Essentials: Bebop Etudes

"Soulo" is based on the iconic standard, "Body And Soul." This chord melody solo weaves together drop 2 voicings, the "min7 ala Wes technique," min7b5 substitutions, upper structure triads, and a few of my favorite voicings that I thought you'd dig.

Now let's play "Soulo" through 4 choruses.

The first A section uses drop 2 minor 7 voicings connected by passing dim7 chords, much like Wes Montgomery used to employ. The second A uses a similar technique, but this time with drop 2 min7b5's. Also, I use dim7 voicings to substitute for dom7. In the B section, notice the "major triad pair" and use of "upper structure triads."

You may recognize a classic Sonny Rollins tune here, but I've added a nod to Sonny's long time guitar collaborator, Jim Hall, in the construction of this tune. Jim and Sonny both had a quirky sense of "placement and displacement" in their phrasing.

This solo is inspired by Jim Hall's use of playing "3 against 4" rhythms. He would imply a feeling of 3/4 against the 4/4 groove by using a few of fun rhythmic phrases. It makes the bar lines more "elastic" and gives you the feeling that you're never quite on the ground.

The rhythms used here are based on a dotted quarter note that imply the feeling of being in 3/4 against the 4/4 groove. Within that dotted quarter note, you can break it into 3/4 phrases. The other main trick employed here is using phrases based around a dotted half note.