which arps best to learn?

ThomasGtar

i'll never play another major7 chord in my life. playing maj7 notes seperately sounds much better 2me. i've been playing for a long time and every time i hear maj7 chord strummed or plucked together my distaste for it gets stronger.

SomeDude

Ha! I guess I stand corrected on that one.

Jazzaferri

How can anyone hate a chord ...... I do not understand.

It's like hating letters of the alphabet or a word perhaps.
:shock:

klaatu

Jazzaferri wrote:

How can anyone hate a chord ...... I do not understand.

It's like hating letters of the alphabet or a word perhaps.
:shock:

What about "yeast infection?" OK, technically that's two words, but it's pretty hateful nonetheless.

dennis

totally forgot about this thready, sorry!

1. i'm planning on getting all 4 of your dvds. Do they show you pretty much all you need 2 know for improvising in this style?

Well, in my opinion yes. I talk about everything that has to do with the tradition of the style from A to Z.. At least I hope I do


-also i'm ordering an AJL guitar model jazz. what's your opinion of this guitar?

I personally like it better than his 503 model, it has a very nice high end sound... If I didn't play the XOs, I'd probably play a jazz..

you transcribed a book of Rosenberg trio songs. are they note for note in tab? also i will buy this book but have no idea which albums the songs you transcribed are on. can u tell me which albums 2get so i can buy them and your transcribed book? thanks! Tom

sorry that book was limited edition and is no longer available!

ThomasGtar

thanks Dennis! was looking forward to your reply. I will buy your dvds and model jazz. i have talked to Ari......seems like great guy. thanks again!

klaatu

ThomasGtar wrote:

thanks Dennis! was looking forward to your reply. I will buy your dvds and model jazz. i have talked to Ari......seems like great guy. thanks again!

Excellent choice on the DVDs, and yes Ari is a great guy who builds fantastic guitars. You can't go wrong with either purchase.

billyshakes

Resurrecting this thread as I've been working through some of these arpeggios and was digging through the archive. I had the same question on maj7. When/where to use it? I like the sound of a maj7 chord, but to my ears it has more of a bebop jazz sound rather than a gypsy jazz sound. So, I was shying away from focusing on that arpeggio to begin with. Now I'm getting around to it and wonder if others could explain how they use the maj7 sound in their playing. To me, that maj7 note just seems like a pickup or leading note to resolve to the chord root. It is just like the half-tone approach ornament.

@dennis says:

maj7 works over the major chords, and also over the minor chords and even dominant chords if you're careful.. Cmaj7 over Am... Cmaj7 can also work over D7 if the D7 resolves to G major...

So the Cmaj7 (CEGB) over Am (ACE) is giving Am9 w/o the root? Since the 9 sound is prevalent, I could see how that is useful.

Cmaj7 over D7 (DF#AC) seems a bit more "colorful" as it has a 9, 11, and 13 on the D7? Since you aren't playing the m3rd (F#), then maybe you get a sort of sus chord? Maybe that was the "if you are careful" reference? I can also see how if that D7 goes to G, then you already have that G chord tone in there.

Are there any examples of licks or particular songs any of you would recommend to listen to where a maj7 is used in the context of the song, either over a major chord, minor chord, or even the dominant situation above? Is it ever more than an ornament, such that it is a landing target for a lick, etc? Thanks!

bbwood_98

@billyshakes

while not specific examples - here are some rather random thoughts on this:

Maj7 works great on 6/9 chords, and to avoid the ornimental charater of the 7th, I often play the following (maj9 arp) 7,9,R,3rd, 5 repeat and octave above, resolve by 7,9,1 or any surround of a note in the chord or landing point (9, #11, whatever).

Maj7 over dom: more to say here, first - yes, colors, but they are so diatonic. once you've used this you can sequence - I would try the following and let's stay in D7 to G7: (eigthnotes, starting on the and of 1, and presuming 4 beats per chord) (up) C, E, G, B, C, E, G, (down) A, G#, E, C#, A, G#, F#, G. Now we are talking less diatonic colors (b9, #4 - altered scale stuff). basically running up a C maj7 over the D7, and down an A maj7 over the G7, resolving with a surround of the G note.

In my mind; the major 7 with surrounds is super useful, and with training can be exited at any point to any note. You hear a lot of this in the surround patterns of gypsy jazz (a la wrembel's book).

Good luck!

Also - it might be worth to check out some horn players for inspiration here - Garzone, Joshua Redman, James Carter - superimposing triads/chords over other chords.

ChristopheCarington

@billyshakes I'd recommend sticking with triads, then letting your ears/fingers guide ornaments to find the color tones you like. A particularly good exercise I'd recommend stealing from Adrian Moinard: https://www.soundslice.com/slices/wvbVc/

For the Maj7 sound specifically, I do love the sound of a Maj7 shifted up by a minor 3rd over a minor 1 chord. So if you're in Am, you play a Cmaj7, which gives you a Am9 sound. But that's more a fusion/modern sound not Gypsy Jazz.

From the handful of Django solo's I've learned, it seems the most common place for a Maj7 in his style is on the 4 chord. The Maj7 is the root chord's 3rd, so it fits nicely. Django also accentuates the Maj7 if he's about to follow it with a Minor/Maj7 chord (think I'll see you in my dreams).

You don't need the underlying chords to go M4 to m4 like I'll see you in my dreams, you can just superimpose the Maj7 then the Minor/Maj7 for that "homesick" sound.

You can hear Maj7 sound all over, but it's much more a passing tone (even if it's the highest note played). Phrases are usually ended on 6th, 3rds, 5ths to keep things flowing. Practicing Maj7 arps isn't bad, but you play what you practice... and to me Maj7 just doesn't sound like Gypsy Jazz.

Good luck!