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Woodshed | by Shawn Purcell
Peter Bernstein
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Peter Bernstein’s Motivic Guitar Solo
On ‘Means And Ends’
The ability to “tell a story” during an improvised
solo is perhaps the superlative goal
for every jazz musician. It is common to
hear improvisers construct solos by stringing
together their hippest patterns and licks, but
the larger challenge facing the jazz improviser
is the development of these ideas to craft a
cohesive musical statement. Jazz guitarist Peter
Bernstein has mastered this art. Through the
use of melodic and rhythmic repetition and
development, Bernstein consistently improvises
solos that are motivically unified and compositional
in nature.
“Means And Ends” is an up-tempo minor
blues recorded on Bernstein’s 1997 album
Brain Dance (Criss Cross). The guitarist’s
relaxed and swinging solo on “Means And
Ends” exemplifies his adroit ability to develop
small amounts of melodic and rhythmic information,
producing a powerful musical statement
over this often-played form.
The key to any story is a strong introduction.
Bernstein grabs the listener’s attention in
measures 1 and 2 by playing a line spanning
nearly three octaves in less than two measures.
He achieves this large intervallic range through
the use of 7th chord and triadic arpeggios
over the underlying harmony. In this example,
Bernstein uses ascending Bm7 and Bm
triad arpeggios over F#m7 (b5), finishing with
a descending B augmented triad over B7 (#5).
The first example of motivic development
occurs in measure 4. Bernstein plays a line
based out of E Dorian, and develops this melodic
idea throughout the entire solo. In measure
40, he plays this motive again, creating a slight
rhythmic variation by dropping the first note
of the original motive. The measure 40 motive
is played again in measure 62, however it is
rhythmically displaced by one beat. In measure
72, Bernstein plays this motive again, now with
a rhythmic displacement of two beats. The last
example of this motive occurs in measure 81.
Bernstein starts the line on the upbeat of beat
1, as in measure 40, but in this example he varies
the end of the melodic line.
Bernstein sets up a recurring harmonic
motive by resolving to the natural-six scale
degree on the Em7 in measure 13, at the end
of the first chorus. He resolves to this scale
degree at the end of the second, third and sixth
choruses, as shown in measures 25, 37 and 73.
The recurring resolution to this colorful scale
degree also adds to the highly motivic quality
of the solo. Furthermore, Bernstein employs
the E minor pentatonic scale almost exclusively
over the entire first chorus, creating a strong
bluesy flavor.
An example of motivic repetition, specifically
melodic sequencing, occurs in the third
chorus. Bernstein opens this chorus with a
four-measure phrase (measures 27–30), then
transposes this idea up a perfect fourth in measures
31–33, employing a slight rhythmic vari-
104 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011