Week One

Week 1 Assignment

Song: "Solar" by Miles Davis

Song Details:

  • This song is in C minor and has a 12-bar form but is not a blues.

  • The melody consists of a motif, a repetition of that motif in a different key, a new motif that is quickly repeated, and finally a line that leads back to the beginning of the song.

  • The "home" key of C minor has a major seven in it, which is different from a normal C minor… Think about what scale might work best over that chord.

Assignment:

1. Listen to the song, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wszvzhsHI9U

 
 

2. Learn the melody by ear

3. Listen to a different version of the song and compare the melodic interpretation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXjTxC-HbKY.

 
 

4. Open up the chord chart HERE and follow along as you listen to the song.

5. Try to identify all of the key centers in the song. Hint: key centers are usually preceded by a ii-V.

6. Compare your work to the key centers marked in the file "solar-key-centers.png".

 
solar-key-centers.png
 

7. Practice improvising through each key center, out of time. For example, improvise in the key of F Major over the chords G-7 C7 Fmaj7 in bars 3-6.

8. Set a metronome to a slow bpm and practice improvising through the key centers in time, without a backing track.

9. Now try playing along with the provided backing track.

10. When you feel comfortable playing the melody and improvising through the song, record yourself playing along with the backing track. Take as many takes as you need to. When you're happy with your take, send the recording to your teacher for feedback.

Additional Listening Assignment: "Alice in Wonderland" by the Bill Evans Trio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgwPvFeBRIw). Listen to how the players interact with each other. Choose one instrument to focus on at a time, and pay attention to how they fill space and leave space for their bandmates.

Cameron JenningsComment