmony, sometimes it doesn’t.Augmented 4thThese can be combined over a dominant chord, alternating between a simple, unaltered dominant sound and a heavily altered tritone substitution sound.I have been practicing these different combinations both rigidly in the form of patterns and more loosely by improvising between the two scales. Here is an example of the kind of exercise I have derived for myself:Ex. 28 – Exercise linking C and D flat pentatonic scalesThis is an idea on which I still have a lot of work to do. Some linking of pentatonic scales is evident in the recordings I have done – however, I have only really worked on moving between scales a semitone or a major 3rd apart as a means of playing outside the harmony (I will discuss this further in the next section). I feel that the idea of linking two pentatonic scales has much to offer, and I need to work on my ability to incorporate some of the other intervals into my playing. Also, I haven’t even begun to work on one of the key elements of the idea – the varied rhythmic groupings which make the lines so exciting. So far I have mostly been practicing using the fairly boring idea of one scale per bar. I aim to systematically increase the range of rhythmic groupings I am comfortable with – for example, groups of seven, then groups of six, groups of five, and so on – before beginning to try to improvise lines with as much rhythmic variation as Woody’s. It will be a long and difficult process, but I think the results will be worth it.Outside PlayingI have only recently begun attempting to play ‘outside’ the harmony, and my study of Woody has been my first attempt to approach the idea with a plan instead of just playing anything. The first thing I looked at was ‘side-stepping’, the technique of shifting either up or down a semitone in the course of a line, before shifting back to the tonic harmony. Inspired by Woody’s solo on ‘If’, I practiced shifting between pentatonic scales a semitone apart, and tried out his idea of alternating an inside pentatonic scale with an outside scale a semitone higher over the course of a blues sequence. I began to realise how ‘outside’ playing is an extension of one of the oldest ideas in music, that of tension and release. Here is an example of me ‘side-stepping’ – bar 30 strongly outlines F major, then I outline F# major for the next two and a half bars before returning to the tonic key, F major. This phrase is heavily based on one of Woody’s phrases in the transcription I made of him playing this tune (see bars 62 – 66 of Woody’s solo on ‘There Will Never Be Another You’).Ex. 29 – ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ 1st Version bars 30 - 34I also spent a lot of time practicing navigating my way between pentatonic scales a major 3rd apart as I find the sound really appealing. I also like the way there is always a pivot note between the scales which can act as a sudden change of direction. In the following example I link the ‘outside’ B pentatonic scale with the ‘inside’ E flat pentatonic scale using the D# (E flat) on the last beat of bar 70 as a pivot. Again, this idea is heavily based on Woody as he commonly links B and E flat pentatonic scales.Ex. 30 – ‘In Case You Haven’t Heard’ bars 69 - 71The recordings I have made show that I am slowly getting to grips with ‘outside’ playing, although I am still at the stage where most of my attempts to play ‘outside’ are heavily based either on patterns I have been practicing or phrases of Woody’s I have transcribed. I still have some way to go before I achieve a more organic fluidity to my lines. Combining Pentatonics, Bebop Language and ChromaticismThis is another area in which I put no specific practice, but simply playing through the transcriptions I made of Woody’s solos has helped me to start creating lines in my improvising which combine these different fields together. The solo where this is most in evident is my solo on ‘Mode For Joe’ on the 11/5/10. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to transcribe the whole solo, but here is one phrase I have transcribed showing use of bebop language alongside pentatonic scales:Ex. 31 – ‘Mode For Joe’ starting at TIMECONCLUSIONOverall, I feel I have come a long way over the course of this project. I feel I have gotten to grips with why it is that Woody’s playing inspires me so much, and I have successfully managed to incorporate some of these elements into my own playing. The level of focus needed to work on a project such as this has also helped me to understand which areas of my playing need improvement, and I feel I am a better player now than I was before working on this project – the recordings are testament to this. Here are the ways in which I feel I have improved:I have successfully managed to incorporate pentatonic scales into my musical vocabulary, and a study of the variety of applications possible has increased the number of choices I have when confronted by a certain chord or sequence.I have begun to explore new ways of venturing ‘outside’ the harmony.I have become aware of the importance of having a solid time-feel, and as a result my time-feel has improved. I have begun to incorporate vibrato into my playing, and the use of other inflexions is beginning to sound more natural.My tongue speed has improved, and I am able to articulate better at faster tempos.However, this project has also made me more aware of my weaknesses. There are some areas of my playing which I really need to work hard on.I need to put in a lot of work to secure my time-feel and make sure it is always solid.I need to relax more while playing to try and control my tone and not overblow. More dynamic variation within phrases is also needed.These are basic problems which are going to demand a lot of my attention as I try to overcome them. Work is going to be needed to get rid of the bad habits I have developed over the last 12 years. However, this project has also thrown up areas in which I am exploring fresh territory. Here I can be a bit more creative and, hopefully, begin to work towards developing my own personal voice on the instrument.The idea of linking pentatonic scales is one that appeals to me, and I will need to put in a lot of work to discover how this idea can be best applied.There is still much for me to experiment with in the realms of ‘outside’ playing.I have found the use of practice based research in this project incredibly beneficial. I have, as have all jazz musicians, been doing practice based research to help improve my playing for many years, but this project has forced me to really focus on what I would like to achieve. It has also helped me to come to terms with my weaknesses and to resolve to overcome them. Not only have I completed this project a better player, I am also far better equipped to focus my practice in such a way that, through reflecting as I have done in this project, I can understand which areas most need my time and focus.The study of Woody Shaw has been exciting and fruitful. I have emerged a far better musician than when I started, but this is only the beginning. Now it is up to me to develop the concepts and techniques I have discovered in my own personal way. Just as Woody was influenced by all kinds of different music, I must now do the same and try to go my own personal direction. BIBLIOGRAPHYAebersold, Jamey, Volume 9: Woody Shaw. Jamey Aebersold Jazz, 1976.Berg, Chuck, ‘Woody Shaw: Trumpet In Bloom’, Downbeat Magazine, August 1978, <; (accessed 11 May 2010)Bergonzi, Jerry, Pentatonics (Inside Imrpovisation Series, Volume 2). Advance Music, 1994.Gilbert, Lois, [Untitled Article], Musician Magazine, (accessed 7 May 2010)Gioia, Ted, The History of Jazz. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.Goldsher, Alan, Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002.Levine, Mark, The Jazz Theory Book. Sher Music Co., 1995.Porter, Lewis, John Coltrane: His Life and Music. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 1999.Purcell, Simon, ‘On Practicing’, , (accessed 8 April 2010)Reitman, Lindar, ‘Woody Shaw: Linked To A Legacy’, Downbeat Magazine, January 1983, (accessed 13 May 2010)Ricker, Ramon, Pentatonic Scales for Jazz Improvisation: The Ramon Ricker Jazz Improvisation Series. Alfred Publishing Co., 1976. ................
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