What every jazz guitarist MUST learn from Bill Evans | featuring Aimee Nolte
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- čas přidán 6. 10. 2023
- BILL EVANS FRETBOARD SECRETS:
Jazz Guitar Mastery... By Thinking Like A Pianist
Video 2
Register at the link below to enjoy the full course for free AND to download the PDF with the notation for all course examples, scales, and voicings.
www.nycjazzguitarmasterclasse...
Inside the course we look at:
*The main difference between guitar and piano, and why piano players always seem to have a leg up on guitar players
*How Bill Evans constructs harmonies using triads, and how we can translate that to the fretboard
*How we can turn these into guitar friendly voicings and chords - from simple to advanced
*How to improvise elegant phrases by stealing Bill's use of triads to find the sweet spot note for lyrical improvisation... even over complex harmonies
Big thank you to Aimee Nolte for sharing what she transcribed inside Bill's playing and putting it into such a great video. We guitar players can learn so much from piano players if we understand the real differences between the physicality of our instruments and have simple strategies for overcoming those differences and translating their ideas onto the fretboard.
Check out the full video of her Bill Evans chords...
• The Most Amazing Bill ...
Clips from the Bill Evans interview where he offers jazz students advice about practice and learning come from "The Universal Mind of Bill Evans."
Check out the free Bill Evans Fretboard Secrets masterclass here...
www.nycjazzguitarmasterclasse...
Video 2 from my newest free course, "BILL EVANS FRETBOARD SHORTCUTS: Jazz Guitar Mastery By Thinking Like A Pianist"
Register for free to download the PDF from this video and to enjoy the rest of the course videos
www.nycjazzguitarmasterclasses.com/bill-evans-fretboard-shortcuts
Big thank you to Aimee Nolte for her great Bill Evans transcription work and sharing her inspiring video. Check the description for a link to watch her full CZcams lesson.
Great stuff, Jordan! Thanks for the shout outs!
Thank YOU, Aimee! Love your work... and appreciate the kind words :)
Very cool. Thanks for this, Jordan.
Im not particularly interested in playing standard jazz or bebop, but i just love the ideas and the theory behind all of this stuff. You can get so creative with this, it just blows my mind and i just cannot wait to get back home from work and start exploring the fretboard. Sometimes when i try to explain this to my friends from rock/blues/alternative music oriented circles they reply with the classic „music theory is boring and limiting, i’d rather do what i want and be creative”. No. It’s fascinating as hell and opens up inifinite creative possibilities, you just don’t want to invest the time required to get to know all of this stuff. Good luck having fun with the same old root note position barre chords and pentatonic scales all the time. Now i know i might sound a litlle salty but it just drives me crazy when im really passionate about something and when i try to tell people how amazing it is i meet with a complete lack of understanding. I fucking love guitar !
Find some other musicians who want to nerd out! Easier said than done, but doable!
Experimenting with new (too me) ideas like this enable me to generate new compositions. Priceless info is always just around the corner.
As a new/old student here, may I recommend a song that for me has always captured the essence of this type of approach: Billy Bauer's "Blue Mist" from his Plectrist album.
Beautiful! 💙
I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode!
Many thanks! 🙏🏻 happy you dug it!
I'm not 100% sure how many more videos from this course I'll post on CZcams. I'm sure I'll put up more lessons on this topic. But the full course is free and updates monthly with new harmonies. Come and join us if you want to binge what's already there without waiting for other vids here. The editing slows down my output here :)
Link is in the pinned comment and the description. Either way... enjoy! 🤘🏻
I was beginning to worry about the oddball or downright scary recommendations offered by the CZcams algorithm. Finally, it has delivered something useful. Subbed, good sir! Excellent upload.
Haha yeah YT can get a little odd sometimes. Glad the video crossed your path! Thanks for checking it out and dropping the sub! 🙏🏻
Feel free to follow the link in the description to the full course to check out a bunch more ideas to get started with these fretboard shortcuts for free!
Excellent video Jordan.
Thanks Tim 🙏🏻Glad you dig it!
I'm a big fan of Bill Evans, but I've always found shell voicings and major chord scales the best way to start learning a song. And the melody and outside notes seem to find their way. It sounds like I've been on the right track. I've had some excellent teachers along the way. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like it :)
What I learned from studying at the piano, away from the fretboard, was that oftentimes the melodies are actually crafted around triads - both root structure and upper structure. Usually with melodic tension notes and embellishments added. But they're there. So just learning a ton of great melodies and putting them over the shell voicings will unlock many of the same sounds and "sonic illusions." I actually point out a few tunes where these sounds are being used in the melody note-for-note in video 8 in the free course. I find the more we see the overlap between how triads are sitting inside of these great melodies AND how to develop a few simple techniques to be playful with how we use them... the more we can really bring the tunes to life harmonically and melodically. Jazz and love 💙
I Like the way you teach, My Brother:) Thank You
You’re welcome! Glad you dig it… appreciate you watching 🙏🏻
I already got the concept in previous programs. Will download pdf and check the rest out. Thanks !
Awesome!
Thank you for this great video. I've ran into the same thing with the "neo soul" thing and R&B. A lot of the D'Angelo, Maxwell, and Erykah Badu songs of the late 90s and early 2000s were keyboard dominant. I'd like to think that I have a good ear though some of the sounds weren't obvious and looking for "guitar" transciptions on youtube would yield extremely disappointing results with people just doing the wrong thing and posting the "lesson" online. What I found was that I needed to look at the piano videos. That way I could look at both hands, conceptualize the note selection and then come up with something guitaristic to rather match or play contrast to. It is THE only way for many guitarists to get the right thing because, as much as I love guitar, so many guitarists don't really have a real understanding of how to play blues, play over changes, or hear intervals so what they play often sounds "ugly" compared to the keys. We guitarists have access to this as well if we're willing to take the extra steps. Thanks again for a sweet and informative vid.
This! 👆🏻
All day, this! 🔥
Well said. I've learned more from piano, especially with chord extensions and alterations and how they propel movement and create interest.
The joke is of course is that neo soul guitarists are just jazz guys who want a girlfriend … 😅
The point is that neo soul uses shell chords and jazz techniques constantly which is why it’s a great way to get into jazz. It’s also a great style to learn.
@@dlew919 Ha, I get it, though truth is, I think it is the opposite. The idea of "neo-soul" has kind of been corrupted (as things often can become) - make that quadruple for guitarist. Meaning the original "neo-soul" guitarists were former church guys like Chalmers "Spanky" Alford. I think Jef Lee Johnson should also get a nod and Jubu Smith. All of those guys spent time in "quartet" Church situations, rock situations, and Jazz and could navigate all wonderfully. The "modern" "neo-soul" concept is a product of the instagram guitarist and while that's not necessarily all bad a lot of folks don't know their history and what made that sound what it was: mainly, the African American church.
Respect for putting “neo soul” in quotation marks man 😂😂🙏🏾 thank you
Glad you popped up here!!
It’s over my head, but I’ll get involved
It seems tricky at first. But it gets easier quickly... and the harmonies it gives you access to are worth it! 🤘🏻
Very good...
Thanks!
That 1-5-7 or even 1-7 shell is actually quite common in bebop comping--learned that from Jeb Patton. Good to see you are still at it, Jordan!
Always 🤘🏻 Love those 1-7s! Killer little variations on the elemntary things
Wow
Heavy stuff A little over my head but it’s intriguing to see triads and shell voicings displayed in this manner
What kind of guitar is that!?!??What beautiful instrument, the headstock, and body profile are absolutely perfect.
Thanks Luis! The one I'm holding and playing is my Heritage semi-hollow. Great instrument! The one hiding in the back is a fully hollow, carved archtop that I built while apprenticing with a luthier about 20 years ago. I LOVE playing her. But she doesn't have any inlays to mark the frets from the front... so I prefer not to use her when teaching, as it can be hard to quickly see what frets my fingers are on.
Very inspiring. It inspired me to work out a variation that lands on Aimee's chord. Instead of playing the Bb/F# on the first four strings, I played it on the inner four. That way the C on the 6th string can be played with the thumb. Then your in position to play the C13 #11and resolve to Gmi6 on strings 543.
Love that! Yeah if you just slide the A-7b5 shape up three frets, you get (what I think you're describing) as the Bb triad over the 3rd and 7th of the D7alt. Awesome! 🤘🏻
By the way I found my way to these chords the old-fashioned way. The Am7b59 is is in the Cminma7 family (mode vi) and the Bb/F# aka D7+5+9 is in the Ebmima7 family (mode VII)
Nice. You gotta be a little careful using diatonic chord-scale thinking to find triad options for this, as it can lead to lots of dead ends, give us triads that sound bad, and miss some of the cooler more modern options... but yeah, once the sweet spot triads are picked, it's possible to view them from traditional theory thinking.
your chords at 10:40 remind me a lot the piano Bill Evan’s did on Blue in Green from Miles Davis Kind of Blue
Awesome! Glad you hear it that way! That's what the free course this video is from is all about. Stealing the way Bill used triads and translating them onto the fretboard... and at the end... applying to Blue In Green 🤘🏻
Aimee Nolte is legend
Great! Distilled.
Thanks... was trying to take a massive topic and fit it into a 10 minute intro video 🤘🏻 Glad you dug it
Guitarist Lenny Breau figured out long ago how to simulate Bill Evans on guitar. Not saying that it’s easy. Lenny used a combination of 1. High A 7th string 2. Harmonics. 3. Pedal tones. 4. Flamenco fingerstyle technique
This is a little different and meant to introduce a series of free lessons that simplify the process so it doesn't take decades to accomplish. But Lenny's the man! 💙
Is there a quick method to figure out which triads work over the shell voicings? Or is it just trial and error?
This is such a great question and also a bit hard to answer typed out. The chord scale relationship is actually not a great place to look, as there are a number of diatonic triads that ARE correct on paper, but that cause sonic problems when applied over their related shell voicings and don't work. Trial and error is great... but very time consuming. If we're looking for a quick method, the best option is probably to study with someone who uses this construction method and steal the ones they use - either lessons, a course, or if you can find a piano book that discusses this topic... they might offer some solid triads to begin with. I learned the idea from Stefon Harris by sitting at the piano with him. He had a very bizarre (but incredibly brilliant and powerful) method he used that doesn't translate well to being typed out. He had me sit at the piano, play a shell voicing type in my left hand, and then listen to all 12 chromatic notes over it, one at a time. If it felt like it was being embraced into the sound and creating a harmonious singularity that I loved... I wrote it down. If it felt like it was "separate" from the chord... I didn't write it down. Once you do that with all 12 notes, you now have a set of notes that YOU feel work individually over the shell voicing. Then you can take the notes that all individually work, and any triad that you can create with them will sit over the shell voicing perfectly. If you have access to a piano, it's worth trying this. Quite difficult to do on the guitar, but sort of possible.
Keep in mind that you don't need a ton of these triad/shell combinations to step up your sound drastically. I usually recommend to my students that they just focus on one at first. Keep the amount of information small and get a couple of harmonic options learned (like the three versions I laid out in the ii V i in the video). This can usually happen pretty quickly. Once it has, we build on that and work our way up to about five triad options. By this point, we will have created an entirely new, powerful, deep harmonic and melodic vocabulary. Then we can make decisions about exploring more advanced ways of using those five vs tune application vs learning more triad options etc. That's why I teach one triad/shell per month in the free course this video is from. Gives everyone a chance to get it integrated and start applying it into our playing.
@@jordanklemonsjazzguitar Thank you so much for the information! Extremely helpful!
Hey, for Cmaj7 - any triad that exists on C Lydian. For Cm7 - any triad that exists on C Dorian. For C7 - any triad whatsoever that does not include the notes F and B
I majored in both instruments and I can assure you that the piano is way easier to play, and the guitar sounds way nicer!
terrible take.
True
I think thats a question of your personal type and preferences
I play both and can say that though the piano visualizes music pretty well and offers a lot in possibilities
The guitar is way easier once u know one or two scales, chird shapes and with a basic understandig of music theory
U just shift those shapes around the fretboard n u can easily transpose and memorise things like that
Whereas the piano doesnt offer that at all n u have to memorise every shape u get so..
Depends on you i guess
@@BAEMsn. yes agreed. Classical guitar is way more difficult than that though. It takes yeas to get a good tone and touch, plus it's not simply moving shapes arpund (although true for simple strummers).
@@rickjensen2717 mmh yeah for sure guitar has its complexities depending on what style u play. It Nevertheless, its just the same with playing the piano, it will get more complex. And because this video is about bill evans - i mentioned the shapes because in jazz its about the shapes though not the simple strumming.
I see your point guitar is complex
But try really to express yourself on the piano, u can search for ur tone as well and still goin on after years
So as much asi see your point i disagree, and especially comparing those two instruments who both are very easy to grasp in the beginning but as every instrument yake years to really master
👍
Upper structures. I thought that's how everyone learned harmony.
Having received my undergrad and master degree, worked with hundreds of undergrad jazz students as a guest lecturer and adjunct instructor at multiple universities here in NYC and internationally, and having worked with thousands of intermediate-adv musicians online... I find that upper structure triads are mentioned during the schooling process and understood intellectually... but unfortunately there isn't much practical guidance as to how to use them musically. Because of this, most guitar players know about upper structures. However they tend to get stuck thinking it means just playing the triad alone as the voicing or arpeggiating it when improvising. This can often make the triads sound a bit academic and "disconnected" from the underlying harmony. That's why I enjoy looking at how piano players use them and working on practical and playful application ideas. Like the three I showcased in the example. (1) 5-6 note voicings made by putting the triad over a shell voicing, (2) creating four note, rootless slash chord voicings by putting the triad over the 3rd or 7th, and (3) adding a melodic tension note against the triad to create "chords" that are built on the triad but contain inner voice movement. Not to mention the countless other practical ways these triads can be put to use for improv and other harmonic sounds. I wish someone had shown me this piano view of things and all it leads to 30 years ago instead of just the standard chord-scale approach that most jazz education relies upon and which I've found to lead to a lot of vague "approximating" (as Bill put it).
The fact that e.g. 3:44 has the audio pitch shifted up a semitone is messing with my brain
Eddie Harris laid it out in his book a little too.
Gggggreat!
I am sorry everyone. The staff made no sense to me from what the pianist was playing. Then she said she was going to play the root C. And it was a C-sharp. The chord didn’t sound anything like it was written. Help from anyone. Thanks in advance.
If the C note is sounding like C#, there's a good chance the whole chord simply needs to be transposed up a half step. Maybe because of piano tuning, maybe from audio formatting issues 🤷🏻♂ I don't know. Try playing it as a C#7 shell voicing with a G diminished triad on top.
LEFT HAND
C# - E# - B
RIGHT HAND
G - Bb - Db
Will do. Much thanks! It's an amazing concept.@@jordanklemonsjazzguitar
@@whiteplayon Thanks! Glad you dig it... feel free to join us in the full free course to delve in more deeply if you want some more work with it on the fretboard 💙🙏🏻
Yeah Just posted this tripped up my brain badly, only because of absolute pitch. It's just pitch shifted in this video. I had assumed it was for copyright reasons, but I guessit may be some freak editing mishap?
Here is how to explain the idea concisely: >>> "Use different triads over normal shells."
Then pump more examples than a single tortured ii, V, I.
Studio guitarist GEO CONNER shows dozens of swingin' examples in one minute, without the tedious word-salad. He demonstrates in guitar-friendly keys at first so even beginning Jazz players can get a feel for it fast. Also he doesn't call it a "master class." It's just a normal guitar lesson. But of course, GEO isn't selling anything. He just plays and shows other guitarists stuff they want to know.
Thanks g. I'll check him out. Learning TONS of new ideas in a minute is a great thing to do for the right player at the right time. But like Bill said in the clip, the problem most musicians have is they're trying to approximate the end product. And his advice is to slow down, not worry about cramming tons of ideas and tons of concepts in at the same time... and instead be cool with taking one thing, no matter how elementary, and learn to be authentic and playful with it. Width vs depth. Both are part of the journey and can be the perfect for the right player at the right time. Keep swingin 💙
Haha. Someone else who may have been shouting at the screen "Get to the point, dammit." Fitting that the response was more word salad. I'm always puzzled when lessons like this also contain sentences like: "In case you've forgotten, a triad is ..." What?
@@fretbuzz59 Not everyone already knows their basic theory 101 yet.
@@jordanklemonsjazzguitar Right. Then they aren't ready for this lesson.
Anyone watching this video does - if not then they can’t get anything out of it anyway.