Double Bass Upper structure and practical use

[Chris Fitzgerald]

For example I could tell you my intuition knows which tones are poor choices for binding C7,B7,Bb7,A7. My verbal translation of my intuition would be something like:

Am I in C? Yes But I’m on VofIV which is actually serving as bII of VII which is subbing for IV Try to pick the tones most relevant to C while relecting the harmonic change that is coming by using the common tones (in retrospect) and moving to the tones which are the nearest important tones reflective of the different between the two chords while making sure to construct a melody that is similar to something I have heard and while staying within harmony being also open to the principles of space, rhythmic construction that will allow me to build another structure upon the one I am creating now using the exact same principles but making sure they are slightly different to avoid monotony. This way the phrase will feel larger in scope
Tired?

I'm impressed. My intuition is decidedly monosyllabic, which I suppose makes this sentence an intellectual construct, no?



You honor, I'm just a CAVEMAN...

 

[nypiano]

But you do know one thing though..
monosyllabic is polysyllabic. Which puts the oxy in moron

Back to intuition
for example I just sung this out w/o thinking too much:
2 beats each C7 B7/ Bb7 A7 -=eighth --=quarter
e-g-e-c-d#-b--a-Bb--e-a

My ear told me that I'm getting sentimental over you can be used as a reference because of the similar harmonic situation and that Bb7 is the difficult change because the ear tends to hear E-7b5 or Bb6 rather than Bb7 which makes forcing an Ab although correct sound somewhat unmelodic. My intuition came up with that D#-b up followed by Bb-E down because they are similar intervals that sound good paired in reverse direction. Also the rhythm combination of eighth quarter eighth paired with quarter eighth eighth implies a dotted quarter --really more guided by intuition--perhaps with the idea that when I am looking to create rhythm i go for phrases that use dotted quarter or 3 over 4 by instinct.

 

[brooklynbassguy]

Looking at upper structures, is a static view of different scales. In the end you can play anything over anything if you can hear it. My best advice would be to transcribe the first 4-6 choruses of George Benson's "Billies Bounce" (you find this on many Benson compilations), then learn the solo, take the turnarounds you find interesting and learn those phrases in all 12 keys. You can get Abersol or Music Minus one for a horn player(rhythm section playing) and pratice soloing over a 12 bar blues until you really feel like you hear the changes and form, then try soloing without tracks, and maybe only a metronome. Most important, since it's your pratice room, permit yourself the luxury of sounding like s#%t for awhile. If you let go of the analytical side, and let your ears lead you, I can almost guarentee great results, but it will takes some months, and you won't really be aware as you ear changes. Just check your progress in 3 months time.

 

[nypiano]

My best advice would be to transcribe the first 4-6 choruses of George Benson's "Billies Bounce" (you find this on many Benson compilations), then learn the solo, take the turnarounds you find interesting and learn those phrases in all 12 keys.

I don't think anyone's arguing that transcribing and going for the more natural approach (rather than analytic) will probably produce more melodic results. What I was mentioning was you could incorporate the upper structures ideas like you're taking inventory of your vocabulary but practice in such a way that it is likely you can play them in real time in a real playing situation and have more possibilities for saying different things than you had been prior to starting to practice (eventually). In other words being analytic and systematic about which material you need to add/incorporate but melodic in your execution and practice. There are many ideas that fall outside your natural singing melodic phrasing that you hear other people doing--that can be technical but natural for example a Db arpeggio on a G7 that out does some like Ab^Db*Ab*F^Ab*F*Db etc.

Or For ex if you build a II V- I phrasing pattern that sort runs through the "catalogue" of upper structures on V7.
For example your D-7 start phrase but play different upper structure ideas on G7. You sing them out to test for melodic merit and to get them in your head-making adjustments. For example this one sounds slightly better (^=up, *=down) D^E^F^G^G#*E*B*G#*G than this:
D^F^A^C*B*G#*E*B^D. I'm fighting the G# when I sing the latter.

BTW This was an upper structure VI