I used to be (in my head) real good at employing that half/whole tone bebop/altered scale. Here's a link that explains the one I learned years ago: http://guitar.ricmedia.com/Scales/Altered/. In case the link disappears, as these things can do, here is the pertinent info about it:
Altered Scale Profile:
Numeric Formula: 1-b2-b3-b4-b5-b6-b7-8/1
Notation Formula (key of C): C-Db-Eb-Fb(E)-Gb-Ab-Bb-C/1
Stepping: half / whole / half / whole / whole / whole / whole
Tonal: semi-tone / tone / semi-tone / tone / tone / tone / tone
Harmonized Triads (key of C): Cdim / Dbmi / Ebmi / Fb+(E+) / Gb / Ab / Bbdim
Harmonized Tetrads (key of C): Cmi7(b5) / Dbmi(MA7) / Ebmi7 / FbMA7(#5) / Gb7 / Ab7 / Bbmi7(b5)
I had to stick in the flats as lower case b's, which I'm used to seeing from my home-made charts that I make in Word when I don't want to spend the time to construct a Finale chart. Well, I brought it up because I haven't been so successful in using it lately. One good application is to make use of the tritone aspect of it. I like how, in the key of C, one can go from a C major triad (even though other upper partial tones are highlighted, the major triad is still present) to the tritone chord of Gb. This give the notes: C E G & then Gb Bb Db, or in order low to high: C Db E Gb G Bb. Well, it sounds cool as alternating the arpeggios, but better to voice them in different inversions.
Enough of my elementary jazz theory for one blog! I recently ditched my Samsung Intercept phone for a replacement model (free through Sprint even though I'm only 1 year into the contract): the LG Optimus S. Have to work with this camera a bit, as these were the first pix I had really taken with it & they kinda sucked. Still, they give a small blurry yet dark glimpse into our beloved gig at the greatest coffeehouse & wine tasting event in Decatur.
Brew Free! Or Die IPA
Fonk brought the charts...
...but nobody could play this beast!
Ade channels his inner child, which we all end up doing at some point in the evening.
So hard to get a group shot...
...but we really tried hard!
We turned around as the back lighting was better than the front lighting,
& my budget phone is not flash equipped.
Apologies to Jason as I had to ramp up the contrast quite a bit, which,
of course, crushed the black level. 'nuff said.
I think I was really bummed by the quality of shots so I didn't even bother taking pics on Friday, when I was with MartaY & The PartaY at Padriac's in fashionable Vinings. Fortunately, we had mighty Brent Whiten on drums & lead vocals, so I could relax & know that we were going to put on a seamless show. Speaking of Brent, when I went exploring for a good link for his web presence I found these pics, taken a few years ago now, when I got with the Brent Whiten Orchestra for a couple of shows at Christmastime in 2007 (I'm always blown away when I realize just how much time has flown by on certain events). Here they are, taken well before this blog was started:
I carried that orange with me everywhere I went.
The gig itself? We played the setlist from the Canton party a few weeks back. The dancers weren't out in their usual full force. We played a bit extra 'cause the crowd showed up kinda late and tipped us very well for more music. Our buddy Cliff sat in with us (finally) and sang Crossroads - we tried to emulate the Cream version, naturally. I go on record as saying that is perhaps the defining moment of that band, Crossroads from "Wheels of Fire", and perhaps it was Clapton's defining moment as a lead guitarist. I haven't ever tried to learn what Jack Bruce did on that, but they sounded like they went off course and back on in a uncontrolled controlled fashion, which I like a lot. All in all, we keep getting better at what we do. My bass cut out for a horrible couple of minutes during "Fire Woman". It was my fool wireless, which had either switched channels on the transponder when it fell off of my strap or the cord became ever so slightly unplugged. I ended up bypassing my pedalboard and plugging straight in to my amp. Martay was happy when my bass returned, so I was glad to get back into the tune. Rough. I haven't had a bad audio issue in a while, so I guess I was due.
Saturday night I was down south in Tyrone for a wedding reception with Platinum Soul. We were at Glendalough Manor, a place I probably will never return to, but that is a comment I won't elaborate on here. The stage and the dance floor were a polished hardwood surface that was quite beautiful. However, in such a large room, the stage could have used another foot or two in all directions. Poor Gus had to play in perhaps the tightest area he's ever dealt with in this band. His elbows were hitting the walls. Not fun at all. We performed really well as a 6-piece with Dianna Crawford & Chae Stephen plus Glen Perdew on the front line. We were without Anton, as the budget did not allow for a horn. Highlights for me included the dances of "A Song For Mama", which had all of the power of that Babyface composition, and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (the Marvin & Tammi version, of course - btw, I virtually have it memorized as far as the form goes, since I used to play it with Cid's Full Tilt. Yes, that's me playing on their demo that you hear, done in a marathon session of 22 songs at guitarist Colin "Doc" Sobers house one night years ago, before I joined up with Platinum. There was a point to this side track... I have the "Standing In The Shadows of Motown" book/cassette [hah!] of James Jamerson transcriptions so I copied that chart & that's what i read off of when we play it. Such a great line that just rips by at that tempo. How did he come up with those unwieldy chromatic-infused lines? Would be great to be able to grab a Precision strung with flatwounds and complete with foam under the bridge for that Detroit vibe. Okay now, where was I...) although I panicked at the very end and for some reason ended the song on Eb (Glen turned around to me with a "what was that?" expression on his face and then held up 1 finger, meaning I landed on the I chord, which oddly enough really doesn't get played in the song, so it was extra ironic). The jazz set also featured Glen singing "Autumn Leaves" in Gm, and it was just wonderful. Glen has so much talent. Another good 1st set tune was the Zawinul/Adderley staple "Mercy Mercy Mercy". This is just a chance to blow over the Bb to Eb vamp for all concerned. I even took a solo, on the WAV, & things went pretty well, I must say. I tried to go with a true upright vibe on it, utilizing an octave motif for my climax & then getting out before I went on too long. Gus seemed to dig it & gave me a fist bump (hey, I just heard that "fist bump" is a new entry in Webster's Dictionary this year!). It really made me feel good at the moment. Anyway, these people really opened up after the Motown numbers and danced the rest of the night. A great gig...
A light dinner of pasta primavera, with salad as 2nd course.
Wishing for bread or just something else.
The polished stage.
My rhythm buddy Augustus Melton III. We're the same age, so I recently learned. We're both III's with sons who are IV's. We both love prog rock - Rush & Dream Theater! Always a great hang. Never a gig when I didn't have a good laugh with him. So fun to look over there & remember to get that next kick together that he is so good at injecting.
The grandmother was escorted onto the stage & she really boogied down, to the delight of everybody in the house.
Self portrait - looking a bit worn.
...except for the fact that I may not be playing with Platinum at all after this night. You know, my heart is broken & I'm still in shock a bit. There are details here that I can't discuss. There are details that have been glossed over. What it comes down to is that I put myself into some questionable situations & that's not a smart move. I shoulda woulda coulda, ..., but I didn't. So, I was hoping that perhaps my comrades in arms might come to my rescue. I don't see that happening. These things do happen, & as old as I am, I'm still learning a thing or 2 just about every day. I really felt that I was living my life to play in a band like Platinum. I sincerely can say that there will never be a bassist who truly loves the broad spectrum of music they perform more than myself. I put a ton of time into it, & the experience I've gained has certainly opened up my eyes & ears on a performing front. I always gave 110% on the shows & tried to thoughtfully plan ahead as far as what to bring & what to play. It was more than just a cover band. Maybe they will benefit from the change. In a way, the glory days were with Dave & David, which was back when I was new. The energy is still there, they aren't losing anything, that's for sure. Some mistakes I made are forgivable, others not. Let's move on & new opportunities will present themselves.
After the show, I made good on my promise to my bud Ryan Strickland (brilliant guitarist I've played with before; supremely influenced by Steve Khan & many others - a chordal & improvisational wizard) to show up for his 30th birthday party thrown by his wife Pao. It was held at their fashionable abode in North Roswell. I arrived at 1:15 am & stayed until about 2:30. Some folks were still there when I bowed out. We watched a Metheny video, listened to a bunch of Scofield, & Ryan opened presents. One of the gifts I had been planning to give him was absconded (ugh - the world may never know), but the cd I made for him was welcomed most graciously. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years, so I'm really glad I was able to reconnect. We've talked a couple of times on the phone, & he a genuinely a great friend, as good as can be considering we don't hang much.
Happy Birthday you old whippersnapper!
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