Outside (jazz)

In jazz, side-slipping, sidestepping, or outside playing, is a technique in which, during improvisation, one plays only the five "'wrong'" non-scale notes for the given chord and none of the seven scale or three to four chord tones, given that there are twelve notes in the equal tempered scale and heptatonic scales are generally used[1].

In the example on the rhythm changes B section to the right, the (heptatonic) scale for each chord would be:

E7 - E mixolydian
A7 - A mixolydian
D7 - D mixolydian
G7 - G mixolydian
C  - C major

Thus the non-scale notes would be those of the following (pentatonic) scales:

E7 - E major pentatonic
A7 - A major pentatonic
D7 - D major pentatonic
G7 - G major pentatonic
C  - C major pentatonic

One technique used for sideslipping is the addition of distant ii-V relationships, such as a half-step above the original ii-V. This increases chromatic tension as it first moves away and then towards the tonic.[2]

See also

Sources

  1. ^ Coker, Jerry (1997). Elements of the Jazz Language for the Developing Improvisor, p.83. ISBN 157623875X.
  2. ^ Richard Lawn, Jeffrey L. Hellmer (1996). Jazz: Theory and Practice, p.119. ISBN 0882847228.