Rhythm Changes A Section

Bones

Does anyone have any interesting licks that they like to use over the A section of these types of songs that they can post?

The harmony is so diatonic and static that it's hard for me to come up with something that sounds very exciting. I usually just do major kinds of things or major/blues but i start repeating myself pretty quickly.

It seems like the B section has the reputation of being 'harder' because of the cycle of 7th chords but at least the harmonic structure is changing and it seems easier not to become too repetitive. For me it is harder to make the A section sound interesting.

Thanks

hanear21

It's not much, but if you go to this thread viewtopic.php?f=12&t=71&hilit=daphne you can find a document here that has a bunch of licks that Denis posted a while back. Most of the licks in this document are not applicable to what you're looking for but there is a little section with some Daphne licks as well.

hanear21

Also Denis's technique and improv DVD #2 has a nice section on rhythm changes, including a lot of licks.

AmundLauritzen

The DVD "In the style of Stochelo Rosenberg" covers many rhythm changes based tunes. Belleville has a rhythm A-section, but a different bridge. Swing 42 also has the rhythm A-section. Solos on these tunes by the masters is great to transcribe to get insight into how to approach soloing on the chords.

On the Rosenberg Academy, I learned good ways to approach those tunes. You don't have to play all the changes. A lot of times, the masters will play I to V7 or I to IVm. You can "float" above the changes so to speak with the bluesy vocab you mentioned. That's just one of many ways to go about it. Transcribing licks will get you far! It's how the masters learned. Don't over analyze it. Listen, copy and learn

Bones

Hanear, I have that DVD. I'll check that section out.

Amund, yes I'm planning to sign up for the lead portion soon even though I'm guessing it's a bit over my skill level (still working on Nousche's rhythm course).

thanks

Matteo

Good topic! I too have found it very difficult to improvise over "rhythm changes" and have felt that I wasn't getting anywhere at all. But lately I have been experimenting a bit with the whole tone scale over the V chord. And to my ear, at least, I have gotten quite pleasing results — enough to feel encouraged to keep working on it. With the dissonant sounds on the V chord it seems ok to be less adventurous over the other chords. Tension-release, I guess. By the way, I have chosen Artillerie Lourde (the A section) since I needed a modest tempo for my experiments.

hanear21

Oh I just realized Bones, I meant to say DVD #3. Not #2, my bad

Bones

Yes that's a good idea to use more outside ideas over the V chord to add some color.

Can you post any tab of a whole tone idea or reference anything on Youtube where it is used?

thanks

Matteo

I'm sorry, no I haven't got any examples, neither in tab or audio. I guess my approach isn't so systematic. I just play and hope to come up with a few ideas, try to memorise roughly what I did, melodically and rhytmically, so that I have some ground to come back to and base future improvisations on. However, what inspired me was the scheme on the whole-tone scale in Stéphane Wrembel's book, the symmetric pattern over the whole fretboard.

Bones

Hanear,

Oh that explains it. I scanned thru #2 and didn't see it so I just started reviewing it in detail anyway since there is a lot of good stuff in there.

I'll look at 3 next. It's good for me to pick this DVD up again since when I first got it it was WAY over my skill level. Now at least I can understand what Denis is doing even if I can't play it up to speed yet.

Matteo,

Yes, I was just looking at that section in Wrembels book yesterday as a matter of fact to try to get some ideas. I'll check that out.

Thanks!