Jim Hall “Jazz Guitar”

[pamosmusic]

Had a lot of time to work on this recently, so here is a draft of some of this rhythm stuff.

Obviously this is not something that is unique to Jim Hall. He's notable for his spare rhythms, but so is Chet Baker, Miles Davis, etc etc etc. And other great improvisers are all over the swinging quarter note too. I think maybe it was Wynton who kind of dismissed the swing eighth note and said that if you really want to swing you have to learn how to swing your quarter notes. Anyway ... this is a fun project and I will continue, whether or not I'm able to share it all here.

jim hall rhythm.pdf - Google Drive

[Christian Miller]

This is where it's going for me. The whole thing fits well with 2-3 clave. Lots of compatibility with classic 2-bar rhythms such as cascara and so on.

(Brazilian Samba normally goes the other way round though)

[pamosmusic]

This is where it's going for me. The whole thing fits well with 2-3 clave. Lots of compatibility with classic 2-bar rhythms such as cascara and so on.

(Brazilian Samba normally goes the other way round though)

Ohhh cool. I thought you’d go somewhere in this direction. I’ve never really spent time analyzing rhythms this way so I am interested to see.

[pamosmusic]

Aaaaaaand "Look for the Silver Lining" from the same record ...

... somebody stop me.

jim hall - silver lining.pdf - Google Drive

He's sequency as heck in this one. The lick in m6-7 is killer. Same for m11-13 and 27-30.

Bebopping like nobody's business in m9.

Another incredible lick at m23-25.

Vintage Jim interval/chord-shape stuff at m15.

Another good one all around. He's a machine, ya'll. A machine.

[Christian Miller]

Oh no, it's the cringiest thing in jazz

THE PEDAGOGICAL VOCALESE!



Sorry about that

[Bop Head]

Oh no, it's the cringiest thing in jazz

THE PEDAGOGICAL VOCALESE!



Sorry about that

The Jon Hendricks of London LOL.

[pamosmusic]

Oh no, it's the cringiest thing in jazz

THE PEDAGOGICAL VOCALESE!



Sorry about that

wtf

”we can make a simple scale into a very very very very very hip phrase indeed.”

Just masterful.

[pamosmusic]

Alrighty, and here is a revised Stella transcription to include the chorus he takes on the way out.

... and "Thanks For the Memory"

jim hall - stella.pdf - Google Drive

jim hall - thanks for the memory - Score.pdf - Google Drive

I want to stop and start learning some of these, but I'm at the point where I've transcribed enough of them in a short time that I can hear some of the licks whole and just crank through them, so I might keep doing that until I get tired of it.

[Christian Miller]

Mate that flipping doubled up scale line in my extract.

I find that weirdly difficult to play. Like I’d rather play a bop lick.


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[pamosmusic]

Mate that flipping doubled up scale line in my extract.

I find that weirdly difficult to play. Like I’d rather play a bop lick.


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Duuuuude you are not kidding.

I feel like there is exactly one tempo where I can play it. Any slower and it’s so square and bad. Any faster and I can’t play it.

Jim does this a lot. Obviously at all tempos. Obviously always swinging.

[pamosmusic]

Here's another gem for you Mr. Miller.

Should be starting in the right spot, but if not, it's at 1:42

[CliffR]

Mate that flipping doubled up scale line in my extract.

I find that weirdly difficult to play. Like I’d rather play a bop lick.


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You mean the ”we can make a simple scale into a very very very very very hip phrase indeed.” bit? Have you got tabz for it?

[CliffR]

Christian posted the tab [post #53]: Jim Hall “Jazz Guitar”

Thanks. I should have used one of those winkie icons. I was just trying to wind him up. In truth I've been figuring out my own fingerings since I reached 54.

[Mick-7]

Thanks. I should have used one of those winkie icons. I was just trying to wind him up. In truth I've been figuring out my own fingerings since I reached 54.

Ah yes, I should have known.

If you can't figure that one out, you need some remedial education. But it's good to know we can turn our picking exercises into licks - or vice versa.

[pamosmusic]

Ah yes, I should have known.

If you can't figure that one out, you need some remedial education. But it's good to know we can turn our picking exercises into licks - or vice versa.

I feel like your licks can always be picking exercises.

Actually one of the things I’ve been doing with these for students is taking some of the bebop ones and tabbing out a couple fingerings and a few alternate picking patterns for each.

[CliffR]

Ah yes, I should have known.

If you can't figure that one out, you need some remedial education. But it's good to know we can turn our picking exercises into licks - or vice versa.

Don't ask him for tabs, Squidward - he hates it when you do that!

[pamosmusic]

The next installment:

jim hall - 920 special.pdf - Google Drive

[pamosmusic]

An update on this.

Ive done a pretty big rhythm study of the nine that I’ve transcribed so far (everything but Deep in a Dream).

I’ve broken rhythms down into four note cells, two different three note cells, and a two note cell. I think it’s turned out pretty cool and will post more of it it when it’s more together.

I’ve also done some work with the quadrads he uses most commonly.

The next big thing I want to work with is his blues vocabulary because it’s just alllllll over this record. Not quite sure how to go about it after I just collect the blues licks he goes back to, but I’ll figure something out.

I also want to do a grouping of other interesting melodic patterns he uses that are less idiosyncratic … triad with the octave, seventh chord with a passing note at the second.

Then I’ll get into some of the more hyper specific stuff I put in that list.

[pamosmusic]

And:

jim hall - things aint what they used to be - Score.pdf - Google Drive


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rHZ...w?usp=drivesdk

I really need to go back through these last three to proofread so don’t take them as gospel, but they’re close.