Transcription of Bill Frisell's original from the same-titled, newly released recording with Thomas Morgan 'Small Town'. Sheet music & TAB, 17 pages. PDF only, Sold with the artist's and Friz-Tone Music's permission.
Have a Little Faith is the fourth album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 1992 and features performances by Frisell, Don Byron, Kermit Driscoll, Guy Klucevsek and Joey Baron covering a range of American classical and popular music.[1]
Reception[edit]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested 'Core Collection' calling it a 'marvellous examination of Americana'.[2]
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 5 stars out of 5, stating, 'This is one of the most inventive recordings of the 1990s and should delight most listeners from any genre'.[3]
Track listing[edit]
Personnel[edit]
References[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Have_a_Little_Faith_(Bill_Frisell_album)&oldid=931462288'
more... Lessons ⢠Digging Deeper ⢠Jazz ⢠Tab ⢠Sound Samples ⢠May 2016 ⢠Bill Frisell
Chops: Intermediate Theory: Intermediate Lesson Overview: ⢠Spice up your solos with dissonant intervals. ⢠Create rhythmically compelling lines at blazing tempos. ⢠Learn how to imply altered sounds with chord clusters. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Bill Frisell is a masterful guitarist because, as he says, âI just try to get as deep into the music as I can.â Itâs this outlook that best explains his superb musicality. Whether heâs playing free jazz, Americana, standards, or country, or doing soundtrack work, Frisell has an approach that is at once vulnerable and strong. In this lesson, weâll look at how Frisell might play in a variety of settings and unlock some of his secrets.
Ex. 1 is reminiscent of his early work as a leader, and this example shows how Frisell might employ single-string playing and harmonics. While mostly in the key of D major (DâEâF#âGâAâBâC#), the melodic work focuses on chord tones with a little spice from chromatic approach tones (in the first measure) and chromatic lower neighbors (in measure 3).
Click here for Ex. 1
You canât conjure up a Frisell vibe without being fluent with double-stops. A IImâVâI progression in C, Ex. 2 highlights sixths, which Frisell would likely play with hybrid picking. This example proves that approaching a jazz progression doesnât necessarily require a bebop vocabulary. Take the time to analyze which dyads get used over each chord: Thereâs a melodic and harmonic reason behind each move.
Click here for Ex. 2
The chords in Ex. 3 float from place to place without any sense of tonal center. Frisell has mastered ways of effortlessly weaving from one chord to another. He often ups the ante by using double-stopsâthat doesnât make this weaving approach any easier. Here, thirds rule the day and the example illustrates how to take a motivic approach through the progression.
Click here for Ex. 3
Weâve covered sixths and thirds, but now weâre getting into even smaller intervalsâseconds. It doesnât take too many listens to Frisellâs music to notice his fondness for these tight intervals and the dissonance they produce. So, how to decide which seconds work? Chord tones always figure in, usually as the upper note, so pick one and match it with a note a half- or whole-step below it.
In Ex. 4, in the first measure thereâs a high root note paired with the 7 of the chord right below it (a major second). In measure 2, a b9 and root are paired up (a minor second). The angular nature of this approach is a major part of Frisellâs style. Itâs also clearly reminiscent of the quirky bebop-era pianist, Thelonious Monk.
Click here for Ex. 4
Frisellâs approach often shifts on a dime, so weâll hear a mix of single-note lines, dyads, chordsâanything goes! The progression in Ex. 5 is borrowed from a classic jazz standard and highlights Frisellâs trademark G7#9 voicing. Youâll want to be familiar with this shape and make it moveable, because Frisell will often use it in a variety of ways. Like a diminished chord, it can be shifted in three-fret increments for related, yet unique harmonic effects that yield a different set of altered notes over the dominant harmony. If you shift up the neck and play it in 3rd position, youâll have an implied G7#9#11, up another three frets, G13#5, and finally at the 9th fret, a G13b9.
Click here for Ex. 5Bill Frisell Family
Frisell is no stranger to bebop, so weâll often find the same type of content weâd find in any jazz musicianâs playing. Ex. 6 begins with note choices that are quite chromatic, but focus on chord tones on strong beats, such as the F# on the downbeat of the second measure, which is the 3 of the D7 chord. To look at it, the opening phrase could just as easily be Joe Pass or Wes Montgomery. While itâs a bit fast, try playing with all downstrokes. Frisell uses upstrokes, but the bulk of the time youâll find him playing even fairly quick lines with consecutive downstrokes. Weâve seen quarter-note triplet rhythms a few times already, and theyâre back again here. Not since pianist Bill Evans has a jazz player based so much of his work on these rhythms. The second half of the example shows more clever ideas working double-stops and broken chord stabs.
Click here for Ex. 6
Frisell isnât going to get confused with George Benson in this lifetime, but that doesnât mean heâll shy away from fast tempos. He just has his own way of dealing with the challenges. In Ex. 7, we have a two-part counterpoint that loosely implies the basic harmony, then evolves into a brief chord-tone line, and finally into some almost comping-like playing of three-note chords.
Click here for Ex. 7
Ex. 8 is reminiscent of the outside playing you might have heard Frisell explore in Naked City or with Marc Johnsonâs Bass Desires. The distortion pedal is on! If youâve got a compressor and volume pedal, even betterâthose were an important part of his late â80s and early â90s sound. The bass is walking free, while the lead has the obligatory seconds sliding in parallel motion. Even though thereâs no harmonic function to the bass line, thereâs hints of tonal thinking in the guitar part that leads us to the key of F, but itâs nothing more than a way of limiting an otherwise boundless palate. Of course, in the final measures itâs all tossed away with the wacked-out harmonics.
Bill Frisell PedalsClick here for Ex. 8
Every so often, we hear some of Frisellâs early rock influences. Ex. 9 isnât too far from something weâd hear Clapton play in Cream. Just some sweet bluesy riffing in 12th position, key of E. Home sweet home.
Click here for Ex. 9
Frisell can present beautiful solo renditions of standards and pop tunes. In many ways, he approaches unaccompanied playing in the same way he does everything else, so expect to hear similar devices. The notable addition is more low register work and slightly fuller chords, but itâs never overdone. Less is more, as evidenced by this bluesy intro (Ex. 10), which artfully combines harmonics, dyads, small melodic flourishes, and carefully placed bass notes. What more could you want?
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