Pathways to Parker

This book was created to catalog the melodic pattern material performed by Charlie Parker for over sixty of his transcribed solos. It also comes with an app called Pathways to Parker. The app mirrors the book to make it convenient for students to download onto electronic devices. The patterns are organized by the key and chord type they were originally performed in. The performer may use the patterns at their discretion - in the original key, or transpose them as needed. The teacher may use these patterns in a number of creative ways:

 

• Instrumental sight-reading material
• Composition ideas
• Examples of what musical ideas will work over an existing chord change
• Starting points for students to creatively connect the patterns in order to expand their music vocabulary
• Starting points for the development of written solos within the developing jazz band
• Analysis of the most widely used key and chord centers in Charlie Parker's repertoire
• Abstraction and insertion of Charlie Parker's vocabulary into existing solos to create new ones
• Provide new source material for the professional musician who would like to expand their jazz vocabulary

 All patterns are one measure in length. Patterns may be joined together as the improviser sees fit; however, proper voice leading and chaining of patterns will produce more musical ideas.