Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Damn you Charlie Parker...you and your 32nd note runs...

A brief explanation on 32nd notes:
Speaking in 4/4 time, meaning four beats per measure, a thirty-second note is a note played for 1/32 of the duration of a whole note. Basically the chain goes whole note, dotted half note, half note, dotted quarter note, quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note, thirty-second note, etc. Charlie Parker, a bebop player, is notorious for playing very quickly. His improvised solos are full of these 32nd note runs. The issue: reading and playing them off of sheet music is much easier than listening to them and trying to notate them note for note. A run of 32nd notes goes by very quickly, to say the least. Today I tackled the first of many 32nd note runs to come. Onwards and upwards!

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