July 2016 - Alone Together

**wizard3739** · 07-11-2016, 12:29 PM

As Jehu suggested, we are a little short on time and most of the votes are in, "Alone Together" is the winner for July. Below you will find a backing track and a lead sheet for a Ballad and a Bossanova version of this song. I prefer a Bossanova version for this nice song. Have fun with it!

wiz (Howie)

backing track----->Box

lead sheet-------->Box

Bossa backing track ----->Box

**dogletnoir** · 07-11-2016, 02:32 PM

Here's a version i did of this tune from last year:

i'll try to get to it again soon!

**mercosound** · 07-13-2016, 11:18 AM

I've been meaning to join the "song of the month club" - finally got around to recording one... For the backing track, I used the "PG All Stars" (BIAB). The guitar is a Cushman (thanks Matt) w/direct out from a Henriksen "Bud". Both the guitar and amp are fairly new to me; really liking the combo so far.

**wizard3739** · 07-13-2016, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by mercosound

I've been meaning to join the "song of the month club" - finally got around to recording one... For the backing track, I used the "PG All Stars" (BIAB). The guitar is a Cushman (thanks Matt) w/direct out from a Henriksen "Bud". Both the guitar and amp are fairly new to me; really liking the combo so far.

Wow! Welcome aboard Mercosound! Good tone, good lines, good everything, good listen! I'll bee looking forward to your submissions!

**Nate Miller** · 07-13-2016, 02:36 PM

I also like to play this at a medium up.

but my question for the group is about playing this one in a group. My trio plays this one, but you have to pay attention when you start trading with your drummer

My trio does have a solution, but I'm looking for some ideas, so I'm not going to say how we do it for a little bit yet. I'd like to hear how some of you guys manage trading in this tune

**voxss** · 07-14-2016, 03:47 AM

PG ALLSTARS ...Great band they are..i have them also...nice playing

**wizard3739** · 07-14-2016, 02:26 PM

Here is my version from 2012. This is done with a BIAB backing track back when I started playing mostly by ear. It has some errors in it , please forgive. At the Time this was recorded, I was playing funky jazz with a local band. It is 99% by ear and got me going with a lot of other songs I wanted to work on by ear.

https://app.box.com/s/l9e1sxmd982eemclrwr8

**mr. beaumont** · 07-14-2016, 07:02 PM

Tried to play this from memory...been a while...

Thought I'd improvise and do the melody at the same time, because who has 9 minutes? Not me.

Comments and criticism welcome:

**joe2758** · 07-15-2016, 02:31 PM

you won't find any criticism from me, Mr. B, but I will say nice playing as always.

**mr. beaumont** · 07-15-2016, 04:04 PM

Thanks joe!

My favorite version of this is from Chet Baker's "Chet." Slooooow....

Actually, if you're on facebook, I posted this a whike back--I transcribed the first minute or so of Chet's solo, then harmonized it. A great exercise I need to do more of...

https://m.facebook.com/groups/558429...&ref=bookmarks

**PaulD** · 07-17-2016, 11:31 AM

I've enjoyed everyone's submissions so far. Here's my attempt at this month's tune. I did a very basic solo guitar arrangement followed by some noodling. Needs some work...

Paul

**wizard3739** · 07-17-2016, 12:11 PM

Paul: This is a very beautiful solo. I liked everything, good tone beautiful lines, good choice of chords, really nice!

wiz (Howie)

**dogletnoir** · 07-17-2016, 09:23 PM

Everybody so far is killing this one.
As for me, i'm really loving that slow bossa backing track, wiz!
First 2016 attempt:

**joe2758** · 07-18-2016, 02:23 PM

Mike, thanks for posting this. It would be really interesting for me to see a couple more versions so I can see how you refine it over time. nice ideas. you and your titles lol

destinytot · 07-18-2016, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

Mike, thanks for posting this. It would be really interesting for me to see a couple more versions so I can see how you refine it over time. nice ideas. you and your titles lol

Yes, I'll definitely post another. And thank you!

I really didn't want to 'prepare' beyond 'hearing' enough harmony and lines to be getting on with. This isn't the Showcase thread; I'm all for high standards, but I do think it's important to banish perfectionism. I'm pleased to have just 'gone for it', and posted it with warts and all. (I'm also pleased - and surprised - to have used my thumb a lot.)

**boatheelmusic** · 07-20-2016, 06:57 PM

A prelimany key center analysis....comments?

A section:
Bars

1-5: F major
6-8: Bb major
7: A major
9-12: F major
13-14: D major

B section:
15-18 Bb Major
19-20: Ab Major
21-26 F major
27-28 C major
29-30 F major

Thanks,

Bill

**joe2758** · 07-21-2016, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by boatheelmusic

A prelimany key center analysis....comments?

A section:
Bars

1-5: F major
6-8: Bb major
7: A major
9-12: F major
13-14: D major

B section:
15-18 Bb Major
19-20: Ab Major
21-26 F major
27-28 C major
29-30 F major

Thanks,

Bill

I see what you're doing, but I'm not sure how I feel about forcing everything into its closest relative major scale. The tune is overwhelmingly minor. Can't minor be a key center?

**boatheelmusic** · 07-21-2016, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

I see what you're doing, but I'm not sure how I feel about forcing everything into its closest relative major scale. The tune is overwhelmingly minor. Can't minor be a key center?

Sure, but is it necessary to? Aren't all the notes available this way?

Thanks.

**pkirk** · 07-21-2016, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by boatheelmusic

Sure, but is it necessary to? Aren't all the notes available this way?

Thanks.

I agree with Joe, so I'll put my 2c in: Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you meant, but if you mean to think this way as you improvise, here are some of my thoughts.

*The fun of minor tunes is to use the different minor tonalities: dorian, melodic or harmonic minor, blues licks, etc, so when I'm hanging out on the Dmin, I want to hear Dmin. The fact that D "aolian" minor and Fmaj scales have the same notes is not that helpful to me, in the same sense that F is in a C maj scale but it isn't a note I want to use liberally over a Cmaj chord. Lay on the C# for that Dmin!

* I've never been able to put together decent solos on "standard" changes without addressing the V chords, so that e.g. thinking Fmaj on bar2 doesn't give you the V returning to Dmi. II-V-I or V-I are the bread and butter of standards, and addressing them is the first step in getting the language under control.

*from bar 14 back to bar 1 of the second A, the changes are Dmaj to Dmin. Just like II V I, this movement (Imaj to Imi) is pretty common and boils down to the 3rd descending to a b3rd. Nothing wrong with thinking D maj to Fmaj, but this can obscure the real "money" notes: F# moving to F (and e.g. all other notes the same if you want to emphasize a melodic minor sound)

That's how I approach this kind of tune, in any case. I might do your "key center" thing if I want to "float" over the changes, maybe do some ambiguous stuff (e.g. quartal chords or lines based on the tonal center approach you gave) but that would be only if I'm trying for that kind of sound, and e.g. would not do it in a pure bebop context on my opening chorus....

**PaulD** · 07-21-2016, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by pkirk

That's how I approach this kind of tune, in any case. I might do your "key center" thing if I want to "float" over the changes, maybe do some ambiguous stuff (e.g. quartal chords or lines based on the tonal center approach you gave) but that would be only if I'm trying for that kind of sound, and e.g. would not do it in a pure bebop context on my opening chorus....

Great playing! I really enjoyed it! I agree with you as far as the tonal center thing. I was just watching the "John Scofield on Improvisation" video on a recent thread, where he mentions something about when improvising over a Dm chord that if you think C major scale, even though the notes are there, you'd miss the "notes of gravity" of Dm.

Paul

**boatheelmusic** · 07-22-2016, 06:13 AM

So, I sense you lean towards CST, modes, all that in improv?

Thanks,

destinytot · 07-22-2016, 06:58 AM

Love the sound of minor modes in lines.

**pkirk** · 07-22-2016, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by boatheelmusic

So, I sense you lean towards CST, modes, all that in improv?

Thanks,

If you are asking me, I'd say not so much on standards/bebop. From my perspective, CST seems fairly close to key center improvising, in the sense that they address one tonality at a time. But for standards/bebop, my take on note choice is that it is about the *changes*, i.e. the transition from one chord to the next. So ideally I'd like my lines to smoothly, melodically lead from one chord to the next, and I try to focus on how the upcoming chord relates to the current one. I like Hal Galper's idea of "forward motion", at least as I understand it.

As to where I do lean, (not that I'm anything but a mediocre player), it's towards transcribing and licks, swing feel and blues riffs. I work more on time and phrasing than note choice. In the clip I posted there are a lot of moments where I'm ignoring the harmony and instead focusing on rhythmic things (which unfortunately I don't always have the chops to pull off).

For other styles, say more "modern" styles, or if I'm blowing over some weird changes that I've never encountered before, I probably melodically default to CST, as it always "works", though it can sound forced. For quickly moving non-functional harmony, I look for common tones between successive chords, and lean on those.