the language of joe locke - part one & two

5/24/2018 The Language of Joe Locke - Part One & Two

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Part One of this two-part article dis-cussed the first two choruses of animprovisation by vibist Joe Locke overthe chord progression to the standard

It Could Happen to You.is article focusseson the last two choruses, adding more detailto some of the topics previously dealt with andintroducing a few new ones. For a brief expla-nation of the concepts presented here, pleaserefer to Part One of the article in the January2014 issue of Percussive Notes. For more in-depth study of the concepts and techniques

discussed in this article, please visit http://allthingsvibraphone.blogspot.com and http://allthingsimprovisation.blogspot.com.

CHORD TONE SOLOING: DIATONIC ANDCHROMATIC PASSING AND APPROACHNOTES

Measures 117118 clearly exemplify thesetechniques. All B-flat minor 7 chord tones aresounded and connected by diatonic passingnotes.e 3rd and flat 7th of E-flat 7 are ap-proached by lower and upper chromatic notesrespectively. e 5th and flat 7th of A-flat mi-nor 7 are connected by a diatonic passing note.

e flat 7th of D-flat 7 is approached fromabove and below, with chromatic and a diatonicapproach notes respectively. In measure 91, Joeis clearly thinking E-flat major 7 for the wholemeasure, and applies two double chromatic ap-proaches, one to the 5th on beat 3 and one tothe 3rd on the and of beat 4.

CHORD SCALE APPLICATIONWhile it is important to have good knowl-

edge of chord scales, the way they are appliedis crucial in effective improvisation. Too often,improvised solos sound as though the soloistruns up and down chord scales randomly.e

following are some important devices to con-sider.

Deleting Notes/Change in Direction of theLine

We can assume that the line in measure 72uses a C altered natural 4 and natural 5 chordscale (C, D-flat, E-flat, E, F, G, A-flat, B-flat).Notice how the 4th and the flat 6th degrees ofthe scale are left out, and the changes of direc-tion in the line. Two other important aspectsin the line are the emphasis of tensions on theunderlying chord by placing non-chord tones

The Language of Joe LockePart TwoBy Gustavo Agatiello

on strong beats, and the resolution of tensionsto chord tones.

Adding Chromatic NotesIn addition to deleting notes, adding chro-

matic passing or approach notes can make aconventional scale sound less formulaic anduninteresting. Notice the application of thesetechniques to an E-flat major scale in measure107.

Using Space and Syncopation

is practice can be a simple solution tomaking a scalar passage or run sound moremusical. e line in measure 98 using a C al-tered scale is a good example of this practice.

Motivic PlayingMotives are as prevalent in these last two

choruses as they were in the first two chorusesof Joes solo.e descending triad shapes inmeasures 6670 make for a strong motivic idea,

which resonates in measure 73 and measures8386. Notice the longer and more complexmotivic idea in measure 72. It is reinstateddown a perfect 4th in measure 74 and reduced

to a fragment into measure 75. A motivic cellfirst introduced in measures 4950 is also heard

with an octave displacement in measures 112114.e motive in measures 8182 is subtlyset up in the preceding measures and skillfullyconnected to a stair climbing motivic ideathat ends in measure 87.

Four-Note Groupingse Four-Note Grouping (4NG) technique

can be seen repeatedly in measure 79 (G-flatminor 4NG), beat 4 of measure 82, measures88, 92, beat 3 of measure 98 (D-flat minor4NG), beat 3 in measure 90 (B 4NG), beat 1 in

measure 91 (G minor 4NG), beat 4 of measure104 into 105 (F minor 4NG), beat 1 and 3 inmeasure 108 (C minor and A-flat minor 4NGrespectively). It is important to understand thedifferent applications of the Four-Note Group-ings shown here, as well as their harmonicimplication to the underlying harmony.

Cyclic PatternsIn this improvisational technique, motives,

intervals, structures (triads, 7th chords) andsystems (Pentatonic scale fragments and FourNote Groupings) are moved outside of the un-

derlying chord structure via a specific repeatinintervallic cycle. It is an effective way to playoutside of the changes, sounding extended duration of dissonance tempered with resolutione concept can be heard in measures 6570

at the top of the third chorus. In this instance,a descending major 2nd cyclic pattern utilizingboth major triads and Four Note Groupingsbegins in measure 66 with an A Major triad.e cycle is superimposed over the underlyingchord changes and resolved in measure 71.A short ascending major 3rd cycle, used to

connect two descending upper structure 7ths(A-flat 7 and B-flat 7) can be heard on beats 3and 4 of measure 84.

Notice how the voice-leading of the eighth-note triplets in measures 9596 make up anascending half-step, whole-step cyclic pattern.

Note: e audio for this transcription is fourchoruses long.is article and the accompany-ing printed music in this issue address the thirand fourth choruses.e first two choruses

were discussed and transcribed in the January2014 issue.


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Joe Lockes improvisation on the changes to It Could Happen to You.


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Gustavo Agatiellois an active vibes player based in Boston and a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches vibes and impro

sation classes.


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ItCouldHappenToYou(HanginMethuen,MA-12/5/2009)

JoeLocke:VibeEdSaindon:Pi

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Bb-7 Eb7 Ab-7 Db7 G-7b5 C7

TranscribedbyGustavoAgatiellohttp://allthingsvibraphone.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/allthingsvibraphone


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TranscribedbyGustavoAgatiellohttp://allthingsvibraphone.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/allthingsvibraphone

the language of joe locke - part one & two

Documents

e flat

eflat major scale

e line

bflat minor

chord scales

vibist joe locke

theunderlying chord

chord scale applicationwhile