Transcription Challenge

 Hi,  back on track (a bit).  Working a lot with metronome this month.  Moving the click to different beats.  Really hard on the off beats at first, but it is getting a bit better.   I made a little film clip of me goofing around with "Miss Jones".  Click on the "and" of 4.  Lost it in the second chorus so cut the film there.   Spent some time looking at the Stern solo from last month.  Not really trying to learn it, but trying to get behind some of the notes.  I noticed a handful of patterns that he leans heavily on.  Working with those.  I am calling these perpetual motion exercises built from his lines.    Left some notes on the sheet music upload. Rob Easley · Perpetual Motion Exercises

 Well,  this was a long solo.  And I am nowhere near able to play it.  I do intent to pick from it over the coming months though.  My goal is to pillage what I can from it.  I have some work left to do with the actual transcription.  Dynamics, bends, etc.  I also always find errors after I transcribe it and work on playing it.

 So this month was about working on taking some licks around the cycle and playing through Like someone in love as well as this short and sweet solo by John Patitucci on Like Someone in Love. I had some struggles notating the last 4 bars but really got a lot out of the solo especially the fast double time lick over Dmin7/ G7#5 at first ending. That is one of the licks I took around the cycle. Also kept playing previous solos from this year and worked on blues ideas. I am just posting the solo for now.

 Tough finding the time this month.  Worked a bit on Penta scales over Round Midnight changes.  Not super melodic here, just pounding them out.  Here is my cheat sheet. I can't believe that I didn't do any Wes Montgomery solos last year.  He is such a great player.  A lot of his solos start with single-notes.   He moves to his trademark octaves and finally full on chord solos.  This solo is a classic example.  I need about 10 hours more of playing this.   The chord and Octave work is an area that I need to devote some serious attention to. This is the solo: Here is the transcription.  (Putting a pin in this performance for later)

 This is a rather poor un edited blog post. Not able to make the time to get this into a better format but will work on it.  1. Charlie Haden Solo on Round Midnight- Very spacious and melodic.  Love the way he holds the b6 on  the last A. Next: Play Along Round Midnight Last:  Memorized Larry Grenadier Solo on Cheryl  

 This month I transcribed and memorized a Larry Grenadier solo on the tune Great Day. Part 1 I did this tune as I love the  bluesy 16th straight approach. This is a part of my playing I want to improve on.  Besides transcribing it I would play along with grooves and try to get the same feel happening. It is slow but coming along I think. Part 2 I am also continuing to play Jan. and Feb. solos everyday from memory with recording. My goal is to see if playing them everyday internalizes the vocabulary even if it only comes out during those tunes. Taking some vocabulary from solos as well and moving it around. Part 3 I have been getting together weekly with a friend at his studio to compose and record. Our goal is a song a week. We have been doing it for about 9 weeks now. We have been using Ableton Live. Usually after we finish he pieces it together with spit and glue to make it into more of a form. Eventually we will add keys (although some have keys) and vocals.  This...

Been working on a big batch of new tunes for summer gigs.  Also recording myself playing on them and really trying to be critical of what I hear.  Enlightening to do this.   So that has really been my main focus this past month, and not at all represented here....  this is what I got done on the challenge... First up is a nice Bert Ligon etude I found somewhere.  Not pushing this tempo so much here, just trying to flow and be specific with articulations. e   I have been also working hard on my comping / voicings.  This brought me to Barry Harris and his 6th diminished concepts...   Basically inversions of various 6th chords (major, minor, 7, b5, etc.), with diminished passing chords.   This concept goes way deep,  and I am only at the beginning (memorising grips).... Hoping it will pay off in the future.....  regardless it is fun. Drop 2 Voicings. Here is a little C6 vamp so you can hear the concept. This is an exe...