I know it's a Joe Pass sample, and that it's slightly out of tune, but for the longest time it's bugged me about what the chords are. I usually have a pretty good ear for this stuff, but this one just eludes me. Anybody know the chords for this one?
Take the first 8 bars and that's the progression of the sample. The fourth bar, however, kind of only has implied harmony, and you could almost leave it at EbMaj7 for that bar (or the transposed equivalent). Note that 8 bars of Giant Steps fits into 4 bars of Q-Tip.
Btw Giant Steps is considered among the most harmonically complex songs Coltrane wrote and typefied the hyper-bebop style against which Miles Davis had already rebelled in Kind of Blue (which dropped a year before Coltrane's album was released). So if I were you, I wouldn't feel too bad having trouble catching the changes on it..lol
6. "My guess is that the voicing is changing the sound a lot" In response to Reply # 4
since the color notes are right up under the melody, and the low end isn't as prevalent as it is in the second half of the loop. I'm pretty sure that the actual passage isn't chopped up, though; seandammit, if you post that there song up, I'll listen happily for comparison.
8. "Joe Pass was big on drop 2 chords.." In response to Reply # 0 Mon Aug-25-08 05:30 PM by beat slanger
..4 note voicings of 7th chords, with four inversions for each type of chord. These chords are the foundation of chordal solos, which was Joe's big thing. They can be tough to wrap your fingers around when first learning them, esp if you only used to bar voicings, but in the long run they are much easier to move between.
9. "So THAT'S what I'm hearing! Not that the chords are bunched up" In response to Reply # 8
under the lead, but that they're jammed together under a piece of open space under the top voice.
I'm not a guitarist, but that approach to voicing is classic in horn arrangements where you want the lead voice to sit well on top of everyone else (the opposite of Oliver Nelson-style voicings where there's a m2nd right under the lead every opportunity). In something like a 'bone solo with the section supporting, the 3rd voice might even get dropped too, or more colorful chords written in (m7 #11 with a couple implied notes or something) down below.
10. "Its funny you say that.." In response to Reply # 9
..Joe Pass was very much about emulating horn players, but that's a whole nother post. Also, like I said, those voicings can be difficult to learn, but once you got it they make moving between interesting voicings very fluid process. Its how Wes did what he did. Many guitar players neglect this concept, but piano players know whats up. Its especially useful in sections where chords arent moving by as fast, cause you can mix it up both rhythmically AND harmonically - fills essentially.
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