Thursday, May 7, 2015

Chord Melody on "How Insensitive"

Here is a chorus of chord melody on Jobim's composition "How Insensitive". This is a good way to systematically work on solo vibraphone possibilities in terms of voicings, texture, melodic & harmonic embellishment, reharm, etc., in combination with sound production and other technical aspects of the instrument. I would normally just show students at Berklee different ideas on a tune, but sometimes slowing down the process by writing things down can help to better understand and assimilate information, or even generate more ideas. 

Important considerations: If you follow the written music along with the video you will notice I am not playing the written music "literally".  For the most part, I am playing the written notes, but altering the rhythm. The application of rhythmic embellishment is crucial in order to make the music come alive. The goal should not be to play this the same way I play it. It can be a reference to get started, but strive to always change it up. My priority is "sound", so attention to "tone quality", articulation & dynamic nuances is very important.  To that extent, dampening techniques are essential. 


If you have any question, please feel free to contact me. Gustavo 
#AllThingsVibraphone #BerkleeMalletsNetwork


Here is the link to the written music: 


"How Insensitive" Chord Melody (PDF)



1 comment:

  1. Thanks for presenting it this way Ed. Really generous of you.

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