Cliff Note Questions

The main body of the LCC and its practical application, including all 4 published versions of Book 1 with their inserts: the 1959 tan cover; the 1959 light green cover Japanese edition; the 1970‘s white cover, which adds an illustrated River Trip to the 1959 edition, and the currently available Fourth Edition, 2001.

The authorization code is the first word on Page 198 of the Fourth Edition of the LCCTO.

Moderators: bobappleton, sandywilliams

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An open letter from Alice Russell. June 21, 2011, Brookline, Massachusetts. 1. DO NOT make insulting, mean spirited remarks about anyone or their work; there are a plethora of sites where you can rant unfettered. If you attack someone personally, your comments will be removed. You can post it, but I'm not paying for it. Go elsewhere, and let those artists who are actually interested in discussion and learning have the floor. 2. There will be NO posting of or links to copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner. That's the law. And if you respect the work of people who make meaningful contributions, you should have no problem following this policy. 3. I appreciate many of the postings from so many of you. Please don't feel you have to spend your time "defending" the LCC to those who come here with the express purpose of disproving it. George worked for decades to disprove it himself; if you know his music, there's no question that it has gravity. And a final word: George was famous for his refusal to lower his standards in all areas of his life, no matter the cost. He twice refused concerts of his music at Lincoln Center Jazz because of their early position on what was authentically jazz. So save any speculation about the level of him as an artist and a man. The quotes on our websites were not written by George; they were written by critics/writers/scholars/fans over many years. Sincerely, Alice
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Bob
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Cliff Note Questions

Post by Bob »

This is a repost of a couple of things that were on AAJ, that I would like to offer for the scrutiny of lydiaphiles more learned than I, with a question at the end.

With tempered tuning (the piano) and the circle of fifths as a starting point:

1) "Chart A" is produced. This is a "chord/mode" matrix That organizes four primary scales (otherwise known as "major," melodic minor, harmonic major, and Lydian dominant), plus three symmetrical scales (AKA whole-tone, and the two diminished 8-tone scales) under one roof. The advantage? I don't need to memorize 50 (more like 250, with extensions) chord scale relationships). Everything is related in one family. One can go from "diatonic" to "chromatic" to "free" as the muse (and taste) dictate, without getting lost. Kinda of a tonal GPS.

2) The "River Trip" graphic metaphor elegantly illustrates moving from chord to chord thinking, to broader tonal centers, to the "tune" as a whole, to the tune as "home base."

3) in part 2, Ch. 2; subsets of scales are introduced (e.g., pentatonic scale), bringing "pitch class collections," melodic fragments, intervallic ''pods," all in the family.

Trying to find a practice book for getting the LCC under fingers. The Baker Lydian books seem out of print, but the Jerry Coker, Patterns for Jazz book seems quite useful. Coker does make numerous references to Russell, and he addresses the Lydian Augmented scale specifically, as well as the 'auxiliary' or symmetrical scales.

Coker's scalar patterns, which take up the first 100 pages or so, require the following adaptations to be specifically LCC.

(Category I) On a Major chord, the four primary scales, in order are:
Lydian Scale ( #4)
Lydian Augmented (#4, #5)
Lydian Diminished (#4, b3)
Lydian b7 (#4, b7)

(Category II) On a dominant V7 chord, the primary scales are (also in order, related to their parent scales, and arranged from "in to out."):
Mixolydian
Mixolydian #4
Mixolydian b9
Mixolydian b6

(Category VI) On ii-7, the primary scales are (also in order, related to the above as parent scales, and arranged from "in to out."):
Dorian
Dorian natural 7 (AKA melodic minor)
Dorian b5
Dorian b9

For the ii -7(b5), V7(b9) type progression:
(Category #IV) ii-7(b5)
Locrian
Locrian natural 2 [e.g., B C# D E F G A]
{Now it gets a bit dicey}
Locrian dim7 [e.g., B C D E F G Ab]
Locrian b4 [e.g., B C D Eb F G A]

(Category VII) V7(b9)
Phrygian
Phrygian natural 6 [e.g., E F G A B C# D]
Phrygian b4 [e.g., E F G Ab B C D]

I min
These are the same as the "dorian" above.

Granted, some of this nomenclature (mine, not Russell’s) is looking a bit strange. But, is Locrian dim7 still more transparent than “Lydian Diminished, Mode #IVâ€
10 {The artist formerly known as Bb}
sandywilliams
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Post by sandywilliams »

I like the “tonal GPSâ€
dogbite
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Post by dogbite »

"Alternatively, To prep a tune, would a lead sheet consisting of only parent scale names and chord roots suffice?"

yes. to me, this is the elegant simplicity, the beauty of the LCC - so much from so little:

Lydian Tonic

Lydian Tonic Interval

Modal Tonic

all defined from the eight PMG - all of those other modal terms (such as dorian and phrygian) become unnecessary.

dogbite
Bob
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Post by Bob »

Hmm. Practicing this way, with root & reduced melody and parent scales, instead of chord symbols, feels strangely liberating. (The RP & RM are still available for chromatic embellishment. Still play the melody and walk the basic chord structure with leading tones to internalize the tune.) Lines and melodies come more freely - not quite tonal but not atonal. Must be that gravity thing. Very interesting feeling.
10 {The artist formerly known as Bb}
sandywilliams
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Post by sandywilliams »

Bob,
I agree with Dog that you should dispense with the traditional modal terminology. Your chart does, however, illustrate the necessity of being able to run the scales from their modal tonics. This is sometimes ignored when you are learning the LT superimpositions.
SW
sandywilliams
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Post by sandywilliams »

And...some of the more outgoing scales only have conceptual MTs!
Bob
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:11 am

Post by Bob »

Agreed. My intent in using modal terminology was to map one language into the other to see if that would produce any explanatory or interpretive gain. But by using the LCC analysis, eg., Bb Lyd II, guidelines, I feel forced, at least on bass, to explore cohesive melodic gestures, whose 'gravity', if you will, is internal and irrespective of the underlying chord structure, to which it is perhaps ironically related. It is a different kind of tonal relevance which somehow subsumes the atonal. You guys are light years ahead of me in understanding the LCCTO. Thanks for indulging me as I explore it naively for its expressive meaning.
10 {The artist formerly known as Bb}
Bob
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:11 am

Post by Bob »

dogbite wrote: all defined from the eight PMG - all of those other modal terms (such as dorian and phrygian) become unnecessary.

dogbite
Unless you're in Ch VI
10 {The artist formerly known as Bb}
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