Take the Express Train - Introduction
Lesson time: (1min 28sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Exploring Jazz Saxophone: Part 2 - Soloing on Songs and Chord Sequences
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Take the Express Train: Lesson Overview
AABA Structure
- The tune follows an AABA structure.
Chord Analysis
- I've included a seventh chord on chord two.
- You will notice a B7 that we discussed in a previous lesson.
- This II7 chord is sometimes referred to as a secondary dominant in classical music.
Harmony Insights
- The secondary dominant supports the harmony, preventing a premature return to the tonic chord.
Turnaround Language
- In the first time bar, there's a 3-6-251 progression.
Bridge Modulation
- The bridge modulates to chord four, which we haven't examined yet.
- After a modulation to the relative minor, moving to chord four is a common harmonic device.
- Notice how the music transitions from being in A to centering around chord D.
Chord Suggestions
- In my second time bar, I've employed an A7 chord instead of a major chord.
- The A7 lands nicely in D.
Additional Resources
- Check out the head of Take the Express Train.
- Review the chart with the guide tones, which will help you digest the harmony more comfortably for this tune.
Final Note
- So, here's the head of Take the Express Train.
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