Oleo

[EliMarcusBass]

Hey everyone,
I was taking a look at the Oleo chart and I was wondering what was your guys' take on soloing over the chord progressions? Theres about 2 per bar and they go by fast and though many are diatonic, i have been trying to find the best approach for soloing through the choruses. What are your takes on Oleo soloing?

[Jazzin']

Yes, the chords are pretty much all diatonic to Bb7. But it's always good to solo (espeically as a bass player) outlining the changes as well.

[EliMarcusBass]

I completely agree with outlining the chord changes however they go by so fast that it makes it pretty tough to do so. I found that soloing in Bb7 doesn't sound too bad but it just doesn't feel completely right to me as though it's missing something. Any other ideas?

[geoffkhan]

Follow the overall shape of the chord progression. I can play Bb blues over the entire [A] section of Oleo, and it works. Try to see the music in larger portions at a time, rather than focusing on each chord as it goes by.

Of course, you should be practiced enough so that you can cut the changes. But this is more like being able to build phrases over the changes.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Well, if you want to do some analysis - the thing to do is look for which notes change and which notes stay the same, as the chords change.

This allows you to either emphasise the change, by maybe playing the one note that signposts this - or if you want to construct a more melodic phrase, then you could choose from a "pool" of notes that stay the same over a few chord changes.

Typically you could start by emphasising chages then try to build smoother phrases that make use of notes common to several chords.

Or just use combinations of both approaches.

Or just listen, get the chord sequence/melody in your head and play what "feels" right!

[Wil Davis]

Think "Rhythm Changes"…

- Wil

[geoffkhan]

Originally Posted by Wil Davis

Think "Rhythm Changes"…

- Wil

+1