The Two, Twenty-Four Stop Cycles
(Some thought-provoking goodies from Bruce Clarke)
Most jazz tunes and improvisational vehicles are based on a surprisingly small number of harmonic frameworks.

By using practice techniques such as whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note Melodic Continuity - over, across and through these frameworks, the creative musician can take positive steps towards mastering the harmonic pathways that run through thousands of tunes.

Let's begin with one much-used progression (a simple four measure II V7 I moving down in whole steps):-

C#m7
F#7
Bmaj7
B6
Bm7
E7
Amaj7
A6
Am7
D7
Gmaj7
G6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

                     
Gm7
C7
Fmaj7
F6
Fm7
Bb7
Ebmaj7
Eb6
Ebm7
Ab7
Dbmaj7
Db6
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

                     
Cm7
F7
Bbmaj7
Bb6
Bbm7
Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab6
Abm7
Db7
Gbmaj7
Gb6
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36

                     
F#m7
B7
Emaj7
E6
Em7
A7
Dmaj7
D6
Dm7
G7
Cmaj7
C6
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48

1 to 14
plus
25 & 26
 is the bridge of 'Cherokee'
   
11 to 19
 provides the bulk of 'How High The Moon'
   
9 to 20
 covers 75% of 'Laura'
   
25 to 32
 are used in the first theme of 'Afternoon In Paris'
   
13 to 23
 (in half time) is used in 'The End Of A Love Affair'
29 to 32
and
45 to 48
provide most of 'Baubles Bangles & Beads' and 'Tea For Two'
 
and
17 to 23
give us the first seven of 'Bebop's' eight bar bridge
   
25 to 31
give us the first seven of 'Boplicity's' eight bar bridge

There are hundreds more -- go through your repertoire and find 'em!

By now you should have a clear idea of where I'm coming from:-

" Thoroughly understand the simple things and the difficult ones will take care of themselves".


In diatonically-based (tonal) music there are only six basic four-part chords:-

(1)
C major7
C,  E,  G,  B

(2)
C minor7
C,  Eb,  G,  Bb
(3)
C dominant 7 (a.k.a. C7)
C,  E,  G,  Bb
(4)
C diminished 7
C,  Eb,  Gb,  A
(5)
C half-diminished (a.k.a. Cm7b5)
C,  Eb,  Gb,  Bb
(6)
Cm (maj7)
C,  Eb,  G,  B


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Mainstream jazz is built upon these six basic chords.

By transposing them into each of our twelve keys it's easy to see 'that mainstream jazz is based upon a seventy two chord system (The augmented 7th and 7b5 are simply two of the thirty three possible variations of the dominant 7th).  No matter how complex the name (eg: C13b9b5) it must be understood as the good old dominant 7th plus some 'colour tones'.  

Interesting insights into how important these fundamental changes to the improvising musician can be gained from our two CD set 'Joe Pass At The Guitar Workshop'.  While Joe and I demonstrate improvisational procedures on How High The Moon, I'm Confessin', I Found A New Baby, and St Louis Blues for one hundred or so students - he is calling out the basic tonal centres that we are working our way through. It's fascinating stuff!

The 2 x 24 stop II-V7-I cycle that we surveyed above is one of a surprisingly small number of harmonic pathways that the bulk of the jazz repertoire travels along.  

At some point in our development, we've all been frustrated by the complexities of the 'Cherokee' bridge or 'Giant Steps' and other seemingly difficult material.  By acquiring the skill 'to see inside the music' and gain a proper overview of these basic structural skeletons, most of the obstacles and mental hang-ups can be eliminated.

The Guitar Workshop's study program lays out hundreds of such 'thought starters' then encourages the journeyman to discover his or her full potential for him (or her) self.  We provide the incentive - the student does the work!

* Today, young, inexperienced players have easy access to sophisticated fake books - books full of wonderful chord progressions -- source materials that circumvent their need to think for themselves.

* The fledgling player has no idea of where these 'altered changes' came from, or why he is using them.  He is rarely (if ever) encouraged to analyse the original (composer approved) sheet music to find out where and how it all began.

* He is usually ill-informed about the wonderful international cavalcade of creative artists: instrumentalists, arrangers and composers who have raised the different aspects of our craft to its present level of sophistication.

In order to keep the record straight, all Guitar Workshop productions promote the idea, that.... If you don't know what you're doing there's no point in doing it!  If the Guitar Workshop line of thinking stimulates your neurons and you'd like further info:-

Contact us direct at guitarworkshop@swiftdsl.com.au

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