Lesson on Jean Luc Ponty

This lesson is about the playing of Jean Luc Ponty. He was a French violinist who:

• Started off in classical music
• Switched to playing bebop in the 1960s, excelling in this genre
• Produced some of the best bebop violin recordings

After moving to America, he:

• Played fusion and rock music with Frank Zappa
• Worked with the Ma Vishnu Orchestra
• Released a series of solo recordings from the 1970s to the present

Notable Techniques and Riffs

Many Jean Luc Ponty riffs are built around descending three-note motifs. These can be constructed on an arpeggio, and you can hear a lot of these during his:

• King Kong and
• Electric Connection period

Scale Variations

• Here's a scale version.
• Here's another variation.

It was possibly during his tenure with Mahavishnu Orchestra that he was inspired to create this Indian-sounding variation.

Interesting Variations

An interesting variation occurs when he:

• Starts with a conventional scale
• Switches halfway through to a whole tone scale

Here's another whole tone pattern.

Triplet Runs

Ponty often uses long, flowing triplet runs, such as this one.

• Sometimes these triplets repeat in the same place rather than ascending or descending a scale.
• Occasionally, the third note is varied.

Ponty frequently employs these simple repeated patterns as a launch pad for outside notes. For example, by raising the entire sequence by a semitone, you can also apply this to an arpeggio. Instead of returning safely after one of these phrases, you can keep going to infinity and beyond.

Effective Techniques

A very simple but effective Ponty technique is the double E string.

• You can combine this with rhythmic chops and an ascent, which makes for a triumphant end to a solo.

The drone effect can also be achieved by using octaves.

Conclusion

Finally, here's a tune that brings together some mid-70s vintage Ponty licks. It's called Cosmic Voyager.

What fun!