First Impresssions - Introduction and Analysis
Lesson time: (3min 30sec)
Ollie Weston introduces 'First Impression', a modal AABA tune, and walks through the chords and scales behind it - from D major seven into D7 and the Mixolydian mode.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Exploring Jazz Saxophone: Part 1 - Getting Started
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Introduction to "First Impression"
So I'm going to play a tune with you now called First Impression, which is a modal type tune. It features some of the chords and scales that we've introduced in this chapter on modes.
Structure of the Tune
- It's another AABA tune.
- The 32-bar form definitely has a place in modal jazz.
Chords and Scales
I'll just kind of show you some of the chords and scales that will be useful to play in this:
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D Major Seven Chords:
- This should be quite familiar with these chord tones.
-
Transition to D7:
- I then change the D to a D7.
- There's really only one note changing, but I want to find a Mixolydian mode or a flattened seventh to my D.
- So I'm actually just going to play a D Mixolydian scale here.
-
B Flat Lydian Chord:
- Next, I move down to a B flat Lydian chord.
- A B flat major 7 sharp 11, which would be a bit of a mouthful to say.
- The chord tones are so major seven, but on the top, I'm going to have a sharpened 11.
- So in this case, a sharpened 4th: B, C, D.
- Instead of E flat, I'm going to have an E natural on the top of my B flat major 7 sharp 11 chord.
-
Resolution:
- Then I'm resolving back to a D major 7.
- So that's the A sections.
The Bridge
In the bridge, I'm just moving between:
- An E minor 7 chord with these chord tones.
- I would think to use a Dorian scale there because of my overall tonality of D major.
- I think the Dorian fits really nicely as the second mode of D major.
Surprising Chord Change
Next, I'm going down a semitone to another major 7 sharp 11 chord. This time, it's a Lydian chord: E flat, but with a sharpened 11.
- So again, E flat, F, G.
- Instead of a normal A flat, I want an A natural on the top.
Then those two chords repeat in the bridge.
Conclusion
Finally, we're back to the last A section, which we've already looked at.
I'm going to play a performance of First Impression. There's no written solo this time, so I'm going to improvise a solo for two choruses.
- I'll play one head at the start,
- Followed by two choruses of solo,
- And finish with a head.
About the instructor
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. read more