Conference napalm::guitar

    I gotta throw in a plug here too.  I was slobbering over Les Pauls
    yesterday and my buddy at the music store *gave* me a copy because he
    said they weren't selling !  I got it home and jammed through it twice,
    non-stop.  
    
    This little tape would be GREAT for helping some bandless folks with
    Vol. II submissions.  It's probably what I'll do to ...
    
    One thing I really liked about this tape is that the players give a lot
    of feeling to the rhythm tracks rather than just banging the chords
    out.  On the 1st cut (E Blues) they "break it down" so you can play
    some real soft stuff, and then after a few bars, fire it up again. 
    After you listen to the tape a few times you can feel the changes, and
    it's a BLAST to play.  
    
    They advertise a "Hard Rock" Vol. 2 coming out soon - that should be
    pretty good too.
    
    One thing that did strike me as odd, was the fact that Mark Swicegood
    plays bass on here - this guy shreds on guitar (I think Pat can back me
    up here ...).  It guess it would have been too much of a temptation to
    blister the fretboard if he was doing the guitar tracks.
    
    
    Scary

Do they give you some nice scales that would work well with the chord changes?
Seems like that would be a real nice addition to the package (ie. "for this
song, try using the A Minor Pentatonic, which contains these notes....")

alan

    Nope - just the chord progressions .... but it's still a blast !
    
    
    Scary

    
    I am trying to do one pass per night of practice with this tape.  
    Real good variety and the believe it or not, the tracks sound pretty 
    good all by themselves (ie; no lead).  There is variety on the song
    complexities also.  Some are 3 chorders, and some have a ton of
    changes.  Jerry, I think the reason Mark plays bass is that him and
    2 other dudes at the music store did it and he was the only bass
    player.  Also, being a shredder doesn't make you a great rhythm guy.
    As far as wanting to know suggested scales, I can ask at my next
    lesson.  Of course, if it ain't pentatonic, I'm in deep doo-doo.
    
    -pat

    The only track I'm not too crazy with is "Aunt B. Boogie" ... but the
    rest are not doubt hot.  Pat's right, it's fun just to listen to the
    tracks without playing - you can get a mental picture of the tones
    (there's that word again !) you'd like to layer on top of it.  
    
    I just got through with my breakfast jam.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh ....   8^)
    
    btw - it's got a tune called "Traffic Jamm", the metalheads would love
    this one !
    
    
    Scary .... (non-metalic and bio-degradeable ...)
    

    
    
    
    	Scarymon, you don't need all that nasty blues stuff.. you should
    send it to me, specially since I don't have a drum machine any more!! 
    
    Gree Vee

    
    Grevie, but one of the damn things!  My instructor is poor as a church
    mouse.  

               <<< Note 2067.7 by RAVEN1::BLAIR "Play deep..." >>>

    
    >>Grevie, but one of the damn things!  My instructor is poor as a church
    >>mouse.  

    
    	BUT one... BUT one... jeeze Blair Unit.. I'd love to BUT one how do
    I go about it, beeguy??  I'm hip to poor teachers... one guy who gives
    me a lesson every once in a while (and EVERY time I see him play!!)
    doesn't have a pot to piss in.. sad, this dude is a smokin' player!!!
    
    	And here I sit, rakin in the big bucks, a non-take the package
    unit, and couldn't play my way out of a phone booth... I got red-haired
    lady teen-agers waxin' my do for me... sheeeeeeeeit!  Hey, I was
    thinkin' if she's teen aged.. she can't be in a place where alcohol is
    served.. Next time I'll get her kicked out heheheheh
     [;^=(  <-- Gree Vee with little Hitler mustache.
    
    
    Gree Vee (ready to purchase the JAMM TAPE.. heck I'd buy a damn jazz
    pick too if I could find the damn things)
    

    I got a few mail messages about getting some sequenced backing trax
    that I thought I'd solicit some feedback. If I can do it, I'll be glad
    to sequence up some trax and make them available to all for the price
    of a tape.
    
    Soooooo.... what could you all get some mileage outta? I-IV-V in a
    couple of keys? Some 4/4, some 12/8? Tempos? Maybe a couple of
    standards?
    
    Lemme know.
    
    I'd be using an HR-16 drum machine and probably a TX81Z for bass.
    I could also add any signature "hooks" if wanted, but I'm not up
    for a full blown production...
    
    Edd

    
    I was talking to Edd and he suggested that I post what I'd 
    like to see on his Jam tape.
    
    
    1. Maybe 2 or 3 I,IV,V type tunes
    2. Some Jazz stuff (odd meter, unusual changes)
    3. Some "Hard Rock" (Like GnR, etc.)
    4. Pop Metal (Bon Jovi type?)
    5. Pop/New wave type stuff (Smithereens/pretenders/smiths etc.)
    
    Ideally such a tape would leave room for working on chord substitutions
    as well as soloing/leads. If it turns out to be mosty keys/bass and
    drums, it would work for me.
    
    -T
    
    

    I'm thinking of including "Surfin'..." and "Satch Boogie"...
    
    Edd (admitting to not having much of a clue as to what guitarists
         like to jam to)

    
    Grevie, you can BUT one from JB Lee Music.  See .0  Tell 'em Blair
    sent ya (click!).
    
    -butwheat (...fee tines a mady)

    RE: Edd
    
    Satch boogie...great tune!!!
    
    Hey, could you make a backing track for Cliffs of Dover?  That would be 
    awesome!
    
    Buck, whos currently shedding how to that that tune OVERHAND!

    re: Cliffs of Dover...
    
    Having never heard it (Who does it? What album?) I'd be going out
    on a limb by saying "yes", but if you can furnish a first generation
    copy (no tape of a tape of a tape...) I can give it a try...
    
    As I suggested to Tom G., if anyone has a favorite bass riff they like
    to jam to, chart it out and I'll do it up...
    
    Edd

   I like the suggestions so far, too.  Being one of the ones who "mailed"
   Edd, I'll just put <any> suggestions here, instead of replying by mail.
   Okay, Edd?

   FYI, "Cliffs of Dover" is by Eric Johnson, on the Ah Vai Musicom album.
   I have a copy on CD, and if no one else can get you a copy I'll send one.
   (You can just send me back my copy of the "Edd Jamm Traxx" on the same
   tape!  How convenient!  :-))

   You might include a funk piece, too.  Can't hurt.
   Light jazz?  (George Benson, etc.)

   Hey, you could start a small business doing this kinda thing.  Advertise
   in the back of GP and everything!  :-)

   I _do_ appreciate the offer to do this stuff.  Thanks!

   -- Sam

    Re: Cliffs of Dover
    
    I have the tab at home (from last month's GFTPM) if anyone needs a
    copy.  You guys probably do it by ear, right? ;-)
    
    Mike
    
    

    
    
    
    	Blair unit.. OTAY!!!  Thanks for the chuckle, dude.. I repeat,
    Buckwheat HAS been shot..  hahahaha  woopin pa nub... stop stop I got
    another half a shift to go!!
    
    	Edd... YES awesome idea!!!  I loooooove and endless blues 12 bar
    followed by some kind of I IV V that was fast enough to help me owrk on
    speed... heh heh the omni-faceted Gree Vee King...

    	Hey Dr Cote..... I'd take anything you have sequenced from the
    Real Book.......
    
    							Rick
    

    Re: .18
    
    I've sequenced a few Real Book tunes, probably ones you already know
    by heart, "Satin Doll", "Blue Monk", etc.  I've been doing them as
    piano plus drums, with the piano comping throughout and playing the
    head every fourth chorus. Then I play bass along with the sequences.
    
    Actually, it's about time I got a few more sequences done....
    
    							Brian

    A "Cliffs of Dover" backing track oughta be real easy to sequence.
    
    The bass line is very basic, it's basically a matter of how much you
    want to do with the drums - but even a basic drum track will suffice.
    
    Only problem is that the piece starts out in free time with an
    unaccompanied guitar.  At the end of the guitar intro, you'll have
    to start the tape rolling but there is time for that.
    
    I'm also learning "Cliffs of Dover" - it's really isn't ALL that hard
    in terms of picking of fretting, it's mainly fast, but I'm not that
    fast so it's a bit of a project for me.  Actually the hardest part
    seems to be getting the right "feel" on the main guitar lick that comes
    in after the intro.
    
    Now if you want an example of stuff that is both fast, hard to pick,
    and hard to fret, I suggest you flip your way through any of the two
    Steve Morse books.
    
    What amazes me about Steve is that even the stuff that SOUNDS easy is
    incredibly difficult.  I tried reading my way through "Country Colors"
    a slow balladic piece which SOUNDS real easy.  Well, let's put it this
    way: I've got "Tumeni Notes" (which is a flashy high speed picking
    challenge) up to about 2/3 speed (which is probably as far as I'll get)
    but I can't get past the first LICK in "Country Colors"!
    
    The world will never know how good Steve Morse is because he makes it
    sound too easy!

    So far the tape looks like this...
    
              "Surfin' With The Alien"   (It's already done)
              "Satch Boogie"             (I played around with it last
                                          night, mostly to get the back-
                                          wards drums during the triplet
                                          break.)
              "Cliffs Of Dover"          (If it's that easy...)
              "Swingset"                 (A big-band type jam thing that
                                          I wrote. There's a horn hook that
                                          I'll repeat a couple times, and
                                          some piano comping against a
                                          "walking" bass line. It's fun,
                                          and how many tunes start with
                                          an E11?)
    
            ...plus some variations on I-IV-V.
       
    I may include a simple bass/drums/piano loop of "Take 5" also if
    anyone's interested.
    
    Edd

    "Take 5" is one of my favorites!
    
    Greg

    This "Jamm Trax" tape sounds like a great idea, only I suspect it
    may never make it down here to Australia !
    
    Is there anyone out there who would be prepared to pick me up a copy
    and send it (of course I'll forward the loot - US$10 + postage - first)
    to me here in Aussie ??
    
    If so, please send an EM to me,  Jeff Sheard @sno.
    
    I'd sure appreciate it.
    
    Many Thanks in Advance,
    			    Jeff.

    
    WTF, I'll do it for a tone brother...
    
    ;^)

Anybody heard of a product called Band in a Box?  As I understand it, you enter
the chord progressions and the style of music (metal, polka, waltz, pop, etc.)
and it outputs a three piece "Jamm Traxx" (piano, bass & drums) output via
a sound generator.  There was a number you could call and hear a demo over the
telephone (I saw this is the COMMUSIC file).  The program cost something like
$79 and came with a couple of hundred "fake book" kind of songs.

Jim

    
    It was all the rage in COMMUSIC a few months back.  It's software to
    run on Atari, IBM or Mac computers with MIDI interfaces and generates
    three part accompaniments based on a chord progression you type in and
    your choice of musical styles (quite a few to choose from, I hear).  
    
    So if you want to avoid buying a tape, just buy $100 of software to run
    on your multi-K$$ computer/MIDI rig....
    
    						Brian

>    So if you want to avoid buying a tape, just buy $100 of software to run
>    on your multi-K$$ computer/MIDI rig....
    

       Well, you know, there's room for both.  I'd like to have the
       tape, but Band in a Box lets me punch in any changes I want and
       work through it.  I've already got the gear, and at $65 for the
       program and fakebook disks, whatayagonnado?  That's cheaper than
       inviting your buds over to play, buying the beer, and then hiring
       a clean up crew...
       

    The bass/drums for "Satch Boogie" are done up thru the part where the
    reverb goes bass-ackwards, and the bass goes into triplets... It'll
    probably be a matter of "cut and paste" from here on out....
    
    Question: I can follow the same arrangement as the album, or I can
    extend the tune, allowing more time to jam without rewinding. It would
    just be the same 16 measures repeated over and over. Izzat better? Or
    would you rather I follow the album?
    
    Second question: Would it be preferable to pan the drums hard one way
    and the bass hard in the opposite direction? That way you could get rid
    of one or the other by use of the balance control, albeit at the
    expense of a stereo spread... (Might be a moot point if I can't find
    the phase problem in my studio.)
    
    Edd

    "Surfin'..." and "Satch Boogie" are done. I started working on "Take 5"
    over the weekend.
    
    Edd

    Where can I get my copy??
    
    How much???

    When the tape is done (only the sequences are done at the moment), it
    will be available for free. (Well, free as in "no profit to me".)
    You supply me with a tape, I dupe.
    
    The sequences themselves will also be available (along with channel
    and drum note assignments) to anyone wanting them.
    
    BTW - While it should be obvious what song is what, it's likely that
    there will be some deviation from the original. "Satch Boogie" runs
    about 200 BPM. Copping the drum riffs was rough. I've also extended
    that tune (cut and paste) to about twice it's original length.
    
    Once "Take 5" is done, the next thing is to do up a variety of I-IV-V
    things. (Sorry, I can't psych myself up for these, so I'm dodging
    them.)
    
    Edd

    -1
    
    Bitchin!!

    Thanks a million (in unmarked bills ...) for taking the time to do
    this.  Have ya thought about *selling* these things outside DEC ?  I
    think they'd fly ...
    
    Scary (who'll definitely scarf one of these babies !)

    > selling...
    
    Yeah, I thought of that, but there's undoubtedly royalties to pay
    on any of the covers. Plus, I'd be under alot more pressure to do
    VERY accurate programming and mixes.
    
    "Surfin'...": I sampled the voices in the beginning and looped it.
    I bring a landing jet in over the voices, followed by a "1 - 2,
    1-2-3-4" click on the sticks before the bass and drums come in.
    Sounds cool...
    
    "Take 5": I plan to establish the opening theme, let it loop thru
    the Cb-Bb-Ab-Gb "chorus" a couple times, and then let the signature
    just loop for awhile. I'll have some drum cues as to when the loop
    will break back into the chorus...
    
    Edd
    

    .... awesome !
    
    Scary (sloberring ...)

    Edd,
    
    Another thing that I do that you might wanna consider is to have a
    B side of the tape which contains the tunes at half or reduced speed.
    
    Don't encourage these guys to practice "Surfin with the Alien" or
    "Cliffs of Dover" at full speed.  ;-)

    Yeah, good idea! Especially since I can do it without any change in
    pitch...
    
    BTW - I haven't been able to find "Cliffs Of Dover". If anyone wants
    to furnish me with a 1st generation copy I'll give it a shot.
    
    Any other suggestions for tunes? I really don't have a clue as to what
    guitarists like to jam to...
    
    Edd

    
    	On the subject of the commercially sold "Jamm Traxx", I have posted
    	below corrections to a couple typos on the liner notes.
    
    	#2  Am-G-F / Dm-C-Bb
    
    	#6  G7-E9-Eb9-D9
    
    	#7  B-D-A / F#-A-E / E-G-D
    
    	-pat

    Ed,
    
    Where do we send our tapes......... I can't wait to try this out. By
    the way thanks for all the trouble your going through. We'll all (well 
    most of us) be better musicians for your effort. Drop us an address
    somewhere.
    
    Brian

    Ed, i have a transcription of Cliffs of Dover, if that would help.

    I have the GFTPM version of Cliffs of Dover.

    I'll let you all know how to get a copy when I'm done.
    
    > We'll all be better musicians...
    
    After jamming with me, most people think they're god-like in comparison!
    
    re: Cliffs Of Dover - What I need is an audio recording. All these
    transcripts I've been offered center on exactly what I *don't* need.
    (I'm not doing the guitar, just bass and drums.)
    
    Edd

    Ed.....
    
    I'm not quite sure where you live but I could let you borrow my copy 
    of Eric Johnsons tape if it would help. I work in Boxboro and live in 
    Northboro and my DTN is 293-5146. Let me know if your in the vacinity
    and I bring it over to you. 
    
    Brian

    I picked up a copy of "Ah Via Musicom" yesterday and started work on
    "Cliffs Of Dover".
    
    The beginning is gonna be hell. I'm having a ruff time picking up the
    tempo, and it seems to drift. One alternative is to start the sequence
    from the cymbal crash that follows the long snare roll in the
    beginning. Another is to have someone else just tell me how many
    measures they count before that first cymbal crash, and I'll just stick
    that many empty measures (with a 1/4 note click of some sort) up front.
    
    BTW - If anyone is looking for this on CD, I'll be willing to trade it
    for jazz along the lines of Coltrane, Miles, or {make an offer} when
    the sequence is done. Johnson just ain't my cup of soup...
    
    Edd

    Edd,
    
    One suggestion on "Cliffs" is to obviously have the beginning guitar
    lick out of the sequence, as it is free time.  There is a spot,
    however, which is 4 measures before the cymbol crash, in which the
    guitar starts to play A-tempo.  This starts after the end of the
    free-time solo (which BTW ends on that HIGH G note bend).  There is a
    pick-up note to that 4 measure, solo, a-tempo part, which is a
    sixteenth note G.  MY suggestion for the MIDI sequence would be to have
    the geetar player do his thing for the free-time part...then have the
    drum machine click off "4 beats" a-tempo (which is quarter note = 192,
    BTW) as a lead off to the 4 measure sequence (the one I mentioned
    before the cymbol crash).  This way the guitarist could get the tempo
    and pick up the 4 measure G arpeggio sequence on the last sixteenth
    note.  Maybe as a security device, you could have the drum machine
    doing quarter note hits on the high hat or something...just to keep
    time in that 4 measures before the cymbol crash...I think that would
    ensure the guitarist being in sync with the sequence before the band
    kicks in.
    
    Buck's 2 cents

    Yeah, that makes sense. The part you're talking about as a starting
    point is the first place he establishes the swing time rhythmic
    riff that's prevalent thru the song, coming right after the long
    drum roll, yes? I can insert a "1-2,1234" stick click right before the
    riff, and then continue the clicks up until the drums actually start.
    
    Edd

    Edd, that's the kind of thing I've always done with tunes that start
    with a free-time intro (Hill Street Blues for example).
    
    Don't worry about not having the drum roll - it's a small price to pay.
    
    ;-)
    
    	db

    As "Cliffs Of Dover" moves from the second iteration of the "A" part
    into "B", Beck does something different on the bass and I'm having a
    hard time pulling it out. He must be using special guitar notes,
    because they ain't on my keyboard! :^)
    
    It's the last measure of the second "A" (section, not key) part.
    Approximately 1'47" into the tune...
    
    Anybody help? (It's probably something like 1/4 note D's!!)
    
    Edd

    I finished up "Cliffs Of Dover" last night, so that's 2 Satriani tunes
    and 1 Johnson so far...
    
    Is anyone expecting *exact* copies of these tunes? I'm sure there's
    gonna be places where things aren't "as recorded", mostly in little
    riffs and such. If there's anyone who wants to "proof read" these 3
    trax before I go thru mixing them down, I'll be glad to dump them
    to cassette and make any necessary changes (within reason).
    
    Edd

    Exact copies ?  Not me, I'll just be tickled to get a copy.  Again,
    thanks for you efforts on this !   8^)
    
    Scary

    Re -.1   Ditto on that....
    
    Edd I'll be psyched toy have the tape...regardless of weather it's
    exact or not. I appreciate your effort as well and to be honest, anyone
    who would write you and complain ....."oh there is an eigth note riff
    in the 3'd verse you missed, and the mix doesn't sound just right
    and...."  tell them to send the tape back to you, record yourself
    giving them the bird, and forward that tape back with your warmest
    regards.  I personally can't wait to jam out with the finished product.
    
    Brian
    

    > Record yourself giving them the bird...
    
    I'm chuckling...
    
    Nothing worse than a bass player that hits an Ab when you're expecting
    an A though. That's what I want to avoid...
    
    Edd

    The first 3 tunes were mixed and recorded yesterday. Cliffs of Dover,
    Surfin'..., and Satch Boogie.
    
    Each one appears twice. First at full speed, and then at about 75%.
    (Slowing down Satch Boogie screwed up the timing on the reverse reverb
    section. Oops. Sorry.)
    
    Next up is some jazz changes based loosely on the Earl Hines tune "You
    Can Depend On Me".
    
    Edd

    Since I've had a couple requests already I've decided to release the
    tape early. (To be totally honest, I've got a couple other projects
    of higher priority cooking also...)
    
    So.... "Cliffs Of Dover", "Surfin' With The Alien" and "Satch Boogie"
    are available. I *may* put some extended I-IV-V changes on side B, as
    they won't take up much time sequencing, but they'll be, at best, 12
    bars looping ad nauseum. New tunes will become available as I have
    time...
    
    Ordering info:
    
    There is NO charge for the tape, but consequently I'm not going to 
    absorb ANY expenses for postage, mailers, or tape.
    
    Please, DO NOT send tapes via interoffice mail. It's against the rules.
    If I should receive a tape via internal mail, I'll consider it a gift.
    
    The preferred method would be to send a tape to me at home. Please
    include either (a) a self addressed stamped mailer with sufficient
    postage on it to return it to you or (b) sufficient funds for me to
    purchase same. Mailers are 50 cents and postage runs about 75 cents
    for a cassette I think. Write to me at ONRWAY::COTE to get my home
    address...
    
    For folks in the MRO area, I'll make a couple dupes to keep in my
    office. Bring me either a TDK-SAn90 or Maxell UDXL-II tape and we
    can trade. Please don't offer to buy the tape from me, I'll need
    the blank to make another copy. It's probably a good idea to send
    mail first to make sure I've got one available.
    
    Sorry about runnin' outta steam, but I figured it's better to release
    early and update than to delay indefinitely.... (Sounds familiar!)
    
    Edd

    At the urging of Mr. Scarywhite, I got off my tush and sequenced up
    some bluesy type things...
    
    The first one is a "Detroit" sounding thing a la Booker T., complete
    with an aggravating organ riff. In E. 140 BPM. 12 measures looped
    on bass, but I broke up the drums into 4 or 5 different patterns.
    
    Second is a "Stormy Monday" type piece in A. (Thanks Pelkey!) Starts
    at 70 PBM and slowly increases to about 90. Modulates to Bb. 
    
    Thirdly is your basic 1/8 note Johnny B. Goode R&R at 120 BPM in C.
    
    Who knows what might be next...
    
    Edd

    ...any feedback from the 1/2 a dozen or so folks who got a copy of
    the tape would be appreciated. Good or bad.
    
    Edd

    
    Edd,
    
    Thanks, I found this very useful. I've only used it for "Cliffs
    of Dover", so that's the only one I can comment on. It was great
    to have the tune at 2 different tempos. Only problem is, I can't
    play it up to EJ's tempo. Would have been nice to have another
    in-between one, but that's a minor complaint.
    
    I found using this that there were a few places where I was
    speeding up and a few other places where I was slowing down.
    I wasn't aware of this playing it without any accompaniment.
    
    It worked like a metronome but much more interesting to play
    to. Has been great practice and has helped my picking a lot.
    
    Bob

>    I found using this that there were a few places where I was
>    speeding up and a few other places where I was slowing down.
>    I wasn't aware of this playing it without any accompaniment.
 
    Nah, that was me playing with clock speed! (COMMUSICeers think
    this is fun to do to guitarists!)
    
    Just kiddin'. Glad you found it usefull....
    
    Edd
    

    I am just getting to the point where I can play with Ed's jam tape.
    Can deal with the bluesy stuff a bit but need a little help. Can
    someone give me a general discription of the tunes and basic chord
    changes etc. I realize that a couple of the tunes are Satch and Eric
    stuff and would be more complicated. Just looking for some direction.
    
    Joe

    How does one order this tape?

    see .54.
    
    Edd

    
    	fyi, as mentioned somewhere else in here (sakman?), there are
    	Jam Trax (1 m, 1 x) tapes available in music stores.  These
    	have 10 or 12 songs on each and I've seen Blues, Metal, Country,
    	Jazz, Rock, Classic Rock, Modern Rock, and I guess there's a
    	Modern Blues too - maybe more.
    
    	They're 9.95 at Acton Music.  I bought the Jazz one first and
    	love it.  Nice progressions and more than decent backup.  Picked
    	up Blues, Country, and Modern Rock yesterday.  Not as fun (to me)
    	as the Jazz but well worth 10 bucks.
    
    	Tom
    

    Tom,
    
    Could you give some more details as to what these songs sound like ?
    Meaning, are they similar to some top-40 tunes ?  Sounds like they's be
    a lot of fun to mess around with.
    
    Jerry

    
    Jerry - the songs are in the vein of each style.  I'm sure the
    Country one has progressions that have been used over and over.
    Those double stop bends work great, for example.  The Blues one
    is mostly I-IV-V (haven't heard it all) with various levels of
    "rockin'" going on.  The Jazz one is great - lots of swing and
    bop type beats and the progressions are difficult.  But you can
    pretty much riff away in a pentatonic or mixo mode over those
    Gb#9/#5 chords without sounding too bad.  The Modern Rock on is
    to my ears, closer to Hard Rock.  The Metal one must be out there
    and I don't plan on hearing myself.  
    
    Other than the Jazz tape, the only thing bad to me is the lame
    snare drum sound - sheesh.
    
    They come with booklets giving the chord progressions and also a
    few pages of advise with tabs of scales to use over certain chords.
    
    For 10 bucks, I'm very, very pleased.  
    
    How's that?
    
    Tom
    

    Yeah, I agree with Tom. I got the Jazz tape last week and I can see I
    got some work cut out for me even just learning the chord progressions
    with chords like
    Ebminflatfifthaugmentedseventhdiminishedprogressivepullurpud.
    
    I have the Blues tape, and it is good. But I been playing blues for
    years so it's less of a learning experience/challenge for me than this
    one. 
    
    At $10, its by far the best buy in the music store.
    
    "sakman"
    

    
    	Can we call Acton Music for a mail order?  Could someone 
    	please post the phone number?

    
    Heck, why learn the progressions?  Just let the tape play 'em ;^)
    
    Seriously, for me, the Jazz tape will be approached by analyzing
    the chords and penciling in the scales that'll work over the
    chords.  The same scale will often work for several chords in
    succession (ie; Gmaj7, Em7, Bm7, etc... will use aeolian (G major
    scale).  And 9th's, 11th's, and 13th's are really just mixo so
    just think 7th.  
    
    Bottom line for me is that when hard chords come up on the 1 and 3
    beats and it's a fast tempo swing, I don't have a chance in hell to
    change scales with each chord!!
    
    And yes, the Blues is definitely easier and will be fun to rip over
    and go nutso.  The Country one has a tune that needs Albert Lee or
    Vince Gill for - time to fast forward the tapedeck...
    
    

    
    Acton Music is (508) 263-9288.  But I gotta figure that they're
    available near you.  Jam Trax in a CD type box with Booklet and
    cassette.
    
    Tom
    

	The upper chord members of the chords in Jazz progressions
	aren't too hard to handle once you get a few key pieces of
	info under your belt. It isn't easy at first, but a little
	bit of work will pay off handsomely.

	1. Chords Diatonc to Major Keys:

		These are chords using notes only in a particular
		major key. The roman numeral represents the scale degree
		of the chord root. An understanding of modes will help
		here.

		I chords: M7, M9, M11, M13 (think ionian)

				1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13

		II chords: m7, m9, m11, m13 (think dorian)

				1, 2, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13

		III chords: m7, m7b9, m11, m7b13 (think phrygian)

				1, b3, 5, b7, b9, 11, b13

		IV chords: M7, M9, M7+11, M13 (think lydian - Hi Bill!)

				1, 3, 5, 7, 9, #11, 13

		V chords: 7, 9, 11, 13 (think mixolydian)

				1, 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13

		VI chords: m7, m9, m11, m7b13 (think aeolian)

				1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11, b13

		VII chords: m7b5, m7b9b5, m11b5, m7b13b5 (think locrian)

				1, b3, b5, b7, b9, 11, b13

	You can recognize the function of a chord in a key by signature
	tones - m7 for II, 7 for V, #11 for IV, etc.

	You might not be dealing with a major key. Pieces with 3 flats
	look like Eb until you notice that it starts with a Cm7. In
	these cases it helps to be familiar with minor keys. Natural minor
	plays by the same rules as the major stuff above except that
	VI becomes I, VII becomes, II, I becomes III, etc. due to the
	nature of relative minors. The other minors need to be broken
	out the same way as the majors were.

	2. Diatonic to Harmonic Minor: (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 7)

		I chords: mM7, mM9, mM11, mM7b13

				1, b3, 5, 7, 9, 11, b13

		II chords: m7b5 m7b9b5, m11b5, m7b13b5

				1, b3, b5, b7, b9, 11, b13

		III chords: M7+5, M9+5, M11+5, M13+5

				1, 3, #5, 7, 9, 11, 13

		IV chords: m7, m9, m7+11, m13

				1, b3, 5, b7, 9, #11, 13

		V chords: 7, 7b9, 11, 7b13

				1, 3, 5, b7, b9, 11, b13

		VII chords: M7, M7+9, M7+11, M13

				1, 3, 5, 7, #9, #11, 13


	3. Diatonic to "Jazz" (ascending melodic) minor

		- walk thru the same process for the two above -


	Two great resources for getting in touch with all of this stuff
	are:

		1. A Jazz Fake book - The Real Book, 5ed. or The New
			Real Book (legal). Dig thru for pieces with
			a few things you don't recognize and play them.

		2. "Improvizing Jazz" by Jerry Coker, Simon and Schuster,
			publishers.

	And as always - if you know how to play a chord a particular
	way, DON'T! Play it some other way.