> If you transcribe Charlie Parker or Dizzy Gillespie solos
> and melodies they tend to add chromatic notes in key places in their scales
> so that the R,3,5, and 7th fall on the strong part of the beats: 1,2,3, or 4
> and the chromatic notes fall on the weak parts of the beat: on the "ands" of
> the beats.
>
> The simplest way to do this is to add the major 7th to the mixolydian scale,
It is not the simplest way, it is THE ONLY way. It is impossible to add another
tone to the mixolydian scale in such a way, that the R,3,5 and 7 fall on the
down beat. The next chart is an overview of the 'bebop scale' possibilities:
Ionian: C,D, E,F, G,G#, A,B, C....
Mixolydian: C,D, E,F, G,A, Bb,B, C....
Dorian: C,D, Eb,F, G,A, Bb,B, C....
Locrian: C,Db, Eb,F, Gb,Ab, Bb,B, C....
Melodic Minor:C,D, Eb,F, G,G#, A,B C....
Pages 171..176 of the book "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine are about this
concept.
> David Baker coined this the "Bebop Scale." This results in a scale which
> when played in eighth notes descending from its root starting on the one will
> end with its root on the one of the next measure.
No. This results in a scale which when played in eighth notes descending OR
ascending from a chord tone, will end on the same chord tone in the next
measure at the same place where the scale started.
> Ending on the one of the
> next measure is rhythmically important because it allows the next octave to
> start in the rhythmically same place as the previous octave.
Why is this important? Why should it be important to start (which is actualy
continue) at rhythmically the same place as the previous octave?
> When you try to
> play the basic mixolydian scale over the same amount of bars you get a
> situation where the chord tones start falling on the "ands" and the line is
> weaker harmonically.
Because the diatonic scales are 7 note construction, they don't fit very well
in a context with (rhythmically) 8 pulses.
> Rhythmically the mixolydian scale when played in eighth
> notes descending ends on the "and of 4" in the first measure which gives the
> line a clipped feel, it doesn't have the perpetual motion feel of the bebop
> scale.
> Try playing the F bebop scale in eighth notes over this progression:
>
> Cm7 I F7 I Bbmaj7
>
> If you start the scale descending from F on the 1 of the Cm7 bar you get:
> F,E,Eb,D,C,Bb,A,G, F, E, Eb, etc. This ends with F on the first beat of the
> Bbmaj7, a good place to end the line. If you tried this with the basic
> mixolydian scale you would have to play each F as a quarter note to land all
> the chord tones in the same places, this tends to sound awkward rhythmically.
>
>
> This is just an easy way to internalize the feel of the scale, you will want
> to experiment with doubling the scale back on itself too; for example,
> (descending) F,E,Eb,(up to)G,(down to)D,C,Bb,(down to)G,(up to)A,(up
> to)C,(down to)F,E,Eb. This will break the line up melodically and make it
> less predictable. David Baker has a book dedicated to the usage of the bebop
> scale, if you use its many suggestions to create your own lines you could
> benefit from it.
>
The David Baker book is called "How to play BEBOP", volume 1. I concider it an
excilent book as a bases for the usage of the bebop scales. But, I use my own
excersizes which I wrote after studying the book and David Baker's collection
of II V I patterns. The excersizes fit on only one page (A4) and include also
all possible material (known by me) for linking chordtones within the bebop
scale concept.
>
> Once you have the basic bebop scale usage fundamentals down, the Barry Harris
> method has a "half step practice model"
All these aspects are also in the David Baker book, mentioned above so you
don't need the Barry Harris method for this.
> which I found to be quite valuable for adding multiple chromatics to my
> lines, and definitely takes the
> randomness out of them too:
What do you mean with 'taking the randomness out of them'? Do you mean, you
have control over the usage of chromaticism or don't you use chromaticism
randomly?
I would realy like to discuss the usage of this concept as a bases for playing
'inside'. I am very interested in more 'chord tone linking material' which can
be used within this way of thinking (with the bebop scales as a bases to keep
chord tones on the beat).
With 'linking material' I refer to patterns like:
5,4,2,#2, 3
5,#4,4,#2, 3
b7,b6,4,#4, 5
b3,b2,b7,7, 1
3,b3,2,b2, 1 (chromatic fill of major 3rd)
7,b7,6,b6, 5 (same)
5,b5,4,3, b3 (same in minor chord)
9,b9,8,b8, b7 (same)
3,4,#4, 5 (in triplets) (chromatic fill of minor 3rd)
5,#5,6, b7 (in triplets) (same)
1,b2,2, b3 (in triplets) (same)
8,b8,b7,2,4,6, 5 (actualy the outlining of a ii chord over a V7)
3,5,b7,b9, 1
8,7,b7,2,6,5 (by David Baker refered to as 'Ending' but also used within a line)
I hope to receive more such patterns.
With kind regards,
Wim Dijkgraaf
The Netherlands