A student asked me a question in a private lesson yesterday that I don’t think anyone had asked me quite that way before: “How do I listen to your music?”
Some of my albums connected with them immediately, but others left them wondering why they had little similarity to previous releases. That question became the starting point for this episode: a conversation about harmony, simplicity, and why I’m drawn to making something different each time I record.
There’s quite a lot of playing in this episode! I start with a simple ii–V idea and explore how a small harmonic detour can delay the resolution and open up new ways to eventually get to the tonic. From there, we get into chord inversions, voice leading, ostinatos, and some of the short solo bass pieces I’m developing.
I also talk about the expectations we bring to our favorite artists. Marcus Miller, Miles Davis, and Meshell Ndegeocello offer different examples of how a musical identity can develop, and how our attachment to a particular record can shape what we hope to hear next.
In this episode:
* Reimagining familiar ii–V–I harmony with an additional ii–V.
* Using inversions and closely spaced notes to give simple chords more character.
* Putting a repeating figure above the melody instead of underneath it.
* Turning improvisation and practice-room discoveries into compositions.
* Employing restrictive practice to find more possibilities within what you already know.
* Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs and the appeal of short musical forms.
* Balancing influence, artistic honesty, and audience expectations.
* Why time and sound remain the foundation, however complex the harmony gets.
Which influences can you hear in my playing? If a phrase reminds you of a particular musician, solo, or record, leave a comment. I’d love to hear what you recognize before digging into those transcriptions in a future episode.
Books Discussed in This Episode
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More soon,
Janek
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