'The Jimmy Raney Book' now available at last!

**RaneyJR** · 09-03-2024, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

Is there a lot of phrases to copy or is it mostly concepts to apply to our playing?

There's quite a lot of transcribed phrases to review in the opening chapters for sure, but there is a thematic grouping and underlying concepts. I think it's similar to - let's say - Mark Levine's Jazz theory Book. Which really tries to assess a concept and provide examples across different artists. You can choose to copy exact phrases, but my hope is you look at them conceptually and break them apart. Take a piece of them and change them.

The latter chapters have some sample exercises that takes the section's concepts separately and starts you off with an idea an ask you to continue. Like (perhaps) some of the Classical composition books from yesteryear that have people write things out based on a given theme. Plus there is compositional techniques in Chap 9 that don't talk so much about the notes but rather the organizing or thematic principle.

Assuming you saw the 2nd demo video? I take his Chapter 2 and 6 lines and play them verbatim. But then add my own extensions to them. That is what I was encouraging there, a sort of dynamic/active approach to all the material in the book. In other words drawing things from all the chapters and inserting yourself in them. Chap 10 is almost a thesis - in a sense where I task myself to apply some of the concepts and create my own "Jimmy Raney" style solo on tunes he never played.

Does this answer the question? Let me know