Renaissance-Man
Well-known member
I like what you're doing with this. Not necessarily the composition, but the way you like to riff on a musical theme. You will reach your intended musical destination, because you're taking the right path. As far as I know, you may already be where you wanted to go. It seems that way.What I have been doing is working with the shave/haircut motive. Since I play in E, that's EBBC#BD#E. I have been avoiding the final E because it is the resolution of the phrase. I stop on the D# which is the leading tone to E, but I then disrupt the resolution by various ways. I'm not sold on any of the methods.
1. Move from the D# to a 7-3-6 which is a darker version of a minor 2-5-1. Patently that's just a D#-G#-C# progression with a clave rhythm.
2. Move from the D# to a dive-bombing D#dim7 arpeggio
3. from either #1 or #2, transition into some dulcet improv with the dominant diminished.
4. big finish starting on the E @ the 16th fret fret and ending with the D# on the 18th and the E on the 19th fret. That's why I always insist on 19 frets for my ukuleles. I like the highest note to be an E that I can easily slide up to for a high-note resolution.
You've mentioned clave a couple times now, in the context of a pattern. The word has personal meaning, as I play claves, as in the two wooden dowels. Central Park has a long standing drum circle, that meets every Sunday. We always make a stop there, anytime we have an outing in Manhattan on a Sunday. For example, the first Sunday in November is the Marathon. We get to Central Park early to cheer the first finishers in the three main categories, then cut across the park to visit the Museum of Natural History. Afterwards, we head for the drum circle, claves at the ready. I take in the rhythm for a few minutes to get the feel and direction of the jam. Then, I unobtrusively join the fray. Now, here's the best part, and the one closest to your musical heart. In time, when I've been accepted, I'll influence the rhythm and gradually shift the beat in a new direction. It's like I'm a pebble thrown into a river, creating a new eddy; a new direction to the flow. It's gratifying. I love it.