Chord changes on NARDIS
Remi Ronfard
chord changes on favorite jazz tunes, so here I am with Nardis.
The basic changes are
Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
(repeat)
Am7 | FM7 | Am7 | FM7 | Dm7 | G7 | CM7 | FM7
Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
This has always struck me as a very beautiful tune, with many
subtle harmonic motions. Also, a difficult one for improvisation.
I also wonder where the "tonic" is. Should I say that the tune is
in E phrygian, and remains there ? Or are there several key
centers ? You're all welcome to give suggestions, substitute
chords, etc.
--
Remi Ronfard (e-mail: re...@ina.fr )
Institut National de l'Audiovisuel, Phone (33) (1) 49-83-29-51
94366 Bry sur Marne Cedex, France Fax (33) (1) 49-83-25-82
Mitsunori Ogihara
Remi Ronfard <re...@jessica.ina.fr> wrote:
>Somebody on this newsgroup suggested that we should discuss
>chord changes on favorite jazz tunes, so here I am with Nardis.
>The basic changes are
>
>Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
>(repeat)
>
>Am7 | FM7 | Am7 | FM7 | Dm7 | G7 | CM7 | FM7
>
>Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
>This has always struck me as a very beautiful tune, with many
>subtle harmonic motions. Also, a difficult one for improvisation.
>
>I also wonder where the "tonic" is. Should I say that the tune is
>in E phrygian, and remains there ? Or are there several key
>centers ? You're all welcome to give suggestions, substitute
>chords, etc.
>
There is a great amount of freedom in it and it does not seem to be
a good idea to stick to one particular scale. The key is E except for the
8bars in the middle, in which it moves from A minor to C major. At the 7th
bar with a Spanish mood chord in the theme, you can use Em while playing the
solos, which surely makes things simpler like this: A-dorian, F-lydian,
and then E-"whatever_you_like"-minor. Now the remaining one would be
the first four bars Em-F-B7-C. The scales I would choose are like this:
E-"whatever_I_want_to_play"-minor for Em, F-lydian for F,
B-"whatever_I_want_to_play"-7th scale for B7, and C-lydian for C.
An important thing is that the chord sequence allows many pedal tones,
chromatic sequences, and cliches. For example, any of E, B, A, and G can
be a pedal tone, and ascending sequences E-F-F#-G, F#-G-G#-A, B-C-C#-D,
C#-D-D#-E can be embedded.
By the way, the best performance of this tune is in Bill Evans'
"Paris Concert." What is your best?
Mitsunori Ogihara
Department of Computer Science
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627
Thomas Ford Brown
In article <38qgmt$4...@jessica.ina.fr> re...@jessica.ina.fr (Remi Ronfard) writes:
>Somebody on this newsgroup suggested that we should discuss
>chord changes on favorite jazz tunes, so here I am with Nardis.
>The basic changes are
>
>Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
>(repeat)
>
>Am7 | FM7 | Am7 | FM7 | Dm7 | G7 | CM7 | FM7
>
>Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
>This has always struck me as a very beautiful tune, with many
>subtle harmonic motions. Also, a difficult one for improvisation.
I find it very natural. What do you think is difficult?
>
>I also wonder where the "tonic" is. Should I say that the tune is
>in E phrygian, and remains there ? Or are there several key
>centers ? You're all welcome to give suggestions, substitute
>chords, etc.
It seems to me that E phrygian is clearly the main idea.
But you're free to look at it in other ways too. That's
the beauty of this tune.
It's so perfect the way it is, I wouldn't want to make
too much substitution. I generally play the B7 as altered.
I often alter the G7 in the bridge. Sometimes I might make
the CM7 in the bridge into a dominant chord. All of the FM7
chords in the tune are also candidates for a dominant
sound, usually an F13(#11). These dominant subs give a
bluesy effect, but they can also change the character of
tune, so I would use them judiciously. Mostly I play
it the way it's written above except for adding extensions
and making the major chords lydian.
Marc Sabatella
> It's so perfect the way it is, I wouldn't want to make
> too much substitution. I generally play the B7 as altered.
I often play it as an augmented chord (whole tone scale). And the Cmaj7 that
follows it as either lydian or lydian augmented. The Fmaj7's almost have to be
lydian to preserve the E phygian sound and keep the voicing leading with Em7
or Am7 that comes before. Sometimes I ignore the original A section and use a
generic | E | F | G | F | E generic Spanish phrygian progression here (a la "La
Fiesta"), except you have to fudge to make it fit the eight bar form.
E-F-G-F-G-F-E-E works.
I also tend to sideslip like crazy on this, playing Db major or B major over
the Cmaj7, for instance.
Also, the whole A-section is a great opportunity to thumb your nose at
classical harmony: voicing the chords with parallel fifths, or exploiting the
tritone from the Fma7 to the B7.
> I often alter the G7 in the bridge.
That's the only ii-V-I you get in the whole tune, so make it count:-). I'll
often place an Ab7 between the Dm7 and G7. The rhythmic placement depends on
the line I'm working on. Over the original melody, the Ab7 could go in as the
last two beats of the Dm7, or the first two of the G7. I will usually keep the
Ab in the G7 chord - G7b9. You can tritone sub the G7, of course. Also, C7alt
makes as good a chord as Cmaj7 to close the bridge on.
Actually, though, while I do these sorts of variations, the original sounds
exotic enough as it is. I tend to concentrate instead on rhythmic interplay as
a source for ideas.
--
Marc Sabatella
ma...@sde.hp.com
--
All opinions expressed herein are my personal ones
and do not necessarily reflect those of HP or anyone else.
Francois PACHET
> Somebody on this newsgroup suggested that we should discuss
> chord changes on favorite jazz tunes, so here I am with Nardis.
> The basic changes are
>
> Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
> (repeat)
>
> Am7 | FM7 | Am7 | FM7 | Dm7 | G7 | CM7 | FM7
I would suggest a F7 instead for the second and fourth chords.
> Em | F | B7 | C | Am7 | FM7 | E | Em
>
---
Francois Pachet
LAFORIA, Institut Blaise Pascal, Boite 169
Universite Paris VI
4, place Jussieu,
Tour 46-00, 75252 Paris Cedex
France
mail : pac...@laforia.ibp.fr
Tel : (33).1.44.27.70.04
Fax: (33).1.44.27.70.00
Sam Hokin
:> Sometimes I ignore the original A section and use a
:> generic | E | F | G | F | E generic Spanish phrygian progression here (a la "La
:> Fiesta"), except you have to fudge to make it fit the eight bar form.
:> E-F-G-F-G-F-E-E works.
"Rumores de la Alhambra" makes a nice intro along those lines, for the classical
guitar buffs out there.
--
Sam Hokin ho...@juno.physics.wisc.edu