The Jazz Theory Book - Mark Levine

[Heady Jam Fan]

Per the interest in the Ted Dunbar Systems of Convergence book and multiple suggestions (specifically from Stiles, thanks you sir), as well as a need for a more fundamental starting point for many people (including myself), I took the time when I got to work early this morning to scrounge up this big ole PDF, about 540 pages of Yazz.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B4S3f4zHrJF-a1VYQm9hUjZSUEs3Z3FGUllpT3h3QQ

All I ask in return is to fill this thread up with your thoughts as you read it and questions you come up with as I am sure they will be helpful to others down the line, and someone will probably be able to help answer them for all of us!

PS - the file may be too big for Google Docs. I am trying to figure that out, but I have it on Drop Box and it works. I can share from there, but I would need to do it individually per person with an email address. I think you can still use the Google link and download the file if you want.

[jadirusso]

Sweet thanks. Going to give this a look when I have time.

[Stiles12]

I just downloaded it... it all works.

really a great book, enjoy

[ShockedAndPersuaded]

Nice!! Thanks for the effort you've put in Heady. I've really been trying to work on playing "outside" and substitutions and what not lately. I spent the first 6 years of my guitar playing learning theory (many years ago) and the last 15 years playing and learning tunes. I'm trying to get back in to the science side of it again and this file is gonna do the trick I think. Looking forward to technical discussion.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Yep, I have been reading on and off at work, got 60 some pages down (all fundamentals I knew so far, but can't hurt to hear it from Levine). It is a really fast read and I think the later sections will really pull things together for me. If I understand the basics of Russell's Lydian theory at all, I think the early section on the Lydian mode (or using #4s in major scales/chords) from this book might touch on Russell's reason for his theory. It makes me want to jump into that and I tried to find that on PDF as well, but I couldn't so far, though I did find an article opposing some of the technical aspect of his theory related to faulty evidence he used to support the theory related to overtones (that the overtones to imply the #4 any more than the natural 4). Maybe Russell should have stuck to his ear rather than technical aspects of overtones, but I still think that would be a good read to go along with this and the Dunbar PDF.

I know what you mean Shocked - when I was a teen, I learned a tune, then macroanalyzed it as much as I was able, then applied those techniques to the next tune I would write. Since then, I haven't taken as much time on theory, so it is nice to get back to it and get off the plateau of only utilizing what I currently know.

[manicstarseed]

Yep, I have been reading on and off at work, got 60 some pages down .....

OK I'm jealous. I'm too busy building factories that will make the CPUs for NEXT year's computers. If I get 10 min a day at work to look at a forum, its because I am slacking big time. I just got home and downloaded the book. Looking forward to the read.  I still have some cats to herd for the man.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Lol, don't get jealous too fast, I had to quit my paying job for an unpaid position (in a different department of the same hospital) for credit hours toward schools. Every minute I am not seeing a patient is every extra minute I have to devote later (need a certain number of direct contact hours), just in research people cancel all the time, so I read. Since I work for free, they don't care what I do in my free time, though I think I am going to try to publish on some of their data in my free time rather than just reading. Basically, I would rather work the whole time and make money [At least enough to afford Phish tickets to the show in Pittsburgh]

[manicstarseed]

Fair Enough. You have a helluva guitar for a broke student. If you gonna be broke you might as well have a pimp guitar to show for it. I really shouldn't complain, I have had some measure of job security for 6+years, and there is no end in sight. I may have  a Moog Voyager to show for it in 6 mo or so.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Nice, I'll bet the Voyager is sweet!

I have 3 years at the Hospital I work at (its the Psych Hospital in PGH that just had the shooting, I am usually walking to that building then, but was just getting back in town). I just switched to unpaid in January, so newly broke . I had to sell my Gibson Classic and some other gear for the guitar, plus it was a really nice price.

I finally got to play my guitar last night, but had to record something for school (there is a competition for making a 'Counseling Psych' video I suppose for advertisement, my friend and I decided to do a cross between Flight of the Conchords and the Freescore commercials). It was tough making something relatively mainstream after reading 100 pages of jazz theory that I want to apply. I need to stop reading until I get a chance to put some of it to use.

[fulltone1989]

Nice, I'll bet the Voyager is sweet!

I have 3 years at the Hospital I work at (its the Psych Hospital in PGH that just had the shooting, I am usually walking to that building then, but was just getting back in town). I just switched to unpaid in January, so newly broke . I had to sell my Gibson Classic and some other gear for the guitar, plus it was a really nice price.

I finally got to play my guitar last night, but had to record something for school (there is a competition for making a 'Counseling Psych' video I suppose for advertisement, my friend and I decided to do a cross between Flight of the Conchords and the Freescore commercials). It was tough making something relatively mainstream after reading 100 pages of jazz theory that I want to apply. I need to stop reading until I get a chance to put some of it to use.

I'm really excited about the past two books, thanks for sharing! I also picked up Sheets of Sound by Jack Zucker so these will keep me busy until those arrive. The Lydian Chromatics book by George Russell (not sure of exact title ATM) is at my library, if anyone is interested I could scan it, or try to figure that out.

[Heady Jam Fan]

I think the Lydian Chromatic (what its titled) would be interesting, especially as my understanding is that the Dunbar Systems is based off of it.

I agree, this reading will keep me busy for a while. Even the really basic stuff in the Levine book has cool examples that make me wish I still had a Fake Book.

[ShockedAndPersuaded]

Here's some food for thought. This is something I've been trying to keep on deck when improvising over a dom7/9th jam. It's a pretty simple concept but I thought I'd throw it out there since the Lydian family is being discussed. This idea is based around a half diminished played from the 3rd of the tonic. ie a c# half dim is the same as an A9. In this example I would throw in a C# Lydian dominant scale to play "outside" or create tension. I had this on my mind Friday night at the gig and was partly due to this thread. So thank you stiles and heady for helping jog my memory.

[gone phishing]

This is sick man. Thanks a lot. I'll check it out for sure.

[fulltone1989]

Here's some food for thought. This is something I've been trying to keep on deck when improvising over a dom7/9th jam. It's a pretty simple concept but I thought I'd throw it out there since the Lydian family is being discussed. This idea is based around a half diminished played from the 3rd of the tonic. ie a c# half dim is the same as an A9. In this example I would throw in a C# Lydian dominant scale to play "outside" or create tension. I had this on my mind Friday night at the gig and was partly due to this thread. So thank you stiles and heady for helping jog my memory.

I'm a little confused as to how this works in terms of C# Phrygian turning into Lydian Dominant and it working over a static chord jam, Is it because the 2nd (D# of C# lydian) is raised instead of normally flattened (D) for the Phrygian scale? Is that where the "outside" sound comes from? (Excuse me if it's a simple reason, I don't have a guitar in my hands to try it out on)

[ShockedAndPersuaded]

I was looking at it as weaving in and out of A mixolydian and C# Lydian dominant.