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EDDIE LANDSBERG
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Passing Chords/Reharmonization

To me, half the fun of playing Jazz is coming up with those great passing chords you can use to connect the changes, and in turn add that substantive juice that can fuel any great solo. In embarking a study of passing chords remember this : They're a lot like the seasoning in the stew... too much or too little can be just as bad... but the right amount will add that subtle flavor and energy into your arrangement that's going to make it fun, exciting, and yes (of course) swinging ! And in case you're just getting started, while "not any" ain't an option, keep in mind that in Jazz merely copying other musicians' chordal approaches note for note isn't considered too cool. In the end, when it comes down to it, if you want to be a real Jazz musician, you really have to learn how to passing and substitue chords with the right amount of taste and judgement appropriate to the style of the band or arrangement.

Getting The Hang of It

There are three initial steps you need to take in order to get the hang of using and getting passing chords to work for you. The first is learning how to simplify the changes provided to you down to their bare basics so you can hear the actual changes of the tune as you play through it (not other musicians' interpratations.) The second is learning to play them comfortably and in time to start with. The third involves learning to hear where the bass line is going (even if you're not a bass player).  This will key you in on where you need to go with the chords.  (--At times, you may have to rework the bass line, but when you do this you'll need to think about the melody and where the reharmonizations are leading to.)- - What'll happen is as you have more and more experience listening to Jazz, and as you get more experience playing with a more analytical ear, you'll learn to do this naturally.  You will; however, need to be careful about making things more complicated than they need be. --If the changes are too complicated to start with, you really won't be able to hear where they're going, and that's what the art of chord substitution and passing chords are all about... smoothing out the ride between point A and point B in the slick, smoothest, coolest or most comfortable way possible.

Learning to Simplify Lead Sheets

As for learning to simplify lead sheets, you must first master your basic Jazz chord progressions, especially II V I, II V, V I, I VI II V I, and III VI II V I as well as their tri-tone counterparts (especially the one's that create chromatic root movement.) If you can learn to play a bit of keyboard bass (regardless of your instrument) things will really come to life... again, once you can hear the bass line going in certain directions, that tells you right off what direction you might want to take your chords in. In fact, a lot of ways I come up with my passing chords are simply by HARMONIZING or tweaking the bass line! Actually, the Hammond Organist Bill Heid initially hipped me to this. He  told me that if you're really slick in your playing you can harmonize every single note of an entire 12 bar blues bass line. He didn't show me show, but I remembered Big John Patton doing stuff like that, began to listen for myself, and came up with my own approach. Of course, I imagine some people reading this are hoping I'll just write out a bunch of chord change examples and show the passing chords I play, but that's not how Jazz work... passing and substitute chords are all about the particular tune, the groove of the rhythm section, the feel of the moment and the way the musicians are interacting... so you have to know how to use them... Rote memory renders them useless... in fact, players who insist on using reharmonizations they learned from books out of the clear blue in inappropriate situations can be quite disruptive, so if you really want to learn how to use them, don't study playing subs off of pre-written scores by rote memory... learn to hear them/learn to feel them... In essence, its all about context.

Another point, is that a lot what you need to know about chord reharmonization isn't going to be found in theory books, but rather through having a strong repertoire as well as playing experience with the right players.  --You'll learn stuff, then begin to hear or feel it in appropriate situations.  Stylistic appropriateness, just as much as theoretical possibility must always be considered!!!
One other point:  Regarding listening to bass counterpoint -- the more you listen to great classic swinging basslines you'll learn the biggest rule of thumb is that things swing hardest when the cadence is very simple and straight forward (II V I, I VI II V I, etc. etc.) So if you ever see a lead sheet that looks like algebra or rocket science, you'll usually want to to try to get rid of those extra chords that obscure the basic cadence of the tune and get it down to a meat and potatoes level that gives you time and space to think and do your own thing.  --The arrangements in THE REAL BOOK (for better or worse) are often examples of appropriately scaled down changes.  Arrangements that have every single possible passing chord written out even with slash chords 4 to the bar, can often (but not always), be a bad sign.

In conclusion, many players live in chronic fear of playing over-simplistically, but really, the opposite is true. Its much harder to play the so called one "right" note at the right time only, than a hodge podge of right and wrong notes all thrown together at lightening speed. Chaos in its own way can always be duplicated... ordered and tasteful simplicity is just something you can't fake, and its an art beyond mere casual approach !
As a final word of advice, if you're having trouble putting together chords (which is what gospel and Jazz is all about) I have two books to recommend. My own upcoming book and Jimmy Amadea's "Harmonic Foundations for Jazz and Pop" book -- You can even get with me and work through my 7 secrets system, which should get you voicing out chords and playing off of leadsheets on the spot pretty quickly...   Whatever you decide to do, just remember: simply learning licks and modes isn't the answer... Harmony and Cadence is the true substance that really make tunes cook. Listen to any Jazz great and you'll find out that a great deal of their sound comes down to the unique way in which they approach and interpret simple chord changes... and from that, the masters develop their unique styles.  --Last, and most important, its all about having knowledge, experience, feel and most important, knowing when and when not to show off.

Eddie Landsberg

further reading:  My article on The Love of Jazz Standards.  (By expanding your standards repertoire, you can extend your knowledge as to how chords functions.)

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​Eddie Landsberg, MA, Ed.M, B.Mus

An internationally respected music theorist and performer, Eddie was born and raised in Philadelphia and began classical piano training at the age of 5,  starting Jazz Studies at Philadelphia's famous Settlement Music School in his teens.  Switching to Hammond Organ in his mid 20's, he received his first organ lesson from the legendary Shirley Scott then studied Jazz composition and performance with Blue Note Recording artist Big John Patton.  He also received guidance from Austin Mitchell (a favorite accompanist of Ella Fitzgerald) and began performing alongside Byard Lancaster and other "old school" Philly and East Coast Jazz and R&B legends.  After recording several CDs which received national air play ( NPR, WBGO and hundreds of radio stations across in the U.S), Eddie became one of the original factory demonstrators for the original Nord Electro, touring Europe to promote their product.  Shortly after, he moved to Japan where he spent almost 20 years teaching, leading bandstands and running his own venue which was featured on NHK and in magazines throughout the country.  While there, he also did vocal and performance coaching for Victor Records, and was involved in promotions for Yamaha Motorcycles and the Mori Building (celebrating the opening of the famous Roppongi Hills Complex.)
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Eddie currently resides in Astoria, Queens and is creator of the "7 Secrets of Jazz and Soul" Jazz improv series.  


Education: BA in Music, Thomas Edison State University MA Liberal Studies (focus onEthnomusicology and Critical Jazz Studies), Rutgers University (Capstone with Honors) Ed.M, Rutgers University, specializing in Adult Education
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Recordings | Publications | Interviews 


エディ・ランズバーグ、MA、Ed.M、B.Mus
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エディ・ランズバーグは、国際的に尊敬される音楽理論家兼演奏家で、豊かで多様な音楽的背景を持っています。フィラデルフィアで生まれ育ち、彼はわずか5歳のときから音楽の道を歩み始め、クラシックピアノのトレーニングをスタートしました。ティーンエイジャーの頃、フィラデルフィアの名門セトルメント音楽学校でジャズスタディに没頭しました。そして20代半ばでハモンドオルガンに転身し、伝説的なシャーリー・スコットから初めての指導を受けました。その後、ブルーノート・レコーディング・アーティストであるビッグ・ジョン・パットンの指導のもと、ジャズの作曲と演奏の技術を磨きました。  エディの音楽的旅路は、エラ・フィッツジェラルドのお気に入りの伴奏者であるオースティン・ミッチェルなど、著名なアーティストからの貴重なアドバイスで彩られました。彼は「オールドスクール」のフィラデルフィアや東海岸のジャズとR&Bのレジェンド、バイヤード・ランカスターなどと共演し、音楽シーンに不朽の足跡を刻みました。 エディの創造的な旅は、全米で放送されるなど、高い評価を受けたCDの制作につながりました。彼はまた、革新的な楽器であるノードエレクトロのオリジナルファクトリーデモンストレーターの一人として、ヨーロッパツアーを行い、製品の宣伝に貢献しました。 その後、エディは日本への大きな転機を迎え、ほぼ20年にわたり教育者、バンドリーダー、独自の名門会場の経営者として活動しました。彼の仕事は、NHKでの出演や国内の多くの雑誌での取り上げられ、広く認知されました。この期間中、彼はビクターレコードのためにボーカルとパフォーマンスの指導を行い、ヤマハモーターサイクルと森ビルディング(有名な六本木ヒルズコンプレックスのオープニングを祝う)のプロモーションにも貢献しました。
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現在、エディ・ランズバーグはクイーンズのアストリアを拠点にし、「ジャズとソウルの7つの秘密」ジャズ即興シリーズのビジョナリーです。
学歴:
  • 音楽学士号(B.Mus)、トーマス・エジソン州立大学
  • 芸術修士号(MA)リベラルスタディ、ラトガーズ大学(エスノミュージコロジーとクリティカルジャズスタディに焦点、優等でキャップストーン)
  • 教育修士号(Ed.M)、ラトガーズ大学(大人の教育を専門とし、特別研究で優等)
エディの録音、出版物、インタビューを通じて、彼の驚異的な音楽の旅に深く没頭してください。

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