Bebop Passing Tones - Peter Martin | 2 Minute Jazz

Peter Martin shows you how to add passing tones to your lines to get a more authentic bebop sound.

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(piano music) - What's going on everybody? Peter Martin here for Two Minute Jazz. Got a quick tip for you today on bebop passing tones. So many different ways to get into an authentic and really satisfying bebop sound, but one of them that I love that really kinda comes from a harmonic concept that can inform your melodic bebop playing is passing tones, and I'm gonna just talk about two today.

E flat major.

(piano music)

You know, if we improvise over E flat major.

(piano music)

And we just stick to the E flat major scale,

(piano music)

it's fine, but it gets interesting when we put in those passing tones. So if we look at the minor third,

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that's the first one.

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And you know, there's three basic ways of thinking about this. Start your line on the passing tone.

(piano music)

And normally we're looking at resolving that minor third up to the third or down to the ninth or the second. So you can start your line there or you can go to it immediately at the beginning of your line.

(piano music)

From the third, or you can do it from the second, I don't like that one as much.

(piano music)

Or the third way is to play it somewhere in the middle of your line.

(piano music)

And when you're running up a scale, this is a great time to do it, because I mean, it works aight, but it's kinda

(piano music)

if I just play the major scale, but if I do

(piano music)

and put that minor third resolving up to the major third in the middle of it, and then I mean, you know you can get (piano music) some rhythmic offsets, some syncopation, that's where it gets really nice.

So the other one I like a lot is a minor sixth. Same thing, you can start your line there,

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you can go right to it.

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Or you can catch it in the scale.

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Okay?

So these are just two over the major scale, but they're fun to practice by isolating them. Each scale has its own, we'll get into those on other episodes, but for now, happy practicing.

(soft music)

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#2minjazz #openstudio #petermartin #jazz #piano #happypracticing #bebop #passingtones

[benschlosser]

Tolle Tipps, wie immer. Als gelernter Klavierbauer bricht es mir fast das Herz zu hören, wie ein so guter Pianist auf einem so schlecht gestimmten Klavier spielen kann.

[elianmusic]

God damn it this advice is so god damn straight forward and helpful within days im already sounding different because of you guys!! Thank you peter.
Ya'll have been talking at me for a week straight now and i couldn't be happier about it
cheers

[YaBoiSebas]

Wow, this just instantly helped me create lines with that bebop sound I've been looking for. Thanks a lot Peter.

[terrykosowick]

Peter, I love your 2-minute videos; I think I've watched them all, some of them several times. Usually, it looks easy when you do it - much harder when I try to do it myself. Thanks so much for these videos

[evnhunter]

Wow, this was really insightful, please feel free to make a longer video of these concepts!

[bodhilee]

What a g I love this tip and ur swag is undeniable

[freshpansen]

Damn if was Peter Martin I'd be playin piano all day long

[aldebaran.carrasco.martinez]

Muchas gracias. Tienes un precioso sonido bebop.
Saludos desde México.

[mitchelledels]

Look at that technique PETER you need to slow down when your teaching people. You can do one line slow and one line fast that might help

[RikMaxSpeed]

Awesome tips - i’ll go try them out now 😄

[DojoOfCool]

Dam some great insight in that video. Thank you Mr. Martin.

[jenparsnip]

Gorgeous playing, as always. Superb time feel. I could listen to this all day.

[walkingbassline]

Always enjoy these. Keep up the great work Peter!

[judson.clinton]

Describing the passing tones in terms of their respective intervals was helpful. Can you please call out some of the left hand chords as well. I am comfortable with melodic improv but seem to always look for better ways to comp with the left. You have other videos that cover this, but just a quick chordname is helpful!

[trumpetman]

The idea with all composition that a lot of folks miss because it’s not explicitly taught is that you’re trying to get the chord tones ON THE BEATS or as close to them as tastefully possible. It’s RHYTHMIC before it’s harmonic. Your lines have to line up rhythmically with your harmony. Took me years and wasted thousands of dollars in music school to figure this out.

[marioalarc]

Si algún día tocó así ...subo vídeo genio martin

[ReileyWilliams]

I understand the passing tone concept, but how do I get that jumpy sound in my lines? Is there a specific interval to just to? I know it's octave displacement, but you do it soooo well a lesson on that maybe?

[everglowmusiqboutique]

Great as always! What’s the tune at the end please?!

[tomazvital]

Peter! Make a video about those 2 5 progressions you make.

[CyrusJMaina]

I feel like there are videos I need to watch so that I can understand how to create such patterns while playing my scales. Any leads?