Funny, I always thought of the “homesick” chord as a diminished chord with an extra non-chordal tone..
eg, “I’ll be [homesick chord] for Christmas...”
But upon further reflection, I realize that the “homesick” feeling in both chords is created by an “odd” note being added to the harmony...
Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
ChristopheCaringtonSan Francisco, CA USANewDupont MD50, Stringphonic Favino, Altamira Chorus
Posts: 187
@Lango-Django Interesting you bring that up. My jazz-schooled contemporaries think of it as related to Christmas tunes as well - specifically going from the 4 chord to the half-diminished m7b5 2 chord (so if in C, C - F - Dm7b5), as they think of the progression as a 1 - 4 - 2 - 5 thing. Like White Christmas, or All I Want for Christmas is You.
...but a Dm7b5 is just an inversion of an Fm6. I personally find it easier to remember a Major to Minor change vs. a half-diminished 2 after a 4.
Ha ha, Christophe, just goes to show that even a blind pig can find an acorn every now and then!
And I agree with your jazz-schooled friends, Christmas songs are important!
If you were to gather a hundred Americans at random and try to lead them in a singalong, chances are that the only songs that everybody could manage would be the national anthem, the Christmas songs and the Beatles songs...
Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
Buco, yes that maj7 arp seems like pretty much SOP in the GJ vocabulary. The maj7 can either be a leading tone for the root or target it for a color tone. I hear it a LOT in GJ.
Thanks to all for your comments so far. Dennis's original comment, and those of Bones, Buco, etc talk about the prevalence of the maj7 in the style.
Here's a sample that was pointed out to me of Stochelo on "Coquette." I've tried to start the link right on the passage, but for context it is a lick starting out his solo on the root chord using a maj7 arp.
Wasn't sure if that SOP is for "standing on precipice" or as I found out "standard operating procedure" . Man you are the king of acronyms.
So yes in that video with Stochelo he opens his solo with straight Dmaj7 arp: R, 3, 5, 7. In this video from DC School with Angelo, he's using maj7 but more as approach or a color note. His lines are more triad based with interesting flavor notes added, at least to my ears..
If you think of the maj7 as an approach note then the whole thing is really just a major triad. I've used the "maj7" over a dominant and as long as you don't stop on the maj7 it sounds great. And it lays under the fingers well.
Man, how about that cool jacket Angelo is wearing?!
When I hear that maj7 as an approach note, it gives a similar sound as a minor9 arp since you have that same half step interval (just at a difft point in the scale--maj7->R vs. 9->m3). Of course the function is different, but the impression has the same quality to my ears when it is in an extended arpeggio...at least at this point in my learning.
Yeah that's why Dennis said you could play maj7 arp over minor chord. Same notes with the addition of maj7 note which as you said would function as 9 in minor chord/arpeggio.
I think I just recently read that Tchavolo likes playing minor 6 arps over major chords.
Comments
Minor/Maj7 for that homesick sound...
Funny, I always thought of the “homesick” chord as a diminished chord with an extra non-chordal tone..
eg, “I’ll be [homesick chord] for Christmas...”
But upon further reflection, I realize that the “homesick” feeling in both chords is created by an “odd” note being added to the harmony...
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
@Lango-Django Interesting you bring that up. My jazz-schooled contemporaries think of it as related to Christmas tunes as well - specifically going from the 4 chord to the half-diminished m7b5 2 chord (so if in C, C - F - Dm7b5), as they think of the progression as a 1 - 4 - 2 - 5 thing. Like White Christmas, or All I Want for Christmas is You.
...but a Dm7b5 is just an inversion of an Fm6. I personally find it easier to remember a Major to Minor change vs. a half-diminished 2 after a 4.
I play maj7 arp all the time. Over major chords, whether root of IV chord. I've seen/heard Stochelo play maj7 arp and pretty sure Angelo too.
Ha ha, Christophe, just goes to show that even a blind pig can find an acorn every now and then!
And I agree with your jazz-schooled friends, Christmas songs are important!
If you were to gather a hundred Americans at random and try to lead them in a singalong, chances are that the only songs that everybody could manage would be the national anthem, the Christmas songs and the Beatles songs...
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
Buco, yes that maj7 arp seems like pretty much SOP in the GJ vocabulary. The maj7 can either be a leading tone for the root or target it for a color tone. I hear it a LOT in GJ.
Thanks to all for your comments so far. Dennis's original comment, and those of Bones, Buco, etc talk about the prevalence of the maj7 in the style.
Here's a sample that was pointed out to me of Stochelo on "Coquette." I've tried to start the link right on the passage, but for context it is a lick starting out his solo on the root chord using a maj7 arp.
I found another short slice of Antoine Boyer playing a maj7 lick. https://www.soundslice.com/slices/LMdNc/
Any other examples that someone could post (preferably w/video links) would be appreciated. Trying to hear different contexts for how/when it is used.
Wasn't sure if that SOP is for "standing on precipice" or as I found out "standard operating procedure" . Man you are the king of acronyms.
So yes in that video with Stochelo he opens his solo with straight Dmaj7 arp: R, 3, 5, 7. In this video from DC School with Angelo, he's using maj7 but more as approach or a color note. His lines are more triad based with interesting flavor notes added, at least to my ears..
If you think of the maj7 as an approach note then the whole thing is really just a major triad. I've used the "maj7" over a dominant and as long as you don't stop on the maj7 it sounds great. And it lays under the fingers well.
Man, how about that cool jacket Angelo is wearing?!
When I hear that maj7 as an approach note, it gives a similar sound as a minor9 arp since you have that same half step interval (just at a difft point in the scale--maj7->R vs. 9->m3). Of course the function is different, but the impression has the same quality to my ears when it is in an extended arpeggio...at least at this point in my learning.
Yeah that's why Dennis said you could play maj7 arp over minor chord. Same notes with the addition of maj7 note which as you said would function as 9 in minor chord/arpeggio.
I think I just recently read that Tchavolo likes playing minor 6 arps over major chords.