The Coltrane changes are lovely, but if you slow them down they aren't substantially more difficult than other Jazz changes from that era. What makes Giant Steps so challenging is mainly the tempo.
Tommy Flanagan, the pianist who struggled a bit on the original Coltrane recording, put out a recording of Giant Steps with his own trio in the 1980s. Having had enough time by then to woodshed the changes, his improvs are exquisite. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PWynH-CEc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PWynH-CEc
It's also just that they're weird and not terribly melodic. They're great, but it's not like some jazz standard from a musical where you just kind of feel where it's going after hearing it a few times.
This makes it a perpetual challenge for me, and I've never mastered it. Doing something sensible on double bass is hard enough without it always having to be at some unmusical tempo.
On more straightforward changes, I can usually internalize the melody and harmonic motion well enough to form a sensible solo, but I've got my limits. Fortunately the era of "Giant Steps" getting called on every gig has more or less passed.
The Coltrane Changes pattern of descending through major keys via major thirds is actually used at moderate tempo in the bridge of the Rogers/Hart tune Have You Met Miss Jones? [1] ... which is a standard from a musical haha.
But I acknowledge that in that context, it's an "out there" harmonic adventure which builds tension, to be released when the final section harps on the tonic.
I still think that it's mostly the tempo that makes Giant Steps feel alien. Modulating through major keys by major thirds isn't that exotic, but doing it so quickly that ear just doesn't get a chance to orient itself is.
tniemi · · focus · HN ↗
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62tIvfP9A2w" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62tIvfP9A2w
rectang · · focus · HN ↗
Tommy Flanagan, the pianist who struggled a bit on the original Coltrane recording, put out a recording of Giant Steps with his own trio in the 1980s. Having had enough time by then to woodshed the changes, his improvs are exquisite. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PWynH-CEc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PWynH-CEc
pvab3 · · focus · HN ↗
analog31 · · focus · HN ↗
On more straightforward changes, I can usually internalize the melody and harmonic motion well enough to form a sensible solo, but I've got my limits. Fortunately the era of "Giant Steps" getting called on every gig has more or less passed.
rectang · · focus · HN ↗
But I acknowledge that in that context, it's an "out there" harmonic adventure which builds tension, to be released when the final section harps on the tonic.
I still think that it's mostly the tempo that makes Giant Steps feel alien. Modulating through major keys by major thirds isn't that exotic, but doing it so quickly that ear just doesn't get a chance to orient itself is.
[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHGFo7fRIqc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHGFo7fRIqc