Bebop Piano Legend Walter Bishop, Jr. Explains His Theory of Fourths
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2009
- For another perspective on Mr. Bishop's Theory of Fourths from Frank Piccinini: • A New Study in Fourths...
Jazz piano legend Walter Bishop, Jr. discusses and demonstrates his Theory of Fourths.
Walter Bishop, Jr. (October 4, 1927 January 24, 1998) was an American bop and hard bop jazz pianist. He was the son of composer Walter Bishop, Sr..
In high school his friends included Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Art Taylor. He began his musical career after World War II, and played and recorded with Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, Kai Winding, Miles Davis, Jackie McLean, Curtis Fuller, Terry Gibbs, Clark Terry, Blue Mitchell, and Supersax. In the early 1960s he also led his own trio with Jimmy Garrison and G. T. Hogan. He continued performing into the 1990s.
After studying at The Juilliard School with Hall Overton in the late 1960s, he taught music theory at colleges in Los Angeles in the 1970s. In 1983 he began teaching at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. He also wrote a book, A Study in Fourths, about jazz improvisation based on cycles of fourths and fifths.
Video: Bret Primack 
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My musical father, teacher, mentor and big brother I called him Bish Bash. I took my first lesson with him in 1977 and through the years we became best friends. I would take the train from New Haven Connecticut to New York to study with him. But after I had been studying with him two or three years I would just stay at his crib 3 or 4 days studying and hanging out with him. Everywhere Bish took me we had big fun digging on the ladies. Bish had a young spirit but the wisdom of a man who lived 300 years. He became like a father to me and He would tell people I was his son. He became the Godfather for both my son's. He would come stay with my wife and I in Connecticut for a change of pace from New York and come to my gigs to lift me up. He was a beautiful human being, he treated me like I was his son. He was also very close to pianist Benny Green. He often would say that Benny Green was his son as well. He told me stories about Charlie Parker and His experience working with him back in 1950 to 1952, he said that Bird was a very wise man way ahead of his time. Bishop taught me how to play like him but he also taught me to be the best version of myself. That was the Walter Bishop Jr. I know.
Beautiful memories of a great man. Thanks for sharing this!
Toney Am fabulous !
I studied with Walter in the 1980's in Jazz Mobile .
He always very easy to talk to and so helpful.
What a luck , such a teacher to have had. I know his recordings with Charlie Parker and I have always found him marvelous. They suited eachother very fine.
May the Fourths be with you!
definitely deserves more likes
That comment made my day
I met Walter Bishop, Jr. in 1974.... in LA and took some classes from him regarding this very interesting technique. Herbie Hancock introduced me to him... we were all involved with the Buddhist Group that Herbie and Wayne Shorter and Tina Turner were all members of. Walter lived nearby over North of Sunset up behind the Whisky... Very nice man.... intense but yet very patient. Last saw him playing live down at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach.... I never did much with what Walter taught me.... I was trying to write Pop or R&B songs and this was way too sophisticated.... but it was definitely nice to see this Video and remember him.
Damien Hesh charlie parker and miles davis and john coltrane were notorious fpr practicing 16 hours everyday, or 10-18. But that's insane and not so common, brilliant modern musicians like chad lefkowitz brown will tell you that at his prime of practicing he was doing 4 hours a day, but now he doesn't get to do a practice routine every single day so it's more focused, less frequent, changing practice routines maybe every other day
You were part of SGI?
Joseph Miller amazing story. Wow
When you can make a piano like that sound decent...you tha' man, man!! I learned a bit here...can't wait to put it into practice. Practice makes....better. Always...great lesson here, glad tech keeps these present for the student in all of us. Playing more than 58 years and still learning new stuff to integrate into my own style. Bebop is serious composing...then you just have fun! Cheers!
I interviewed Walter in 1980 for a UK Jazz magazine. . .what a lovely guy and one who was so enamoured in the technicalities of what he was doing. He tried explaining his 'Study of Fourths' to me but hey I couldn't even find middle C :)
Aud The Search for Middle C!
the sound of this piano is amazing, so unique and rich
Thank you Master Walter Bishop Jr.! God Bless your soul
Awesome example of a pianist exploring and expanding His vocabulary. Terrific.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Walter at Ronnie Scotts many years ago....almost 30 years ago in fact. We discussed his 'Theory Of Fourths' but it went way above my head near the end. An outstanding musican who never received the plaudits that he were due and deserved.
Just wonderful met him for one moment when waiter at hZz gallery 1961
I hope more young musicians will really. Discover him
Mr. Bishop plays very nicely backing Hank Mobley on the LP Mobley's Second Message. That LP has now become available on Real Gone Jazz: Hank Mobley Vol. 2, Six Classic Albums.
This is awesome! Thank you so much for recording, editing, and sharing this. I can't wait to try it out on piano, organ, and synthesizers!
So fortunate to study with Walter Bishop at the JazzMobile, what a sweetie he was and those fourths, pivotal to my playing, no doubt.
Thanks a million for posting this. I've been trying to track down the original VHS of this for years. This video is incredible, showing insight into how he thinks about the 4th theory and also how he thinks about playing in general. Not only was Bish a great bebop player but his contribution of the 4th theory to music is awesome. His music in the 70's sounds fresh and modern because of it. Going back and listening to the albums, now I know what it is about the sound that sounds so 20th century.
Great player! Thanks so much for sharing.
Walter Bishop is one of those vastly underrated Bud Powell disciples who was consumed by music and theory, not by celebrity, audience, or money. The same is true of Walter Davis, Jr., who wrote the most challenging and exciting numbers in the Blakey-Messengers' book throughout the 1970s.
Those guys are pioneers of modern music.
Same with Barry Harris
What a wonderful, straightforward presentation of his ideas - I can't wait to go through it again and try to apply it to my playing on my instrument. Thanks so much for sharing it and also providing a great forum for so many folks to share their stories of hearing and/or studying with him. Great stuff!
Bish was a great friend and I'm happy to share his theories here.
This is great! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing this wealth of priceless jazz education.
He gives us so much insight in this video. You could watch over and over and over again.
Very cool, great teacher! He deserved a better piano.
MrThang what’s wrong with the one he has there? even though the recording quality isn’t the best , the thing still sounds very rich and full. also the action on it just ‘looks’ good from the way he plays.
That piano was on it's way to the junk heap! He should of least had it tuned up Shame he didn't have a Yamaha or Steinway.
misha sawangwan It doesn’t sound like it has a bad tone, but it deserved a good tuning.
This is great!
Instablaster...
Magical!!Some of these runs that Walter is demonstrating literally stop me in my tracks,they're so clear and beautiful.They are the basis of many compositions that have great majesty,dignity,strength and power.From this presentation,it is clear that "Bish"was as beautiful a spirit as he was a musician,with a very clear and gentle manner.
Great lesson. The first name that came to my mind when I heard this was Keith Emerson. Apparently it wasn't only me.
Larry Young too
Man, this is gold! Thank you fourth posting it!
Lovely pun
amazing innovator and wonderfully clear articulator of the harmonic theory and it's application. oh the fortunate fellows that got lesson from him back when.
This is the best video I have seen on circle of Fourth... I have been looking for something like this and after having this idea in my head since November 24, 2014. I am so happy and grateful that I have seen the bedrock off the symmetric Circle of fourth and fifth. Thank you Walter's Jr
The real secret of 4ths and 5ths is that if you stack 4ths you get the Locrian mode. And if you stack 5ths you get the Lydian mode. The darkest and the lightest of the major modes.
4ths are inherently and minor sound. And 5ths are inherently major.
Awesomeness!!. All killer no filler! Big thanks
Glad it worked for you
Had the pleasure of studying with Walter Bishop Jr. for 3 years privately. I have some videos showing the exercises he showed me.
It would be great if you can upload them!
please, upload it for us. Music needs sharing!
Some are on here under my name.
Kevin Brightman
Video like this is priceless! Thanks for posting!
I'm very lucky Bish was a good friend.
Brilliant!
Thanks for posting this very endearing video. It's hard to imagine exactly how modern Bishop must have sounded at the time. He was one of the pioneers, obviously. The language of fourths opens up terrific new dimensions in harmony. By containing the progression within an octave he obtained an extra large interval in the process: the fifth (ex. C F Bb down to Eb- a descending fifth). Done at speed like he was able to do, it gives the line a real break in linearity, thus creating a sort of jagged aspect. It also makes for much more "open" harmony than the more "closed" thirds.
I love that there's a cat moanin' in the background.
Yeah!!! The cat is singing along hahah😁
this is by far the best jazz lesson/video i have ever seen! I'm going to need to teach this one to my guitar...
Guitar is made for playing 4th sir!👍
cool segment, thanks for posting this.
Wonderful. Thank you for this.
so happy you dig
Thanks for this video
Love it!!! So fresh ☺️
This is fascinating
I always wish more jazz musicians would make videos explaining stuff. niiiice.
I don't play piano but enjoy hearing musicians talk about their craft and music theory. I just watched a few of legendary pianist Barry Harris' vids. He's a GREAT teacher .. tough but funny too.
I love the rawness of this tutorial :)
I believe this exercise is worth its weight in gold.thank you.
Such a celestial sound!!
Thank you, this is very valuable!!
Kelvyn Bell for what application exactly?
zebb1111
I don't understand your question??
Thats ok, never mind.
Thank you, my brother Isaías!
thank you for posting this Bret///very cool and inspiring...time to hit the woodshed for lil old me
How lucky can we be, Jazz Video Guy?! You captured a remarkable look inside this giant's musical mind. He seems a mellow gentleman. Recently you mentioned Walter Bishop Jr was your friend; you've got some very cool friends, JVG. Thank you for this.
Bish was great friend. I miss him.
I used to go for lessons with him when I was a kid . Great memory .Richard Dunn
I'm loving it man!
This is brilliant stuff. I have to spend some time with it.
One of the first jazz educators. Thanks a lot Video guy !
Wow. This is terrific. Like eating the richest best tasting food.
It's a fascinating sound, deep and forboding
Yes.
Thanks for reposting this
Just wanted to give the correct birthdate of Walter Bishop Jr. 10/4/27. Studied privately with him for 3 years.
Superb...!!!
Could not stop watching. This was excellent. Thank you for posting!
This was used in a scene from the movie " The Fugitive"
Ahhh this is what Keith Emerson is doing. I am going to go practice this now. Great stuff for I have always loved this type of chaotic sound.
Actually, it's not chaotic at all. It's just a whole new world of different colours. Harmony takes on a new dimension by using these larger, but uniform intervals. Try stacking six consecutive thirds. Listen. Now stack six consecutive fourths. Now listen. See and hear the difference? Thirds are "tight". Fourths are "open". Agree ?
musamor75 it sounds chaotic and complex. But not chaotic in a bad way. It sounds disorderly and unruly in a sexy way. Sounds like something one always wanted to achieve.
That resolution at 11:13 is righteous!
I play guitar and I broke a couple of strings way back when, I was in the middle of nowhere with no money so I re-tuned the guitar in an open 5th tuning.
Of the original strings EADGBE the two strings missing were the D and high E ( beside B).
I re-tuned these 4 strings F#,C#,C#,F# ( or GDDG for simplicity's sake)
The 2 inner C#'s are unison, but one is a wound string & the other is not.
It is neither maj,min,aug,dim until any 1 fret is held. Good4writing
brilliant
Walter is a genius and monster player. I wish he were better know.
He's coming from the same place as Nicolas Slonimsky. Joe Farrell, Woody Shaw, and Joe Diorio also do things like this. I've never heard of him before today. It's scary to think that there are lots of great anonymous guys like this out there!
Every town has them. We had a drummer, Joe Charles, in St Louis who Trane heard and brought Elvin to hear. Elvin gave him a sock cymbal and base pedal. He was one of the poorest men I've ever known. Raised 10 kids in the tiniest falling down shack you could imagine and gave free lessons to anyone who asked. Taught half the drummers and horn players who ever came out of St Louis. He knew changes too had ears like a bat and taught keyboard players correct changes and voicings too. Trane even asked Joe to go out with him when Elvin got busted. He turned him down because Trane was a junkie at the time and Joe had a family to support and was afraid of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing. Joe only made a couple trips to Chicago, never recorded though he played with Grant Green for nearly 3 years before he left for NY. Billy Higgins knew him well and mentioned him in a Downbeat interview; Billy Hart too. Even Trane mentioned him in print somewhere; I used to have the article. Higgins was coming to town for a show once and I arranged to pick him up at the airport. Joe was in the hospital at the time (he weighed 420 lbs when I first met him) and when I told Billy I knew Joe and that he was in the hospital he said "take me to him". You should have seen that room light up when those two saw each other. I MEAN to say. People all over the world heard *about* him from all the cats who stumbled on him there in St Louis. During one period of his life he sold fish out the back of a pick up truck and would play his drums set up in the back there too. Total full 4 way independent cat and LOVED to play FAST .. on 'the track' as he called it. I used to describe his playing as .. like if I was caught up in rhythm, rhythm was caught up in Joe. He played 3D rhythmic bubbles was my first impression. He was a DEEP thinker too, very Godly. Said one time that he played off air molecules! I loved the guy, was more a father than my own.
@@pfwed3443 amazing bro!!!!
This came on the algo rhythm , ive probably seen it , but , man , Walter Bishop Jr , what a power , bop master , honored and humbled to have worked with him , i played " For Those Who Chant " with him .
He is the real deal , swing off his fingers is differant than Hancock , Correa , Jarrett etc and those after
Sure Hicks , Dailey have it to some degree , only Walters being there near the birth etc gives him a uniqueness
Bish could play great funk and latin clave too
Walter Bishop, Jr. wrote a book named, "A Study in Fourths". It can be downloaded as a pdf from several sites on the internet. The biography of Walter Bishop, Jr. in Wikipedia is fascinating-- as is the article about Lyle "Spuds" Murphy, who Bishop credits with giving him the original idea of employing fourths. Lyle Murphy wrote a 12-volume course in composing, arranging, and orchestration for the professional musician titled The Equal Interval System. Hopefully it will one day be available, but currently I cannot find it anywhere.
This is great! 24 min to explain I can play any note anywhere I want and connect them however I want! ;)
Beautiful comment!
I bought his exercise book in the early 70's Manny's midtown Manhattan
Yes, Manny's on 48th Street. Long gone.
Can you upload it?
I like the I Got Rhythm approach . Practical and radical ! I have a passion for organized dissonance
Love it
This piano is not Steinway, but man, how warm sweetly sound does it have, and for Bishop ty for this knowledge. it's priceless.
you got that right
sounds like something you hear in some 70's cop thriller.
zoellapetite sounds like something you hear in Oscar winning movies .
reminds me of Tarkus and many of Keith Emerson's Improvisations..well done!
Whoa...it sounds like your fighting the boss in an RPG! Great video!
I had never heard that quote from Yardbird. I never thought of him as much of a philosopher but I like it. "The greatest thing a teacher can teach you is to think for yourself." ~ Charlie Parker I think I am going to mess around with that concept in multiple key centers and see what happens. I met Walter and we talked for a long time. He was a very accessible cat. He was very underrated and I can't understand why.
The movie "Bird" is a pretty accurate portrayal of the man according to men I knew who knew him somewhat and were very close to him musically and it shows a deeply philosophical mind at work.
@BradBenMusic Thanks for the help, BradBen. Sounds like you know what you're talking about.
I Met This Man @ 15yrz Old N The Fall Of 1990--The Yr I Got Serious About This Instrument,& Picked His Brain @ "Mill Creek Community Center's Master Class Series"Here In Philly-I Have To State His Theory Didn't Click 4 Me Until College Yrs Later🎹🎵🎶🎼
I don't think Emerson stole anything , but he loves be bop piano and uses fourths a lot! No doubt he has studied Walter Bishop
Big Boy Kingpin Techniques. What a Exploration of Concepts of Fourth in Linearadic Stylings and Tonal Contours.This Concept kinda stems an outside theoretical Approach. Its not Hard but Mr.Bishop it's SMART. I will visit this site many times to fully Grasp your interjection of Fourths in Linear Application. ....From Math to Music......Wow!
..
WOW!
The inspiration for the Tarkus ostinato bass figure came from playing stuff by Bartok, Scriabin and Prokofiev according to what I read in an interview with Emerson many years ago. In his later studies, by this time in his late teens, Emerson was talented enough to master some of the later Russian piano classics. If you listen to the piano compositions by these composers there is frequently a heavy bass-line ostinato. So the technique, while often used in jazz, actually comes from classical.
Rat Ghost the same can be said about most if not all ‘jazz’ constructs, including this so-called cycle of 4ths. it all started at a common point in time and we’ve just carried the tradition forward and it has naturally morphed along the way. cool stuff.
Racism is why Jazz is not called "classical"
Jazz is better than classical.
If you like 4ths.. check out Scriabin's middle output ~ and see what else can be done from that starting point (althogh really, Scri's music is *a bit* more than "about 4ths".. however.. 4ths were involved in the transition period). Check out Op 65 Number 3 ~ late period but a cool use of 4ths (in a diff way than the harmonic 4th period, but still, 4ths!)
Cool. When I heard it doubled up w/ R+L @ 1:42 I new I'd heard it before. There's a live Gonzalo Rubalcaba track w/ horns called 'Pisando El Césped' (from a hard to find 'Best of GR" album) that has a 'transition' part between soloists that starts exactly w/ that line then goes into a kind of smaller 'turnaround' to cadence the form for the next player to improv. If you know the track I'm referring to, it occurs @ 1:09 -1:17.But I understand Walter got hipped up to it way before, all the way back in 1970.
+EgyptianMinor
That's my favorite piece from Gonzalito, it's an extraordinary piece of music. The live version is the best one, from "Live in Havanna" album.
Cosmik Debris So 'Live in Havana' is the album that has that live version? It is indeed one of the greatest Jazz performances I've ever heard - Amazing tune, arrangement, performance & solos - and Gonzalo's last solo is just out of sight...I gotta get me that CD. Peace.
EgyptianMinor
Yes, "Live in Havana", recorded live at "Museo de Bellas Artes" on february 1986.
Cosmik Debris
Yeah, really amazing track. Peace.
EgyptianMinor u
whoa, my piano teacher made me do this exercise, the first part anyway
Cool to know where it comes from
sick!
Adam neely's bass lessons intro music
gamecube startup
Genius!
@brickone999 "Those Who Chant," a Walter Bishop, Jr. composition
@jaythanbishop HEY thanks a lot for the book!!! This is of great value!!!
GUYSSSS if you see his webpage be sure to download bishop's study of fourths!!! I'm so happy i found this for free!!
The exercise at the beginning of the video
Is the run Emerson Lake and Palmer Use On the album TORKAS
I never thought I would be Dissect
life is unpredictable
I can see a lot of potential lines in his theory of fourths. I think his idea of breaking the cycle up into odd groups (his example was 3s) is a strong one and I've heard contemporary players like Aaron Goldberg use this idea, possibly taking direct influence from Walter's playing. The sound you could get of using 5s and 7s would be very interesting.
Try it
the basic scale is what notes your fourth's explanation at the beginning
oops, I meant at around 12:13, but what am I saying Walter is a master with many many beautiful resolutions
the video I watched before being steered to this one was Kenny Drew Jr. playing 'Sophisticated Ladies' with only his left hand.
the commonality the two pianists share? both have enormously long fingers. it almost isn't fair. it's as easy for them to play a eleventh or twelth as it is for mere mortals to play an octave.
If you haven't already, check out Michel Petrucciani,he had tiny hands and he said he just had to get creative with overcoming the physical limitations he was up against .I think your journey,if you're persistent,will give you the means to bring out the music that's in you.I struggle daily with the guitar and it's physical limits,yet I have had some good moments.
great observation; I wanted to submit the same comment but found yours first; more than the left hand line, Walter plays sus chords with the right one...and guess what, Keith Emerson does the same in Tarkus!
Damn, Those Who Chant. What a killer tune.
One of my favorites.
This is cool, it sounds like the music from TRON.
I can assume that this is too deep for some people to grasp. And instead of just moving along to find something that isn't over their heads, they chose to click thumbs down.
Sad
+Greg Waits Ah, the classic "anyone who doesn't share my opinion must just not be as smart as I am." For the record, I think the video is great- I just don't see a need for self-righteous condescension over a mere 15 dislikes. RUclips is a remarkably low-brow place to get on your high horse, anyways.
Yeah, just yt search "Look at my horse, my horse is amazing".
Thanx, Gentlemen.
Piano a bit harsh, no?
That Fourths pattern - Gonzalo Rubalcaba's record 'Live in Havana',has a fantastic song called 'Pisando El Cesped', that has a section based on that pattern, if I'm not mistaken.
you are correct, sir
@@JazzVideoGuy Thanks for the reply and thanks for sharing this great video, I'm a guitarist, 'Fourth's are difficult to finger, but I'm working on it.
04:05 part resembles Keith Emerson's solo in Tarkus. Ostinato is played with the left hand and the the melody's in the right one. It's quite interesting to know, Had it been Emerson, who invented this style...Or there were some bepop musitians, who practiced it often...