Harmonic Moss, Part 3: Route 37, a voicing-based melodic line

This melody line  combines patterns from the posts on one-bar ii-V progressions (‘Give it up for the root (position pattern)s‘ and ‘Midnight Donna and Reets in Paris‘)  and with those introduced in the posts on longer ii-V-I patterns (Harmonic Moss Parts 1 and 2 and Six Degrees of Bud Powell, part ii-V-I).   The written left-hand comping models the concept of creating a conversational approach to a two-chord progression by using left hand voicings as ‘bookends’ for an intervening right hand phrase, as well as the concept of using rhythmic placement of chords to accent melodic anticipations (i.e.places where the melodic line lands on the next change a half beat or more before the appearance of the chord symbol and/0r the arrival of the change in a quarter note bassline, a very common occurrence in a bop line.)   A rough recording of the tune can be heard here.

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One Response to Harmonic Moss, Part 3: Route 37, a voicing-based melodic line

  1. Alice Murphy says:

    The small movements in the bass that are staggered by rests add a lot of flavor to this song. The listener gets wrapped up in the A sections, anticipating the bass’s next move and being tossed back and forth by the alternating half steps up and down. When the bridge comes along, the song is grounded in a more traditional sequence of steps and timing, only to return to the A section at the end. The song comes around to come at the Cmaj7 in the second to last measure, but after an eighth note of silence the end is punctuated with the vibrant A7+5.

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