Alright, all, below is my transcription of John Coltrane’s solo on “Giant Steps” – all 11 choruses (but not the two chorus he does after Tommy Flanagan’s solo before going back into the head – sorry, you’ll just have to settle for 11). This time, it comes with a small amount of analysis. You’ll notice that Trane relies heavily on pentatonics and arpeggiation (one has to at such a quick tempo). As an improviser, I find it very reassuring that Trane repeats several licks, in whole or in part, in numerous places, and he by no means played 176 bars of completely original material at ~300bpm. Examples of repeated licks can be found:
- Measures 22-23 = 38-39 = 102-103 = 134-135
- Measure 41 = 47
- Measures 18-20 = 50-52 = 66-68 = 114-115
- Measures 25-27 = 73-75
- Measures 54-56 = 115-117
This is by no means an inclusive list, just one meant to highlight some patterns that Trane worked out that move very nicely through the changes. Well, enjoy!
Reblogged this on Bible NT and commented:
I spent an entire year studying Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” analyzing it and transcribing his solo. I still can’t play it anywhere near as fast as he does.