[Dixielandjazz] Memories

[DWSI at aol.com]

Pat:

RE: Yes there are better systems.  One of the best is the Mehegan system by 
John
Mehegan.  There are 4 volumes, and it takes time to get through them.  After
the first volume, you should know how to remember chord progressions better,
because instead of the conventional system of 'naming' the chords, they are
numbered as related to the key signature.  Once you learn the numbers
assigned to the chords, you can play the tune in any key.
      
In all due respect, allow me to disagree with some of your comments about the 
John Mehegan books or teaching system: at least just a little bit. Mehegan 
did contribute some important teaching structure in the sixties, when he was 
teaching Jazz at Julliard. But a friend of mine, Tony Ricigliano, who taught 
Mehegan's method as part of his popular harmony classes at Manhattan College, (and 
wrote the text, Popular & Jazz Harmony), now tells me that Mehengan's system 
is outdated. In short, they just don't teach jazz or even chords this way 
anymore.

That doesn't mean you can't get something of value out of the Mehengan books, 
even today. You certainly can. But I guess what upsets me most about Mehegan 
is his obvious dislike of OKOM. To quote from his first text, Tonal and 
Rhythmic Principles, p. 9:

    "Popular piano methods are completely outmoded in terms of modern music. 
Most of these methods are based upon antiquated ragtime concepts (swing bass) 
that have no resemblance to the realities of piano as it is played today."

 Ragtime concepts may be "outmoded" to many people but I thought that was one 
of the things we OKOMers were trying to preserve. My other problem with 
Mehengan is simply putting it all together. With considerable sweat and time, you 
can master all the official Jazz chords in every key, as he suggests, (this is 
really based on an interval definition of each chord), and you can learn all 
the modes in every key. But I was never able to figure out how to play "modes" 
as part of my improvisations. Call me thick or hard to teach, maybe. I 
probably would have flunked his course. By the way, fifth plus years ago my mother 
taught popular piano in much the same way: i.e., the student had to learn chords 
in all the positions and scales before learning songs. I prefer the opposite 
focus: that is, learning and building repertoire from day one. Let the chords 
fall where they may, I say.

His "figured bass" style is not new, of course, and the (Roman Numeral) I, IV 
and V chords in every key are important to see and know. But his faith lies 
in Bop forward period and not in the early Jazz forward period (up to Bop) as 
mine does.

All the best notes,  


Dan (piano fingers) Spink