Picking up an au privave lead sheet for the first time can feel the little intimidating, actually if you've performed the blues one thousand times before. It's one of those quintessentially "Bird" songs that sounds effortless when you listen to Charlie Parker play it, but as soon as you look at the particular ink on the page, you realize there's a lot even more going on compared to your standard three-chord shuffle. Whether you're a sax participant trying to toenail the phrasing or a guitarist trying to figure away the best voicings for those fast turnarounds, getting a handle on this specific lead sheet is usually a huge milestone for virtually any jazz musician.
Why this particular tune is the jam session staple
In case you hang up around jazz clubs or music schools long enough, you're going to hear "Au Privave. " It's simply the "Mustang Sally" of the bebop world, but way much cooler and far harder in order to play at 250 BPM. The reason everybody wants to perform it really is that it's the ideal vehicle regarding improvisation. It provides you the acquainted structure of the 12-bar blues in F, but the melody is packed with the type of chromaticism and rhythmic displacement that defines the bebop era.
Whenever you look with your au privave lead sheet , you're seeing the GENETICS of recent jazz. It's not simply about the particular notes; it's about the language. Learning this tune isn't just about learning a melody—it's about understanding how to navigate the particular tension and discharge that makes this particular genre so addicting.
Wearing down the lead sheet structure
At first glance, the lead sheet looks like a standard 12-bar troubles in F major. But if you look closer, you'll see the subtle "Bird" touches that will set it apart. Most versions of the lead sheet follow a very standard format: the melody (the "head"), the chord modifications for the solos, and maybe a few hits or a specific ending.
The particular melody (The "Head")
The melody of "Au Privave" is iconic. This starts with a series of pickup records that lead in to a very specific rhythmic pattern. One issue you'll notice on a good au privave lead sheet is the make use of of grace records and triplets. These types of aren't just "flavor"—they're essential to the swing. If you play them too straight, the melody loses its spirit.
The first four pubs are relatively straightforward, but things obtain interesting around bar five. The method Parker maneuvers via the Bb7 (the IV chord) and back to the F is natural genius. He utilizes these little enclosures and scale runs that land perfectly on the blend tones. It's like a puzzle where every piece matches exactly where it should, but you don't see the full picture before you play this at speed.
The chord changes
The harmony on an au privave lead sheet is where things can get a bit hairy if you aren't prepared. In a new standard blues, a person might just remain on the I actually chord for 4 bars. In "Au Privave, " we frequently see an ii-V (Cm7 to F7) in bar four to lead all of us into the 4 chord (Bb7) within bar five.
Then there's the "Bird Blues" element. You might see a quick descent in the particular later bars, frequently involving an ii-V that takes you back to the tonic. Instead of just hanging out upon the V chord (C7) at the particular end, the lead sheet will usually display a Gm7 to C7 turnaround, and sometimes even the brief jump to the VI blend (D7) to maintain the momentum going. It's busy, yet that's what gives the tune the "forward motion" experience.
Techniques for training the head
Don't just attempt to sight-read this in a fast tempo. That's a recipe intended for frustration. When a person first get your hands on an au privave lead sheet , take it sluggish. Really slow.
- Focus on the particular accents: Bebop is focused on where you place the weight. In "Au Privave, " the off-beats are frequently the ones that need the nearly all love. In case you perform every note with the same intensity, it's going in order to seem like a MIDI file.
- Sing the tune: Significantly, place the instrument lower trying to scat or hum the melody along with the lead sheet. If you can't sing it, you most likely don't truly "hear" it yet.
- Check your rhythms: Those eighth-note runs are the meat of the particular tune. Make sure your "and" counts are placed correctly. Charlie Parker experienced a way associated with stretching the period just enough to be able to feel greasy, yet he was often locked in with the rythm.
Soloing within the F blues
Once you've got the mind down, the au privave lead sheet turns into a map for your solos. Since it's a good F blues, your own F blues scale is your greatest friend, however you can't live there permanently. To really sound like you know exactly what you're doing, a person have to strike those "changes. "
One technique is to focus on the 3rds plus 7ths of each chord. When the lead sheet moves through F7 to Bb7, try to highlight the transition through the A (the 3rd of F) to the Abdominal (the 7th associated with Bb). It's a small move—just a half step—but it sounds incredibly professional due to the fact it shows you're actually hearing the particular harmony, not merely running scales.
Furthermore, don't be afraid associated with the chromaticism. The melody uses this, so your single should too. These little passing tones between your scale methods are what give bebop its "jazzy" flavor. If you're just playing "safe" notes, you're missing the purpose of exactly what Parker was attempting to do.
Where to discover a dependable lead sheet
You can find an au privave lead sheet in nearly every standard jazz bogus book. The "Real Book" (Volume 1) is the nearly all common source, and most jam periods use that since the "gold standard. " However, keep in mind that these books aren't usually 100% accurate to the original 1951 saving.
Sometimes, the chords within the Real Book are a bit simplified, or the melody has already been "cleaned up" within a way that loses some associated with the original tönung. It's always a smart idea to cross-reference your lead sheet with the particular actual recording. Listen to the edition with Max Roach on drums plus Miles Davis upon trumpet—there's a lot info in those few minutes that simply no piece of papers can fully catch.
Common mistakes to prevent
Actually seasoned pros can trip up on this tune. One particular of the biggest mistakes is rushing the tempo. Mainly because it's a bebop tune, there's the temptation to try out it as fast since humanly possible. But if your 8th notes start sounding like mush, you've gone too far. It's better in order to play it at a medium-up "walking" tempo and keep it clean as opposed to the way to burn this and break apart.
Another thing I see a lot is definitely people forgetting the "pickup" notes when they go back to the particular head after the particular solos. The melody doesn't start upon beat main bar; it starts before it. In the event that you miss that will, you're going to be considered a beat away throughout the track, as well as the rhythm section will be looking at you funny.
Why you need to memorize it
Eventually, you want to move previous the au privave lead sheet and just have the particular tune in your face. Memorizing it opens you up to interact with the various other musicians. Whenever you aren't staring at some paper, you can hear the actual drummer will be doing with their comping, or the way the striper player is strolling.
"Au Privave" is a brief enough form that will memorizing it shouldn't take forever. As soon as you have those 12 bars locked in, you possess a piece associated with jazz history that will you can pull out at any jam session in the particular world. It's a good universal language with regard to jazzers.
Conclusions
At the end of the day, an au privave lead sheet is just a guidebook. It gives the bones of the particular song, but it's your decision to place the meat on them. Whether you're using it in order to learn the bebop language or just to have something fun to play at your next wedding rehearsal, treat it with respect. It's a masterpiece of economy—Parker said more within 12 bars than most people say in an entire symphony.
So, get your horn, get your lead sheet on the take a position, and start getting rid of. It could take a several tries to get those fast works smooth, but once it clicks, there's no better feeling in the entire world than swinging by means of "Au Privave. "