Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
GS
Citation preview
GIANT STEPS Exercises
I wrote these exercises to help improve rhythmic flexibility while improvising over chord changes. Each exercise presents an improvisation over the changes of John Coltrane's tune "Giant Steps" using a series of rhythmic permutations based on eighth notes in groups of 3's, 5's, 6's and 7's. The big challenge improvising in this way is to keep the metric pattern going while still making the changes in 4/4 (note that I start the rhythmic pattern over again at the start of each chorus). The top staff presents the improvisation, the middle staff lays out the bass line in 4, and the bottom staff presents the basic underlying rhythmic pattern of the exercise. My apologies to horn players for the lack of breathing room! Feel free to skip some notes but continue the rhythmic pattern. Ultimately the point of these exercises is not to play them exercises flawlessly, but to use them as a blueprint to create your own improvisations that tackle these same metrical problems. I have found these ideas to be very challenging and useful for me to develop my rhythmic conception, and I hope you may gain something from them as well.
q = 200
Giant Steps exercises-3's Eb
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
8
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
15
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
21
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
27
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
32
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
37
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7 D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
42
F#min7 B7
Emaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7
46
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
2
q = 200Giant Steps exercises-5's Eb
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7 D#7
G#maj7
8
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
15
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
21
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
26
F#min7 B7
Emaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
31
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
37
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
43
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
49
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
54
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
2
59
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
62
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
3
q = 200Giant Steps exercises-6's Eb
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
13
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
19
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
25
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
31
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
37
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
43
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
49
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
54
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
2
59
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
62
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
3
q = 200Giant Steps exercises-7's Eb
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
14
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
20
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
26
F#min7
B7
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
31
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
37
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7 D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
43
Emaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
49
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
55
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7
A#min7 D#7
2
61
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
67
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
72
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7
A#min7 D#7
77
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7 B7
82
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
Cmaj7
D#7
3
87
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7
92
A#min7 D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
97
G#maj7 B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
Emaj7 G7
102
Cmaj7
D#7
G#maj7
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
F#min7 B7
107
Emaj7 A#min7
D#7
G#maj7
4
110
Dmin7 G7
Cmaj7
A#min7 D#7
5
