Down to It - Chords and Harmony
With
Ollie WestonOllie Weston walks through the chords and harmony of his tune 'Down to It', a four-chord, rock-funk number inspired by Herbie Hancock's 'Cantaloupe Island'.
What's in the course
51 lessons (2h 9m) · 1 free
01. Introduction + leaving town demonstration
Free lesson3:02
02. The Blues Scale
2:48
03. Swing Quavers
1:42
04. Combing the Blues Scale and Swing Quavers
3:57
05. Playing through the Blues form using root notes
1:18
06. Writes Your Own Blues
0:59
07. Leaving Town Blues - Improvise
4:13
08. Improvisation recap
0:49
01. Introduction to Minor 7th Chords
3:32
02. Dorian Scale Workout
1:40
03. Minor 7th Chord Lick
2:22
04. Minor Pentatonic Patterns
3:51
05. Minor Pentatonic Workout
1:52
06. Pentatonic vs Blues Scale
1:59
07. So Far so Good - Introduction
1:09
08. So Far so Good - Head
1:37
09. Minor Chord Extensions
2:45
10. Rhythmic Ideas
2:13
11. So Far so Good - Performance with Solo
3:50
01. Introduction to Modes
6:09
02. Diatonic Modes Exercise
4:04
03. Modes with a Static Root
1:58
04. Modes with Static Root Exercise
1:06
05. Modes with Static Root Recap
0:34
06. Phrase Exercise for Modes
1:07
07. Phrase Exercise for Modes (Demonstration)
1:29
08. Song Examples
1:56
09. First Impresssions - Chords and Harmony
4:06
10. First Impresssions - Performance
4:06
11. First Impresssions - Introduction and Analysis
3:30
Lesson transcript
Music Lesson: "Down to It"
Today, I'd like to play a tune that I call "Down to It," which has a slightly different rhythmic feel compared to our jazz swing tunes that we've played so far.
Historical Context
In the 1960s, jazz musicians were influenced by rock and roll bands like:
- The Beatles
- Rolling Stones
- Jimi Hendrix
These influences transformed jazz composers, leading to a more rock-funk feel in some music.
Key Influencer
One of the key protagonists of this evolution was the legendary keyboard player Herbie Hancock. I've based this tune on his song "Cantaloupe Island."
Structure
The song is based on four chords and four clear sections, which I've marked as:
- A
- B
- C
- D
Chord Progressions
Our central tonality is a D minor 7 chord. You might want to revise your chord to:
- D minor 7 → B flat 7
Then, the C section moves up just a semitone to a B minor 7 chord. This section is quite atmospheric; you'll notice that the groove loosens a little bit there. It's a bit freer and more washy compared to the tight groove of the other sections.
Finally, the D section returns to our home chord:
- D minor 7
Summary of Chords
We have a mix of chords, including:
- Minors
- Seventh type chords
These clear sections enhance the song's structure.
Solo Performance
I've written a four-chorus solo as a starting point for you. Eventually, I encourage you to replace it with your own solo and play ideas that you've developed over the course of the lessons on minor seventh chords and seventh chords.
Performance Sequence
The performance will run as follows:
- Twice through the head
- Four choruses of solo
- Twice through the head
Enjoy playing "Down to It"!
51 lessons
2h 9m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Since graduating from the Leeds College of Music (BA Hons) and the Guildhall School of Music (Post Graduate Diploma in Performance), Ollie has built a busy and varied career in music. As a saxophonist he has performed in live and studio settings with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Tim Minchin, Bonobo, Frank Turner, the London Jazz Orchestra, the Hackney Colliery Band, the Ambient Jazz Ensemble and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He is also the co-leader of the jazz quartet 'Time Is Of The Essence', and composes and arranges material for this and other ensembles.
Ollie is active in music education, currently as course leader for the jazz department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior school), where he runs jazz ensembles, big band and theory classes. He has written a series of 'Exploring Jazz' books for Schott Music that are published worldwide and feature on exam syllabuses in the UK. Ollie has also run workshops for Oxford University, Pro Corda Strings and BABSWE, as well as the Guildhall School of Music summer schools.
In his Exploring Jazz Saxophone courses, Ollie takes you from getting started right through to soloing confidently over songs and chord sequences, building the improvising skills that put a real jazz player's vocabulary at your fingertips.
