Eric Dolphy Guitar Transcription

Dolphy Solo Break "A Train" Live Norway 1964 Mingus Sextet Guitar Transcription. Original,
with play-a-long guitar. I use Audacity, Vox Starstream-1 Guitar, Michael Angelo
Batio Chromacast picks, D'addario Strings 10s, and Kirlin cables. This project took
about 3 weeks. It involves an overview transcription. Each phrase is recorded,
at the time of revision for best positionings and notes. In the case of Bass
Clarinet and specifically Eric Dolphy, the out of range notes are octave adjusted.
Besides the low-A sub-harmonic at the end, the lowest note is a low Db. This would
be equivalent on the guitar to a standard Eb tuned guitar drop D note. His highest
note is the 20th fret high e string on the guitar (2 oct above piano middle c).
Normally guitar sounds 1 octave lower than written. This due to the fact that it
is generally an accompaniment and not to mention early guitar composers created a
fingering system utilizing the most common sense treble clef appropriation. This
knowledge applied to Dolphy's classical sense is necessary to transcribe his solo.
Hence why I chose an open E note (around the 0:58 mark) instead of a fretted one.
The C7 arpeggio's shape is more practical faced this way, although jazz guitarists
may choose an alternate fingering. The problem arises when you are faced with too
many options on the guitar for how to play the same phrases. Realistic Classical
Guitar Method (Segovia, Parkening, Carcassi) provides limiting anchored positions,
when applied to more outside stuff can actually be helpful. In a parallel analogy,
it seems that Eric Dolphy is using some of the classical approaches and figures
within a bebop context. His note selections are classically figured while his
arpeggiations are purposed in bebop and bebop only. Luckily for me very little
slurring was produced in this solo break. Thus reducing too much open-endedness
for the guitar transcriber. I decided against indicating every octave fix in the
tab. This is not a spectator sport...sort of like Messiaen leaving out time sig's.
But adequate notes have been left in the tab. In terms of the Bass Clarinet's range,
and how to approach the initial guitar transcription, certain judgment calls had
to be made. Certainly it would be possible to use a 7-string guitar and hit all
of the actual pitches. Or maybe retune the low-E string, but probably not.
Sticking to strict convention lays a foundation for finaly exploring the Dolphy
locomotive velocity of bebop sound within reason, excluding the novelty or necessity
of a specialized guitar (that does not make you a better player, btw). Choosing
when and where to substitute octaves is a matter of taste, playability and sonic
contrast. Usually it is merely just playing those low inverted maj7, b9, maj9,
octave notes an octave higher on guitar. But sometimes playing an octave higher
those notes that are within the guitar range allows for enough contrast to
illustrate conceptually Eric Dolphy's avant garde note selection (see the Eb triad
at 1:27). Otherwise it sounds wrong only because of a chronological step up an
octave by Dolphy that was already compensated on the guitar. It had to be reverted
to at-pitch play-a-long frettings for accuracy. John Gilbert with special thanks
to Patrick Geffroy.
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Видео Eric Dolphy Guitar Transcription канала John Gilbert