#openearsmindshearts

For those who are sick of the simple static dominant chords in a 12 bar blues chord progression... This is for you! Put some colour into the chords by making everything lead to chord I. Very interesting advice in this reading! Really helps with expanding harmony not only for jazz but potentially for other genres.

My friend showed me this guy the other day and honestly he has the greatest knowledge of jazz harmony that i have heard of. Jacob Collier displays SUPER complex harmonies through a vocal arrangement of Fascinating Rhythm by George Gershwin. He’s able to do this through his wide use of vocal range. Bass all the way to soprano, He’s got it all covered! 

Going back to my post about the use of timbre to create a full sounding recording; Collier uses up to fourteen vocal backings to create thick chords and reinforce notes al throughout the pitch spectrum. He uses interesting sound sources such as a ticking clock, synthesisers, beat boxing, electronic drums, piano, a melodica and more! 

I went to my piano lesson today, and my teacher showed me this piece work. Once I heard it, I was hooked! The main brass line that is presented is so colourful! The cool jazz vibe, presented by the simply and syncopated walking bass line that is reinforced by the piano is so infectious. The groove has helped me to incorporate more rhythms into my piano playing, discovering more off beats that can be accented.

The piece revolved around the key of Ab. In me piano lesson my teacher helped me to discover the pentatonic scale a bit more. I had very little understanding of it. So i found that using the pentatonic scale in the key of Ab (Ab Bb C Eb F), I could use any combination of those notes and it would sound good, which is the nature of the pentatonic scale. Amazing right! Furthermore, to deepen my understanding of soloing, I learnt that the blues scale had derived from the pentatonic scale. By finding the relative minor of the original key, and starting on the new tonic. (Ab - Fm) the blues scale is created through the same notes with the addition of the tri-tone in the minor key, which is B.

So by incorporating both these scales in the key of Ab major, I was able to ‘kinda’ solo for the first time! :P But this song has taught me so much, from not knowing how to apply different scales to certain keys as well as expanding more rhythmic perspective on jazz music. Syncopation!

This acoustic version of Memories on the Ground by Tim Halperin represents a classic ensemble of piano, cello, guitar and vocals that provides a full sound by filling every part of the pitch spectrum. 

Recently I was given feedback on a song I wrote about the use of timbre within a song. The problem with my song was that all the sound sources were focused around the middle register, which made the whole song sound empty through absence of the frequencies on the low and high resisters.

Now, this song has helped with making my teachers feedback a bit more clearer. The piano plays a simple chord progression at a slow tempo in the middle register throughout the song. As the song progresses the guitar and cello is introduced; The guitar covers the high register whilst the cello cover the low register.

HIROMI - Place to Be

If read my post about Jeff Tamarkin’s article on Hiromi, this is the song that displays a GREAT amount of emotion and musicality for her piano teacher who passed away. 

I recently did a critical analysis on Jeff Tamarkin’s article on Jazz piano player, Hiromi Uehara, and it was very interesting to read how a Hiromi’s personality can be expressed in so many ways once she is in their musical element in contrast to the person she is when she comes into contact with people. 

Hiromi is said to be soft spoken, foreign, reserved, and she even deprecatingly describes herself as “the little Japanese girl”. But when she plays the piano she's a wild woman, a fleet-fingered, hyper-animated dynamo whose stage persona is so hopelessly engaging as Jeff Tamarkin states. 

Earlier last year I learnt a jazz piece called “Choux a La Creme” which is an exciting piece straight from the get go. Mostly based around the blues scale to show the real jazzy feel in the piece, and whilst I was playing this piece I couldn't help but think about a big jazz band. Big brass section blowing, constant walking double bass, and of course the piano banging all over the place. Hiromi is able to replicate everything in a jazz band just in the space she's given. How amazing is that! 

 just recently I learnt another Hiromi piece called “Place to Be”. It is a very emotional piece that was written for Hiromi’s piano teacher who passed away. it starts off with a minor tonality with a simple melody, and then later modulates to a major tonality which emphasises a change in mood in the piece, highlighting the mournful tone, but also showing the happy and appreciative times. Along with that she plays an amazing improvised solo which testifies every other emotion as it spits through her fingers. This piece is truly an amazing piece that shows true emotion. She even cries in her performance! Which reinforces her love of music! 

SNARKY PUPPY - Lingus

JP COOPER - We Were Raised Under Grey Skies

Today I was looking at acoustic sessions on youtube, Looking for song writing ideas as well as melodic ideas i could incorporate within further compositions. I stumbled across this Big Fella JP Cooper. He's got such a unique style. From the dreads to the voice he's got a quality that just says “hard work”. 

He’s got awesome control with his vocal runs, his distinct tonality thats husky yet smooth shines through. I love this guys style!! He really knows how to capture the ambience of a situation through the use of rests and changes in dynamics in his great guitar playing and voice. Theres definitely a lot of stuff in his music thats inspired me.