7 Steps To Heaven - played by Lot2Learn with Annotations

A .PDF notation file of my piano solo as well as an .MP3 file of the backing track I used in this video and a MIDI file of my piano solo are all available on my web site at http://www.Lot2Learn.com

This is from one of my favorite musical periods in jazz - the '60's. Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, George Coleman - on this CD (to be later replaced by the great Mr. Shorter).

I've always loved 7 Steps to Heaven, but it is usually played so fast! I decided to slow it down here - 240 BPM is not really that slow, but compared to where this thing sits on the record - believe me, it's slow.

I have added annotations in several spots - maybe you'll find a few of them helpful. As I create my solo, you'll notice I have certain "reference" notes I will use. One of theses is the B natural played for the G7 chord. This helps myself (and the listener) keep track of where I am and provide a reference point to allow me to musically wander and meander through the rest of the changes. By "framing" my solo with these reference notes, I can confidently step outside the tonal center of the moment. Maybe you will find some usefulness with this concept.

I used the Fender Rhodes VST plug-in "Lounge Lizard" on this video. I also tried to get a clearer picture of the keyboard by tweaking some video processing settings in Camtasia Studio (thanks to Jazz2511).

MidiKeyz MIDI display courtesy of www.Midikeyz.com.

As always, thanks for listening!!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• miles
• davis
• jazz
• piano
• improvisation
• tutorial
• herbie
• hancock
• ron
• carter
• tony
• williams
• roger
• friedman