I Need Help with Chord Progressions
 

Good day to anyone reading,

I have a quick question before I attempt to improvise over a solo section in a piece of music i'm performing at a jazz concert tonight. FYI, I am a trombonist.

The most common chord in the piece is G7 which traditionally has G,B,D,F as the 1st 3rd 5th and 7th. HOWEVER, the pianist in the group is playing B flat instead of B natural and I don't know why. Is this some kind of variation, and if so, what scale does it use? I'm thinking G minor but that doesn't sound right, and it would be G MAJOR, but the B flat is screwing that idea up too!

Any comments appreciated.
Thanks

E minor

E minor?

I would post a pic of the solo section but it's not letting me. It's basically just your standard jazz improv sheet in music with G7 Above most the measures. Also has C7, A7, and D7(#5)

The pianist is throwing a minor third at you so yeah

Don’t **** around with G major you’ll sound weak

What should I do instead?

Here's the picture by the way

Those are the chords the pianist will be playing while you improvise on top of it and you’re asking what scale to use?

Yes, I apologize for any of my ignorance on this topic. While I have been playing jazz for a few years now, I am still very new to improvising and music theory in general. This piece tonight is also considered to be our hit, so I just want to do it right.

But yes, if you could tell me what scale would be good, as well as any tips for it, I would appreciate that a lot.

I mean, I think e minor with a lot of accidentals would sound hot but it’s up to you

I don’t think there’s a definite right or wrong answer

Okay, I'll probably just try warming up to the backtrack of the song with that then and see how it goes. If your curious and/or could provide more info if you heard the song, you can search "Arnge Drank" on youtube. First thing that comes up is it. Solo section starts at 1:25

the playa got played

points for elaborate spam though

Both these soloists suck the dong. If there’s time maybe ask your music director or conductor but whatever you do don’t pussy foot it like those bitches

Make it count

lmao at least I can tell ya that the few times we rehearsed mine were definitely not that bad. Thanks for the help lol.

hang around and post in some other threads

Good luck tonight

Depending on the tempo, and the direction of ascending or descending notes, you can safely and freely just move around in the chord accordingly, either accenting or underlining the other instruments. If you want to write OVER and UP, that sounds big-band/ska like with descending notes when played with faster sections, and with ascending notes it raises the tension for a chord progression, usually leading to solos and/or fills but could be used to kind of weave in and out as a sort of alternative melodic line. If you write DOWN and UNDER the other instruments, in ascending notes with harmonic resonance in rhythm it can make a really cool kinda flashy, shimmery effect again, depending upon tempo. With slower tempo it'll sound more like the notes are dancing around each other, because in a sense that's what they are doing. If you were to write down and under with descending notes, you'd be scooping your instrument out to create harmonic dissonance, the opposite of harmonic resonance, which can have a really interesting effect on the rhythm section. If you want to do both you can, but you'll be all over the place and the actual writing process will be much more laborious and challenging.

I did thing using C and F as root and then some variants running up and down the fret board last night. I was thinking the OP just wanted to spam his tune though. Maybe not. *shrugs*

Emin... lol

It’s the relative minor....

Play it or any variation of it over that section and let me know what you think.

Derp. Play an Emin over the section the OP was referring to. He even posted the video and the time to play it.

How’d it go OP?

So, I guess you're just not gonna go ahead and do that then.

I’m not a musician

Playing a Gmaj 7th chord progression OVER an Em is very different from playing an Em over a B-flat, which is what the OP was asking for help on.

Seems like you just did a quick Google search and picked something, and I'm just trying to see out how far down the rabbit hole you were prepared to go with this, since I have no clue either. I just play by ear.

In fairness I know what a relative minor is and I also think letting the band changes create the dissonance and resolution would make for a more interesting solo than just floating around the scales on the root notes.

Me too

so if the e minor is going to resolve when the pianist returns to G7 isn’t he doing his job as a soloist making the music more dynamic by creating tension and resolution?

and doesn’t he have to distance himself harmonically from rest of the band to force the attention to the soloist?

I can’t play it but when I imagine how it would sound I’m thinking it might have a Sun Ra type of quality

It's not going to resolve, it's going to clash sonically on the B-flat, which is his entire reason for this post. 'What should he play over the B-flat?'.

Showcasing is all this really boils down to, and there's no right or wrong answer, it all depends on how ballsy the kid is. Should he 'wow' em with the Hawk off-the-cuff method of dissonance, or play to and for the tune.

Obviously, 'wow' em with the Hawk off-the-cuff method of dissonance.

And of course give you full credit.

He walks up to the podium after the song ends:

"Ladies, gentlemen, parents of the ensemble... I just wanted to let you know that the Em played over the B-flat during my solo was not the work of my own, but was selflessly given to me by a warm, endearing stranger I happened to have made the acquaintance of on an internet music forum. His name, which I'll reveal to you shortly, doesn't matter. All that matters is that this man, nay, this God in human form magnanimously gave of himself with such abandon, such benevolence and disregard for self, that Ghandi himself blushed thusly and heretofore claimed himself unworthy. This act of chivalry and humanitarianism could only be the work of such a creature that all who are cast amongst his gaze can only be consecrated in such a way as it is in life as it is in death, to beholden their own mortality to which all the creatures of this and all universes hold true to themselves. This entity I speak of... his appellation, his designation... he is... the one they call...

OH"

amirite?

Church

Can ah get an Aye Mayan