BS: Miles Davis contribution to music

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 May 02 - 05:38 PM

The emphasis in jazz had been to use a song, with a circle of fourths type chord progression, and a 12 or 16 measure phrase as the basic structure--with the advent of Be-Bop, the rhythmic/melodic phrase became more important, and the solo possibilities opened up--the thing was that the circle of fourths chordal structure, and the movement from tonic to dominant tended to dictate too much where the soloist could go--"modal" allowed the soloist to use a single chord(or short pattern of inversions and substitution chords) as the basis, and to extend it or play against it with a variety of modes or altered scales--the soloist also had the option of playing phrases of almost any length--

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:08 PM

There is a whole thread, Modes for Mudcatters, which goes into this in gory detail. Miles Davis was a hell of a lot more than just a modalist.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 May 02 - 11:10 AM

I wasnt implying an atonal 12-note approach.I was suggesting that "what are the chords for Fields of Athenry" implies an approach where a tune has a given agreed harmonic structure. That assumption bound together early jazz performances, where the harmonic structure, shared by all the musicians playing together, determined how each musician improvised, and so held the performance together. Miles Davis in later years got away from this, favouring a more Eastern or "monodic folk" approach where the mode or scale dominated the thinking. This givesyou a freedom to construct melodic phrases in quite a different way, as you are not constrained by feeling " everything I play in this bar has got to fit with a C7 chord".

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: Pied Piper
Date: 30 May 02 - 09:22 AM

I love Miles Davis's stuff. for me its the clarity, controle and emotionality. Check out "Sketches of Spain". All the best PP.

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 02 - 07:57 AM

...someone tried to explain it to me as such: improvisation built on chords would be playing those notes in the key you're playing in - but improvisation built on scales would be like playing the notes of another key...for example if the melody is in the key of C, and your improvisational solo is in the key of F#. Yes...No...Maybe???

greg stephens' post infers an atonal, twelve-note approach...not playing in any key at all?

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 May 02 - 06:12 AM

I think the difference could be explained in Mudcat terms. A number of people send in queries along the lines of "I've heard this wonderful song called Fields of Athenry. Could someone please tell me the chords?" Basically, Miles Davis (in his latter years at least) would have been unlikely to make such a posting.

Subject: RE: BS: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: fogie
Date: 30 May 02 - 06:05 AM

Well Im not any sort of expert but I think they call the difference playing horizontally /melodically, for chordal improvisation, and vertically for modal /scales, So say you are playing an instrument where you could set the notes for example a sitar, you could play melodically around the melody lines and chords involved, or as one does in Klezmer, pick scales that dont correspond to our western scale , for instance one with an F# and a Bb, and also then play around the modalities. Ionian phrygian dorian myxolydian aeolian lochrian, and any others Ive forgotten. I must admit I am intrigued by the various modalities and Klezmer type scales but although I recognise Miles' cleverness that type of improvisation leaves me generally cold.

Subject: Miles Davis contribution to music
From: GUEST
Date: 29 May 02 - 11:10 AM

May 26 Miles Davis would have been 75. Around here, the radio stations have been airing tributes to him the last few days.

One particular program mentioned that Miles' significant contribution to music was that he shifted the musical focus of improvisations from those based on chords to those based on scales or modes.

To the ear the shift is noticeable and markedly pronounced...but perhaps some music theorists could expound on and explain the differences between solos built around chords and those built around scales, for our edification.

Thread drift, cross-threading, and any other comments, observations, or silly statements are welcome as well.

Thanks in advance.