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.
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.