
A deep look into how a master combined hard bop with soulful swing.
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
⢠Understand how the great Jimmy Raney would phrase over different parts of a jazz-blues progression.āØ
⢠Learn how to use arpeggios to imply altered chords.āØ
⢠Develop a stronger sense of swing.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Several years ago, in the Evolution of the Jazz Combo course at Indiana University, Professor David Baker played a record by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco. Although I had no idea who Buddy DeFranco was, the guitar player on this record left a deep and lasting impression on me. I owe Prof. Baker for introducing me to the playing of the late Jimmy Raney.
Early in my study of jazz, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with Raney at the Bellarmine College jazz guitar clinic in Louisville, Kentucky. His teaching was not so analytical with regard to theory, he was beyond that. His approach was more about creating melody and how to develop it. Raney was in the process of writing a book at the time, and he was very generous with photocopied handouts that were excerpts of the work in progress. I will never forget sitting beside him playing chord changes as he demonstrated the lines from the handouts. Having accompanied Raney is something I will always consider one of the more surreal moments of my life.
Raney played with a bold melodic drive. He took chances and exhibited an amazing technical mastery of the guitar and keenly instinctive musicianship. His phrasing was varied, and it never failed to surprise the listener. Heād brilliantly contrast very short, concise statements with long daring lines that used chromatic materials and rhythmic variation. The 1957 album 2 Guitars was a collaborative effort with Kenny Burrell and included a blues tune entitled āBlue Duke.ā Raneyās solo on the track has so many great elementsāsome of his trademarksāthat are worthy of study. In this lesson, Iāll break down a few excerpts from it.
I donāt know exactly how Raney would have played some of these excerpts, but I have studied them closely and tried to make them as playable as possible. Without a doubt he would have played them with much greater ease than many of us. These examples are positioned where familiar chord voicings would be located, and this should help make them transferrable to other songs and keys. They have a lot to offer.
The relaxed opening phrase (Ex. 1) can be played in 1st position, and it feels comfortable because it fits nicely around the blues scale framework. If you listen carefully at a drastically slowed tempo, it sounds as if the first and second notes are played with a slur. This would require an open B starting note followed by a hammer-on, but I doubt he played it that way. Transposing this lick up the neck would certainly accommodate the slur via sliding into position from one fret below on the 2nd string. Keeping the phrase in first position helps us understand his note choices, relative to the F7 chord, and allows for an easily transposed line.
Click here for Ex. 1
My guess is that Raney played Ex. 2 starting on the 3rd string in 2nd position, moving down the neck to finish in 1st position. When you see a video of him playingāas with so many great guitaristsāhe does not seem bound by position or scale shapes.
The short phrase connecting each measure requires sweep picking, and it features a superimposed ascending Fm7 arpeggio (FāAbāCāEb) and a descending Bb7 arpeggio (BbāDāFāAb), respectively. The CāC#āD melodic motif connecting these arpeggios is an effective way to define the Bb7 sound, with chromatic motion up to the 3 of the chord. Raney addressed this concept at the Bellarmine clinic, and there are countless examples of this device in the language used by all jazz players. The grace note leading to the Ab, which begins the descending Bb7 arpeggio can best be accomplished sliding either the third or fourth finger (playerās choice) up a fret.
Click here for Ex. 2
This line can also be easily moved to the 5th position (Ex. 3), where it remains very playable and incorporates the same sweeping technique. In this position, notice the chromatic passage can use a slide with the second finger to the 7th fret D. This move makes it easy to shift positions to play the descending Bb7 arpeggio.
Click here for Ex. 3
Ex. 4 features a line that is very reminiscent of Charlie Parker. Interestingly, at a very slow tempo, you can hear Raney slide off of the blue note, B, to a ghosted Bb which is barely audible and not included in the transcription.
Click here for Ex. 4
A challenging series of 16th-notes, Ex. 5 uses some common language relative to the underlying harmony. The F# lower neighboring tone is a frequently used device. Notice the TAB here incorporates a slide that can best be accomplished by playing the starting note, G, with the second finger, the subsequent F# with the first finger, which slides up a fret back to G to establish 5th position.
The DāD#āE figure revisits chromatic motion up to the 3 of the target chord, C7. To accommodate this passage, I chose to reach back with the first finger to the D#, and then slide it up to the E at the 5th fret. Over the C7 chord, Raney used a pair of descending minor 7 arpeggios, Dm7 (DāFāAāC) and Dbm7 (here, spelled enharmonically as DbāEāAbāB, as opposed to DbāFbāAbāCb) to resolve to F. This is something Raney would do with great effect to create a bold melodic path to a perfect resolution.
Click here for Ex. 5
Raney wasnāt afraid of crafting complicated phrases over a blues, as seen in Ex. 6, which incorporates intriguing note choices and odd-number rhythmic groupings. He spoke about creating rhythmic variation using groups of three and five in a series of eighth- or 16th-notes. Beat 4 of measure one begins with a group of sevenāremember, this is in the accentsāwhich seems to displace the lineās subsequent accents while changing the melodic material just enough to make the phrase even more compelling. The line includes numerous altered extensions and chromatic pitches.
Raney liked the broken arpeggio illustrated in the final measure. I picked this up at the Bellarmine clinic, as well. This particluar example is essentially a Gm9 arpeggio (GāBbāDāFāA) that skips around a bit before resolving to the root.
Click here for Ex. 6
Over a turnaround, Raney would play something like Ex. 7. More important than the melodic analysis of the altered tones against the chords is the sense of direction and the way they set up the ending.
Click here for Ex. 7
MayFly Le Habanero Review
Great versatility in combined EQ controls. Tasty low-gain boost voice. Muscular Fuzz Face-like fuzz voice.
Can be noisy without a lot of treble attenuation. Boost and fuzz order can only be reversed with the internal DIP switch.
$171
May Fly Le Habanero
A fuzz/boost combo thatās as hot as the name suggests, but which offers plenty of smoky, subdued gain shades, too.
Generally speaking, I avoid combo effects. If I fall out of love with one thing, I donāt want to have to ditch another thatās working fine. But recent fixations with spatial economy find me rethinking that relationship. MayFlyās Le Habanero (yes, the Franco/Spanish article/noun mash-up is deliberate) consolidates boost and fuzz in a single pedal. Thatās far from an original concept. But the characteristics of both effects make it a particularly effective one here, and the relative flexibility and utility of each gives this combination a lot more potential staying power for the fickle.
āLe Habaneroās fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof.ā
The fuzz section has a familiar Fuzz Face-like tone profileāa little bit boomy and very present in that buzzy mid-ā60s, midrangey kind of way. But Le Habaneroās fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof (especially with humbuckers) and an effective filter switch that enhances the fuzzās flexibilityāespecially when used with the boost. The boost is a fairly low-gain affair. Even at maximum settings, it really seems to excite desirable high-mid harmonics more than it churns out dirt. Thatās a good thing, particularly when you introduce hotter settings from the boostās treble and bass controls, which extend the boostās voice from thick and smoky to lacerating. Together, the boost and fuzz can be pushed to screaming extremes. But the interactivity between the tone and filter controls means you can cook up many nuanced fuzz shades spanning Jimi scorch and Sabbath chug with tons of cool overtone and feedback colors.
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce the release of new premium content for all TONEX users, available today through the IK Product Manager.
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The last 5 banks are reserved for bass players, including a selection of amp & cab Tone Models alongside a few iconic pedals. Specifically, there are Tone Models based on the Ampeg SVT-2 PRO, Gallien-Krueger 800RB, and Aguilar DB750, alongside essential bass pedals based on the Tech21 SansAmp, Darkglass B7K and EHX Big Muff. Whether it's warm vintage thump, modern punch, or extreme grit, these presets ensure that bassists have the depth, clarity and power they need for any playing style.For more information and instructions on how to get the new Factory
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Darkglass Electronics unveils ANAGRAM, a flagship bass platform designed to redefine tone, flexibility, and performance. The pedalās extraordinarily deep feature set includes multiple effects and modeling, an on-board looper and tuner.
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Anagram
Powered by a state-of-the-art hexacore processor and 32-bit/48kHz audio processing,ANAGRAM delivers ultra-low latency, pristine clarity, and studio-grade sound. Its intuitive blocks-based architecture lets players create signal chains in series (12 blocks) or parallel (24blocks) using a high-resolution touch display. ANAGRAM features three control modesāPreset,Scene, and Stompāfor instant switching, parameter adjustments, and traditional pedalboard-style operation. With a curated collection of distinct preamps, 50+ customizable effects, a looper, tuner, and user-generated IR support, ANAGRAM delivers unmatched creative flexibility.Seamless integration with the Darkglass Suite allows for expanded control and functionality. Additionally, Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) integration provides access to thousands
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Alongside Nicolas Jaarās electronics, Harrington creates epic sagas of sound with a team of fine-tuned pedalboards.
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trioās latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashvilleās Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PGās Chris Kies.
Brought to you by DāAddario.
Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with DāAddario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harringtonās backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, thereās less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harringtonās Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why heās got so many. Youāre going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLĆN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slƶer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harringtonās beloved Line 6 DL4āhis desert-island, must-have pedalāalong with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.