Transcription Challenge

 Always loved this solo (and tune)!  This album, Angel Song, is magical!  Worked hard getting the feel right, but I might be rushing in a few places.  Bill is a squirrely player when it comes to half tones and open strings.  (Note: finally got fiber hooked up here at home,  what a difference uploading!)

 January 2022... Ray Brown still continues to wow me. This solo I've had been wanting to do for awhile. Mostly because it is a lot of 16th notes and no chordal instrument to accompany.  The interesting thing about this tune from Sonny Rollins Way out West recording is that it starts in the key of Gb but after the first time through the head they move it down to F for Sonny's solo and Ray's solo.  I have a lot to work on in this solo but found it directed me to apply the bebop scale when practicing.

 Well here we go again... Frisell is a musician that I was meaning to get to in our last challenge.  Such beauty and nuance in the seeming simplicity of his playing.  Extremely difficult to recreate.  So, after 2 months of a steady diet of Frisell, dusting off my volume pedal, and working with letting strings ring,  this is my offering.  I like his early work with Paul Motion.  Hearing him play standards is helpful in nailing down the techniques he uses.  I also notice that his solos are often very closely related to the melody.  Shows to go ya....  melody is king.

 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)