--- In jazz_guitar@y..., kevinj@r... wrote:
For extensions on upper strings (which can be easily extrapolated
to
the lower strings) check out Steve Khan's "Contemporary Chordal
Khancepts". There's a review of it at:
In the first couple of chapters, Khan talks about thinking of
extended chords as being polychords or note-clusters. So you can
think of Dm7, say, as D F A C = Dm7 or as D/F. Drop the D and you
have F. So you can play your F triad anywhere where Dm7 is played
as
long as you've got the bass player covering the D.
I finally got Steve Khan's book.
It is very good at the practical aspects of showing you hip voicing
ideas in a usable context and giving you a play-along to practice it
with, but it does little to tie it back into any reusable harmonic
principles.
For example, in the first chapter, he discusses triads, shows a
couple of examples and then gives you the chart with all
possibilities. He doesn't really give you any roadmap to follow to
master this topic or any analysis to help you see the logic of why
you would choose this triad over that one.
He also spends a large portion of the book on just playing two-note
tritone voicings without ever really explaining why the 3-7 concept
works or how the voice-leading of 3-7 to 7-3 works.
Also, in the chapter on 4ths, he shows you all the right voicings in
one particular key, but does not at all discuss the priciples behind
constructing them.
I think this makes a great "drill" book if you use it hand in hand
with some harmony lessons or with another book that addresses
the "why does this work" question alongside the "what works"
question. An example of such a book might be Ed Arkin's "Creative
Chord Substitution".
I would recommend this to intermediate/advanced players who want to
get a few new ideas or practice with the play-along, or as a teaching
aid for private lessons, but I would not recommend this to a beginner
looking for a method book on how to apply contemporary jazz harmony
to the guitar.
-Dan
