Giant Steps Revealed Transcription

Yo, My name is Willie Thomas and I’d like to invite you to my new Jazz Everyone website.  Today I’d like to give you a little idea of how easy it is to play Giant Steps with the Jazz language system introduced in my online jazz lesson series.  It all starts by learning to play a very simple jazz lick in 3 different keys. Watch the video here to see that lick with the G Dominant 7^th chord. Okay, I think you’ll agree that that lick is a part of the basic jazz language.  Its simple, but simple is good. On the screen (see Giant Steps Video) you’ll see the extended G Dominant scale.  The jazz lick I just played is the 5^th, 6^th, 1^st and 2^nd scale steps of the G Dominant scale.  I call these little melodies “Pentatonic Pairs” because they’re a part of the major pentatonic scale.  Here’s that same lick with the Eb dominant scale. (see Giant Steps video) The secret in using Pentatonic Pairs to play Giant Steps as well as almost any other tune is getting it under your ear and under your fingers.  If you can play it, you can apply it.  Now here’s that melody again in the B7th dominant.  This is the 3^rd key you’ll need to play Giant Steps.  (see Giant Steps video) And by the way, all of these rhythm tracks are from Jamey Aebersold’s unbelievable collection of Jazz materials.  Without his efforts, much of what we have experienced and accomplished in Jazz education might not have happened.  Thanks Jamey for letting me use all of these materials for my online jazz lessons. Allright, lets see how this applies to Giant Steps.  If you’ll notice on the chart here, (see video) Giant Steps is based on 3 tonal centers, all of them a major 3^rd apart. They form a triangle in the circle.  I’ve also circled the pentatonic pairs that approach these 3 tonal centers.  These are the licks I just played.  Now, a free lesson at my website presents a clear picture of how tonal centers are formed and how these pentatonic scales are created and how they form a melody chain through all of the tonal centers.  Now lets take a look at the changes for Giant Steps.  (see video) The 4 tonal centers are all major chords, but it doesn’t really matter with the pentatonic pairs because they sound good with the 2 chord, or with the 5 chord or with your tonic major. The pentatonic pairs provide a tracking device that guides you through the tune.  Here’s how these pentanic pairs sound with Giant Steps changes. (see Giant Steps video) It doesn’t take much to get the idea that this really works.   The more you play, the easier it gets.  I want you to listen to Travis Tatton, a student at Valley High School in West Des Moines play Giant Steps for the very first time after working about an hour with this system. (see Giant Steps video) I think you can see that this system really works.  So visit my www.jazzeveryone.com website and see how I develop these pentatonic pairs and take this music to a new level.  I’ll see you there!