Block Chords

[danika]

I am trying to learn Block Chord playing based on the examples in Mark Levine's, The Jazz Piano Book. The basic example he gives (which I've also seen elsewhere) is:

C6 Ddim7 C6 Fdim7 C6 (G#dim7) C6 Bdim7 C6

He gives an explanation for the G#dim7 but I'm still not sure what to do with it. Does that mean everytime I move between G and A I need to add a passing tone/chord?

[tapper mike]

Block chords build chords from the melody line. If you have no melody line it's impossible to properly execute block chords. Sure you could throw a bunch of chords together or create a progression and write a melody over it but that's not how it works.

There are many 'styles' of block chord approaches. They are often associated with one particular artist or another Red Garland's approach is not the same as say Nat King Cole's "drop2" approach or George Shearing's approach.

[jancivil]

He gives an explanation for the G#dim7

well, you do realize the fact of that is, you have the self-same dim7 in different voicings in between all the C6? given the fact of it occurring twice before and again since, there is no mystery about that version of it.

it's impossible to talk about the why of it outside of all context. it's a passing chord that typifies a style; there isn't a lot to say about it outside of that. where Mike is pointing to is what you need to understand whys/wherefores of the matter.

[danika]

Block chords build chords from the melody line. If you have no melody line it's impossible to properly execute block chords. Sure you could throw a bunch of chords together or create a progression and write a melody over it but that's not how it works.

I'm not attempting to "throw a bunch of chords together". I'm creating block chord harmony for a melody that happens to move back and forth between scale degrees 5 and 6 several times.

There are many 'styles' of block chord approaches. They are often associated with one particular artist or another Red Garland's approach is not the same as say Nat King Cole's "drop2" approach or George Shearing's approach.

I'm aware of that, and I'm also aware of the Dick Hyman videos on You Tube. You cannot actually learn anything from those videos. They are demos of the material he covers in the pro version of "Century of Jazz Piano", which at this point I'm not willing to pay $100 for.

[danika]

it's impossible to talk about the why of it outside of all context. it's a passing chord that typifies a style; there isn't a lot to say about it outside of that. where Mike is pointing to is what you need to understand whys/wherefores of the matter.

Levine's explanation is: "The extra chromatic passing note has been added to each scale because there would otherwise be two C6 chords in a row which interrupts the smooth flow when every other chord is diminished."

The "smooth flow" refers to the "locked hands" style of playing block chords on a keyboard. But so what? There are many melodies with with other C6-C6 transitions: C-E, E-G, etc. You don't add passing chords for those.