My aim in composing this etude arose from an interest in exploring the sound of ascending perfect 5ths over ii-V7-I chord changes. And in my explorations, I also discovered an easy and practical way to use chromatic passing tones to help make my melodic line have a nice, flowing sound and feel. Take a look at the example above.
I begin with two ascending perfect 5ths starting on the root of the ii chord (“D” from the Dm7 in the example). The fourth note is an Eb, which functions as a chromatic passing tone that leads to the E natural on the third beat of that measure. I then descend with two fourths: E natural to B (perfect 4th); then the B descending a tritone to the F natural. I then use an F# as a chromatic passing tone that leads up to the G natural in the second measure, which continues upwards with two perfect 5ths (G moving to D; D moving to A).
As a variation from the original four-note pattern, I add another G natural as the fourth note, which then connects chromatically with the Ab on the third beat of the measure. Starting on the Ab, I move downward in perfect fourths (Ab, to Eb, to, Bb, to F natural). Not only does this pattern of 4ths compliment and “mirror” the quality of the previous perfect 5ths, but it also adds a good deal of altered tension over the V chord (G7); specifically: -9, (Ab), -13 (Eb), +9 (the Bb functioning as an enharmonic version of A#), and 7 (F natural).
The F natural goes on to connect (again, via half-step) to the E natural (the 3rd of the CMaj7 chord) in the third measure, which once more starts the ascending perfect 5ths pattern. The fourth note of the measure (Bb) is used as a chromatic passing tone that resolves to A natural, then the line ends with a mix of perfect 5ths and major seconds. There is most definitely an “angular”, more “modern” sound to the melody, but it fits easily within the harmonic structure, and has enough other elements to vaguely hint at the bebop language.
If you’d like to explore using wider intervals in improvisation, please consider my e-book, The Vertical Saxophone (which, by the way, is applicable to any melodic instrument). If you’re interested in going more deeply into how to use chromatic passing tones to connect melodic ideas, please consider my e-book, Four-Note Diatonic Triad Cells. And if you’d like to work through some unique ideas you can apply specifically over the ii-V7-I harmonic progression, please consider another of my e-books, ii-V7-I: 40 Creative Concepts for the Modern Improviser. For a free, downloadable pdf of this etude, click the link below:
Here’s a unique way to express the color of the diminished scale by combining two different compositional elements: specifically, diatonic triad pairs, and polymeter. Take a look at the example above.
I’m using the “whole step/half step” diminished scale starting on “C”: C, D, Eb, F, F#, G#, A, B (enharmonically including D#, Ab and Cb). I’ve organized the scale into diatonic triad pairs that are rhythmically asymmetrical. So the first measure starts with an Ab major triad (inverted from the 3rd of the chord) that is a five-note pattern (returning to the starting note of “C”), then is followed by a B minor triad (again, inverted from the 3rd), which is organized into a three-note pattern.
The second measure starts with an F major triad (again, organized into a five-note pattern), followed by an Ab minor triad (three-note pattern). Measure three starts with the five-note pattern of an F minor triad, followed by the three-note pattern of a D major triad. The line concludes in measure four with a B major triad (five-note pattern) ending on an F natural (to imply the continuation of the rhythmic subdivision).
This “5/8 to 3/8” subdivision works remarkably well by both “fitting inside the box” of the 4/4 measure, while at the same time implying a polymetric rhythmic tension. This “5+3=8” over 4/4 is a simple technique you can use to organize seemingly mundane and clichéd melodic material into surprisingly new melodic ideas. I’ve put in accent marks to demarcate the subdivisions. I suggest playing this etude (with the metronome), first with a “straight” eighth-note feel, then onto a swing feel, once you are clearly hearing (anticipating) the subdivisions relative to the clicks on the metronome. If you’d like to explore these concepts further, please consider my e-books, Diminished Scale Diatonic Triad Pairs, and Essential Polymeter Studies in 4/4 for the Improvising Musician. Click the link below to download a free pdf copy of this etude:
I’m pleased to announce that I’m now offering an educational service specifically dedicated to addressing and improving issues related to time, rhythm and feel.
I call it Rhythm Coach, and it represents the years of study, exploration and teaching experience I’ve acquired in helping musicians (including myself!) of all ability levels refine their sense of time, as well as cultivate rhythmic skills that significantly improve general musicianship, skill and coordination.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I’ve written a good amount of articles about time and rhythm. (I’ve even composed two e-books dedicated specifically toward improving both.) Anything related to time (including meter, pulse, feel, groove, etc.) and how we react to time (our skill/coordination) is a topic of endless fascination for me.
Over the past several years I’ve had a good number of musicians who have sought my help as an Alexander Technique teacher specifically because of problems they were experiencing with loss of skill and coordination (for example, problems associated with tremors, focal dystonia, injuries, health issues, etc; and sometimes just an inexplicable loss of skill).
Skill/coordination and time are so inextricably linked for a musician, that you can’t effectively address one without the other.
All the musicians I’ve encountered that have come my way seeking help with an unresolved skill/coordination problem (“unresolved” here meaning the musician has been working to improve it to no avail) also have come to me with unresolved issues with time and rhythm.
As a saxophonist successfully managing focal dystonia, I myself have had to spend a good amount of time reclaiming my playing skills. I did this, in part, by going deeply into working purposefully and methodically on my perception of time, as well as how my perception of time informs my coordination (my “reaction”). The work I’ve done on myself has yielded nearly miraculous results. (If you’re familiar with focal dystonia, you’ll know what I mean by “miraculous”!)
Besides helping me regain my saxophone playing skills, this practice has also been immensely (and somewhat unexpectedly) beneficial for me as both an improviser and as an ensemble musician. So I’d like to share my skills and experience with you!
In Rhythm Coach, you’ll get one-on-one help in identifying and effectively addressing any challenges specific to you. I’ll help you customize your practice routine by giving you notated exercises, as well as movement and thought explorations for you to measurably improve and gain confidence.
All of my work for Rhythm Coach is informed by continuous study (cognitive science, neuropsychology, etc.) and mindful inquiry, and is a continually growing, highly dynamic body of work.
So, no matter your current ability as a musician, if you’d like to improve your sense of time, groove, feel…or just expand your rhythmic skills in a methodical and comprehensive way (especially as an improvising musician), please consider Rhythm Coach! I’d be honored and thrilled to help you!
Resonance (in physics): The reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.
-The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language
Whether playing pianissimo, or fortissimo (or anything in between), an optimally resonant sound is complex and colorful, as well as nimble and flexible. When your instrument is resonating optimally, you have better technique, better intonation, and a wider dynamic and expressive range.
And whether you’re improvising or playing interpretive music, optimum resonance allows you to most readily access your creativity. Nothing gets in your way.
In a word, optimum resonance yields satisfaction.
There are lots of musical instrument makers, as well as manufacturers of musical equipment (such as saxophone mouthpieces, violin bows, etc.) that design and market their products with optimum resonance in mind. (Or, at least with their conception of what that means!)
And there are no shortage of conversations between musicians about how a particular instrument or piece of equipment can impact resonance (for better or worse) .
Virtually all pedagogical methods (for any instrument) that address resonance take into account the effect of the player’s actions upon the resonance of the instrument.
And of course this makes sense. Because, truth be told, when you are playing your instrument, you become a part of that instrument. (I don’t mean this just metaphorically, but also, physically.)
But let’s start with looking at equipment.
For an instrument (or other piece of equipment) to vibrate or resonate freely, its material and/or parts need to be able to move freely in response to the energies exerted upon them (by you!) This ability to “move freely” is the “synchronous vibration” part of the definition above.
With respect to my saxophone equipment, for example, playing reeds that don’t vibrate freely and evenly interfere with my ability to get a balanced, resonant sound. (Same with a ligature that doesn’t allow the reed to vibrate optimally.)
Non-responsive reeds and poorly designed ligatures have one thing in common: they don’t allow for the movement necessary for optimal resonance.
So of course it makes sense to seek out, experiment with, and use, the kind of equipment that creates the best conditions for optimal resonance.
Now let’s look at ourselves.
One thing that many musicians don’t take fully into account is the fact that, not only do they need to resonate their instrument, but also, they need to allow the instrument to resonate them.
(Again, I’m not just speaking metaphorically here.)
It is this “exchange of energy” between the user and the instrument that has a profound impact upon the quality of resonance.
You’ll notice I said “exchange of energy”. That’s a fairly apt description of what’s happening when you play your instrument.
When playing saxophone, I’m sending energy by moving an airstream into the instrument. That focused air stream has an effect upon the instrument, for sure.
But that effect comes right back to me instantaneously. Without going too far into the acoustics of playing saxophone, suffice it to say that energy is returning to me (specifically, to my oral cavity) from the saxophone.
This act we call “voicing” in playing wind instruments (how we shape our oral cavity/air stream) is in response to that energy returning to us from the instrument itself.
So in a sense, the instrument is resonating us. It’s a two-way street, so to speak.
In playing wind instruments, voicing problems are a leading cause of problems with resonance (including response and intonation).
If I’m not allowing the optimal movements in my voicing mechanisms, I’m going to have less than an optimally resonant sound.
So of course, if my jaw is clenched, or my soft palate is collapsed (or overly rigid), I won’t get the resonance I desire, in part, because I’m not resonating optimally.
But there’s more to it than just what’s going on inside my mouth. Our human design works as an integrated whole.
So yes, the components of my oral cavity (soft palate, tongue, jaw, nasal cavity, etc.) need to be free to move.
But their freedom is largely dependent upon the relative freedom of my head/neck relationship. If I’m compressing my head downward into my neck (or holding it too rigidly upward), my voicing components are not going to be free to move optimally.
And that head/neck relationship both impacts, and is impacted by, what I’m doing with my ribs, torso muscles, legs, arms….everything.
So if my knees are locked, for example, that will negatively affect the functioning of my “voicing mechanisms”. Will I still be able to get a decent, resonant sound?
Yes, most likely. Just not as optimally resonant as it could be. It’s simple physics.
And even if you don’t play a wind instrument, you are still part of this “partnership of resonance”, as I sometimes describe it to my students.
What you do with yourself as you hold and play your violin, for example, has a measurable impact on the quality of your sound. Just as your strings and bow need to have just the right amount of tension to produce your best sound, so does your body.
This is where the Alexander Technique (the teaching/learning tool that I use to help myself and other musicians) is so effective and practical.
The Alexander Technique helps you to become aware of some of the habits of movement and posture that you bring into your playing (often unconsciously) that interfere with your ability to move freely. The habits that interfere with your resonance.
The next time you practice, see if you can notice where you might be blocking the resonance within yourself. Start by noticing the relative freedom (or lack of) between your head and neck (no matter what instrument you play), and go from there:
Are you shoulders, arms and hands freely mobile and spacious?
Are your ribs moving freely and fluidly as you breathe? (again, no matter what instrument you play!)
How are you doing in your hips/pelvis?
How about your knees?
Are you well-connected to the ground? (allowing your weight to disperse evenly as you organize yourself lightly upward)
Take notice of how you “use” yourself when playing. Observe your habits. Aim at facilitating the “synchronous vibration of a neighboring object”, and enjoy the difference!
Just as my practice goals and strategies evolve over time, so does my conception and implementation of warming up to practice.
Recently, one of the musicians that I coach asked me to elaborate more specifically how I’m currently warming up. So I thought I’d share my thoughts here with you all.
In the past few months, I’ve given myself a specific warmup project: playing one-octave modes from various scales (major, minor and harmonic major) legato, in slow sixteenth and thirty-second notes (half note equals 12 to 15) bpms).
I started out doing this as a way to challenge and improve my sense of what I call my “temporal imagination” (how vividly and accurately I perceive time and pulse). As I continue to work daily on this, the components (or objectives, if you will) of my daily warm-up have become distilled into the integration of these three things:
1. Optimal resonance
2. Perception of time
3. Psychophysical ease
Allow me to elaborate a bit on each of these components.
Optimal resonance
As a saxophonist, this has a very specific meaning to me. It involves finding the “balance” (or “exchange of energy”) between my air stream and my instrument. (Some of you saxophonists might notice that I simply said my “instrument” and not “the mouthpiece and reed”. I find this to be a more accurate description of the acoustic reality of the sound making process.)
In finding that balance, I’m looking for a consistently responsive and flexible breath support, coupled with an awareness/allowance for my voicing mechanisms (soft palate, tongue, jaw, nasal cavity, etc.) to “come alive”, so to speak.
I aim to feel the sound resonating gently inside my head (particularly, my nasal cavity), as I connect that feeling to the sensation of the sound inside my horn. I connect all of this immediately to how I hear my sound out into the room.
So I’m calling into play both internal and external sensory awareness and sensations.
Perception of time
My coordination, my technique, sound, expression…virtually everything I do is conditioned by my sense of time.
As I play each of these modes slowly with the metronome, my aim is to be present with each note.
What that means specifically is that I am connecting my “optimal resonance wish” with my internal perception of time, and how that internal perception of time relates to the reality of the metronome (an external cue for time) and my sound in the room.
When the metronome clicks so slowly, it becomes tempting to try to “play each note in time” by imagining how “evenly” each note should sound.
But as I try to play that way, I virtually always end up rushing just a bit. I tend to try to manage what my fingers are doing as opposed to truly listening and responding. It’s as if I’ve lost the sense of the wholeness of the phrase I’m playing.
So what I do instead is aim for optimum resonance on each as it moves in time to the next , while I hold in my imagination the anticipation of where the next click will fall on the metronome. This helps me integrate my internal consciousness (my intention and imagination) to the external world (hearing my sound; hearing the sound of the metronome).
Whenever I do this, my time instantly becomes lovely and easily precise. I can hear the evenness of not just every note that I play, but also the entire phrase as a whole.
Metaphrically, it’s as if I’m standing on top of a large mountain looking down on the whole valley. This is an immensely pleasurable experience, and it has significantly bolstered my confidence in my sense of time, as well as rhythm and meter.
Psychophysical ease
This is where my experience both teaching and learning (and applying) the Alexander Technique comes in handy. As I aim to integrate optimal resonance with my perception of time, I’m doing so through the foundation of a good “use” of my entire self.
(This is the central organizing principle of all my work as I warm up and practice.)
You might notice that I use the term “psychophysical ease” instead of “physical ease”. I do so because “psychophysical” is a more complete and accurate description of how we as human beings function in activity.
The “ease in my body” is incumbent upon my “ease and clarity in my thinking”. It is impossible to have one without the other.
So what I aim for as I’m connecting my optimal resonance to my perception of time, is finding the ease that is already there inside myself.
I notice my balanced connection to the floor through my feet, the mobility of my joints, the poise of my head on top of my spine (very important!) and the elastic quality of my ribs and torso as I breathe.
If I happen to notice something in my reaction (how I’m using myself) that I don’t want, I simply make a decision to stop doing it, and bring my attention gently back to the ease in my body, and the calm but alert clarity in my thinking, as I stay present with my sound and with the time.
As I mentioned above, my aim in warming up is to integrate these three components into one, singular, omnisensory experience. I’m never sacrificing one component at the expense of another.
The challenge in writing or talking about this , is that it sounds much more complicated, slow-moving and cumbersome than it actually is. In reality, my thoughts are quick, quiet and thorough. Powerefully effective in helping me to react optimally.
After my warm-up (which takes me about 10-15 minutes) I’m ready to work on anything (psychophysically ready!), and the rest of my practice session, virtually without fail, goes along constructively, efficiently and pleasurably.
So how do you warm up? What do you aim for specifically? What do you do to get yourself there? How do you know if/when you are “there”? If you’re not clear on the answer to these questions, I encourage you to investigate and experiment. (And please know that I’m here to help you if you need it.)
