byA!

sseCresss

he Ilm-V-l is probably the most comin jazz, but that

mon progression

doesnt stop Mike Stern from putting his own stamp on this ubiquitous demonstrated change, as drawn

by these examples

from his improvisations. way with easy confidence erous modulations, his rock/blues cal approach

While bopping his through treachfrom

Mike often draws

vocabulary-a to jazz standards. straight-ahead

near-hereti-

Ex. 1 features blowing

bop

over a Ilm-V-l in f3/, major. The approaches

pickup into the first measure

*he

solo

voice

1 MONSTERII-Vs

the 5 of the IIm chord, Cm7, via two descending chromatic tones. The rhythmic motif reappears, leading to the 5 of the V7 (F~J and setting the listener up for the return to the I chord (Bbmuj7). (Bbmuj7J. Instead, Stern sustains the V chord, sliding into the twelfth position and stirring up melodic tension with a series of descending chromatic pull-offs. Grab the Fon beat three with your 3rd finger to shift into eleventh position for the Bb major wrap-up. Ex. 1
cm7 F7

The line in Ex. 2 was originally conceived over a Cmmor IIm-V-Im (Dm7/,5-G7-Cm), but it works just as well over its relative major progression (FmPBb 7-Ebmuj7). The motif on beats one and two derive from & Dorian, an outside tonality produced by raising the IIm chord-Fm7 in the major progression-a minor third to&m (which is also a b5 substitute for Dm7/J, the IIm of the minor progression ).The rest of the line Ex.2
]=I60

Dmfb5 Fm7)

G7alt (Bb7alt)

Cm7 I&-W)

8va-------.-.------..---------------------------.-.-------...~---------~--~

Ex. 3
F7alt
J=136

Bbmaj7

Dm7

G7

Cm7 . . . . . .._.____._.___.-.-...-~.-~~----~-.~...

F7alt

Bbmaj7 Cm7 &n...-.-.-------------------.....--.---.----------...-.-.-.,

F7alt

Bbmaj7

42

HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / JAZZ I

MONSTERII-Vs 1 *he

solo

vote-

uses the Eb major scale to create altered-chord dissonances (#5, #9, b9) over the G7chord. Note that only diatonic dissonances (b7,11,9) occur when the phrase is played against Bb 7. In EX 3, the 3 of the tonic Bbmuj7is approached by a short altered-dominant 7#9/b9 lick. We can alsoview these notes as part of the Eb minor scale, which demonstrates a handy chord-substitution technique: To create altered-chord tension over a dominant-7th chord, play from the minor key that lies a whole-step below the dominant chord (in this case, Eb minor against F7). Next, Mike unleashes a series of King-style blues phrases (complete with B.B.s and Alberts signature dee-dab lick) from the sixth- and ninth-position Bb pentatonic minor scales until a high bend to Bb signals a return to bopsville. Llke Ex. 2 (but without the pull-offs), the Dm7-G7-Cm7m bars 2 and 3 takes a chromatic approach to a Db Dorlanbased run. Here, Stem creates tension by playing a half-step above the Cm7 Begin this phrase in the thirteenth position, then shift to twelfth position by playing the Gb on beat two with your 3rd finger. Shift back to thirteenth position on the and of beat three to set up a comfortable fingering for the following boppish Bb major phrase. Stern sticks an Ebm Dorian idea over Cm7and FIbefore returning inside to Bb. The chromatically descending triad arpeggios in Fx. 4 are a Stern trademark. Mike begins inside the Bb tonality but quickly heads out to A, Ab, G, and Gb, with identical fingering for each arpeggio. Midway through bar 3 he alters the shape by raising the lower three notes a halfstep for a Gudd#4 arpeggio, reversing the melodic direction and creating additional tension. The harmony resolves with four ascending diatonic 7th arpeggios.

Ex. 4

I
L

I
I I

I
I I

I
I I

Ex 5 (next page) is a 16-bar chord-melody chorus. In the two-bar pickup Mike doubles up the underlying chord changes (F#m7-B7-Fm77in place of the original Fm7-Bb 7). Stern then assumes a minimalist single-note stance before introducing two- and three-note voicings over a series of descending IIm-Vs. Arriving at Fm7, he ascends to the V chord with alternating & and Bb major triads. Once there, he fleshes out the chords with a fourth voice and resolves to Eb, using quartal 6/9 chords. In bar 10 Mike sets up a triplet-based rhythmic motif that extends over the IIm-V (Dm7-G7J into C,with three-note voicings moving beneath a Cpedal tone. A CU9voiced in fourths and fifths precedes syncopated diminished chord punctuations. A pair of IIm-Vs (Gm7-C7and Fm7-Bb 7) leads us to expect the tonic Eb, but Mike substitutes a lush, open-voiced Es/9 that spans more than three octaves with lovely results. I
Bb

JAZZ /

HOWTO PldY GUITAR

43

the
Ex. 5
J=l60 standal change substttutms

solo

votcle

1 MONSTERIl=Vs

1: Fm7 F#m7 B7

Bb7
Fm7 Bbf

Ebmai7 .

G7/D

Cm7

Cm7/G

F7iA Am7

Ab7 D7

Gm7

C7#9 Ab

Fm7 Bb Ab

Bb7 Bb

Ebmaj7 Bb13sus4 Eb6/9 Ebmajl3

Bbm7 Bbm9

Eb7 Eb13b9

Abmaj7

Dm7 D7#9

46

G7 G7sus4

Cmaj7 C6/9

F7 F7b9

F#dim7

Gm7

Fm7 Bbl3sus4

lBb7#5#9

Bb7

Eb6 E6/9

Fm7

Bb7 Ebmaj7

*orE13

44

HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / JAZZ