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Woodshed
MASTER CLASS
by David Budway
Tritones, Voice
Leading Connect
French Classical
Music and Jazz
Classical music and jazz are often thought of as
two vastly different approaches to composition
and performance. Yet most musical masters
know that improvisation takes place over structure,
while structure opens doors to heightened
improvisation. I once read that John Coltrane
was instructed by one of his mentors to listen to
classical music for inspiration. Coltrane’s “Giant
Steps” incorporated a version of a similar chord
progression as the one in the first movement of
“Gaspard De La Nuit” by Maurice Ravel.
Coltrane used major chords where Ravel used
minor chords, and the melodic lines are different.
But it still could be argued that Coltrane
studied and possibly used techniques by the
French composer.
My own musical training also combined
classical music and jazz. Leo Budway, my
father, played classical Arabic music laced with
quarter tones and improvised melodic lines.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to sneak out of
the house late at night to hear the Carl Arter
Trio, the jazz pianist who taught saxophone to
Stanley Turrentine. After I was mesmerized by
Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa’s playing, he
agreed to give me a private lesson. Marmarosa
had me do what I always thought impossible,
sight-read Ravel and Charles Griffes scores. I
wish to return the favor of Marmarosa’s generosity
with his time by showing how jazz musicians
can analyze and extract lessons from
French composer Olivier Messiaen’s techniques.
Tritone Movement in Upper Registers
The movement of the tritone has been a technique
used frequently in jazz. Tritone means
three whole tones. For example, a bass player
may substitute a tritone before the root of a
chord in a ii, V7, I progression (Example 1). Use
this technique with simple minor triads in the
right hand (treble), against consonant-sounding
chords in the left hand based on I, VI, ii7, V7, I.
The second inversion minor triad is used against
the ii and V7 chords. Notice that the relationship
between the root (bass) and treble (right hand) is
also a tritone. For example, E-flat minor is
played over A major.
The right hand also moves in tritones. This
incredible dissonance is frequently found in
Messiaen’s piano music. Follow pedal markings
to achieve full sonority. The magnificence and
beauty of nuance and sonority will be lost if
played on an electric keyboard, as the overtone
series does not exist on keyboards. So, to ensure
that all sonorities and nuances are heard in their
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
entirety, use an acoustic piano.
The chord of resolution contains an augmented
9th, flatted 9th and augmented 11th. Example
2 is the same progression using major triads. It
also features a tritone relationship from the tonic
and tritone movement in the right hand. The
major triads are in root position except against
the ii and V7 chords, where the triads are in second
inversion (Example 3). Try to alternate
between major triads and minor triads in the
right hand. Example 4 shows minor then major
but you may also try major, then minor.
104 DOWNBEAT June 2009