JAZZ MUSIC : Jazz lesson about the Bossa Nova song 'The Rainbow' by Michael Furstner

'Where there's Rain . . .'

. . there's a Rainbow ! - The Rainbow song - The Three Musketeers - Improvisation

Bb- and Eb- instruments - Quiz - Quiz Answers - Downloading Bay - Links

RB 1 - . . . there's a Rainbow !

There are an amazing number of Latin songs that are written in minor keys, or that contain minor key modulations.
However they do stand out from most other minor music.

Pieces in minor keys in for example Classical music and Jazz predominantly sound from mildly sad to definitely down in the dumps.
And the endless fight between major harmony and minor melody in the Blues is usually won decisively by the sad minor forces.

But not in Latin music.
Here the minor key has another contestant it simply cannot conquer : the happy Latin rhythm.
Unlike the blues, in Latin music there is no fight at all.

It is as if the minor forces know they have no hope of winning against the happy rhythmic spirit. So they do the next best thing :

"When you can't beat them, join them !"

And what a successful combination it is.
Latin American people seem to understand better than most that :

true happiness is often tinged by a hint of sadness,
and even in deep sadness there may be hope just around the corner.

It is the same with the rain. No matter how heavy it pours and how dark the skies may be, there is always a rainbow.
It is a matter of finding the spot from where you can see it.
Because :

"Where there's Rain . . . there's a Rainbow."

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RB 2 - The Rainbow song

The Rainbow is a Bossa Nova in the key of C minor.
All my students absolutely love it.

You can hear the raindrops coming down in the first 16 bars, then in bar 17 the Rainbow suddenly appears.

Audio 1

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RB 3 - D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers

A minor scale can perhaps best be defined as

a scale that has a minor triad as its tonic chord

In other words, measured from the tonic note there must be a minor 3rd (and not a major 3rd) and a perfect fifths in every minor scale.

For example any C minor scale must contain an Eb (and not and E) and a G.
(Minor triad on the tonic note : C - Eb - G)

Any F minor scale must contain an Ab (and not an A) and a C.
(Minor triad on the tonic note : F - Ab - C)

Apart from that anything goes.
This gives scope to numerous possibilities. Let me introduce you to the D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers of minor ( 7 tone-) scales. They are as popular in Classical music as in Jazz, although not always used in the same way.

The first two scales are displaced major scales ('modes').

Athos
The natural minor scale (or 'Aeolian mode') start on the 6th note of its 'related major'.
The C natural minor scale for example is the Eb major scale starting on C.
The F natural minor is the Ab major scale starting on F, and so on.

Natural Minor
../songs/rainb01.gif

Pathos
The Dorian mode starts on the 2nd note of a major scale.
The C Dorian mode is the Bb scale starting on C.
The F Dorian mode is the Eb major scale starting on F.

Dorian mode
../songs/rainb02.gif

The other two scales are altered natural minor scales.

Aramis
The harmonic minor is a natural minor with a raised 7th note (for the C scale a B natural).

Harmonic Minor
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D'Artagnan
The melodic minor is a natural minor with a raised 6th and raised 7th note (for the C scale and A natural and a B natural).

Melodic Minor
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The differences between these four scales lie therefore in their respective 6th and 7th notes.

Natural Minor - Dorian mode - Harmonic Minor - Melodic Minor
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In traditional Classical music the melodic minor and natural minor scales are usually combined.
The melodic minor scale is used in ascending passages, and the natural minor scale in descending melody segments. This was done to accommodate older concepts of musical taste.
In modern music and Jazz a more aggressive approach prevails and both scales are used independently.

In Jazz all four minor scales have a variety of functions.

In minor songs the first three scales (natural minor, harmonic minor and Dorian mode) often occur together, just like the Three Musketeers in the famous French novel of Alexandre Dumas.

The melodic minor scale is more like the independent character D'Artagnan of Dumas' famous heroes.
It is used in Classical minor harmonies, but in Jazz the various modes derived from this scale are very popular for improvisation over dominant and altered dominant chords in both minor and major harmonies.

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RB 4 - Improvisation

The Three Musketeers control the whole improvisation action in The Rainbow song.
Use :

Audio 2

Over Cm7 : the C natural minor scale : C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C

Over Fm7 : the F Dorian mode : F - G - Ab - Bb - C - D - Eb - F

Over G7 : the C harmonic minor scale (starting on G) : G - Ab - B - C - D - Eb - F - G

(Chord tones shown in bold)

Note that the F Dorian mode contains the same notes as the C natural minor scale (they are different modes of the same Eb major scale).

Use the C harmonic minor scale over the G7, this fits better with the minor tonality of the song, rather than using the G Mixolydian mode. (But ultimately it is your personal choice and taste that should prevail in the selection of scales for improvisation.)

In short, only one note changes for improvisation over the entire song : play a B over the G7 chord, everywhere else use a Bb.

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RB 5 - Bb and Eb instruments

Bb instrument players use :

Over Dm7 : the D natural minor scale : D - E - F - G - A - Bb - C - D
Over Gm7 : the G Dorian mode : G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F - G
Over A7 : the D harmonic minor scale (starting on A) : A - Bb - C# - D - E - F - G - A

Play a C# over the A7 chord, use C naturals everywhere else.

Eb instrument players use :

Over Am7 : the A natural minor scale : A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A
Over Dm7 : the D Dorian mode : D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D
Over E7 : the A harmonic minor scale (starting on E) : E - F - G# - A - B - C - D - E

Play a G# over the E7 chord, use G naturals everywhere else.

If you have enjoyed this Lesson then get your copy of the Jazz Theory Course on CD-ROM.
The Course is 20 Lessons long and in web-style format, just like this lesson.
You will gain a fundamental understanding and knowledge of music that will serve you well for the rest of your musical life!

Don't forget, if you have any questions please ask me.

Happy studying !

Michael

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RB 6 - Quiz

A.
Identify these minor scales.

1. F - B - Ab - Bb - C - D - E - F

2. D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D

3. G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F# - G

4. A - B - C - D - E - F# - G - A

5. E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E

B.
Convert these major scales into harmonic minor scales (with the same tonic note) by altering two notes.

1. D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D

2. G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G

3. Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb

4. E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E

5. F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F

6. A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A

C.
Convert these major scales into natural minor scales by using the same notes but selecting a different tonic note.

1. D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D

2. G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G

3. Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb

4. E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E

5. F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F

6. A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A

D.
Identify the types of minor scales in Ear test 1.
There are four scales. Each scale is played three times, first twice slowly ascending, then once up and down at twice the speed.

Divide each scale in your mind in two halves.
For the C scales the first half is from C up to F, the second half from G up to C. These are two so-called tetrachords (= 4 notes within the interval of a perfect 4th).
All four minor scales start with the same tetrachord, but the second tetrachord (from G up to C) is different for each scale.

natural minor	semitone - tone - tone	= G - Ab - Bb - C	= Phrygian tetrachord
Dorian mode	tone - semitone - tone	= G - A - Bb - C	= Dorian tetrachord
harmonic minor	semitone - 1.5 tone - semitone	= G - Ab - B - C	= Gypsy tetrachord
melodic minor	tone - tone - semitone	= G - A - B - C	= Major tetrachord

E.
Identify the types of minor scales in Ear test 2.

There are six scales. Each scale is played three times, first twice slowly ascending, then once up and down at twice the speed. (No need to identify the key each scale is in.)

Answers to Quiz

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RB 7 - Downloading Bay

File Name

Contents

Size

rainbsoc.gif

Lead sheet - C instruments

14K

rainbsob.gif

Lead sheet - Bb instruments

14K

rainbsoe.gif

Lead sheet - Eb instruments

14K

rainbso.mid

Play-a-Long Midi file

35K

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