Trey lessons from 1999 Guitar World magazine

[Stecks]

by Trey Anastasio

YIN & YANG : Tension & Resolution

Any Musician, regardless of the style of music that he or she plays, can benefit greatly from a deeper understanding of harmonic tension and resolution. Over the next few months, I hope to shed some valuable light on this subject.First and foremost, keep in mind that the principles of Western harmony apply to all western styles-from Bach to Pantera, the building blocks are the same. This is why it's important to distinguish between style and content. For example, stylistically, Jimi Hendrix and Wynton Marsalis are polar opposites, but the musical roots of both may be traced back to early black american blues and gospel. Their styles are very different, but their influences are similar.I can't stress one point enough: dont let style scare you away from content. You may not like a musicians style, but the content of his music might have something you can apply to your own style. I generally don't like country music, but that wouldn't keep me from taking one of those patented three-part country vocal harmonies and putting it over a demented heavy metal vamp. With that horrible thought in mind, let's talk about content. In my opinion the whole basis of western music, regardless of style, revolves around the V ("Five") chord resolving to the I ("One") chord. In musical terms this is called tension and resolution, or put simply, movement and rest. My personal definition of tension and resolution is that at any given time, you're either playing on a chord or to a chord. You're either on "tensionland" or "releaseland". That said, I'd like to discuss what I believe to be one of the most important harmonic concepts in music - the tritone principle - which can be applied to any style you're playing, be it rock, jazz, country or blues. Here's the tritone priciple in a nutshell. The third and lowered seventh of a major scale (the tones that define the dominant seventh chord sound) form the interval of a flatted fifth, also called a tritone. Since the notes in a tritone are equidistant (at equal distances from each other) they can function as the third and the lowered seventh in two different keys, also a flatted fifth apart. Let's look at the G7 shape in FIGURE 1.



Notice that in addition to the root, all it contains is the third (B) and the lowered Seventh (F). If you flip the functions of these two notes - that is, make the lowered seventh the third, and the third the lowered seventh - you'll get a dominant seventh chord, the root of which is a tritone away from G, in this case Db. With Db as the root, the B (or Cb) functions as the third (see FIGURE 1A). So in essence one chord shape has two dominant seventh functions. Now lets take this principle a step further. We know that a dominant seventh chord functioning as the V wants to resolve to the I chord (or root). The same goes for the tritone.

Check out FIGURE 2- If you move the B note up a half step to C and F down a half step to E, you'll get the root and the third of a C chord. By simple moving two notes, you produce a complete G7-C cadence. And that is the V-I resolution. And remember, since a tritone also functions as a dominant seventh chord a flatted fifth away, you can lower the B note a half step to A# (Bb) and raise F a half step to Gb (F#) to create a Db7-Gb resolution as in FIGURE 2A.

By adding color and tension tones to the basic tritone, you can instantly create sophisticated- sounding dominant seventh chords...without having to memorize thousands of chord shapes from a book! Figures 3-3C depict some common dominant voicings that resolve to the I chord. After learning these, try to figure out some cool V-I cadences on your own. See ya next month!

[Heady Jam Fan]

Nice - I don't remember that article; I would have expected to have seen it on the webs if not in my pile of GW mags (I was subscribed around 99, but realized it was pointless for the rare good article mixed in with terrible music).

I like how Trey uses Bach as an example even though Bach's music is generally conceptualized horizontally (melodically) rather than harmonically - still uses the same Western foundations and you get some cool chord progression from adding harmony to his counterpoint - I remember doing that when I ran out of fingers trying to play all the melodies in Little Organ Fugue at one time, lol. IIRC, I added chords when the line originally in Gmin moves to Dmin:

Code Select Expand


.1.&.2.3.1.&.2.3.1.&.2.3.1.&.2.3
---------------------------------
-6-5---6-5-----5-6-----5---------
-----7---7-7-6---7---7---6-7-6---
---------7-------7-7-----------7-
-5---------------8-----7---------
-------------------------5-------
Dmin     A11     F6    EdA7

*Ed = Edim


I usually improved in a similar fashion to the above for three more phrases, just changing the melody with the chords remaining the same.

Even Bach, on music without intrinsic vertical concepts, ends in a ii-V-i

[Stecks]

Option 79

By Trey Anastasio

YIN & YANG : Tension & Resolution - Part II
Last month I talked about the V-I cadence and its role as the foundation of western harmony. This time around, I'll look at how to apply this principle to improvisation.

Improvisation in a group setting is about communication, and communication is about listening. Group improv is a conversation, and nothing compares to the feeling of truly conversing on a musical level. The most important thing you can do in a jam is listen, so keep that in mind as we talk about these "solo" or single-line ideas.

In my last column I said that at any given time you are either playing on a chord or to a chord. The best way to play to a chord is to use tension and resolution (via the V-I cadence) as the framework for your lines. This idea works well when playing over changes, or when you want to jam on a one chord groove (like the Em jam in "Run like an Antelope" from Lawn Boy).

One way to create tension is by inserting a V-chord phrase into a static chord line and then resolving it back to the I chord. By doing this, you take the listener on a harmonic journey. This may sound complicated, but it's actually very simple and powerful. Once you get a handle on this idea, you can take it as far as your imagination will go.

Five or six years ago, I attended a jazz seminar given by a noted guitar educator named Ted Dunbar. He showed me that you only need the third and the lowered seventh of a scale to creat a dominant sound. All the other notes, are tension or color tones. Ted's whole concept is that there are 23 scales that contain the third and lowered seventh, and any one of them will take you out to the V-chord land of whatever tonal center you happen to be in. (Of course, he also told me to get rid of my girlfriend and practice more, but thats another story...)

One scale that works particularly well over any type of B dominant chord (e.g. B7b9, B7#9, B13b9) is the B half-whole diminished scale illustrated in FIGURE 1.



Notice that it contains the third (D#) and the lowered seventh (A) of the B7 chord.

Imagine you are playing over an Em chord vamp. Chances are, you're soloing using E-minor pentatonic or the E blues scale. But try this: Instead of playing your trusty licks as you normally would, try inserting a B7 (the V chord of E minor) idea that resolves back to Em, as in FIGURE 2.



You'll get an instant feeling of movement (tension) within the chord. Though the B half-whole diminshed lick I used in this example is fairly common, it's actually a simple B7b9 arpeggio), notice how cool it sounds, and how satisfying the resolution from D# (the third of B7) to E (The root of Em) is.

The whole idea here is to go on a ride. Try to get into the feeling of playing towards some kind of goal. You can do it with shifts of energy and intensity while playing a single note, or you can do it harmonically with ideas like this one. FIGURE 2 isn't a riff that works over an Em chord, but a path torwards an Em chord. In FIGURE 3, I took the stock B half-whole diminished lick in FIGURE 2, permutated it a little, and made it sound more like a musical statement than an exercise.



Music is the ultimate adventure for me. It's the ride of a lifetime. (Me too, Trey - Stecks) This harmonic idea is just one of countless ways to make the ride more intense. Don't worry is some of the notes in FIGURE 3 sound like they clash with the Em chord. Keep trying and you'll get a handle on it-and as soon as you do, take it further. Also, listen to John Coltrane to see how far the "harmonic journey over a simple chord progression" can go, and try to get a copy of Theory of Harmonic Convergence by Ted Dunbar. If you want to hear how I used this idea in a Phish song, listen to the version of "stash" on A Live One.

[the_great_lemon]

These are awesome!!!!

[webephishin]

I totally wish I new the language he's speaking in....sounds really good, but I might understand 10% of it at the most haha. I'm a self-taught guitarist so I'm very limited in terms of music communication for guitar.  With that said, thanks for sharing these- they're interesting to read despite my lack of terminology of scales/notes/dominants/7ths/chords/you get the idea 

[Stecks]

I totally wish I new the language he's speaking in....sounds really good, but I might understand 10% of it at the most haha. I'm a self-taught guitarist so I'm very limited in terms of music communication for guitar.  With that said, thanks for sharing these- they're interesting to read despite my lack of terminology of scales/notes/dominants/7ths/chords/you get the idea  

Thanks everyone, you are all very welcome.  I have one more that I'll post.  

Well, now's the best time to start learning the new language he's speaking in!      Basically what he's saying is that there are certain notes that "define" chords, and knowing which scales/other chords also contain those notes that those notes can really beef up your playing, give you new ideas instead of the same ol' riffs that we all get sick of playing over and over. 

When he says, "you're either playing on a chord or to a chord" - seems simple enough, right?  But I had no idea how profound that statement was for several years (and lots of PRACTICE!!!) when I read it about 13 years ago.  That's kind of what I discovered, as well.  Don't worry if some of this stuff doesn't "make sense" because we're all learning - you probably understand some of what he's talking about without knowing the actual theoretical description.

Theory increases your vocabulary, but that by itself won't make you interesting.  You have to 1, use them, and 2, use them EFFECTIVELY... the best way to do it is to learn them backwards and forwards until they are part of your DNA - and then don't ever give them a second thought when you're playing - focus on FEELING it, being in the moment, and most importantly, HAVING FUN!!!!   If you aren't having fun, your audience  probably isn't, either. (Which for me, is frequently just my golden retrievers... and one of them is deaf)

Its all about having options...  learning this stuff increases your options.   

Maybe if some of it isn't clear we can get some Skype going.  If I can be of any help, let me know...  I'm by no means an expert but I love learning and teaching.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Thats awesome - that second part looks familiar to me, but I didn't recall him talking specifically about Tonal Convergence (the book).

I wonder if I still have a copy of his article Phish Scales... its probably at my parents house, I might look when I get over there in the next week or two.

[the_great_lemon]

Thats awesome - that second part looks familiar to me, but I didn't recall him talking specifically about Tonal Convergence (the book).

I wonder if I still have a copy of his article Phish Scales... its probably at my parents house, I might look when I get over there in the next week or two.

Is this the article you're talking about?
http://www.guitarworld.com/phish-scales-trey-anastasio-breaks-down-his-improvisation-techniques

[Heady Jam Fan]

Thats awesome - that second part looks familiar to me, but I didn't recall him talking specifically about Tonal Convergence (the book).

I wonder if I still have a copy of his article Phish Scales... its probably at my parents house, I might look when I get over there in the next week or two.

Is this the article you're talking about?
http://www.guitarworld.com/phish-scales-trey-anastasio-breaks-down-his-improvisation-techniques

Lol, yea, that appears to be it, though the article says 2011.?. It came out many years ago, I remember reading it and playing the scales and not getting much from it. I'd bet I will feel differently when I re-read it though.

[Stecks]

(Ok everyone, this is that last of the 3 articles by Mr. Anastasio from Guitar World magazine in 1999.  This one has more to do with creativity and being "open" to new ideas than it does with music theory, but its still great.  Its all about options.  As I mentioned before in a reply, the take home point, regardless of the CONTENT of these lessons is that as an artist, one of the biggest things you can do for your game is to REALIZE that you have options - you can change things up and do anything you want - as long as you are willing to be flexible!!!   This allows you to have more in your arsenal than the next guy - but as I said, its all about CONTEXT - knowing when and how to use your knowledge...  As comedians say, timing is everything.   You can drive screws with a hammer, but there might be a better tool for the job... or not?  Best way to figure it out is to try.  I'm glad we started discussing McLaughlin, he's a beast.  He's always been one of my favorites, too.  He's a master of duality.  Seamlessly moves between compositions that are loose yet tight, both loud and quiet, calm and raging...  I'll post some McLaughlin exercises that help build speed and fretboard awareness - Stecks)

Option 79
By Trey Anastasio

Option 23
Here's some shit you should check out if you haven't already heard it.

   John McLaughlin's rhythm playing on Miles Davis' A Tribute To Jack Johnson (Columbia)
   Anything Marc Ribot ever played (listen to his work on the Tom Waits albumsRain Dogs and Swordfish trombone [Island])
   Anything Wes Montgomery or Django Reinhart ever played
   James Brown, Live At The Apollo (King)

Option 17
If you can find the aforementioned James Brown album, try to imagine how incredible it would be to be able to play everything he sings in the first song ("Think,"A vocal duet with Marva Whitney) - that is, to be able to duplicate all of JB's vocal phrasing on the guitar. It's hard, but trying to imitate singers is an amazing thing to do for your playing.

Option 4
Listen to your favorite song 100 times in a row with headphones. Still like it? I didn't.

Option 61
Take TV themes or other simple melodies and play them all over the neck.For instance, play "Happy Birthday" in the key of C. Now play it starting at each C note on the neck (there are 12 on a 24 fret guitar, as illustrated in Figure 1).



Option 62
You should be able to connect any two C notes on the guitar that aren't in the same octave with a major scale. For example, play the C major scale that starts on the third fret of the A string and ends on the first fret of the B string (Figure 2). Now, starting on the same not, play a c major scale that ends on the fifth fret of the G string instead, as in Figure 3. Continue this concept up the entire neck (Figure 4 depicts a two-octave C major scale starting on the sixth string, eight fret), and then do it in the other eleven key. Finally, try it with minor, Mixolydian, Dorian, Lydian, diminished, whole tone and blues scales.





Option 63
If you are not yet familiar with them, learn the aformentioned scales. You can find them in any scale book, but I still think the best way to learn is by jamming with more experienced musicians (they don't have to be guitar players) and asking them to explain this stuff to you. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know something - at one point in his life, jazz great Joe Pass didn't know what a blues scale was.

Option 11
Stay awake for five days.

Option 90
Learn one tune in a style that you've never tried. For instance, if you've never learned bluegrass, try learning the "Beaumant Rag." If you've never heard the song, it can be found on many bluegrass albums. Two favorites are the versions by Tony Rice on California Autumn (Rebel Records) and Alison Krauss and Union Station's version from Two Highways, available on Rounder. Of Course, the best way to learn bluegrass is to hang around people who actually play bluegrass.

Option 2
Learn how to play some drums.

Option 1
Learn how to play some piano. I can't tell you how many times I've heard older musicians tell me, "If I could do it all over, I'd start of on piano and drums. "If you don't know your way around a piano, you don't really understand harmony...And drums will teach you about rhythm.

Option 7
Don't believe what anyone, including me, tells you about music. Focus all of your energy on the development of your own voice. Be yourself - nobody else can. (YES! I freakin' love this quote! - Stecks)

[Heady Jam Fan]

Awesome stuff, once again - Stecks and Red

Wes is awesome, everyone here should own Smokin' at the Half Note; possibly my favorite straight jazz album (I have it on vinyl)
And Django works magic with two fingers.

Option 11:
I made it to four days...

[Stecks]

Awesome stuff, once again - Stecks and Red

Wes is awesome, everyone here should own Smokin' at the Half Note; possibly my favorite straight jazz album (I have it on vinyl)
And Django works magic with two fingers.

Option 11:
I made it to four days...

Yep, Wes was incredible, I have that album, too, and yeah, it kicks ass.  Has always been a favorite.  Marc Ribot, as well.  Pat Metheny Group self titled album, Miles' Kind of Blue and "Hot Spot" with John Lee Hooker, Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard... and anything Lenny Breau, Joe Pass, Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis ever played.

Option 77:
Listen to a song in a foreign language.  Now write down what you think it was about.  Then use what you wrote to write a song about that song.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Yea, I saw Hubbard about 8 years ago at the Oridian (spelling?), he had lost his chops. I played a charity show that year and House of Soul opened for us (we opened for the Clarks). We started with Red Clay and House of Soul ran on stage, they were pumped a bunch of white guys were playing that tune and said they were jealous; they would rather play jazz, but popular R&B pays the bills.

Also, Joe Pass is great, I like On Ramp the best as far as Metheny, John Lee Hooker is the roots, and you can't leave out Kind of Blue

[Stecks]

Yea, I saw Hubbard about 8 years ago at the Oridian (spelling?), he had lost his chops. I played a charity show that year and House of Soul opened for us (we opened for the Clarks). We started with Red Clay and House of Soul ran on stage, they were pumped a bunch of white guys were playing that tune and said they were jealous; they would rather play jazz, but popular R&B pays the bills.

Clarks.. Very Pittsburgh.  Good story. 

I love the "Cold Turkey" on Red Clay.. great stuff.  My dad is a brass player so I tend to gravitate towards horns, I think.  Love Dizzy, Terence Blanchard, Arturo Sandoval, too. 

[MomaDan]

I totally wish I new the language he's speaking in....sounds really good, but I might understand 10% of it at the most haha. I'm a self-taught guitarist so I'm very limited in terms of music communication for guitar.  With that said, thanks for sharing these- they're interesting to read despite my lack of terminology of scales/notes/dominants/7ths/chords/you get the idea 

Yes I am sort of in this realm as well. Living with a two other musicians and jamming all the time has really helped the last couple months. Its just not the same as playing along to loops