How To Understand Giant Steps

A Former User

Here's something that scares some musicians but it is a rite of passage for those who wish to listen and work

oldpete

That was good to see and hear

GeorgeB

Yeah, that was an eye-opening analysis of music PERIOD.

A Former User

@GeorgeB said in How To Understand Giant Steps:

Yeah, that was an eye-opening analysis of music PERIOD.

Hi GeorgeB,
You'd be amazed how many performance majors dread this. Often, Giant Steps is learned during the last couple years of college. From my ears, few progressions have as much happiness and joy. Its almost like the Blues has a minor flavor (which it does) and the Coltrane progression is happy. Here's a little snippet that has helped a lot of people get over the Coltrane hump;
Here is the rule for a Three Tonic System based on Giant Steps: Each key center descends in Major 3rds.
Notice that in Giant Steps the three tonal centers are:
B Major
G Major
Eb Major.
Understanding that Giant Steps can be simplified to three keys makes thinking about it much easier!
Something to try; Play the scales and their arpeggios for the three key centers a couple of measures each.

Kehaulani

Small steps to Giant Steps:

Tune Up by Edie Vinson - original form is reharmonized to:
Countdown (Coltrane), which leads to:
Giant Steps.

Check them out. Might make it an easier progression than tackling Giant Steps cold turkey.

A Former User

@Kehaulani said in How To Understand Giant Steps:

Tune Up by Edie Vinson - original form is reharmonized to:
Countdown (Coltrane), which leads to:
Giant Steps.
Check them out. Might make it an easier progression than tackling Giant Steps cold turkey.

Maybe, maybe not. There's a lot of ways (which is part of the problem in learning it) to approach Giant Steps. Hopefully the video and the concept of three simple tonal centers will help. I almost guarantee that someone will post an exhaustive explanation of Giant Steps and include how it often goes from V to I and its affiliation to the augmented progression which is symmetrical. I have a feeling such an analysis will be great! Its all about sharing and spreading the love.

Kehaulani

@Dr-Mark said in How To Understand Giant Steps:

Maybe, maybe not. . . Hopefully the video and the concept of three simple tonal centers will help.

Right. And I don't think the one cancels out the other. Just add the three-chord concept in the process where it does you the most good.

I saw an analysis, and I wish I could find it (for guitar) where it was really simplified.

All that said, here you go:

A Former User

@Kehaulani
The video on Giant Steps you submitted is way off base. It stays in one tonal center (C?) an its spliced over Coltrane doing it correctly. I don't understand how this helps. Can you please explain how staying on one tonal center is useful when learning Giant Steps?

Kehaulani

Dr. Mark . . . it's a joke.

A Former User

@Kehaulani said in How To Understand Giant Steps:

Dr. Mark . . . it's a joke.

Dang, You got me again.....I've got the egghead blues.

Dr GO

What's all the BIG DEAL about Giant Steps! It's so simple, even a kid can do it:

Kehaulani

@Dr-GO

A Former User

Dr-GO,
That's Joey Alexander. he's skilled way beyond his years. He reminds me of a girl named Tina S on guitar. She just rips through Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata 3rd mvt. and she' around 16.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tina+s+moonlight