All The Things You Are Transcrition/Analysis

[lobematt]

Hey guys!

Just sharing my newest post, Paul Chambers bass line on All The Things You Are

[url="http://www.mattlawtonbass.com/all-the-things-you-are-bass-transcription/"]http://www.mattlawtonbass.com/all-the-things-you-are-bass-transcription/[/url]

[Hector]

Cool stuff Matt!

Is that Bar 39 really from the B whole/half diminished though? That would have an A# (Bb enharmonically) rather than that A natural on beat 4. Could be he's thinking ahead of where he's playing, using the A natural as an approach tone to the Bb he presumably plays in the next bar?

Those diminished passing chords are funny old things really, and my vocabulary on them isn't stellar either. That bar 39 you gave though did give me an idea: in 4 beats you've actually not got that much to play with, especially if you think R or chord tone on beats 1 and 3, and an approach to a chord tone on beat 2 - with H/W diminished, it'll always fit to play a semitone below any chord tone on beat 2. Then beat 4 you can just use to set up beat 1 of the next bar with a chromatic approach note, which may or may not fit the scale/chord. It's a nice propulsive thing to do, walking through the changes rather than strictly with the changes.

Anyway, sorry for rambling, but just to say thanks because that transcription got me thinking.

[lobematt]

Definitely food for thought, it's hard to be certain! Maybe somebody else can pitch in with their thoughts on this too?

[lowdown]

G is the melody note on the tune, maybe that was in his head at the time,
[size=4]As you say Matt, Just bluff a Dim chord, everyone else seems to.. [/size]

I had gone into a relationship between Dim chords and 7(-9) chords, but that is not what your
post is about (or maybe it is?)

Thank's for the post.

EDIT.

Garry

Edited August 16, 2013 by lowdown

[Hector]

I kind of think of that whole segment as in Ab Major:

Dbmaj7 (IV) Dbminmaj7 (IV min) Cmin7(III) Bdim7 (bIII) Bbmin7 (II) Eb7 (V) Abmaj7 (I)

There are then just some colour notes in the non-diatonic chords for interest and to create some nice guide tone lines that warrant exploring. For example, through that sequence you could play a really lovely descending line (one note per change): F, E, Eb, D, Db, Db, C. Just add in some notes form Ab major in whatever melodies you hear in your head and it's golden!

Of course, another way to conceive of the Bdim7 is, as Lowdown said, G7b9 with a B in the bass: you could play C harmonic minor (rather than C phrygian from the chord in the preceding bar) over it. Either way, you get that B and that D to add to some tasty tension and resolution! But that Bdim chord could also substitute for E7b9, Db7b9 and Bb7b9 and notes from any of those could be a cool sound - diminished chords have so many interesting possibilities.

The sequence is a classic IIImin7 bIIIdim iimin7 V7 Imaj7 progression which crops up in a lot of tunes from which you could get some classic vocabulary. The B section of Someday My Prince Will Come springs to mind, and there's a Miles Davis version with PC on the bass again. Once you get comfortable with that progression, you could start subbing it over IIImin7 VImin7 IImin7 V7 Imaj7 progressions too!

But that would be blowing, which is another kettle of fish. If just walking, the whole chord tone and approach note thing works beautifully over changes like that. It's a really pivotal part of the tune though, separates the men from the boys and if you nail it, it'll let everyone know where the form of the tune is.

[lobematt]

Possibly PC isn't thinking about the theory at all... All interesting options though!

I think I may need to delve deeper into the tune to find out for sure, the 8 beats of diminished bass line I have at the min isn't a lot at all!

[Hector]

Haha yeah! I defy anyone to try and think of all that crap in real time whilst playing. But it's useful to be able to use it to speak about transcribed lines, and then know what specific devices to practice if I want to make the same noise on the bandstand.

[lobematt]

You've gotta know it before you can forget it!

[Hector]

[lobematt]

Hahaha nice