Ballads - Introduction
With
Ollie Weston
What's in the course
47 lessons (1h 47m) · 1 free
01. The V-I 'Perfect' cadence
3:28
02. Dominant 7 - Cycle of 5ths exercise
1:24
03. Dominant 7 - Cycle of 5ths using 3rs and 7ths
2:16
04. Rhythmic variations using 3rds and 7ths
2:02
05. "Rhythm Changes" using Dominant 7ths and Cycle of 5ths
1:08
06. The II-V-I progression
1:20
07. II-V-I licks in the style of Parker, Coltrane, Adderley
Free lesson4:15
08. Dancing With Duke (II-V-I exercise) - Introduction
1:15
09. Dancing With Duke (II-V-I exercise) - Performance
4:38
10. II-V-I progression conclusion
0:42
01. Finding the relative minor
1:41
02. Using the Harmonic Minor over the V chord
1:15
03. V-I in A Minor with a b9
4:38
04. Minor V-I in all 12 keys exercise
1:43
05. Phrase for practising minor cadences
1:17
06. Minor II-V-I in a chord sequence
5:04
07. Adding the II chord
1:20
08. Autumn Sun - Introduction and Harmony
3:03
09. Autumn Sun Performance
4:44
01. Introduction to Standards
0:52
02. Among the Stars Introduction
3:54
03. Among the Stars Performance
4:23
04. Undying Love - Expanding a chord sequence
4:42
05. Undying Love - Performance
1:12
06. Undying love - Checkpoint
0:47
07. Take the Express Train - The Turnaround
3:21
08. Melodic line examples for turnarounds
1:22
09. Take the Express Train - Introduction
1:28
10. Take the Express Train - Performance
1:12
11. Take The Express Train - Summary
0:39
01. Introduction to Bebop
1:04
02. 52nd Street Blues - Introduction and Head
0:29
03. 52nd Street Blues - Head using I-IV-V progression
0:45
04. 52nd Street Blues - Adding Chromaticism
2:53
05. Adding Jazz Harmony to the Blues
2:39
06. 52nd Street Blues - Head with II-V-I changes
1:05
07. 52nd Street Blues - Performance
3:01
Lesson transcript
Exploring the Ballad in Jazz
So I'd now like to play with you a ballad, which is an area of jazz that we haven't yet talked about.
The Essence of a Ballad
The ballad is a real treat for a saxophone player. Here's what makes it special:
- Slow, Beautiful Songs: You have the opportunity to explore the expressive side of the instrument and of your personality.
- Structure and Harmony: While the structures and harmonies of the songs are the same, it's a chance to play at a slow tempo.
- Evoking Emotion: You can really try to evoke whatever mood and character you're after.
Masters of the Ballad
All the great saxophonists were fabulous ballad players as well. If you listen to:
- Coltrane
- Parker
- Sonny Rollins
You'll find that much as they could absolutely blaze through the fast tempos, they could really touch your soul with their ballad playing.
"Sleepless Eyes"
I've written this tune, Sleepless Eyes, which is inspired by You Don't Know What Love Is, a very famous, very sad minor ballad tune.
Structure of the Tune
- Familiar Framework: It has a very familiar structure, AABA, based around D minor.
- Bridge: There's a big lift in the bridge to the relative major, giving you a sense of optimism amidst the sadness of the song.
Solo Expectations
Traditionally, in ballads, you wouldn't take 2, 3, or 4 chorus solos. Because of the tempos, the tunes take much longer.
- Format: So there's just one chorus of solo here, one head in, one head out.
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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.
