Keith Solo on If I Were A Bell

I was listening to Keith’s “Live at the Blue Note” volume 3 recently and his solo’s opening phrase is just great. Let me show you why.

First, dig the rhythmic repetition, and the anticipation of chord changes on to beat 4. His note choices in the odd numbered bars are all inside until bar 9. But then check out the D natural against the anticipated Eb7 chord – how’d he make that work? And it’s the hippest! Major 7s on dominant 7 chords are usually best used as only as passing notes, but here Keith shows us how to come down slap bang on the big ol’ natural 7, and make it work! Tasty, but how?

I think the answer is in the strong rhythmic repetition and anticipation, and then the way he puts emphasis on certain notes in the line to outline each chord and give the lines shape. I think we expect him to play a Db on beat 4 of bar 9 – at least he sets up that expectation to my ears, but then he chooses the D. The next emphasised note he plays is the Db, so the tension we hear is resolved. Great stuff.

After the 2 bar break at the end of the head (bars 1 and 2), I love how Keith anticipates the chord changes on the odd bars by an 1/8th note, and then each subsequent bar (the even bar numbers) with a quarter note. Each set of two bars has pretty much the same rhythm. The repeating rhythms draw you in, especially right at the top of his solo.

So have fun with repeating rhythms – it gives you scope to play some fun “red” notes because the rhythms of your lines are so strong.

Steve