How This Record Label Sells More Vinyl Than StreamsThis week, Ari is joined by Terry Cole, owner and operator of Colemine Records and Plaid Room Records.

The Dorian Scale for Jazz ImprovisationUnderstanding the Dorian Scale

Dorian is the 2nd mode of the major scale. So if we start any major scale on the 2nd degree we get a dorian scale.

Step 1 – We are going to play the major scale and then the related dorian scale. 

A useful variation of this step is to understand where the half-steps are in the dorian scale and then play all dorian scales without considering the related major scale.

Step 2 – Play all dorian scales by thinking of where the half-steps are and the degrees that you’re playing. The formula for dorian is W H W W W H W.

And the scale degrees are 1 2 b3 4 5 6 and b7.

Chordal Implications of the Dorian Scale

If we stack notes from the Dorian scale by 3rds, we get a m7(9,11,13) chord.

So this scale is ideal for related 2 chords. Related 2 chords are m7 chords that are followed by the related V chord.

For example: in a Dm7 G7 progression, the Dm7 is the related 2 chord of the G7 chord because Dm7 to G7 is a 2-5.

But, not all m7 chords are good candidates for the Dorian scale. In the progression Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 G7, the Am7 does not want to be paired with the dorian scale. And that’s because Am dorian contains an F# which is not part of the C major scale. And of course Am7 is not part of a 2-5.

Another possible use of the dorian scale on m7 chords is on modal tunes, like in Recorda-me. In this case the Am7 pairs well with the Dorian scale. You can even see how the F# is part of the melody under the Am7 chord.

It is also worth noting that the 13 in Dorian is a tricky note to use on a m7 chord acting as a related 2. And that’s because the 13 creates a tritone with the b3 of the chord. In a Dm7 the 13th is B and the b3 is F. These two notes create a tritone F to B which is exactly what the V chord (G7 in our case) uses to create tension. That does not happen in a modal context -as I’ve shown you before in Recorda-me.

Step 3 – Play the dorian scale in 3rds like this:

Notice how we are arpeggiating the m7 chord and then we introduce tensions 9 and 11, and finally tension 13.

Pay attention at how tension 13th sounds in this m7 context. It turns the sound of the m7 into a dorian modal sound.

Applying the Dorian Scale

The last 3 steps are more about lines using the dorian scale in a 2 -5 progression.

Step 4 – Play an arpeggio with the 9th as an approach tone, and we end up landing on the 9th, which is the 13th of the V chord.

Bebop-izing the Dorian Scale

We turn the dorian scale into a Bebop scale using a chromatic passing tone. 

Step 5 – Start on the root of the scale and use the maj7 as a passing tone between the root and the b7. The cool thing about the bebop scales is that all the chord-tones from the m7 chord are played on the downbeats, while the rest of the notes from the dorian scale are used as passing tones.

Step 6 – We’re going to add two chromatic passing tones, which allows us to start on the 9th of the dorian scale.

If you’re looking for a complete course on the modes of the major scale and how to use them for jazz improvisation, you can check out Jazz Scales & Modes Vol.1: A Guide To Improvisation available for Piano, Bass Instruments, Bb and Eb Instruments.

Learn more on mDecks.com

The Major Scale (Ionian) for Jazz ImprovisationThe Major Scale (Ionian)

The major scale serves as our “source scale,” the point of reference for its related modes. We will delve into the intricacies of this scale, explore its unique properties, and discover its role in improvisational music.

The Concept of Source Scales

In the realm of musical modes, the Ionian scale takes center stage as the most familiar and frequently employed scale. We designate it as our “source scale,” a reference point from which we derive all related modes within its group. 

Whether it’s Dorian as the 2nd mode or Lydian as the 4th mode, these modes find their origins within the Ionian scale. The choice of the source scale is primarily based on its prevalence in musical practice, and there are no intrinsic properties guiding this selection.

Understanding the Ionian Scale

Step 1 – Play the Ionian scale in all keys.

Throughout the book we will use a modulation pattern of a perfect fifth down. This is the most-often-found root movement in music.

Step 2 – To deepen our understanding of the Ionian scale, we’ll explore its structure in terms of whole and half steps. This perspective helps us navigate any scale more intuitively and utilize its degrees effectively. 

The half-whole pattern of Ionian is: W W H W W W H

This gives us all major/perfect degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

Chordal Implications of the Ionian Scale

Stacking notes from the Ionian scale by thirds reveals a maj7(9,11,13) chord. We’ll investigate the unique relationship between the 11th and the 3rd, understanding the dissonance they create in tonal contexts. In modal harmony, we can leverage these tensions to emphasize the Ionian sound.

Step 3 – Transformation of Maj7 to 6 Chord

The Ionian scale’s adaptability allows us to transform a maj7 chord into a 6 chord, a valuable skill in jazz improvisation. We’ll explore this transformation and its applications.

Bebop-izing the Ionian Scale

Much like Dorian and Mixolydian, we can enhance the Ionian scale by adding a chromatic passing tone between the 5th and 6th degrees, creating a Bebop scale. This alteration aligns chord tones with downbeats.

Step 4 – Play ascending bebop scales.

Step 5 – Play descending bebop scales.

The Passing Diminished Chord

By integrating all passing tones into the major Bebop scale, we form a diminished chord. This chord plays a significant role in jazz, facilitating reharmonization of passing tones. 

Step 6 – Play ascending scales using passing diminished chords.

Modal Perspective of the Ionian Scale

In a modal context, the Ionian mode presents unique challenges due to its tonal implications. We’ll focus on the characteristic tones, the 4th and 7th degrees, and explore their role in defining the modal sound.

To further our modal understanding, we’ll construct altered quartal voicings using the root, 4th, and 7th degrees. This unorthodox yet captivating sound adds depth to our Ionian explorations.

Putting It All Together

Step 7 – Combine modal quartal voicings with melodic lines. This comprehensive approach helps us grasp the full potential of the Ionian scale within the realm of improvisation in a modal context.

If you’re looking for a complete course on the modes of the major scale and how to use them for jazz improvisation, you can check out Jazz Scales & Modes Vol.1: A Guide To Improvisation available for Piano, Bass Instruments, Bb and Eb Instruments.

Learn more on mDecks.com

Recent Classical Highlights for November 2023Each month we review a variety of classical music from different eras, countries, and genres. This month, many of the best releases were instrumental music, although there were several great vocal releases also. Organist and choral conductor Anna Lapwood released her sophomore solo album to well-deserved acclaim, while award-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion (pictured) gathered a few new, inventive compositions.

The vast world of South Asian percussion instruments
Learn about the history, anatomy, and sounds of South Asian percussion instruments spanning the mridangam, ghatam, chenda, and more.

Bel Aylon Offers FREE Thiol Drum Senegal Vol. 1
Ben Aylon offers the Thiol Drum Senegal Vol. 1 sample pack as a free download on Cyber Monday. The Thiol (pronounced as Tchol) is a Senegalese traditional sabar drum, considered to be one of the oldest drums in West Africa. Its unusually shaped body, not carved fully through, gives it unique timbres and overtones. In [...]
View post: Bel Aylon Offers FREE Thiol Drum Senegal Vol. 1

“Never once have I been asked to give the festival a pre-recorded set”: James Hype says pre-recorded DJ sets are the “artist’s choice” and not something festivals ask forDJ-Producer James Hype has weighed in on the debate about pre-recorded live sets, saying “that is the artist’s choice” and most certainly not something festivals actively request.

READ MORE: Black Friday 2023: best deals on DJ controllers, DJ headphones and turntables

“I don’t know where this dialogue came from that when you play a festival you have to play a pre-recorded set but it’s clearly not true,” Hype clarifies in his latest YouTube video.
The DJ, who a few weeks ago played at the 2023 Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), spotlights a recent Reddit post discussing “which artists were actually DJing at EDC Orlando this year?”
So, which artists were “actually” DJing this year? byu/Okay_sure_lets_post inEDCOrlando

The post’s top comment referenced Deadmau5’s (in)famous claim in 2021 that DJs “have to play pre-recorded sets” and that they rarely do live sets at major festivals like EDC anymore, to which Hype replies: “I have played at 95 percent of the biggest festivals in the world… and never once have I been asked to give the festival a pre-recorded set.”
“No one has ever asked me this and I don’t think that this actually happens.”
“I’m not saying that pre-recorded sets don’t exist because I’m sure they do,” Hype says, “And there are artists who do play pre-recorded sets—there’s some artists who’ve been playing the same pre-recorded set for two or three years and that’s just wild—but what I want to make very clear today is that that is the artist’s choice and not something that the festival or the event tells them that they have to do.”
He also rebuts claims that DJs have to pre-record so the lighting can “sync up with your set” by pointing out how software like Show Control easily “allow the lighting engineer and the firework guy to read what the CDJs are playing so they can see every track at the right time and where the drop is”.
“Now the way I DJ— it’s all about the live performance,” Hype continues, adding that “anyone can play the Beatport Top 10” and “mix one record into another really smoothly” with the technology we have in 2023.
Ultimately, “what I want to bring to the table is the stuff that only happens once in a lifetime where I’m mixing one track into another in a specific way that’s never going to happen like that ever again,” says the artist.
“I’m not trying to give people perfection, I’m trying to give people a true live performance. And that is something that a robot or AI could never do.”
“So to be very clear I will never be pre-recording a set for any festival for any club for any event. I firmly stand for real DJing—that’s what gets me excited and that’s what people want to come and see me do when I play.”
Watch the full video below.

The post “Never once have I been asked to give the festival a pre-recorded set”: James Hype says pre-recorded DJ sets are the “artist’s choice” and not something festivals ask for appeared first on MusicTech.

A bus driver has claimed he’s owed rights and royalties for Tupac’s Dear MamaA bus driver and former musician has filed a lawsuit claiming he’s owed rights and royalties for his production work on Tupac’s hit Dear Mama. 
The song was famously the third single from Tupac’s third album Me Against The World, with the Library of Congress describing it as an “eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper’s own mother [Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur] and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference”.

READ MORE: Black Friday deals 2023: Best deals for music producers, DJs, beatmakers and musicians

In his lawsuit, Terrence Thomas has pointed to interviews from the late rapper as well as handwritten credits written by Tupac himself which name him as the creator of the beat in Dear Mama.  According to court documents seen by Music Business Worldwide,  Thomas claims he was “never properly and fully credited for his publishing copyright”.
Thomas also alleges that producer Tony D. Pizarro conspired with the label, Interscope, and Universal Music Group to obscure Thomas’s role in the track’s creation to prevent him from receiving the royalties he was owed.

Dear Mama inspired a five-part docuseries of the same name about the rapper’s relationship with his mother. The series aired earlier this year on FX and has received nominations from the Black Reel Awards for Television, the Emmys and the Grammys.
Thomas is also suing Warner Brothers, NBC, Fox, Hulu and Disney who have together brought the Dear Mama documentary series to the small screen. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and a jury trial.
In other Tupac news, earlier this year one of the late rapper’s custom-designed rings fetched over $1 million at an auction, and it looks like Drake may be the one who purchased it.
The ring sold last Tuesday (25 July), and its huge sale made it the most valuable hip-hop artefact ever sold at auction, according to Sotheby’s.
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