Walter often said that the best way to learn bebop lines was to open the Omnibook more or less at random, find some ii-V-Is and work out what he's doing. I checked the Omnibook out of the music library sometime in September last year, but apart from learning the head to "Donna Lee" (I did, I really did... it took a week and now I've forgotten it), I haven't looked at it, until yesterday, that is, as the kids took their naps and it began to rain. In lyrical mood, I decided to take Walter's advice literally, opening the book at random to dig out four examples. So let's have a look, in the immortal words of Marvin Gaye, at what's going on:
Example 1 from "She Rote"
Example 1
Here's a ii-V-I in Bb (Cm7-F7-Bbmaj7). I've transposed it up an octave to make it more obviously lead-guitary, though I 'spose there's no real reason I should do that (there's also an Mp3 clip of me playing each excerpt twice at about a 10th of the original tempi.)
Over the Cm7, Bird plays the following notes: F-Eb-D-B-C-B-C-D, representing the following chord tones: 11th-3rd-9th-nat.7-Root-nat.7-R-9. We could call this a variety of things, including a C Dorian scale with the natural 7th used as a passing tone. I don't like mode-speak so I'll call it a Cm arpeggio with extensions and a passing tone as I think that sums up the spirit of it better.
Over the F7, we have the following: Eb-F-F#-G-D-C#-C-B, representing the following chord tones: 7th-Root-b9-9-6th-#5-5-b5. We could call this an F Mixolydian scale with the alterations b5, #5, b9, or an F7 arpeggio with added hip tones.
Over the Bbmaj7, he plays Bb-F#-Eb-C-Ab-G-B-A-and over the bar-Bb, representing: R-#5-11th-9-b7-6-b9-7-R. Interesting this, as while it eventually resolves to Bb over the bar line, he piles in the additional tension notes #5, b9, with a b7 passing tone before he gets there.
Example 2 from "Donna Lee"
Example 2
A ii-V-I in Ab, not transposed.
Over the Bbm7, plays Ab-Bb-C-Db, representing: 7th-R-9-3rd. I think we could confidently call that a Bbm9 arpeggio.
Over Eb7, he plays Gb-F-E-D, representing: #9-9-b9-nat.7. Both flat and sharp 9s are alterations, and the natural 7th is a passing tone. That the first three notes descend chromatically gives it its Bebop sound, the natural 7th leads into the Eb in the next bar.
Over Abmaj7th, he plays Eb-C, representing the 5th and the 3rd of Abmaj, concluding this example which demonstrates pretty nicely how both the ii and I chords remain pretty conventional, whereas the V chord is altered to produce the inside-outside-inside, tension-resolution, sound so familiar in Bebop. Moving on...
Example 3 from "An Oscar for Treadwell"
Example 3
A ii-V-I in Cmaj transposed up an octave.
Over Dm7, we have D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D, which anyone who can spell can see simply runs up the Dorian mode, or, if you prefer, the Cmaj scale starting on D (for they are one and the same.)
Over G7, we find E-A-Ab-F#-F, representing: 6th-9-b9-nat.7th-7th. Flat 9 is an alteration of course, and natural 7 the passing tone of Bebop scale.
***Digression --- For those of you who don't know, the Bebop scale is basically the Mixolydian with an added natural 7th played as a passing tone (which means don't hang around on this note, just use it to connect other notes chromatically.) You spell it thus: 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7-nat.7-1, and it's most often played descending. If you play this scale over a G7 chord (say), starting on G and beginning on a downbeat, each of the four chord tones (G-B-D-Bb) will miraculously land on a downbeat, and each extension or passing tone on an upbeat. This means that all your strong arpeggio notes land on strong beats. Try it... once you get what's happening, it's really nifty the way it works. You can start on any of the chord tones and it'll have the same effect. Just make sure you hit that chord tone on "one" and not "and".
Anyway, back to business - over Cmaj7th we have E, the third of that chord.
Example 4 from "Constellation"
Example 4
A ii-V-I in Fmaj, transposed up an octave.
Over Gm7, we have G-F#-G-Bb-D, representing Root-nat.7th-Root-3rd-5th. This is a simple Gm triad, and we could call the F# a neighbour tone, meaning the note next door that you sidle in from.
Over C7, we have F-D-Eb-E-C-Db-D-C, equalling: 11th-9th-#9=3rd-Root-b9-9-Root. A C Mixolydian scale with b9-#9 tensions.
Over Fmaj7, we have Bb-A-G-F-E-G-Bb-D-and over the bar-C, representing: 11th-3rd-9th-Root-7th-9th-11th-6th-and-3rd, all tones that are diatonic to the key of Bbmaj.
So what have we learnt? Well, Charlie Parker was really flippin' good for one, had pretty bulgy eyes when blowing for two, and three, hit all those alterations on the V chord. You gotta laugh.