Bill Frisell Solo on "I Got Rhythm"

"I Got Rhythm" - Bill Frisell Solo - PDF

So one of the main reasons I started this blog was to get myself transcribing solos again.  In the course of searching the internet I've found there to be a lack of transcriptions of one of my favorite guitarists: Bill Frisell.  I understand he is not a house-hold name, but he is definitely respected and admired within music circles.  He goes from playing on Norah Jones albums to the avant-garde side with the likes of John Zorn.  But he is probably best known for his spacey "Americana-Jazz" approach that makes his playing and composing very personal.  His phrasing can be minimal like Miles Davis, yet with folky string-bends and a fondness for lyrical melodies.  Sometimes I think of him as a love child of Davis and Bob Dylan.  :)

If you've never heard him, please check him out.  For guitarists out there, Frisell is not a technical-phenom.  So if you're only looking for that, you'll be disappointed.  One of his attractions I believe is that it seems like he experiences an almost child-like joy every time he plucks a note on the guitar.  He plays with his mind and heart open all the time, and it can be just plain fun to listen to.  He'll try whatever comes to mind.  I like that attitude....as long as you know what your surroundings are.  Obviously, he stays more "in the box" on a Norah Jones recording than he would playing a be-bop tune.  (This makes me wanna go off on a tangent...which I won't, I'll just make it another post.)

After reading through some forums there seemed to be others like me.  Those who love listening to Frisell, but never took the time to sit down and learn a solo of his.  I think I know why.  His playing is so much about phrasing, tone and atmosphere.  So just by listening you feel like you get an idea of what he does.  It's more mindset than finger-practicing.  Well, I finally finished my first transcription and I thought I'd share it.

This Frisell solo comes off a Paul Motian album of standards called On Broadway, Vol. 2.  The reason I chose their performance of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" is simply because I was curious to hear what Frisell would do over rhythm changes.  (For those who aren't familiar, "rhythm changes" is the term used to label the chord progression and form of "I Got Rhythm."  Google it for more info)  Any student learning jazz or improv from High School on up either learns to love or hate these chord changes.  I don't HATE them, but I quickly realized that I usually don't enjoy improvising over them.  So that was another reason for choosing this song: to get myself playing over rhythm changes again (at least for a little bit).

Anyway, enough yada-yada-yada, take a look either from the .pdf file above (it'll show it to you in Google Docs) or you can click on the .jpgs below...

(Oh, the chords I listed are just examples of the traditional changes.  The Ebm7 is commonly replaced with either Ab7 or Edim7, among others)

Frisell grew up learning the language of be-bop, yet over the years he chose not to follow the typical approach (some may call it a "trap) too many players take (or fall into).  He doesn't feel the need to outline every chord.  He allows his playing to breathe.  Something we guitar players tend to forget about since we don't use our mouth to produce sound (like singers, trumpets, saxes, etc).

You notice that in the beginning he is thinking most in terms of the key of Bb, than individual chords.  If you want to be specific: Bb Mixolydian (Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab) with the use of the raised 2nd (or minor 3rd).  Immediately, the sound is very bluesy.  In the second line, he then outlines the chromatic movement in the harmony.  Something he continues throughout the solo.  You could argue he doesn't show any "bop lines"until measures 11-12.  The B natural comes from thinking G7 (instead of Gm7, a common substitution) and the F-E-Eb at the end of the F7 chord is one of the most common jazz movements over any Dominant 7 chord.  (Start at the root and go: 1-7-b7-9-6-5.  That's like riff #3 on the first page of How to Improv: A Guide to Make You Hopelessly Believe That You Can Sound Like Charlie Parker)  I could probably write another 2-3 paragraphs analyzing his solo, but I won't bore ya.

I tried to make this transcription as accurate as I could.  Again, sorry this isn't in TAB.  If you listen to the recording, you'll heard that he uses his volume knob during the solo.  There are a couple nice 1/2-step bends as well.  I notated those with the little bracket thingy.  My favorite lick of the solo is on the second page.  It occurs at the beginning of the second B section, over the D7.  If you want something to practice in all twelve keys, that would be the one!






I hope this interests some people and that you can take something new out of it.  Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

"Giant Steps" - Chord Melody

Giant Steps (Chord Melody) - PDF

Another harmonized melody I wrote up for a student of mine.  The idea this time is to not play the root (or bass note) of any chord (common practice in jazz).  Half-way through I slightly altered some of the chords.  I'm a fan of playing a 6/9 chord instead of a Major7 chord.  Start with the 3rd of the chord and go up by 4th intervals (so 3rd, 6th, 9th, 5th).  It's an easy shape on guitar and has a nice "open" sound.  Lots of guitarists these days like Frisell, Scofield and Metheny will use that shape for a Major chord.

You can view a short video of me playing this at The Stringslinger YouTube Channel.

Besides obviously listening to Coltrane's masterful original recording, I also suggest checking out Pat Metheny's live performance off his Trio 99-00 album.

Sorry this doesn't have TAB.  I guess I'm assuming anyone who'd be interested in harmonizing Giant Steps can read standard notation.  If you'd like TAB, feel free to contact me.  Thanks!

"All The Things You Are" - Chord Melody

All The Things You Are (Chord Melody) - PDF

While waiting for a student this morning, I wrote down this basic chordal melody to the standard "All The Things You Are" that I was going to hand out to him.  Turns out, he didn't show.  :(  Oh well.  You can view the .pdf file above or click on the pics below to enlarge.

For those who have a more experienced knowledge of chord voicings, this will appear fairly basic.

For those who are interested in having a more "modern" sound, lower the 5th of each chord down to the fourth to create some quartal harmonies (chords made up of consecutive 4th intervals).  This works great on any min7 chords.  Quartal harmony can work with dominant7 or major7, though some ears may not enjoy that sound as much.  Just experiment and find what works for you.  Hopefully, this can be something useful to start with.

Notice that the rhythms are very straight.  Please don't perform it this way, unless you're looking to receive the title of lamest guitar player alive!  Once you become comfortable with the chord shapes, change the rhythms up to give it some life.  Leave one chord short while let another one ring out, etc.  And please don't just play those constant eighth notes as they appear (I just followed the Real Book melody, which no one plays "as is").

 

 















Again, this is just a basic foundation to understand what and where to play.  It's up to you how to play it.  The best advice is to listen to others and hear how they interpret the melody.  Then make it your own!  Here are some people to start with....

Pat Metheny, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker

Radiohead "Karma Police" arrangement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWbCsTxe8XA

In 2009 I finally made myself finish this idea I had of arranging "Karma Police" for a classical guitar ensemble.  A couple years earlier, a good friend told me about a solo gig he went to of another good friend.  He said he thought they sang "Karma Police" in three.  Granted, he was most likely drunk that night.  Also, I'm pretty sure it was this guy's original song that had similar chord changes, so to my friend's intoxicated ears it probably sounded like Radiohead.  But, the idea stayed in the back of my mind. 

A couple years ago I got an adjunct position in the guitar department at Millikin University in Decatur, IL.  I was given the second ensemble to direct.  Eventually, the thought of arranging this song for a guitar ensemble emerged.  Once the writing process started, it really became obvious to me that the melody works well in 3/4 time. 

Now, I understand if some don't like the idea of changing the feel of a song.  Either do it the original way or not at all.  But I come from a background that encourages you to interpret songs differently.  It's not meant as disrespect, but rather to be creative within the structures of a song.  To show a melody can be presented in many different lights.  Play a 4/4 song in 3/4, play a swing tune with a Latin groove or a rock tune with an up-tempo bluegrass feel.  I tend to believe one of the key characteristics of a great song is that it can be played in just about any style.  So here is the demo I recorded for my guitar ensemble as a way for them to listen to and get an idea of the arrangement.  Hope you enjoy it!

(After rehearsing with the group, I decided to change some sections fairly drastically.  But, there aren't any new recordings.  So this will have to do for now.)

"I am a boy, and then I explode"

One of my younger guitar students sang those ingenious words while learning the G and Em chords today. He went on to sing, "I am a boy, and then I explode. Then I go to heaven, and then I explode. I go to the bad place, and then I explode. So then I go back to heaven." I asked him how many times can you explode. His answer: "four....thousand."