When browsing through an interesting tread in The Jazz Guitar Forum about Nicolas Slonimsky's monumental work Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns in a local café this afternoon, I just had to get my second cup of Americano to drum up my musical audacity to face again this gargantuan topic. Phew, what a book! In the field of modern Jazz, Slonimsky's Thesaurus has been the Gigantor among all twentieth-century pattern books (or, in case that you really don't like it, then it's like Sauron's "One ring to rule them all" kind of deal). Since its debut in 1947, Jazz greats, such as tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, have been drawing musical inspiration from it for decades. In my humble-mumble-little-world, though, the mentioning of this book usually triggers a somewhat trivial pop-culture-quote in my head:
The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the less you don't know.
---Ralph Roberts (fictional character in "Monk" Mr. Monk Joins a Cult episode)
This quote, of course, is more like a well-intended (but never really work) affirmation to encourage myself to whole-heartedly dig into it. So, again, the quote dutifully appears in my head. I guess that it's time to pay Slonimsky's Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns a visit and to explore the massive meadow of musical possibilities it has to offer.
(But, gee....why do I feel "the more you know, the more you don't know" most of the time....so unfair....)
Before we skydiving into all the goodies about Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626, let’s first play a game! Yes, a mind-numbing musicological game, that is. Could someone cheerfully list a Charlie Parker’s improvisation in which Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626 can be found? Please post your answer, listing the title/date/location of the improvisation and other discographical information for validation process, in the comment section of this post---the first one to share a brilliant and valid answer with us will be handsomely rewarded! Okay, I lied. But, seriously, a secret gift awaits our brave improvisers.
Nicholas Slonimsky's pattern no. 626 is listed in the Infra-Inter-Ultrapolation section of Whole-Tone Progression in Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. The principal tones are whole-tone apart and three notes are inserted between the principal tones by using Slonimsky’s cool sequence of Infrapolation, Interpolation, and Ultrapolation (Example 1). Infrapolation, basically, is to insert a note below the principal note. In the case of pattern no. 626, we observe pitch C as the principal tone and pitch B-flat as its Infrapolation, a note that is two semitones lower than the principal tone. Interpolation technique is to insert a note between two principal tones, such as pitch D-flat is inserted between principal tones C and D. As for Ultrapolation, we insert a note that is higher than the next principal tone, such as pitch F in this pattern that is five semitone higher than its associated principal tone C (and is higher than the next principal tone D).
Example 1. Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626 & Infra-Inter-Ultrapolation procedure.
By manipulating intervallic relationships between principal tone and its associated insertions and also by using different combination of Infrapolation, Interpolation, and Ultrapolation, Slonimsky was able to construct tons of exciting linear materials. But, for now, let's get back to our pattern no. 626. By applying the same aforementioned intervallic relationships between the first principal tone and its three inserted note to subsequent principal tones, we can easily construct the full pattern (Example 2). For instance, the second principal tone D is followed by its Infrapolation pitch C (2 semitones lower), its Interpolation pitch E-flat (a note between principal tone D and E), and its Ultrapolation pitch G (5 semitones higher). So on and so forth. The Retrograde version of the pattern is shown in the second half of the example, showcasing the palindromic awesomeness.
Example 2. Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626.
We will zoom in on the retrograde version of Nicolas Slonimsky’s Pattern no. 626 since it made a fabulous guest appearance in that mysterious improvisation by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker (Example 3). As we can hear, this pattern is full of juicy improvisatory potential that should put a pint-sized smile upon the face of any hardcore improvisers.
Example 3. Retrograde version of Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626.
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Additionally, since we are in the fantastic realm of Whole-Tone-Progression, we basically only need to grind on two sets of the pattern to be prepared for most harmonic situations (Example 4). The first set of the pattern features principals tones that can be found in our good-old-jelly C whole-tone scale; while the principal tones in the second set corresponding to the C# whole-tone scale.
Example 4. Two sets of the retrograde version of Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626.
Some improvisers might find it useful to reinforce the learning process of this pattern by considering the vertical implication the pattern no. 626 (Example 5). The seemingly complicated Infra-Inter-Ultrapolation sequence can then be simplified into a descending sequence of parallel minor triads. So, instead of computing that Infra-Inter-Ultrapolation procedure in our head, we now only need to worry about two workable elements: descending whole-tone scale as the principal tones and the parallel minor triads that are whole-tone apart from each other (Abm-F#m-Em-Dm-Cm-Bbm...etc). The introduction of this triadic thinking is to take the full advantage of most improvisers' fundamental training, since most of us got faster response-time in thinking/hearing triads than trying to figure out Infra-Inter-Ultrapolation, retrograde, and all that jazz.
Example 5. Verticalizing the retrograde version of Nicholas Slonimsky’s pattern no. 626.
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Personally, though, I like to further simplify this vertical consideration of the pattern by spicing it up with the concept of the "split" chord (Debussy! And, no, I didn't just make that chord up). As a part of the added-note chord family, a "split" chord is formulated by "splitting" one or more chord tones from the traditional tertian construction by adding a note that is one semitone away. For example, a simple C major triad can be seasoned by "splitting" the third of the chord, adding pitch E-flat (Example 6). While less common, we can certainly split the root, fifth, and the seventh in any traditional tertian constructions. Now, let's take a quick look at the first four notes of the retrograde version of Slonimsky's pattern no. 626: pitch C, E-flat, C-flat, and A-flat. These four notes can be considered as A-flat major triad with split third.
Example 6. C Major Triad and A-flat Major Triad with Split Third.
So, in my head, I am hearing the retrograde version of Nicolas Slonimsky’s Pattern no. 626 as the descending whole-tone parallel sequence of major triads with split third (Example 7), A-flat major triad with split 3rd followed by F-sharp major triad with split 3rd...etc. To unfolding this vertical sequence into the linear realization, we are basically manipulating the simple four-note cell 1-b3-3-5 in the fashion of parallelism.
Example 7. Parallel Sequence of Major Triad with Split Third.
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The simplicity of this four-note 1-b3-3-5 cell allows us to freely and quickly manipulate them to construct patterns that share the similar sonic characteristic as Nicolas Slonimsky’s Pattern no. 626 (Example 8). We can also easily adopt this cell into the ascending formation, such as the line shown in example 8-D, by summoning the sequence of major triads with split third. After having enough fun with the Whole-Tone Progression, we can also try to use the cell in the Ditone Progression (4 semitones apart), Sesquitone Progression (3 semitones apart, as shown in example 8-E), and other progressions.
Example 8. Some manipulations by using 1-b3-3-5 cell to construct sequential patterns.
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Here are some quick examples of using this four-note cell to create sequential patterns in improvisational lines (Example 9). The Sesquitone Progression (3 semitones apart) is employed to construct the pattern shown in example 9-C.
Example 9. Employing four-note cell 1-b3-3-5 in improvisational lines.
