Do you consider Holdsworth a Jazz Guitarist? Should I do more videos on him? 😎 (or maybe somebody else?) Content: 0:00 Intro 0:22 Holdsworth's Melodic Language - Why so few Arps? 0:54 Short Examples of Use of Triads and Arpeggios 1:17 Arpeggio Ideas are very Useful 1:36 Holdsworth Arpeggio Constructions and lines 2:02 The Melodic Genius of Holdsworth 2:28 Example #1 - Quartal Fingering #1 2:48 The Two Main Arpeggios 3:38 Quartal Pattern #1 5:18 Example #2 - Quartal Fingering #2 5:25 Great Repeating Fingerings 6:37 Quartal Pattern #2 7:22 What is the Meter of the song? 8:43 Example #3 - Stacking Triads 9:30 Derryl Gabels videos! 10:05 Analysis of Example #3 11:02 Other examples of similar constructions 11:57 Like The Video? Check out my Patreon Page!
Yes and yes. And I wonder what the late great Tony Williams would have thought about the matter. :) I appreciate the breakdown from the jazz harmonic standpoint. Other transcribers have the bases covered on the unusual technique and finger positioning, and I appreciate the discussions that speak without reference to "how to" per se. Peace and thanks! D
Yes I definitely consider Allan a jazz guitarist as he is an amazing improviser (although there's also something in his music that has a 20th century/contemporary classical music flavour, including the use of one of Messiaen's modes when he improvises). He's definitely "beyond" so called "straight ahead jazz" if you will... anyhow, in interviews, he has acknowledged Charlie Christian and John Coltrane as major influences on his playing (and I can definitely hear John Coltrane's sophisticated phrasing and "note fluidity" in his playing). Also, both of them have probabily worked a lot on Slominsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns". John Coltrane, when on tour, apparently used to spend hours in his hotel room studying the Thesaurus rather than hanging out with his fellow band-mates... and Bill Bruford said that, one Christmas, Allan gave him as a present a copy of Slominsky's Thesaurus, so, presumably, Allan (or at leas part of him) comes from Slominsky's Thesaurus too. Anyway, Allan often complained that he was not considered jazz enough by jazz audiences and not rock enough by rock audiences... :-) ...whatever "genre" he's viewed as, I think he's a Musician (with a capital M)!
One comment regarding the time signature: Allan himself never prepared traditional lead sheets or instrument parts for his music. He would normally supply his musicians with a tape recording of himself playing guitar only, along with a foot tap, when he had a new tune ready. Later musicians would learn the tunes off the record. He would give his musicians great freedom in interpreting the material, and rarely ever instruct them how to play, a policy a picked up during his time with Tony Williams. There's a section in Gary Husband's instructional video where Gary talks about how he constructed drum beats to Allan's tunes. When asked about time signatures, Allan would usually answer: "It's in one!"
I know he did it like that, but for me to analysis it I need to decide how to write it out (and it is clearly in a steady meter even if I am not sure whether I should call it 6/8,12/8 or 4/4)
Did Holdsworth consider HIMSELF a jazz guitarist? In his last interview with Downbeat in 2017, he said the following when asked: "How would you classify your music?" -"That’s an interesting question, because many of my compositions end up being vehicles for improvisation, and that makes it jazz. But at the same time, it’s not jazz in a normal sense. A lot of times, when you say jazz to somebody they think of something [that’s] bebop derivative, or something of that nature. But I didn’t go that route because I wanted to keep that sustained-note thing going and pursued more of a rock thing. But I still tried to keep some sort of delicacy or fluidity to what I was doing. I just followed my heart and did what I wanted to do. It’s kind of selfish, really!" He did not see himself as a typical fusion guitarist either: "In a way, I think what I play is fusion music, but the word “fusion” doesn’t work at all for my music. Whenever someone asks me if I like fusion, I say no. I just associate it with really fast Muzak, like what you would hear in an elevator, and I hate that stuff. The name itself is a good name, but it was just misused." (SoundWaves 2012) I should mention that I maintain a website dedicated to Allan: fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
@@JensLarsen Personally, I think it depends on how you define jazz. The raw materials he used had a lot of common with jazz: Improvisation over chord changes and forms in a rhythmic context. But he of course disregarded many aspects of the jazz tradition, such as repertoire, functional harmony, phrasing, and sound. I don't really care so much if the answer is yes or no :-)
@@perstornes He also disregarded the swing, which is fine by me. The player's name escapes me, but on I youtube was a guy that covered one of Al's solos note-for-note, but with swing. It sounded way more jazz, to me a bit goofy. The playing was stellar, not taking anything away from that though.
I was at an Aristocrats concert and in between songs Guthrie, Bryan, and Marco were joking around "Our album was number 1 for jazz releases this month". They were mocking it jokingly because they never felt their music needed to be labeled(they didn't say this, but that is how I perceived it and I do think I am correct). I kind of think Holdsworth is in this category, Holdsworth's style is just......Holdsworth.
Allan Holdsworth was an improvising musician, so it might be Jazz but he played in such a different way than other Jazz guitarists and with a very different sound that it is hard to categorize him. He deserves his own category and he was probably one of the most influential guitarists ever and rightly so if you ask me!
Hi Jens. Holdsworth is absolutely my favourite guitarist ever and would agree that there aren't enough videos dealing with his playing on a theoretical level . I'm absolutely gutted that I never got to see him live living in Denmark and all (although I missed one opportunity in Copenhagen when I wasn't heavily into music for a year or two...🤨). I would definitely define him as a jazz guitarist as I associate that term with any type of music heavily dependant on intricate improvised interplay and improvised sections. But I guess his use of overdrive/distortion (and sheer volume I guess) to achieve sustain enough to play his unique legato style has confused the issue. Had his lines been flowing out of the bell of a sax I doubt anyone would have defined him as anything other than a jazz man.
Thanks! I did get to see him live here in the NL in 2012. Super concert, he was indeed not in a Jazz venue, more a place where rock and shredders play. If you want me to make more videos then just share this one, if it does well I kinda have to 😄
@@JensLarsen That was probably the tour where I just managed to miss the one gig he did in Copenhagen....I'm jealous of your experience😉. From a sonic point of view I completely get why the shredders and rock crowd were/are into his playing. He would fit right in to that idiom sonically. But his approach to playing through changes, changing tonal centers and wanting an everchanging responsive/reactive bass/drum/key backdrop vs. the rehearsed steady shred/rock, is completely different. I guess it might have been a fortunate thing with the appeal in both camps as making a living as an envelope pushing jazz musician probably wouldn't pay the bills alone. I'll give my friends a heads up regarding the video. Keep up the good work...it's very inspirational.
This is a thoughtful and intelligent video. Thank you Jen. Yes, Holdsworth could be called a Modern Jazz or Fusion Guitarist. Unlike many of us, he didn't spend tons of time listening to Charlie Parker or Coltrane. He does not come out of the Bebop tradition. He did help push Jazz in a new direction. For that, I'm grateful. His creativity is mesmerizing.
Thanks for these insights, I'll put them to use. I've noticed Allan doing ascending sweeps quite a bit, but they don't usually sound like regular triads, of course they probably rarely are regular triads, but more whatever intervals that he wanted to hear.
Hey Jens! I've always been really fascinated with Holdsworths playing in the bank UK, on their self titled album. I've wanted to analyze his solo on In The Dead Of Night, but I have no idea what chords he's playing over. Would you ever consider talking about Holdsworths playing there?
Holdsworth is playing over Eddie Jobson's more classical chords and 7/4 time signature. To me, that is why it is such a distinctive and classic solo--Allan is playing his unique jazz-like runs and melodies, but over non-jazz chord voicings.
What tune is this...?Incredible! Thank you for sharing this knowledge.As usual, you're instructionals are very kool and interesting.(Side note):As of today I am 2 years sober,by God's grace and help,and I had to show up too,but He took the urge away and I'm blessing His holy name with all my being,best I can ,and I'm blessed! Thanks for everything.🏞️🏔️⛰️🎸🔊🎆🎊🎉✨🎇🐕🎈😎
Holdsworth was an amazing musician. His music wasn’t Jazz in a traditional sense, but his mindset came from Jazz I think. The use of more elaborate chords (than rock) and playing across chords to create complex harmonies has an obvious connection to Jazz.
Actually, I think his approach to the music in terms of form and harmony is pretty much all jazz. What was maybe different was the sound and that he really tried to create his own melodic language with very little link to the tradition 🙂
Jens Larsen I think it's a pitty that he didn't occasionally create some music that was a little more accessible. For a brief period in the 1980s it looked like he was on the brink of super stardom, but he never seemed capable of making the small comprimises that would have brought him the wealth and wider recognition that would have allowed him to lead a more comfortable life with freedom to follow his preferred style of music.
@@donharrold1375 I think you will find that he probably made a lot of money compared to a lot of jazz artists but he probably didn't always make the most practical choices with the money he made. This is of course speculation on my part, but the venues he played were always well paid and he had record companies and management to support him. Probably what made him a great musician made him a less great business man, that does happen from time to time
I don't mean to knock him for it. But I think he got in his own way a lot. I spoke to his manager once and he was really proud to work with him and really frustrated at the same time. Did you know that Holdsworth had two albums completely recorded but kept throwing away his own playing and redo that? And that went on for years.
Jens, it would be very cool to learn more about accents ( if i know right in jazz most common accent is on every short 8th note?) and rhythm in context of single line soloing. I already discover that changing accent can really change phrase. Thanks as always!
One more comment and I'll shut up. In the context of what you're doing, Jens, it's maybe a good idea to keep going along the track of "How to apply the ideas of Allan Holdsworth in mainstream jazz". In that case, you could have a look at more examples of how Holdsworth approaches functional harmony. He plays Coltrane changes on his version of "Countdown", (modified) blues changes on Henderson's "Isotope", and even has a version of "How Deep Is The Ocean", all on his "None Too Soon" album. But better than these, IMO, look up his version of the Beatles "Michelle" which gets a bebop treatment in an arrangement by Gordon Beck. These recordings are not really the ultimate Holdsworth recordings, though, as they show him adapting his style to fit in into a style that really never was his own. There are not so many places where Allan sheds light on his theoretical approach to soloing, but if you follow these two links, you can a fairly good glimpse into his thought process: fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Over_the_top,_part_1_(Guitar_1996) fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Over_the_top,_part_2_(Guitar_1996)
I don't think his approach actually works that well in a more mainstream context, that is somewhat clear from that record. Though I have thought of looking at Isoptope and Inner Urge at some point. In a way 16 Men was really the album none to soon should have been to me :)
@@JensLarsen I can agree that NTS is not an optimal record, but the way I understood it, the way that record was made meant that he didn't really make it his own. The tunes were mostly picked by Gordon Beck, and his arrangements were used as a basis. Allan once commented that he felt like a guest on his own album! Wether Allan's approach ultimately could work in a (more) mainstream context - I'm not sure that record really gives a full answer to that question. The fact that he was able to push successfully in that direction with SMOT suggests that he was a little more flexible than NTS shows. But that is of course just speculation. Ha en fin søndag! :-)
I don't think SMOT is really in any way an example of mainstream jazz. Holdsworth compositions are very different from hardbop or jazz standards (which is what I would consider mainstream repertoire) so in that way, he did not really play mainstream pieces on that album. I think there are a few other reasons that his improvisational style does not sound great on straight tonal harmony and hardbop changes.
Holdsworth's playing is very modal. It is on top of the changes and not in them, so it doesn't really work that well for very functional moving melodies which is what is 95% of mainstream jazz. The majority of his pieces have a much slower harmonic rhythm or tempo than the average standard His playing was made to fit his music, which is different from mainstream jazz.
Awesome Lesson and Analysis as always! One Question: when incorperating Quartal Arps in an improvisation, would you rather think "okay this is an Am, i can start the Arp from the Fifth" or "This is a Dmaj7, i can start it from the third" [so to say use "Rules"] or would you just know what Quartal Arps exist within the Key and use them? Thank you!
I wouldn't think so much, find the ones you like over a chord and practice making music with them. You do not have time to think about rules when you solo 🙂
@@JensLarsen you are right, it is a weak album, but the interesting part is to apply Holdsworth's concept to common music, instead of being "forced" to use them on specific compositions
Yes, but there are a few reasons why his approach is maybe not really suited for fast moving changes like that. He is in many respects very modal and the harmonic rhythm of his pieces is pretty slow compared to most jazz.
Hi Jens, interesting video, the tune is "The Things You See" (mentioned in the description but not in the video), and you can watch the full tune here, I've cued the video to start of Allan's solo: ruclips.net/video/hzO-NIGqetQ/видео.html
hello jens , i look at your videos very often, (sorry for my english ) im french , i like when you play some basics jazz, and basics plans, because i play jazz a la benson ou martino, my 2 favourites players ! but when a see guys like the one you speak about, it keeps me wondering ...why playing exactly like alan holdsworth ? or gambale or stern etc ...ok we can take some licks or chords , i mean its like a painter who paint only like magritte or picasso ! lol !!! or a writer who writes like only kundera or miller ? but you do a great job ! anyway !
Hi Jana. YOU PLAY SO WELL. I HAVE A QUESTION IF YOU CAN ABSWER. IAM A FUN OF OTHER KIND OF MUSIC, METAL, HARD ROCK BASICALY. BUT I LIKE OTHER KIND LIKE AMBIENT DARK WAVE. I REALY DONT LIKE JAZZ BUT IN HOLSWORTH THER ARE COMMISTION WITH AMBIENT ROCK PROGRESSIVE. I DONT LIKE HOLSWORTH COUSE HE FULL SONGS WITH MILLION NOTES TO ME NOT GOOD FOR COMPOSITION IN GENERAL. SO YOU KNOW IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO PLAY SIMILAR COMMISTION BUT NOT DOING ALL THAT OCEAN OF NOTES? THANKS AND HALLO.
Do you consider Holdsworth a Jazz Guitarist? Should I do more videos on him? 😎
(or maybe somebody else?)
Content:
0:00 Intro
0:22 Holdsworth's Melodic Language - Why so few Arps?
0:54 Short Examples of Use of Triads and Arpeggios
1:17 Arpeggio Ideas are very Useful
1:36 Holdsworth Arpeggio Constructions and lines
2:02 The Melodic Genius of Holdsworth
2:28 Example #1 - Quartal Fingering #1
2:48 The Two Main Arpeggios
3:38 Quartal Pattern #1
5:18 Example #2 - Quartal Fingering #2
5:25 Great Repeating Fingerings
6:37 Quartal Pattern #2
7:22 What is the Meter of the song?
8:43 Example #3 - Stacking Triads
9:30 Derryl Gabels videos!
10:05 Analysis of Example #3
11:02 Other examples of similar constructions
11:57 Like The Video? Check out my Patreon Page!
not only do i consider him a jazz guitarist, i consider him possibly the greatest jazz guitarist. at least as far as lead playing goes
Yes and yes. And I wonder what the late great Tony Williams would have thought about the matter. :) I appreciate the breakdown from the jazz harmonic standpoint. Other transcribers have the bases covered on the unusual technique and finger positioning, and I appreciate the discussions that speak without reference to "how to" per se. Peace and thanks! D
Yes more please. He is absolutely a jazz player. Phenomenal solos but I like his chord work best.
Yes, yes. Holdsworth is my absolute favourite.
Yes I definitely consider Allan a jazz guitarist as he is an amazing improviser (although there's also something in his music that has a 20th century/contemporary classical music flavour, including the use of one of Messiaen's modes when he improvises). He's definitely "beyond" so called "straight ahead jazz" if you will... anyhow, in interviews, he has acknowledged Charlie Christian and John Coltrane as major influences on his playing (and I can definitely hear John Coltrane's sophisticated phrasing and "note fluidity" in his playing). Also, both of them have probabily worked a lot on Slominsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns". John Coltrane, when on tour, apparently used to spend hours in his hotel room studying the Thesaurus rather than hanging out with his fellow band-mates... and Bill Bruford said that, one Christmas, Allan gave him as a present a copy of Slominsky's Thesaurus, so, presumably, Allan (or at leas part of him) comes from Slominsky's Thesaurus too. Anyway, Allan often complained that he was not considered jazz enough by jazz audiences and not rock enough by rock audiences... :-) ...whatever "genre" he's viewed as, I think he's a Musician (with a capital M)!
We need an entire series on Allan Holdsworth 😂
Isn't there one already in the playlist? 🙂
One comment regarding the time signature: Allan himself never prepared traditional lead sheets or instrument parts for his music. He would normally supply his musicians with a tape recording of himself playing guitar only, along with a foot tap, when he had a new tune ready. Later musicians would learn the tunes off the record. He would give his musicians great freedom in interpreting the material, and rarely ever instruct them how to play, a policy a picked up during his time with Tony Williams. There's a section in Gary Husband's instructional video where Gary talks about how he constructed drum beats to Allan's tunes. When asked about time signatures, Allan would usually answer: "It's in one!"
I know he did it like that, but for me to analysis it I need to decide how to write it out (and it is clearly in a steady meter even if I am not sure whether I should call it 6/8,12/8 or 4/4)
@@JensLarsen Well, my point was that this is ultimately your decision to make . You get no help from Allan - or me:-)
Did Holdsworth consider HIMSELF a jazz guitarist? In his last interview with Downbeat in 2017, he said the following when asked: "How would you classify your music?"
-"That’s an interesting question, because many of my compositions end up being vehicles for improvisation, and that makes it jazz. But at the same time, it’s not jazz in a normal sense. A lot of times, when you say jazz to somebody they think of something [that’s] bebop derivative, or something of that nature. But I didn’t go that route because I wanted to keep that sustained-note thing going and pursued more of a rock thing. But I still tried to keep some sort of delicacy or fluidity to what I was doing. I just followed my heart and did what I wanted to do. It’s kind of selfish, really!"
He did not see himself as a typical fusion guitarist either: "In a way, I think what I play is fusion music, but the word “fusion” doesn’t work at all for my music. Whenever someone asks me if I like fusion, I say no. I just associate it with really fast Muzak, like what you would hear in an elevator, and I hate that stuff. The name itself is a good name, but it was just misused." (SoundWaves 2012)
I should mention that I maintain a website dedicated to Allan: fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
I am actually more interested in what other people think of him than what he thought :)
@@JensLarsen Personally, I think it depends on how you define jazz. The raw materials he used had a lot of common with jazz: Improvisation over chord changes and forms in a rhythmic context. But he of course disregarded many aspects of the jazz tradition, such as repertoire, functional harmony, phrasing, and sound. I don't really care so much if the answer is yes or no :-)
@@perstornes He also disregarded the swing, which is fine by me.
The player's name escapes me, but on I youtube was a guy that covered one of Al's solos note-for-note, but with swing. It sounded way more jazz, to me a bit goofy. The playing was stellar, not taking anything away from that though.
I was at an Aristocrats concert and in between songs Guthrie, Bryan, and Marco were joking around "Our album was number 1 for jazz releases this month". They were mocking it jokingly because they never felt their music needed to be labeled(they didn't say this, but that is how I perceived it and I do think I am correct). I kind of think Holdsworth is in this category, Holdsworth's style is just......Holdsworth.
That's interesting! I would probably consider Holdsworth Jazz but I also would not consider aristocats jazz :)
Was that in Denver?
Jens, thanks for mentioning me in your video. I think you did a great job explaining some of Allan's approaches.
You're welcome Derryl! Keep at it! 🙂
Yes more videos on Allan.....thanks Jens
I can't imagine that I won't do more videos on him 😄
Allan Holdsworth was an improvising musician, so it might be Jazz but he played in such a different way than other Jazz guitarists and with a very different sound that it is hard to categorize him. He deserves his own category and he was probably one of the most influential guitarists ever and rightly so if you ask me!
Seems fair enough! :)
Hi Jens. Holdsworth is absolutely my favourite guitarist ever and would agree that there aren't enough videos dealing with his playing on a theoretical level . I'm absolutely gutted that I never got to see him live living in Denmark and all (although I missed one opportunity in Copenhagen when I wasn't heavily into music for a year or two...🤨). I would definitely define him as a jazz guitarist as I associate that term with any type of music heavily dependant on intricate improvised interplay and improvised sections. But I guess his use of overdrive/distortion (and sheer volume I guess) to achieve sustain enough to play his unique legato style has confused the issue. Had his lines been flowing out of the bell of a sax I doubt anyone would have defined him as anything other than a jazz man.
Ooh...and more videos on Allan Holdsworth. Please 🙂.
Thanks! I did get to see him live here in the NL in 2012. Super concert, he was indeed not in a Jazz venue, more a place where rock and shredders play.
If you want me to make more videos then just share this one, if it does well I kinda have to 😄
@@JensLarsen That was probably the tour where I just managed to miss the one gig he did in Copenhagen....I'm jealous of your experience😉. From a sonic point of view I completely get why the shredders and rock crowd were/are into his playing. He would fit right in to that idiom sonically. But his approach to playing through changes, changing tonal centers and wanting an everchanging responsive/reactive bass/drum/key backdrop vs. the rehearsed steady shred/rock, is completely different. I guess it might have been a fortunate thing with the appeal in both camps as making a living as an envelope pushing jazz musician probably wouldn't pay the bills alone.
I'll give my friends a heads up regarding the video. Keep up the good work...it's very inspirational.
Thanks! 🙂 It could have been that tour, it was in 2010 I think
Not 2012
Great video! He uses some fantastic arpeggios in the city nights intro.
Yes. A video featuring "The Master". R.I.P. #AH
Glad you like it!
This is a thoughtful and intelligent video. Thank you Jen. Yes, Holdsworth could be called a Modern Jazz or Fusion Guitarist. Unlike many of us, he didn't spend tons of time listening to Charlie Parker or Coltrane. He does not come out of the Bebop tradition. He did help push Jazz in a new direction. For that, I'm grateful. His creativity is mesmerizing.
Glad you like it 🙂
This lesson was special.Thank you!!
Thank you, Silvio! 🙂 I am glad you like it!
Thanks for these insights, I'll put them to use.
I've noticed Allan doing ascending sweeps quite a bit, but they don't usually sound like regular triads, of course they probably rarely are regular triads, but more whatever intervals that he wanted to hear.
Glad you like it! I think that most sweeps in Jazz are rarely triads :)
Thanks so much! Great lesson and video, sure love the out of this world playing of AH -- best to you man
Glad you like it! I will probably make more videos on Allan along the way , since I am a huge dan!
Hey Jens! I've always been really fascinated with Holdsworths playing in the bank UK, on their self titled album. I've wanted to analyze his solo on In The Dead Of Night, but I have no idea what chords he's playing over. Would you ever consider talking about Holdsworths playing there?
Maybe, it's not an album I know so I need to check it out first :)
Holdsworth is playing over Eddie Jobson's more classical chords and 7/4 time signature. To me, that is why it is such a distinctive and classic solo--Allan is playing his unique jazz-like runs and melodies, but over non-jazz chord voicings.
Awesome Video! I love Alan Holdsworth's playing, you should do an analysis of his solo on hazard profile part 1 by soft machine!
Thank you Joe! I'll give that a listen :)
What tune is this...?Incredible! Thank you for sharing this knowledge.As usual, you're instructionals are very kool and interesting.(Side note):As of today I am 2 years sober,by God's grace and help,and I had to show up too,but He took the urge away and I'm blessing His holy name with all my being,best I can ,and I'm blessed! Thanks for everything.🏞️🏔️⛰️🎸🔊🎆🎊🎉✨🎇🐕🎈😎
Congrats Brad! That's a huge achievement!
There's a link to the complete song in the description of the video
@@JensLarsen check out the arps he plays on "eeny meeny"... whoa!? thanks
always interesting Holdswoth_
Nice video, and nice shoutout to Derryl Gabel for his work, Jens! Happy New Year! Best regards, Daniel
Of course! Derryl is a super nice guy and does a lot of great stuff on his channel!
Jens, do you play or analyze gypsy jazz solos? I'd love to learn more elements to beggin playing that style
No, there are so many channels who do that already, so I leave it alone 🙂
Holdsworth was an amazing musician. His music wasn’t Jazz in a traditional sense, but his mindset came from Jazz I think. The use of more elaborate chords (than rock) and playing across chords to create complex harmonies has an obvious connection to Jazz.
Actually, I think his approach to the music in terms of form and harmony is pretty much all jazz. What was maybe different was the sound and that he really tried to create his own melodic language with very little link to the tradition 🙂
Jens Larsen I think it's a pitty that he didn't occasionally create some music that was a little more accessible. For a brief period in the 1980s it looked like he was on the brink of super stardom, but he never seemed capable of making the small comprimises that would have brought him the wealth and wider recognition that would have allowed him to lead a more comfortable life with freedom to follow his preferred style of music.
@@donharrold1375 I think you will find that he probably made a lot of money compared to a lot of jazz artists but he probably didn't always make the most practical choices with the money he made. This is of course speculation on my part, but the venues he played were always well paid and he had record companies and management to support him.
Probably what made him a great musician made him a less great business man, that does happen from time to time
Jens Larsen that's really interesting
I don't mean to knock him for it. But I think he got in his own way a lot. I spoke to his manager once and he was really proud to work with him and really frustrated at the same time. Did you know that Holdsworth had two albums completely recorded but kept throwing away his own playing and redo that? And that went on for years.
saw him play a few time ....my former job distributed his album sand .....got to meet him ...loved his humbleness ,,,,love his playing style
Great! He does indeed come across as a very humble nice guy :)
Allan is a jazz guitarist, without the cliche's, Hèhèhèhèhè
Haha! That is one way of putting it I guess :)
Jens, it would be very cool to learn more about accents ( if i know right in jazz most common accent is on every short 8th note?) and rhythm in context of single line soloing. I already discover that changing accent can really change phrase. Thanks as always!
Maybe check out these videos: ruclips.net/video/wACQdDWSBKI/видео.html&list=PLWYuNvZPqqcHn3-s_TZJhyenMUGHecPQ4
Is that what you are looking for?
@@JensLarsen You are a magician! Thanks so much!
One more comment and I'll shut up. In the context of what you're doing, Jens, it's maybe a good idea to keep going along the track of "How to apply the ideas of Allan Holdsworth in mainstream jazz". In that case, you could have a look at more examples of how Holdsworth approaches functional harmony. He plays Coltrane changes on his version of "Countdown", (modified) blues changes on Henderson's "Isotope", and even has a version of "How Deep Is The Ocean", all on his "None Too Soon" album. But better than these, IMO, look up his version of the Beatles "Michelle" which gets a bebop treatment in an arrangement by Gordon Beck. These recordings are not really the ultimate Holdsworth recordings, though, as they show him adapting his style to fit in into a style that really never was his own.
There are not so many places where Allan sheds light on his theoretical approach to soloing, but if you follow these two links, you can a fairly good glimpse into his thought process:
fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Over_the_top,_part_1_(Guitar_1996)
fingerprintsweb.net/ahwiki/index.php?title=Over_the_top,_part_2_(Guitar_1996)
I don't think his approach actually works that well in a more mainstream context, that is somewhat clear from that record. Though I have thought of looking at Isoptope and Inner Urge at some point. In a way 16 Men was really the album none to soon should have been to me :)
@@JensLarsen I can agree that NTS is not an optimal record, but the way I understood it, the way that record was made meant that he didn't really make it his own. The tunes were mostly picked by Gordon Beck, and his arrangements were used as a basis. Allan once commented that he felt like a guest on his own album! Wether Allan's approach ultimately could work in a (more) mainstream context - I'm not sure that record really gives a full answer to that question. The fact that he was able to push successfully in that direction with SMOT suggests that he was a little more flexible than NTS shows. But that is of course just speculation. Ha en fin søndag! :-)
I don't think SMOT is really in any way an example of mainstream jazz. Holdsworth compositions are very different from hardbop or jazz standards (which is what I would consider mainstream repertoire) so in that way, he did not really play mainstream pieces on that album. I think there are a few other reasons that his improvisational style does not sound great on straight tonal harmony and hardbop changes.
@@JensLarsen Please eloborate! :-)
Holdsworth's playing is very modal. It is on top of the changes and not in them, so it doesn't really work that well for very functional moving melodies which is what is 95% of mainstream jazz. The majority of his pieces have a much slower harmonic rhythm or tempo than the average standard His playing was made to fit his music, which is different from mainstream jazz.
Love this stuff
Thanks Ron!
Awesome Lesson and Analysis as always! One Question: when incorperating Quartal Arps in an improvisation, would you rather think "okay this is an Am, i can start the Arp from the Fifth" or "This is a Dmaj7, i can start it from the third" [so to say use "Rules"] or would you just know what Quartal Arps exist within the Key and use them? Thank you!
I wouldn't think so much, find the ones you like over a chord and practice making music with them. You do not have time to think about rules when you solo 🙂
@@JensLarsen thank you very much for the response! The lessons already opened up my playing a lot and helps breaking old habits.
more Holdsworth please :)
Certainly! 🙂 Suggestions?
@@JensLarsen what about Holdsworth's approach on other musician's compositions, like on the album "None too Soon"
I have thought about that, will probably do one of them, though I don't find it a really strong album from him :)
@@JensLarsen you are right, it is a weak album, but the interesting part is to apply Holdsworth's concept to common music, instead of being "forced" to use them on specific compositions
Yes, but there are a few reasons why his approach is maybe not really suited for fast moving changes like that. He is in many respects very modal and the harmonic rhythm of his pieces is pretty slow compared to most jazz.
Jens, please do analyses of Holdsworth song Zarabeth
What album is that on, it doesn't ring a bell :)
Jens Larsen wardenclyffe tower
Iain McKenzie Guitar I know what you feel, man! One of the greatest guitar songs.
Wardenclyffe Tower is Allans pinnacle achievement. Oh, and 16 Men of Tain...
@@bassheadjazz2708 And "Secrets".
Hi Jens, interesting video, the tune is "The Things You See" (mentioned in the description but not in the video), and you can watch the full tune here, I've cued the video to start of Allan's solo: ruclips.net/video/hzO-NIGqetQ/видео.html
Thanks! Yes, that is also the video I link to in the description :)
dzieki!
You're very welcome! I am glad you like it! 🙂
Great Jens!!! _/\_
Glad you like it! Do you consider Holdsworth a jazz guitarist? 🙂
@@JensLarsen Fusion??
But what is a Fusion guitarist?
How can I get any sheets / charts /tabs that you might have for this lesson? Thanx
They are available to all my Patrons in the Patron post: www.patreon.com/posts/allan-holdsworth-23887587
hello jens , i look at your videos very often, (sorry for my english ) im french , i like when you play some basics jazz, and basics plans, because i play jazz a la benson ou martino, my 2 favourites players ! but when a see guys like the one you speak about, it keeps me wondering ...why playing exactly like alan holdsworth ? or gambale or stern etc ...ok we can take some licks or chords , i mean its like a painter who paint only like magritte or picasso ! lol !!! or a writer who writes like only kundera or miller ? but you do a great job ! anyway !
Hi Pascal,
Isn't that true for Benson and Martino as well? (If I understand you right at least?) 🙂
O, you have pretty YAMAHA SG！
Thank you 🙂
Hi Jana. YOU PLAY SO WELL. I HAVE A QUESTION IF YOU CAN ABSWER. IAM A FUN OF OTHER KIND OF MUSIC, METAL, HARD ROCK BASICALY. BUT I LIKE OTHER KIND LIKE AMBIENT DARK WAVE. I REALY DONT LIKE JAZZ BUT IN HOLSWORTH THER ARE COMMISTION WITH AMBIENT ROCK PROGRESSIVE. I DONT LIKE HOLSWORTH COUSE HE FULL SONGS WITH MILLION NOTES TO ME NOT GOOD FOR COMPOSITION IN GENERAL. SO YOU KNOW IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO PLAY SIMILAR COMMISTION BUT NOT DOING ALL THAT OCEAN OF NOTES? THANKS AND HALLO.
As far as the meter goes , as holdsworth would say “ it’s all in one “
Yes, I wasn't really aiming to teach him in this video.
Very interesting
Thanks! 🙂
HI Jens! No, I don't consider Holdswoth a jazz guitarist, although he is amazing.
Thanks Jume! Make sense!
To not consider him a jazz guitarist means you haven't heard enough of his music.
Com on you are ridiculous on this one