Help on "Spain"

[Nivaca]

Hi! I've been having trouble when soloing on Chick Corea's "Spain". I think I'm basically on D, but ocasionally on Bm.

Can you advise me on what scales may I use for soloing in that tune?
Thanks!!!
Nivaca

[Bruce Lindfield]

Play the chords is a good start!

[Sam Sherry]

"Spain" has many shifting tonal centers. As Bruce notes, just becoming intimate with the full chordal structure of the piece is critical. Slow it down. Arpeggiate each chord (through several octaves if you can). Work it out on piano or guitar. Play along with the record(s). Punch line is you gotta hear it to play it.

And with that in mind: IMR the first three chords of the blowing are Gmaj7, F#7 and E-7. D major and B minor are unlikely to cover all that ground for most folks.

The original recording is a timeless example of deep, joyous jazz and a graduate lesson in double-bass playing from 20-year-old Stanley Clarke. Good luck and have fun.

[Nivaca]

Thanks to both of you.
I comp the tune without problem. Mi dificulty arises when soloing. There are two parts of the harmony on which I'm at a loss when it comes to scale-choice:

1) The first F7 part
2) The Db7 | F7 | Bm part

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

The original recording is a timeless example of deep, joyous jazz and a graduate lesson in double-bass playing from 20-year-old Stanley Clarke.

20 years old. My God. I never knew that until just now.

Yikes.

Humbled yet again.

[fingers]

One approach I use when I teach soloing is to pick notes of significance for each change and then 'connect the dots'.

Ex
GM7 - pick a note preferably not the root. Let's choose B. The major scale, the bebop scale, or the lydian mode are a few choices. The next chord is F#7. Let's choose E from that chord. Use the afore mentioned scales to connect B to E. It gets more complicated if you want to stretch solo lines over the barlines but that is the basic approach. The next trick is to think of phrasing. That's lesson 2.

WAY oversimplified, I know. I hope that makes sense. It doesn't translate as well in writing as face to face but that is the gist.

[Damon Rondeau]

I hope this doesn't sound too smart*ss but here it is anyway, I mean it helpfully: if a) you've opened up the harmony and done all the arpeggios and are really hearing the whole harmony of the tune; and b) you play the tune in your mind, away from the bass, and you're not hearing and singing solo parts in your head, even just a few notes; then, c) don't play anything -- you're not hearing it yet.

My problem is the exact opposite -- I have quite a lot of ideas, cliche ideas mostly, but my problem is to figure a way to play them in real time.

[Sam Sherry]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

20 years old. My God. I never knew that until just now. Yikes. Humbled yet again.

I take it back. Stan was 21 when he recorded Light As A Feather.

Yikes indeed!

[justabass]

Learn the melody inside and out as well...You'll be surprised at what will leap out at you.

[PlanetEarth]

Originally Posted by Nivaca

Hi! I've been having trouble when soloing on Chick Corea's "Spain". I think I'm basically on D, but ocasionally on Bm.

Can you advise me on what scales may I use for soloing in that tune?
Thanks!!!
Nivaca

When you put your bass down and *scat* the solo you want to play..... Use that scale...

[Marcus Johnson]

[fingers]

I prefer interpretive dance

[Treyzer]

A beautiful Concerto by Rodrigo (sp); Wonderful Gil Evans & Miles Davis recordings and of course Chicks version....Wow Stanley was only 21!!!! I think Stanley created a whole new subgenre of Samba playing (don't try this at home)

It is a tune that takes time and energy but will yield great results. Mr Sherry has some great advice

See Ya

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by PlanetEarth

When you put your bass down and *scat* the solo you want to play..... Use that scale...

I think you're about 18 months too late with that advice!!

[PlanetEarth]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I think you're about 18 months too late with that advice!!

HAHA!!! So I am.... lol! Just noticed the post date....

[chris dammann]

uh play the song. play your bass. what makes you happy? f!!!! spain. what does it take for YOU to play spain?

[nypiano]

Originally Posted by Nivaca

Thanks to both of you.
I comp the tune without problem. Mi dificulty arises when soloing. There are two parts of the harmony on which I'm at a loss when it comes to scale-choice:

1) The first F7 part
2) The Db7 | F7 | Bm part

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I probably helps to understand it in your head functionally so that you are not thinking of chords in isolation. Chick uses both alt dom and 1/2 whole dim on his dominants generally -which is what you might term the difficult parts.

But all the complexities aside you need to approach solos motivically and rhythmically-- especially this tune which is a very fast samba. And you have to make that happen within the confines of your particular technique on the bass. Attached jpg on the first 4 bars uses some rhythmic punchy stuff with a little 5/16 scale poly (I'm using a 16 note appraisal rather than fast eighths here which would make them 5/8) I think the polyrhythmic scales are sort of fusiony which is the style you might want.

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by nypiano

Attached jpg on the first 4 bars uses some rhythmic punchy stuff with a little 5/16 scale poly (I'm using a 16 note appraisal rather than fast eighths here which would make them 5/8) I think the polyrhythmic scales are sort of fusiony which is the style you might want.

Where are the quarter notes?

[nypiano]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Where are the quarter notes?

meaning?

[Bruce Lindfield]

If it aint got that swing......