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1 Messing Up Ideas (A Lesson On Deveoping A Creative Process) By David Oakes and James Seaberry A note from David Oakes: James Seaberry and I have been onine friends for severa years now He has been instrumenta in getting many peope to visit my site and has aways been there to cheer me on and keep me cranking out these essons Even though James and I have never met in person, I m sure that when we do we wi pay tunes for many hours the way od jazz friends do The evening wi probaby end in a argument to see who is going to pick up the dinner check James is aso a big fan of Jimmy Wybe and has studied the art of two-ine improvisation extensivey He recenty sent me some ideas that he had composed and I took them and messed around with them and sent them back This esson shows how these ideas deveoped and utimatey ended up as part of a great guitar arrangement I hope that you enjoy this post, David Oakes March 2, 2010 Last week, James sent me exampe #1 (beow) He had been working on the Mini Lesson from Jimmy Wybe that I had just posted His idea moved in a simiar way but started with a different chord voicing This exampe has exceent voice eading with two voices moving up whie two voices move downward in each measure Jimmy woud have oved this idea and the creativity that James showed messing up his origina idea Many times when I payed an arrangement for Jimmy, he woud remark on how he never thought of doing whatever I had done with any of his ideas That is the basis for this esson on messing up ideas Jimmy woud never say that he had improved on an idea, but he woud te you that he had messed up your idea C 1å & 3 #ˆ_ˆ (aug) F ( # 11) B b _ _ bˆ_ˆ b (aug) E b (# 11) # ˆ _ b _ b_ b Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved 1

2 _ _ _ Exampe #2 (beow) shows how I messed James idea up I used the same chords but broke them down into two voices from the bock chord shapes that James had originay sent me I aso changed the time signature but sti kept the III VI II V progression in tact F 2å & ˆ_ # 9(b ) B # #ˆ ˆ_ # (at) E #ˆ n nˆ 9( b ) A (at) aj ˆ_ ˆ _ n # _ bˆ_ #ˆ ˆ #ˆ_ b _ nˆ n bˆ ˆ ##w ww _ 3 3 Exampe #3 is a second idea that James composed and sent me It was a great sequence of mi(b) to the V chord going around the cyce Em & ˆ ˆ ˆ nˆ_ #ˆ ˆˆ_ G ˆ bˆ ˆ ˆ (at) Cm B 13 BII ˆ bˆ_ b nˆ ˆˆ_ bˆ ˆ #ˆ #ˆ #ˆ ˆˆ b ˆ Ñ w_ w bw_ Em A I reay didn t do much with ˆ ˆ nˆ_ ˆ_ this idea to begin with The ony thing that I did was add a passing ˆ bˆ_ b & (at) tone ˆ ˆ ˆ nˆ_ #ˆ ˆˆ_ G ˆ bˆ on the ˆ and of one in each measure (Exampe #) That note heped to connect the ower ine and aso strengthened the ˆ (at) Cm B 13 B BII ˆ bˆ_ bar b nˆ ˆˆ_ bˆ ˆ #ˆ #ˆ #ˆ ˆˆ b harmony James and I both fet that this ˆ_ #ˆ was a nice ˆ w_ improvement over the origina ine b ˆ Ñ w_ w bw_ 3å 3å A (at) Em A & ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ (at) nˆ_ ˆ_ˆ G #ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ (at) Cm bˆ_ nˆ ˆ B 13 BII ˆ_ b bˆ bˆ ˆ #ˆ #ˆ #ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ Ñ b w_ w bw _ å b B b B b Em å ( b ) ast 8 bar section of "stea" Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved A (at) ˆ_ ˆ_ ( b ) G (at) 2

3 Now, the question that is aways asked: What do I do with this information? How can I use it? The first thing that you have to be wiing to do is change the idea This is the beginning of the creative process that everyone needs to deveop I took James idea in exampe and appied it to the ast 8 bars of Stea by Staright First, I changed the idea rhythmicay to begin on beat 3 of the measure instead of beat 1 That made the bar harmony change on beat one of the foowing measure I incorporated the meody to Stea and worked the sequence down with the tune It proved to be a creative way to use the ine that James sent me å ˆ_ Em _ (b ) A (at) & bb c ˆ Ó_ nˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ_ˆ #ˆˆ_ ˆ j ˆ_ ˆ_ (b ) G (at) Ó_ Ó_ ˆ 2 ˆˆ ˆ ˆ_ˆ ˆ nˆˆ_ jˆ ˆ ast 8 bar section of "stea" Cm b (b ) B 13 B & bb2 Ó_ ˆ BII ˆ bˆ #ˆ #ˆ bˆ b j ˆ ˆ w b ˆ ˆˆ n _ Ó_ w_ We that was nice, but what ese can be done with this materia? I had started working out an arrangement of Georgia On My Mind and I hade been working on this arrangement separate of these ideas that James had sent me James idea s had worked their way into my paying and then right into the arrangement and pretty soon James and I were emaiing this arrangement back and forth and it became a coaboration between us One of my favorite sayings is Use it or oose it! I wi go through this arrangement measure by measure and break down what we did I had severa goas for this arrangement: 1 To impy the meody and not iteray state it a the way through 2 To try and keep a buesy and jazzy four to the bar fee a the way through 3 To make an arrangement that was very pianistic in quaity To write something that fees more ike a 2nd or 3rd chorus and not the head of the tune Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved

4 Measure 1: I stated the opening motif of the meody so everyone woud know what the song was that I am paying The accompaniment is aso moving four to the bar Measure 2: Here is James idea that he sent me ast week note for note (Exampe ) Like I said earier, his idea s naturay worked their way into the arrangement Measure 3 and : I wanted to come back into the meody out of James idea and keep the buesy effect by using an Ab in the phrase The Ab is a note that I wi come back to a through this arrangement to add the buesy eement Measure and : Wybizing the meody with two ine ideas Even though I am not stating the meody in these bars, it is strongy impied Thanks Jimmy! (Jimmy woud probaby say Oh no, Thank You! ) Measure : I went back to the origina meody with some motion from the four to the bar chords beow the meody Measure and 8: I need a III VI II V turnaround here The way I messed up James idea in exampe #2, worked perfecty Since I was using James ideas, I sent these first 8 bars to him and asked him to add to it Measure 9: This was James idea for the second time through the A section Again stating the meody and then a great ick to get us into the next bar The downward tripet figure reay impressed me so I continued to use the tripet figure a the way through bars 9 1 Impying the meody and trying to give it a soufu fee was very important here Measure 1-2: (The Bridge) I went to a simpe contrapunta fee here by using a counter ine against the meody The chords above the bridge refect the bar harmony but they don t refect the harmony that is going on in measures 19 and 20 I then sent the arrangement back to James and he added the turnaround at the end of the bridge (Measures 23 and 2) James and I both agreed that the bridge shoud contrast the heaviness of the A section Measures 2 32: I wanted to bring the arrangement home The meody is very strong in these bars and I used ony one chord substitution In bar 2, I substituted a Bbma(/9) chord for Emi(b) It made for a very nice spash of coor at that point in the arrangement James and I reay enjoyed tossing this arrangement back and forth and the end resut was worth it Each time I received an idea from James, it sparked some creativity on my part I hope that this esson heps to spark your creativity in your own arrangements David Oakes and James Seaberry Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved

5 _ ˆ_ ˆ _ A Fmaj & b ˆ_ F Em ( b ) A (at) ˆ_ Ó_ ˆ ˆ ˆnˆ_ ˆ_ #ˆ ˆ ˆ_ ˆ_ D/C j ˆ_ bˆ_ G/B B b m ˆ n_ 1 bˆ _ b_ ˆ ˆ Fmaj A b & b ˆ ˆ_ ˆ ˆ _ ˆ dim j ˆ_ Gm n ˆ_ j ˆ_ C13 A (at) D (at) G (at) C (at) ˆ_ ˆ #ˆ_ bˆ_ ˆ ˆ b n ˆ # #ˆ ˆ _ ˆ bˆ nˆ bˆ b_ b b _ ˆ _ˆ nˆ b_ 3 BV Chord Meody Soo based on georgia on my mind & b ˆ_ 9ˆ_ Fmaj Em ˆ_ ( b ) A ( b ˆ ˆ ˆ j ˆ ˆ ˆ_ # j )ˆ b 3 ˆ j ˆ_ ˆ ˆ_ /C G/B B b m bˆ_ ˆ ˆ _ n_ 9 J b ˆ ˆ _ b _ J (Db ) Am D & b jˆ_ Œ ˆ b _ ˆ j ˆ_ Gm # ˆ_ j ˆ_ ˆ_ C b bˆ_ F B b Bdim F /C B b A ˆ ˆ ˆ b _ Œ b _ ˆ n_ ˆ ˆ bˆ ˆ #ˆ ˆ Œ 13 3 Hoagy Carmichae Arr by David Oakes and James Seaberry Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved

6 _ _ ˆ Chord Meody Soo Based On : Georgia On My Mind - page 2 B A /C # /C Bm (b ) A /C # & b ˆ j ˆ ˆ ˆ j ˆ_ ˆ # ˆ ˆ n b ˆ j ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ_ ˆ_ /C Bm ˆ_ nˆ_ _ (b ) 1 j & b ˆ ˆ j ˆ ˆ j ˆ_ ˆ_ /C ˆ_ ˆ_ Bm _ ˆ (b ) E (b 9) Am # ˆ_ # _ n n _ ˆ_ D ˆ_ ˆ_ (b 9) Gm C (b 9) 21 b ˆ_ # Œ n A /C # C Fmaj B & b ˆ_ ˆ_ ˆ_ b maj (/9) A (b ) BV Ó_ ˆ_ ˆ ˆ_ ˆ _ _ _ # ˆ_ ˆ_ j b _ˆ_ /C G/B B b m ˆ_ ˆ _ n_ b 2 ˆ _ b Am BV & b ˆ_ j ˆ_ ˆ_ A b j _ ˆ dim j ˆ_ Gm n ˆ_ j ˆ_ (D b ) C ˆ_ F B b Cdim F /C F b bˆ_ ˆ b ˆ _ Œ ˆ ˆ ˆ _ n_ b _ ˆ j_ /9 29 J _ _ _J Copyright David Oakes A Rights Reserved