Navigating the Be-Boppers Harmonic Galaxy - Brian Lillos

7/27/2019 Navigating the Be-Boppers Harmonic Galaxy - Brian Lillos

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Table of Contents

01 The Import ance of Teaching t he Ora l Tr ad i t ion Brian Lillos ........... 1

02 Lear ner St yl es Brian Lillos...................................................... 5

03 Ment or ship/ Job-Shadowi ng/Pr act ica Brian Lillos.......................... 8

04 Myt hs about Jazz Educat ion Brian Lillos.................................... 10

05 The Jazz Curr iculum- Brian Lillos.............................................. 16

- Kevin Dean .............................................. 26

06 Cour se Out li nes Brian Lillos.................................................... 30

07 Lesson Plans Brian Lillos........................................................ 38

08 Inst r uct ional Obj ect ives Brian Lillos ......................................... 41

09 Superv ision of Inst r ucti on Brian Lillos....................................... 51

10 Assessment and Evalua t ion Brian Lillos ..................................... 54

11 Tow ar ds Teaching Jazz Impr ovisat i on Brian Lillos....................... 56The Teenage Improvi zor Colleen Allen............................... 59Teaching Beginning Impr ovisat ion Using a Rhyt hmic Approa ch

- Alex Dean ................................................................... 66Melodic Impl icat ions in a Harmonic Wor ld Paul Tynan ........... 71Develop ing an 8

t hNot e T ime Based Concept Paul Tynan......... 74

Get t ing the Most out of T ranscr ip t ions Shirantha Beddage...... 81

Using Linear Mat eri al t o Connect Melodic Ideas Ted Quinlan... 92Get t ing Hip Accessing Alt er ed T ensions Brian Lillos ............ 97Navigat ing t he Be-Bopper s Harmoni c Gala xy Brian Lillos .......100Cu-Bop and Beyond David Virelles Gonzalez .........................109Advanced Techniques Sundar Viswanathan ..........................120Uses of Dimi nished Pat LaBarbera .....................................145


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12 The Contempor ar y Approach t o Jazz Composi t ion- Christine Jensen....................................................................149

13 Towar ds Teaching Jazz Hist ory Alan Matheson............................159

14 Jazz i n Canada Mark Miller .....................................................169

15 Women in Jazz Alexis Marsh....................................................176

16 Pr of i l e: Canadi an Women in Jazz Greg Buium .............................190

17 Rehear sal T echniques f or t he Jazz Or chest r a-Gordon FooteFundamentals..............................................................193

Warm-up......................................................................196 T ime...........................................................................198 Art icu la t ion..................................................................201 Swi ng Har der................................................................205 Psychology...................................................................209Rehearsal Ti me.............................................................214 Performance.................................................................218 Vid eo and Audio Recor di ng...............................................221 Clinicians.....................................................................222 Sect ional s....................................................................224 Conduct ing...................................................................228

Conductor Evaluat ion.....................................................236 Fest iva l Par t i c ipat ion.....................................................237Final Thought s..............................................................239

18 Choosing Repert oir e for t he Jazz Or chest r a Brian Lillos ................243

19 The Jazz Choir Russ Baird.......................................................248


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20 Rhyt hm Sect ion Pedagogy:The Junior High School Jazz Rhyt hm Sect io n Bob Rebagliati....254

Basic Funct ions.....................................................256 Physical Set Up.....................................................258 Underst anding the Ar r anger ....................................260

Tr ouble Shoot ing...................................................284 An Int r oduct ion t o Walki ng Bass Lines in t he Jazz Rhyt hm

Sect ion Bryan Stovell .....................................................290An Int r oducti on t o Dr ums in t he Jazz Rhyt hm Sect ionBryan Stovell .................................................................301Bass in t he Jazz Rhyt hm Sect io n Mike Downes .....................312Big Band Drummi ng Ti ps Ted Warren.................................321Play ing Jazz Dr ums Melodi cal ly Ted Warren........................322More Jazz Drums Terry Clarke .........................................323Get t ing Beyond Your Dr ums Set Barry Elmes........................327Musical Leader ship and t he Jazz Rhyt hm Sect ion

Don Thompson................................................................331

21 Jazz Program Inf r ast ruct ure Brian Lillos .....................................334Fund Rai sing.................................................................334Budget.........................................................................334 St udent Recr ui t ment and Program Pr of i le...........................338 Equipment, Faci l i t y , and Ti me Table Needs........................339F.T.E. s......................................................................340Administr at ive Support and Car eer Planning........................341Proposal Wri t ing Carmella Luvisotto..................................343

Netw ork i ng the Jazz Educat ion Indust ry Pr ogr am.................351Recrui t ing Facul t y..........................................................351 Dir ect ion, Co-ordinat ion, Adminis tr at ion.............................352

22 Gradua t e Degrees in Jazz St udi es in CanadaMcGil l Univer si t y Kevin Dean ...........................................354York Univers i t y Michael Coghlan......................................356Univers i ty of Tor ont o Paul Read ......................................358

23 The Banff Int ernat ional Wor kshop in Jazz and Cr eat ive Music...........360

24 Cr eat ive Schola r ship i n Jazz Educat ion Andrew Scott.....................370

25 Adj udicat ing a Jazz Perf ormance Brian Lillos ...............................383

26 Pr esent ing a Jazz Cli nic Brian Lillos ...........................................397


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27 Music Fest Canada Jim Howard .................................................399

28 I.A.J.E. Alexis Marsh ...............................................................408

29 I.A.S.J. Alexis Marsh ...............................................................414

30 Jamey Aebersold Brian Lillos ....................................................417

31 Websi tes...............................................................................419

32 Contempor ar y Jazz Composi t ion:An Int roduct ion t o Contempor ar y Jazz Composi t ion Christine

Jensen .........................................................................420

Personal St r at egies Esteban Figueroa................................430

Finding Your Own Voice Bill Prouten .................................435Hands on Appr oach Brenda Earle ......................................448Creat iv e Pr ocess in Jazz Composit ion Paul Tynan.................458Empoweri ng Ori ginal i t y Andrew Jones ...............................466Cr eat ing Fif t een Seconds One Composer s Appr oach ChristianOverton........................................................................474Contempor ar y Jazz Composi t ion Shirantha Bedagge..............481Composit ion A Personal Perspect ive Neil Yorke-Slader...........486Composing b y Ear Lina Allemano ......................................491

St oryv i l leDarcy Argue...................................................498Jazz Composit ion Alan Matheson ......................................512Intr oducing Jazz Composit ion Christian Overton...................515Tow ar ds Teaching Composi t ion Jim McGrath ......................522Tow ar ds Teaching Composi t ion Hugh Fraser .......................526Tow ar ds Teaching Composi t ion Don Thompson ....................529Composit ional Concept sChristine Jensen .............................534

33 More Rhyt hm Sect ion:The Rhyt hm Sect ion i n Jazz David Restivo ..........................542Lat in Jazz Concept s f or t he Bass Will Jarvis .......................553Mult i Met er Excerpt s f or Dr ummers Paul De Long .................566Develop ing Ideas f or Dr um Solos Neil MacIntosh ...................568Dan Weiss and t he Tab la Carlos Aguilera............................578Pr of ound Rhyt hm Sect ions Adam Caringi ............................591Afr o-Cuban Bat a Rhyt hms Adapt ed t o Dr um-Set Steve Mancuso..............................................................600The Adapt at ion on Sout h India n Concept Steve Mancuso ........604


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34 More Improvisat ion:

Lear ning t he Language Brian OKane .................................609The Impor t ance of Listening Steve Haines...........................612Repert oir e Development in t he Classr oom Dave Neill ............619

Reper t oi r e Development f or t he Indiv i dual Dave Neill ...........627Navigat ing t he Be-Bopper s Harmoni c Gala xy Brian Lillos .......635

35 Jazz Advocacy and Some Phil osophical Per spect iv es:Musical Impr ovisat i on and Determinacy Jodi Proznick ...........656Towar d Cr eat iv e Musical Achievement Jodi Proznick.............666The marg ina l iza t ion of Art Educat ion Jodi Proznick ..............679

36 Communit y Music Cathy Mitro ................................................68737 More Inst r uct ional Met hodology:

Rehearsal Techniques Neil Yorke-Slader .............................692Jazz Pedagogy Final Exam Brian Lillos...............................698Jazz Pedagogy Cour se Out li ne Brian Lillos ..........................701Superv ision of Inst r uct ion Brian Lillos................................721

38 More Infr ast r uct ure:Running a St udent Jazz Fest iv al Sarah Falls ........................723

39 Meet t he Aut hors..................................................................729


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Navigating the Be-boppers Harmonic Galaxy by Brian Lillos 635

The be-boppers harmonic galaxy is based on the Diminished 7th arpeggio. It is the axis

upon which all is built. For this reason, the first thing I do when I look at a new set of

changes is to look for diminished relations. These relations quickly define key centers,

dominant relationships, and significant harmonic movement. In 30 seconds I am able to

gain the necessary insight for improvisation. However, from an educational standpoint, my

30 second perusal took half a life time to learn. Let me try and retrace my some of my

steps. Remember, you are going to have to connect some of the dots. Also remember, if

you move to a new step without understanding the previous one, proceed with caution

because leapfrogging doesnt work for long.

The beginning of my be-bop study started with be-bop scales. These 8 note, rhythmically

symmetrical scales, served many purposes. The first purpose was to my get chord tones on

the beat, which proved to be an essential part of be-bop playing.

The 8 note, rhythmic symmetrical scale, also facilitated back phrasing which is a very

important element of swing and be-bop phrasing.


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The be-bop scale also made harmonic anticipation easy to execute. For example,

But, most importantly, the be-bop scale delivered something harmonic. It sounded the I

chord and the V7 chord at the same time. For me this was particularly significant.

(I had to think of an inverted, rootless D7b9 to make this work.)

The result of discovering that I and V were in the same scale allowed me to, in the initial

stages of improvisation, harmonically generalize large sections of tunes. It allowed me to

create a harmonic reduction analysis, if you will. For example, I made the followingharmonic generalizations in the A section of Loudly, as in an evening Sunset. The original


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When reduced, became

While this cant be considered making the changes, it does allow, through generalization, a

scale to be used which covers the tonality. By using the bop scale built on A-6 the E7b9b13

and the B-7b5 is implied. The A-6 bop scale is as follows:

Another example would be All Dr. Harris Children Got Rhythm. The original progression,

for the A section, was as follows.

My harmonic reduction analysis gave me this:


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As my improvisation became more about melodic inventiveness with one scale, it gave me

the time to concentrate on rhythmic groupings and pronunciation (articulation). The

unreduced harmonic progression paralysed me. I felt I had to micro-manage it. With the

be-boppers reduction analysis I found I was looking ahead for a target that required a new

scale and looking for significant chords that were specific to this tune. This is what is

supposed to happen. And beboppers have a hierarchy of chords. In a major tonality they

believe I, V7, IV, and IV- are important chords. In their world they would assign these

chords bigger size fonts on a lead sheet. Everything else is subordinate to I, V7, IV, and

IV-. Look again at the reduction of All Dr. Harris Children Got Rhythm.

My generalization would put important chords on the beat. Hence, I would be left with the

example mentioned earlier.

When I initially improvised on this tune I would improvise on G major 6 and D7 for four

bars watching carefully for G7 to appear and immediately C major C minor in bar 6. To the

bebopper, G7 is important because it sets up C major. C major is particularly important

because it sets up C minor and C minor is very, very important because it resolves (takes us

back) to G major. Following this type of logic, bars 5 and 6 of All Dr. Harris Children Got

Rhythm are significant. The other 6 bars are G major. To prove my point, I ask that you

please consult the Charlie Parker Omnibook and look at several of his solos on Rhythm

Changes. Pay particular attention to his playing on bar 6 of each A section.


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With the concept of harmonic reduction in mind I started to analyze a great many bop

tunes and jazz standards. I was looking for an abbreviated or more simplified harmonic

progression to which I could apply my bop scales and also any snags or hooks or

significant harmonic movement I needed to negotiate.

One of my first bop tunes after Rhythm Changes was the bop anthem Constipation. The

original chord progression is as follows:


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My harmonic reductions looks like this:

What first startled me when I was improvising on my simplified version of Constipationwas bar 2 and bars 21 through 24. What commonality was I going to find to handle these

two spots in the tune. Bars 1 and 2 share the same diminished 7th. Bars 17 through 20 and

bars 21 through 24 share the same diminished 7th. This is significant because it means the

dominant 7th chords are related. This is where a deeper level understanding the

diminished theory began. If chords share the same diminished arpeggio then they are

related. If they are related then navigation becomes easier.


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For example:

In my initial journeys through the galaxy I was looking for I, V7, IV, and IV- and any

modulations. Later, I started looking for significant harmonic movement that was specific

to certain tunes or what I learned later were tune types. I became interested in

connecting my be-bop scales. (Be-bop is a lot more than just playing the right bop scale

over a chord.) I became interested in moving from one chord to another in a logical and

melodic fashion. I became interested in chord inversions because my instrument has a

limited range. I became interested in voice leading (ways in which to introduce tension and

resolve it logically). I became interested in the way chords moved from one place to

another and why. My first journey of this nature was to look at bars 3 and 4 as well as

bars 7 and 8 of Lovers No More. I learned that the tune actually started on the IVchord, moved to the flat VII7, then to I, then to flat VI7 and then to V7. Melodically, the

tune enjoyed the sound of the tritone. In my improvisation I had the option of playing bop

scales over the aforementioned bars:


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Or using these scales as harmonic anticipation or approaches to targets in my

improvisation:

Or doing the bop thing and looking for the tritone voice lead wherever musically feasible

and doing something like this:


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Later, I became interested in the diatonic and non-diatonic microcosm, the thing I initially

had rejected. I was becoming fascinated with it because I understood chord function and

the hierarchy inherent in be-bop harmony. I had learned these concepts through

understanding diminished relations. Here is what I think and play now: Bella by Barlight.

The further one delves into the be-boppers galaxy, the more one realizes that the

diminished 7th is the axis upon which all is built. The diminished arpeggio gives us 2

tritones, 4 related dominants, and I and V7 in the same scale. Further, secondary

dominants are a semi-tone away, altered can be explained as the tritones minor, and

augmented is diatonic to harmonic minor. For the be-bopper, diminished is the axis upon

which all is built. All the best in your travels through the galaxy.

Here are some solos of mine which I believe are an expansion of Charlie Parkers language:

Try them along with original recordings of Charlie Parker. As well try them against Jamey

Aebersolds Play Along Series. Volume 6, All Bird. You will have to slow down the rhythm

track for Confirmation, and Yardbird Suite however, the Rhythm Changes solo works bestat a fast tempo so track 10 on Volume 6 will suffice. Volume 43, track 4 is acceptible for

the solo on Night in Tunisia but is even better if you can speed up the rhythm track.

Volume 94, Hot House, track 7 is fine for the solo on What is this thing Called Love

however, it may also have to be slowed down.


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Solo on Confirmation:


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Solo on Yardbird Suite:


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Solo on Rhythm Changes


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Solo on Night in Tunisia


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Solo on What Is This Thing Called Love


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Brian Lillos can be reached at www.BrianLillos.com


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Forward (2nd edition)

by Tommy Banks

Pedagogy: A Canadian Perspective is one of the most important Jazz Works ever to

come from Canada. In it, Brian Lillos has captured the essence of "The Community

for Learning" that is so precious to jazz musicians in Canada. The scope of the text,

both in content and authorship, is typical of Brian's exhaustive work, andillustrative of his collaborative and synergistic approach to everything he does. He

is an unique musician; a first-rate player, world-class teacher, scholar,administrator, jazz advocate, and respected visionary in his community. I don't

think theres anybody else in Canada who could have pulled this off.

The contributions to this book are from some of the best minds in music education.The collective experience and wisdom of these authors will, if taken and applied,

benefit every conscientious music educator, as they have over many yearsbenefited me.

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Navigating the Be-Boppers Harmonic Galaxy - Brian Lillos

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