Some of my favorite Herbie playing is on classic Wayne Shorter albums like Speak No Evil or The All Seeing Eye. Herbie and Wayne have a long history playing together and I knew that I wanted to transcribe Herbie on a Shorter tune. Aside from that, I also wanted to take on something in triple meter. On this solo I was more concerned with the rhythms than the actual notes. Herbie's ideas are so rhythmically strong and his swing feels is so relaxed but still full of energy. He also slips in some nice 16th note runs and triplet tricks. In addition to a great piano solo, it was a really nice tune to check out!
Monday, June 27, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Riot - Herbie Hancock Transcription Project (Part 2)
Herrbie Hancock's solo on "Riot" from Speak Like a Child (1968) was the first solo I choose to transcribe and I was immediately drawn to the agitated vibe as well the spontaneous feeling of Herbie's playing. When discussing the album on the original liner notes Herbie says, "the harmonies in these numbers are freer in the sense that they're not so easily identifiable chordally in the conventional way. I'm more concerned with sounds than chords, and so I voice the harmonies to provide a wider spectrum of colors that can be contained within the traditional chord progression". It was also interesting to check out Miles Davis' recording on Nefertiti (with Herbie on piano) and Robert Glasper's version on Canvas.
A couple of notes:
1. Motivic Development- As I mentioned in my last post, Herbie is a master of taking a motive and letting grow and this solo is no exception.This seems especially true for the Emi(b6) chord and almost everything he plays over the chord is some sort of repeated idea (i.e. mm. 81-89). Aside from given a sense of cohesion and unity to Herbie's phrases, it is also a way to build up the energy of a solo. An excellent example is the three-note motive Herbie begins to plays over the Emi(b6) chord in mm 21. Herbie and seamlessly flows s into the F#7 as he begins to ascend with the motive before falling back down, giving the entire phrase a nice arc.
4. 4ths voicings - Herbie intermittently uses 4ths voicings in his left hand and occasionally moves the voicing around chromatically as in mm. 100-113 and mm. 171-179. Herbie's approach to left hand planing in this solo comparable to McCoy Tyner's style but the technique is used less exclusively than McCoy on something like Passion Dance. Overall, Herbie achieves a nice balance between 4ths voicings and voicings that highlight the chord more extensively.
5. An interesting aspect of this track is the interplay between Herbie and the horns starting at 2:36. He does a great job playing off of the background figures to enhance his solo and to build up to a high point at 3:08 before continuing with his solo.
6. After coming out of the horn sendoff at 3:08, Herbie begins soloing over a new set of chords and I'll admit that I was having a hard time conclusively discerning the changes. The chords notated in my transcription are educated guesses based on Herbie's left hand voicings and also by listening to Ron Carter's bass lines. I also used the alternate takes as references because Ron Carter is clearer about highlighting the root in those versions. This was also a difficutly I faced while transcribing the head arrangement from the album. With that in mind it was instructive and comforting to read Herbie's comments from liner notes that I posted above.
A couple of notes:
1. Motivic Development- As I mentioned in my last post, Herbie is a master of taking a motive and letting grow and this solo is no exception.This seems especially true for the Emi(b6) chord and almost everything he plays over the chord is some sort of repeated idea (i.e. mm. 81-89). Aside from given a sense of cohesion and unity to Herbie's phrases, it is also a way to build up the energy of a solo. An excellent example is the three-note motive Herbie begins to plays over the Emi(b6) chord in mm 21. Herbie and seamlessly flows s into the F#7 as he begins to ascend with the motive before falling back down, giving the entire phrase a nice arc.
Additionally, several times throughout the solo Herbie repeats a rhtymic motive to create a hemiola-like effect and to build tension/interest.
Another way Herbie adds interest is by using chromatic patterns or motives that are not necessarily meant to reflect a particular the scale. This is most apparent at the end of the solo from measure 170-179 and with the undulating figures at the very end of the solo.
2. Use of the diminished scale- Over the F#7 (b9#11) Herbie relies heavily on the diminished scale (half step/whole step). In mm. 154-160 he uses ascending minor thirds mostly built from that scale.
3. Mi (b6) chord- Right from start, one of the most interesting aspects of this tune is the mi (b6) chord which plays a large part in creating the dark atmosphere of the tune. Herbie commonly voices the Emi(b6) as G-C-F#, and sometimes throws in a B for an added crunch. Additionally, in his right hand lanes, Herbie regularly emphasizes the C natural.
4. 4ths voicings - Herbie intermittently uses 4ths voicings in his left hand and occasionally moves the voicing around chromatically as in mm. 100-113 and mm. 171-179. Herbie's approach to left hand planing in this solo comparable to McCoy Tyner's style but the technique is used less exclusively than McCoy on something like Passion Dance. Overall, Herbie achieves a nice balance between 4ths voicings and voicings that highlight the chord more extensively.
5. An interesting aspect of this track is the interplay between Herbie and the horns starting at 2:36. He does a great job playing off of the background figures to enhance his solo and to build up to a high point at 3:08 before continuing with his solo.
6. After coming out of the horn sendoff at 3:08, Herbie begins soloing over a new set of chords and I'll admit that I was having a hard time conclusively discerning the changes. The chords notated in my transcription are educated guesses based on Herbie's left hand voicings and also by listening to Ron Carter's bass lines. I also used the alternate takes as references because Ron Carter is clearer about highlighting the root in those versions. This was also a difficutly I faced while transcribing the head arrangement from the album. With that in mind it was instructive and comforting to read Herbie's comments from liner notes that I posted above.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Oliloqui Valley - Herbie Hancock Transcription Project (Part 1)
Here is the first installment in the set of Herbie Hancock transcriptions that I completed this spring:
Oliloqui Valley from the 1964 album Empyrean Isles has always been one of my favorite Herbie Hancock compositions so it seemed like a good place to start. It's definitely not one of his flashiest solos but I was drawn to the great medium tempo feel as well as the cool and mysterious vibe of the tune. Also, the band members feel especially tuned in to each other especially during Freddie Hubbard's solo.
Here are a few of the aspects of the solo that I found interesting:
1) Anticipation: The form of this tune consists mostly of minor chords lasting for 4 measures however, Herbie creates tension and interest by anticipating the upcoming chord by as much as 2 measures in some places (i.e. measure 71-73). Additionally, anticipating chords allows the phrasing of Herbie's ideas to sound more loose and to prevent the structure of the tune from making the solo feel static.
2) Treatment of minor chords and use of melodic minor: Though the chords on the transcription are labeled mi7, Herbie tends to alternate between the mi7 and mi6 voicing. On the Fmi and Abmi, he tends to favor melodic minor lines, and on the Emi tends to favor dorian mode. Another way I view the alternation between the mi7 and mi6 voicing is as a non-resolving ii-V (for example: Abmi7 - Db7). In this way, some of Herbie's minor vocabulary can be also be applied to dominant chords.
3) Use of Triplets: Throughout the solo, Herbie groups or breaks up triplets in a few different ways. In measures 15-18, he groups triplets in groups of four in an ascending diminished pattern create an interesting rhythmic effect. He does the same thing again in mm. 76 and in mm. 61 plays triplets in descending 4ths. In mm. 33-35 he uses a repeating rhythmic pattern featuring a tied over triplet and uses the left hand as punctuation. In measure 55, the ascending triplet figure creates a sense of urgency.
4) Motivic Development: Part of what makes this solo easy to grab on to is the way Herbie takes an idea and runs with it, giving his solo a sense of continuity. A great example of this is the way he takes the triplet figure in mm. 27 and builds up through mm. 33 and into the arrival on the Emi7 chord.
6) Left Hand Comping: Checking out they way Herbie uses his left hand was very instructive and definitely something that I'm trying to pay attention to in my playing. Herbie achieves a nice balance between reinforcing his right hand lines with hits and filling in the space between his lines. In many places Herbie will split up the voicing in his LH, a device I've also noticed in Joey Calderazzo's playing.
Herbie will also occasionally hit a bass note for punctuation (i.e. mm. 5). It's also interesting to note that in many places, Herbie is not afraid to lay out with his left hand. When transcribing the left hand I was mostly concerned with the rhythm and the top note.
5) Lastly, I noticed that Herbie often took a similar approach to the same chords when compared between choruses. For example, on the last 8 bars of the form he tended to use triads, octaves and similar rhythmic figures. I've always found the most comforting thing about transcribing is realizing that even a master like Herbie often uses similar material or figures throughout a solo and not everything moment has to be mind-blowingly innovative. What makes this solo memorable has as much to do with the larger structure and phrasing as it has to do with the individual notes.
Oliloqui Valley from the 1964 album Empyrean Isles has always been one of my favorite Herbie Hancock compositions so it seemed like a good place to start. It's definitely not one of his flashiest solos but I was drawn to the great medium tempo feel as well as the cool and mysterious vibe of the tune. Also, the band members feel especially tuned in to each other especially during Freddie Hubbard's solo.
Here are a few of the aspects of the solo that I found interesting:
1) Anticipation: The form of this tune consists mostly of minor chords lasting for 4 measures however, Herbie creates tension and interest by anticipating the upcoming chord by as much as 2 measures in some places (i.e. measure 71-73). Additionally, anticipating chords allows the phrasing of Herbie's ideas to sound more loose and to prevent the structure of the tune from making the solo feel static.
2) Treatment of minor chords and use of melodic minor: Though the chords on the transcription are labeled mi7, Herbie tends to alternate between the mi7 and mi6 voicing. On the Fmi and Abmi, he tends to favor melodic minor lines, and on the Emi tends to favor dorian mode. Another way I view the alternation between the mi7 and mi6 voicing is as a non-resolving ii-V (for example: Abmi7 - Db7). In this way, some of Herbie's minor vocabulary can be also be applied to dominant chords.
3) Use of Triplets: Throughout the solo, Herbie groups or breaks up triplets in a few different ways. In measures 15-18, he groups triplets in groups of four in an ascending diminished pattern create an interesting rhythmic effect. He does the same thing again in mm. 76 and in mm. 61 plays triplets in descending 4ths. In mm. 33-35 he uses a repeating rhythmic pattern featuring a tied over triplet and uses the left hand as punctuation. In measure 55, the ascending triplet figure creates a sense of urgency.
4) Motivic Development: Part of what makes this solo easy to grab on to is the way Herbie takes an idea and runs with it, giving his solo a sense of continuity. A great example of this is the way he takes the triplet figure in mm. 27 and builds up through mm. 33 and into the arrival on the Emi7 chord.
6) Left Hand Comping: Checking out they way Herbie uses his left hand was very instructive and definitely something that I'm trying to pay attention to in my playing. Herbie achieves a nice balance between reinforcing his right hand lines with hits and filling in the space between his lines. In many places Herbie will split up the voicing in his LH, a device I've also noticed in Joey Calderazzo's playing.
Herbie will also occasionally hit a bass note for punctuation (i.e. mm. 5). It's also interesting to note that in many places, Herbie is not afraid to lay out with his left hand. When transcribing the left hand I was mostly concerned with the rhythm and the top note.
5) Lastly, I noticed that Herbie often took a similar approach to the same chords when compared between choruses. For example, on the last 8 bars of the form he tended to use triads, octaves and similar rhythmic figures. I've always found the most comforting thing about transcribing is realizing that even a master like Herbie often uses similar material or figures throughout a solo and not everything moment has to be mind-blowingly innovative. What makes this solo memorable has as much to do with the larger structure and phrasing as it has to do with the individual notes.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Herbie Hancock - Eye of the Hurricane
This past semester I've been focused on studying and transcribing the music of Herbie Hancock. Though I'd checked out Herbie in the past, I wanted to make his playing a major focusn and dig into his signature sound. To kick things off, here's Herbie's composition "Eye of the Hurrican" from his classic record Maiden Voyage (1965). An interesting aspect to listen for on the original recording is the loose treatment of the rhythm at the end of the head.
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