lesson with nino_rajacic

Hey Rod,

Here is excersize. I'm not sure about chord symbol +7 (G+7)? How it should look maybe G-B-D#-F?

nino, this is a really nice phrase sequence..

i really like the movement of the lines and how you keep them close, it is almost like counterpoint... I have no problems with anything.. im just going to point out that you have some kind of parallel 4ths between the second beat of the 3rd measure, and the first beat of the 4th measure... if it was intentional then its ok.. remember, in jazz there are no "rules"... in classical music this would be a little rare... but we are doing jazz..

at the A7 sus, you never added a G in the whole phrase which could have given a little more tension, specially if you have a sus resolving to the third, is the perfect moment to add some more tension and resolve the next bar.. the thing with dominant chords is that you really want them to create tension... we will talk in the next lesson about this... how important dominant chords are and how they can trick the human ear...

great job!...

and yes... the question you asked, you also answered yourself.

Parallel Chords...

This lesson is focused on chords that are the same letter but different function over a tonal center...

we see this in all types of music... it was a common thing to end a minor piece with a major chord even in Baroque times...

but, in jazz, we use parallel chords in a way that it is also a shadow.. the chord is not really there

let's say C maj7 (key of C major)... goes to Dm7 and G7 in the old fashioned II-V7-I progression, but... people often think in the key of C# as a neapolitan chord or b2nd degree... what happens with this is that We find a temporary progression, even if we dont resolve to the chord

so.. If you are improvising, and the chord progresion is Dm7, G7, then simply think D#m6, G#7b9

Notice that te tensions change a little.. why is this?, simply because almost all the notes of that D#m are going to collide with Dm7, and the extended tones such as 6, 7, 9, 11, 13 should be closer to the key because your root chords 1, 3rd, 5th are already "outside"...

it's just the opposite.. you know how in jazz if we see a chord Dm to G7 we add tensions to the EXTENSIONS?, so instead of Dm we play Dm9#11, G7b9#5...

well, for chromatic harmony (which is most of the times embelished over a imaginary parallel chord) think the opposite.. add tension to the triad (which already is tensed) and keep the extensions (7, 9, 11, 13) in the key...

is tricky

anyways.. for this lesson i want you to take a blues progression (which ever you want) and write down chromatic lines, not only the chords but lines, phrases.. i want to see how you make the melody flow with the lines

focus on resolutions, counterpoint, harmony, melody, and everything we have talked in previous lessons.. i will be waiting..



oh, and write like 2 or 3 chorus.. not too long cause I want you to develop ideas as fast as you can...