Mike Stern's Monster II-Vs

byA!sseCresss

T

he Ilm-V-l is probably the most com-

mon progression

in jazz, but that

doesn’t stop Mike Stern from putting his own stamp on this ubiquitous demonstrated

by these examples

from his improvisations.

erous modulations,

cal approach

through treach-

Mike often draws

vocabulary-a

from

near-hereti-

to jazz standards.

Ex. 1 features blowing

drawn

While bopping his

way with easy confidence

his rock/blues

change, as

straight-ahead

bop

over a Ilm-V-l in f3/, major. The

pickup into the first measure

approaches

*he

solo

1 MONSTERII-Vs

vo’ice

the 5 of the IIm chord, Cm7, via two descending chromatic tones. The rhythmic motif reappears, leading to the 5 of the V7 (F~J and setting the listener up for the return to the I chord (Bbmuj7). (Bbmuj7J. Instead, Stern sustains the V chord, sliding into the twelfth position and stirring up melodic tension with a series of descending chromatic pull-offs. Grab the Fon beat three with your 3rd finger to shift into eleventh position for the Bb major wrap-up. Ex. 1 cm7

F7

I

I

I

I

The line in Ex. 2 was originally conceived over a Cmmor IIm-V-Im (Dm7/,5-G7-Cm), but it works just as well over its relative major progression (FmPBb 7-Ebmuj7). The motif on beats one and two derive from & Dorian, an “outside” tonality produced by raising the IIm chord-Fm7 in the major progression-a minor third to&m (which is also a b5 substitute for Dm7/J, the IIm of the minor progression ).The rest of the line Ex.2

Dmfb5

G7alt (Bb7alt)

Fm7)

]=I60

Cm7 I&-W)

8va-------.-.------..---------------------------.-.-------...~---------~--~

Ex. 3 F7alt

Bbmaj7

Dm7

G7

J=136

Bbmaj7 Cm7 &n...-.-.-------------------.....--.---.----------...-.-.-.,

42

HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / JAZZ I

F7alt

Bbmaj7

Cm7 . . . . . .._.____._.___.-.-...-~.-~~----~-.~...

F7alt

MONSTERII-Vs 1 *he

solo

vote-

uses the Eb major scale to create altered-chord dissonances (#5, #9, b9) over the G7chord. Note that only diatonic dissonances (b7,11,9) occur when the phrase is played against Bb 7. In EX 3, the 3 of the tonic Bbmuj7is approached by a short altered-dominant 7#9/b9 lick. We can alsoview these notes as part of the Eb minor scale, which demonstrates a handy chord-substitution technique: To create altered-chord tension over a dominant-7th chord, play from the minor key that lies a whole-step below the dominant chord (in this case, Eb minor against F7). Next, Mike unleashes a series of King-style blues phrases (complete with B.B.‘s and Albert’s signature “dee-dab” lick) from the sixth- and ninth-position Bb pentatonic minor scales until a high bend to Bb signals a return to bopsville. Llke Ex. 2 (but without the pull-offs), the Dm7-G7-Cm7m bars 2 and 3 takes a chromatic approach to a Db Dorlanbased run. Here, Stem creates tension by playing a half-step above the Cm7 Begin this phrase in the thirteenth position, then shift to twelfth position by playing the Gb on beat two with your 3rd finger. Shift back to thirteenth position on the and of beat three to set up a comfortable fingering for the following boppish Bb major phrase. Stern sticks an Ebm Dorian idea over Cm7and FIbefore returning inside to Bb. The chromatically descending triad arpeggios in Fx. 4 are a Stern trademark. Mike begins inside the Bb tonality but quickly heads out to A, Ab, G, and Gb, with identical fingering for each arpeggio. Midway through bar 3 he alters the shape by raising the lower three notes a halfstep for a Gudd#4 arpeggio, reversing the melodic direction and creating additional tension. The harmony resolves with four ascending diatonic 7th arpeggios.

Ex. 4

I

I

I

I

L

I I

I I

I I

Ex 5 (next page) is a 16-bar chord-melody chorus. In the two-bar pickup Mike doubles up the underlying chord changes (F#m7-B7-Fm77in place of the original Fm7-Bb 7). Stern then assumes a minimalist single-note stance before introducing two- and three-note voicings over a series of descending IIm-Vs. Arriving at Fm7, he ascends to the V chord with alternating & and Bb major triads. Once there, he fleshes out the chords with a fourth voice and resolves to Eb, using quartal 6/9 chords. In bar 10 Mike sets up a triplet-based rhythmic motif that extends over the IIm-V (Dm7-G7J into C,with three-note voicings moving beneath a Cpedal tone. A CU9voiced in fourths and fifths precedes syncopated diminished chord punctuations. A pair of IIm-Vs (Gm7-C7and Fm7-Bb 7) leads us to expect the tonic Eb, but Mike substitutes a lush, open-voiced Es/9 that spans more than three octaves with lovely results. I Bb

I

JAZZ /

HOWTO PldY GUITAR

43

the

solo

1 MONSTERIl=Vs

votcle

Ex. 5 J=l60 standal change substttutms

Bb7

1: Fm7 B7

F#m7

F7iA Am7

Bbm7 Bbm9

Ab7 D7

Eb7 Eb13b9

Gm7

Gm7

HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / JAZZ

Fm7

C7#9 Ab

Bb

Abmaj7

Dm7

46

D7#9

Fm7 Bbl3sus4

G7/D

Cm7/G

Cm7

Bbf

Bb7

lBb7#5#9

*orE13

44

Ebmai7 .

Fm7

Eb6 E6/9

G7 G7sus4

Ab

Bb7 Bb

Ebmaj7 Bb13sus4

Cmaj7

Eb6/9

Ebmajl3

F7

C6/9

F#dim7 F7b9

Fm7

Bb7 Ebmaj7