Lesson I 

In this lesson, we take the classic form of a 12 bar blues and
learn some concepts about chord substitution. I have not
included any chord diagrams for two reasons. First, there are
plenty of diagrams elsewhere on the board that you can use
(virtually all these chords can be three note moveable chords).
Second, perhaps more important, figuring out how to get from
charts like these to the right chord voicing is part of the lesson.
If you have questions, post them on the discussion section
Cafe bulletin board and I (or the other knowledgable players
that gather here) can answer them. 

We will use the Count Basie blues classic "I Sent For You
Yesterday" as an example. Though it is usually done in Ab, I
put it in the Mandolin friendly key of G. 

The first example is using the three chords we all know and
love...G (I), C7 (IV7) and D7 (V). Go through this sample and
try and get the swing feel. Use the swing rhythm from an
electronic keyboard if you have one. 

Next we make a simple substitution...changing sevenths to
ninths in some measures. This works because a 9th is almost
identical to the 7th. Listen to how the sound of the 9th leads
into the next chord. That is why when there are two measures
of a 7th chord, it is the second measure that I have
substituted for. Sometimes you might substitute both
measures. 

Chart number 3 uses 9ths also. In measure 6 we use a C#
diminished instead of a C7...why does that work? The notes of
the C#dim are: C#, E, G & Bb. Other than the C# they are the
same as a C7... the C# is an ascending bass line that leads
your ear to the G... play that phrase through a couple of times
and listen to the difference. 

We also substitute a Dm7 for a G7 and and Am7 for a D7. Why
does that work? Again, let's look at the notes of the Dm7: D, F,
C... it has the IV V and bVII of a G7. Why does the Am7 work
for a D7...same reason. Finally we have a turnaround to
substitute for the last two measures... you know why the Am7
works, but what about the G#dim.... like the C#dim above its
almost the same chord as the G7 but it has G# instead of a G
which in this case gives us an ascending bass line up to the
Am. 

Finally, version number 4 builds on 3 with the addition of some
"passing chords"...that means when you pass from Dmin7 to
C7 you make a stop on Db7 which only works because you
resolve it in the C7. Find the other two passing chords in this
chart (hint: flat chords in a sharp key). Finally we add an
augmented chord to substitute for the V (D+ instead of
D7)...this works cause it leads to the I chord, you wouldn't do
it in the end of a song... often as a turn around... or as here
leading to a turn around. 

Good luck and feel free to post any questions on the
discussion board under jazz, swing etc.

--------------

Lesson II

In this lesson, we take a look at "Rhythm Changes" in Bb, the
chord changes that come from the song "I Got Rhythm" by
George Gershwin. We'll learn some concepts about chord
substitution and the "folk process" as it effects a jazz standard.

As with Lesson I, I have not included any chord diagrams. This
site has lots of chord diagram in general and a few for Rhythm
changes in particular. Also, figuring out chord voicing is an
important part of the lesson. Most of the chords can be voiced
using 3 note moveable chords (ie closed positions).

If you have questions, post them on the discussion section of
the Mandolin Cafe bulletin board and I (or the other
knowledgable players that gather here) can answer them.

Where to start this lesson was an interesting question. This
site already has 3 lessons about Rhythm Changes and none of
them use the same set of chords! Why so much variation?
Some of the difference is chord substitution, but the rest is the
process of evolution that changes music over time. I tried to
start with what I believe is the "original" melody and chords to
Gershwin's I Got Rhythm.

Notice first off that this is a 34 bar song rather than a 32 bar
fornat. It has the AABA form of a 32 bar tune, but the last A has
a little turn around tag.

The chords are pretty straight forward and contain a number of
repeating patterns. Repeating sections like this are often good
places for substitute chords.

Version two has a series of substitute chords that stylists of old
jazz (eg pre swing big bands) would likely use.

The first substitution comes in measure three, where we
replace the Gm7 with a Bbdim (NOTE: NOT a Bdim, see version 3
for that one). This works because a Bbdim is very close to
Gm7b5 (Db being the b5 in G and the b3 in Bb) so the Idim
chord is used instead of the VIm7th. This occurs twice more on
this chart and could really be used where ever the Gm7 is.

The other substitutions on version 2 are using 9ths for 7ths in
the second measure of the chords in the bridge. While, as we
learned in lesson one, 9ths can always replace 7ths; the D9th
is particularly appropriate because of the E (the 9th) in the
melody.

In the last measure of the bridge we substitute Faug for F7. As
we saw in lesson I, substituting an augmented V chord for the
V is the most powerful 'turn around' know to man...this is why it
works in this context. Play it a couple of times each way, you'll
see what I mean.

Version 3 is a much more common way that you'll hear I Got
Rhythm played today. This version is more a result of the
evolution of the tune than about chord theory.

First of all, note that the song has now become a 32 bar tune,
the extra two measure are only used as tag the last time
through. My completely unsubstantiated guess is that this
happened on the bandstand where head arrangments (ie not
written out) required common patterns. Most of the KC early
swing bands (Moten, Basie) were head arrangement bands at
first.

The next big change is that the Bbdim has become a Bdim. This
substitution works because it's built around a great moving
bass line:

Bb Bb B B/ C C F F/.

I don't know where that got started but if that cat had
patented it he'd be a rich man. This substitution blew the old
chords away and became the standard change. You might want
to select chord voicing that contain this chromatic movement.

The other change in the A part is to substitute Bb7 for the Gm7
in measures 5, 13 & 29. While this doesn't seem to make sense
(Ab over G), the change I to I7 leads your ear to the IV that
comes next, more than the I to VIm7 does (try this both ways
to hear the difference). That change became very common as
well.

While the bridge is often played as above in version 2, some
additional substitutions are possible. The Ddim works to create
some tension through the use of the tritone-- b5-- and only
works because it resolves in the D9. The same principle in the
opposite direction explains the Gm7 Daug which have a Bb
(instead of the B of G7) that resolves to Dm7 (a substitute for
G7)...this uses the sound of the #5 (Bb in the Daug) to the 5 (A
in Dmin). The concept in these substitutions is that of
neighboring tones...playing the neighbor (b5 and #5
respectively) then resolving to the "normal" chord tone. While I
don't usually play these chords when playing rhythm, I like to
use these diminished & augmented arpegios in a solo.

The Cdim for C is similar to substituting the relative minor (Am
for C) since we know that Cdim is much like Am7b5.

The chord changes in version 3 or other similar changes were
so compelling that hundreds of tunes were written utilizing
them. I think this is because they are so much fun to jam
over...many of the tunes that use these changes are "jam
tunes" with a simple "head" and lots of room to blow. My
favorite of these is "Lester Leaps In", by the great tenor sax
man Lester Young. I use the exact same changes as I did in
version 3 of of Rhythm over this melody. Note that there is a
pick-up measure before measure 1. Also note that there is no
melody for the bridge, just improvisation.

You also might one to compare these charts to the other
versions of "Rhythm" that you'll find on this site. Many of those
examples use some nice chord voicings too.

Finally...what do you play when you're on the bandstand or at a
jam session and someones calls a tune that uses Rhythm
changes?? 

Sometimes you ask: "I#dim , I dim or VIm7 ?"

Sometimes you hang back and listen the first time through......

Sometimes you just know! 

Good luck... and feel free to post any questions on the
discussion board under jazz, swing etc.

--------------------

Lesson III

In our first two lessons we have focussed on chords and chord
theory. Chords are a useful way to think about improvisation.
Though some musicians use an approach based on scales and
modes, I find thinking in terms of chords--playing the
changes--a more useful way to understand what works in
improvised solos. 

In order to get a look at jazz improvisational styles we are
going to use the tune Pennies from Heaven, an old standard. In
the first chart I have the melody and some customary chord
changes. I have also transcibed two solos from tenor sax player
Rusty Mason, one in a swing style the other in bebop. Rusty is a
great jazz musician well versed in many styles. Rusty played
with Tiny Bradshaw's Band in the 1940s and with many other
great musicians. Rusty is also an instructor at Augusta Heritage
Center's Swing week. These two solos were transcribed from
an improvisation workshop he did several years ago at
Augusta. We can learn alot about swing and bebop
improvisation by examining these two solos. 

However, first learn the tune. I've put it in C in order that the
accidentals are easy to find in the transcribed solos, but its not
a bad key for mandolin players. You shouldn't have much
trouble with the chords and the melody is pretty straight
foward too, with a few examples of swing triplets that will be
good practice for the solos to follow. Note the form of the song,
a 32 bar tune like in I got Rhythm, but instead of having a form
AABA, it is more like ABAC...this form is sometimes called a
"double turnaround". It is always good to get comfortable with
the chords and melody before improvising. 

Let's take a look at Rusty's swing solo that I have labeled
"Pennies from Swing". The first two bars are a great example of
swing rhythmic feel using only three notes. The three notes
sound like more because the same note is a different sound
when the chord changes. A useful exercise is to go through the
transcription, noting which scale degree the note is relative to
the chord above it. The C in the first measure is the root of C
and the b7 of Dm7; the D is the root of Dm7 and the b7 of Em7
etc. Note the extension tones: a high E over a G7 chord
(measure 4) is a 13th in this context (a 6th above the 7th), or
#5 in measure16 (Eb aka D# over G7) that becomes a #9 in
measure 17 (Eb aka D# over C). Just by figuring out the role of
each note in each chord you can learn alot from this solo. 

There are a few other lessons we can learn here as well. Check
out measure 14 for example, he starts on the b7th (Bb) and
runs chromatically up to the 13th (A) before coming to rest on
the 5 (G) this chromatic movement between chord tones is
what I like to call "Connect the dots". Find other examples in
this solo. This is a very easy move if you know your arpeggios.
Note that the substitutions of a 13th chord for a 7th ie the solo
makes it sound very hip. This is why we have spent so much of
the first two lessons learning about chords and chord
substitutions. 

Another valuble lesson throughout the solo is the rhythmic feel.
Notice how many measures start with an 8th note rest and
come in on the "and". Note also measure 8, with 4 beats of
silence...not someting you'd see in the transcription of a
bluegrass solo. Leaving spaces is an important part of the
swing style. If you want your solos to sound like a horn player,
the spaces are as important as the notes. 

While there are more things to learn from this solo I will let you
find them on your own. Let's turn to the next transcription:
Pennies from Bebop. 

First note that I have changed the chords. While I actually
chose the substitutions to harmonize with the solo, these could
be chords a bebop player would chose. Note in particular the
use of more discordant passing chords (Ab, Db or even the Ebm
in measure 2 instead of the Ebdim). Again, your first task is to
go through the notes and determine the scale degrees relative
to the chord above. Notice the many b5 notes, a big part of the
bebop sound. Notice also the major 7th over a minor 7th (Gb
over Gm7 in measure 9 for example) another bebop move. You
can find these throughout the solo. 

As in the Swing solo we see chromatic runs connecting the
dots. However the bebopers connect the dots with 16th notes
and use unusual chord tones. See measure 18 where we go
from a b6 (C over Em7) up and down and up again ending on a
#11 (aka a b5 high A over Ebm7) whew!!! 

Also note the use of open space. The quarter note rest in
measures 9 and 13 give a classic bebop rhythmic feel. 

I have spent several years playing through these solos and I
don't think I've discovered all of the lessons, so I'll stop here
and you can try and discover them yourselves. As usual, post
any questions on the board here and I'll do my best to answer
them. Finally, if you want a chance to study from the master
himself, Rusty Mason will be at Augusta Swing week this year
along with many other fine musicians. And these is still room in
my swing mandolin class. Check out the Augusta link or email
me for additional information. 

Good luck... and feel free to post any questions on the
discussion board under jazz, swing etc.