Tune Up! Aebersold Vol. 67

[jhatpro]

This book is giving me a brain freeze. Any tips for learning the heads in all 12 keys?
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[jazz_trpt]

Learning melodies in multiple keys is all about knowing your intervals from any note, and then learning the melody in the original key while thinking about it in terms of those intervals. Then generalize that to different starting points.

"Sweet Georgia Brown" is probably easiest to shed this way.

With "Sweet Georgia Brown", in our standard key of Bb, the first phrase (transposed) is

G-A-B-G-D-C-E-D-G--D-B-G

So you can think of this as "Okay, what key am I in? My starting phrase is a always a V7 a minor third below that key, and the phrase I play over that dominant chord (using that chord's scale) is:

1-2-3-1-5-3-6-5-8--5-3-1

So learn that phrase in all twelve keys. You're just about halfway to learning the head in all twelve keys because this phrase (or a variation of it) makes up most of the head on this tune. (The second phrase, over the dominant chord up a fourth is

G-A-Bb-G-D-Bb-E-D-G--E-D-C

...you can work out the relationships over our C7, or you can just play the first phrase with a b3 and resolve it slightly differently. That gets you 16 bars into it...)
_________________
Jeff Helgesen
Free jazz solo transcriptions!

[trumphat]

I find the following to work. I'll use I Got Rhythm as an example, as this is the most widely used set of changes out side of the blues, and learning the melody in all keys is a good place to start. It's important to note you must be fluent on your horn in all keys to start with. First be sure you can sing the tune, at least in your head. I then pick out what I call "target intervals". These are important notes in the tune. For Rhythm it's the 5th, 11th(4th) and 3rd. Starts on the 5th of the key, first wide interval jump is to the 11th(4th), the bridge starts on the 3rd. In concert Bb (original and most widely used key), the notes are F, Eb, D. Bb trumpet G, F, E. When you can play the melody by ear in Bb, it becomes fairly easy to move the target notes to other keys. Let your ear lead you.

[Turkle]

I keep a 12-sided die on my desk (like you would use for D&D). When I'm practicing standards, I'll often roll the die to pick a random key to play the tune in.

Start doing that for a while and you'll learn to transpose on the fly with no problems.
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[thomasmarriott]

Start small, try just getting the first bar or two (or phrase) in all 12 keys. I find it helps if I practice anything in 12 keys both chromatically and around the cycle. Sometimes a whole melody is kind of a lofty goal at first.
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www.thomasmarriott.net

[jhatpro]

Good advice all, thanks!
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[TrumpetMD]

Two suggestions.

First, memorize the song in the original key. Memorize both the melody and the chords.

Second, if you're having trouble with 12 keys, don't do it. Instead focus on the more common keys. For trumpet, that might be A, D, G, C, F, Bb. If that's too much, then go with fewer keys. As you get better at it, you can add more keys.

Mike
_________________
Bach Stradivarius 43* Trumpet (1974), Bach 6C Mouthpiece.
Bach Stradivarius 184 Cornet (1988), Yamaha 13E4 Mouthpiece
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn (1969), Yamaha 13F4 Mouthpiece.
Plus a few other Bach, Getzen, Olds, Carol, HN White, and Besson horns.

[intrepidpooch]

Dead on. Also think this way when you transcribe solos, always in terms of intervals/scale degrees/numbers, that way you can play it in any key (provided you know your scales).

[Turkle]

Another thing I do occasionally is to use iRealPro (or Band-in-a-Box) and program in major or minor 2-5-1 changes in all 12 keys through the cycle of fifths and just jam over that for a while:

|D-7|G7|CM7|CM7|
|G-7|C7|FM7|FM7| etc.

or

|Dm7b5|G7b9|Cm|Cm|
Gm7b5|C7b9|Fm|Fm| etc.

You can even program in relative major/minor cycles like the "Autumn Leaves":

|E- A7|DM7 GM7|Cm7b5 F7b9|B-| etc.

or the reverse:

|Bm7b5 E7b9|A-|D-7 G7|CMaj|
|E-7b5 A7b9|D-|G-7 C7|FMaj| etc.

Running those cycles through all 12 keys at a SLOW TEMPO will get the sound in your ears and fingers. Then when you have to transpose whole tunes into those keys you'll have a great starting point - your ears and fingers will be aligned.

I hope this is helpful - Good luck!
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.