Freddie The Freeloader
Frank Markovich
Before we dig in!
Remember the process
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Start by listening to the piece.
Then Analyze the chords.
Listen closely to the repeated bass line. Sing it!
Now the melody. It is built largely off of intervals of a
2nd.
Learn the Melody, then the chords, then the bass,
combining chords and bass.
For this it is possible to do all of the parts at one time.
Do the scales used.
Analyze the solo.
Do your own solo
Put it all together.
This is just a 12 bar blues
• Freddie the Freeloader is a 12 bar blues with a slight
twist at the end. Very common to do this at that time.
• Original key is Bb – that is a good key for Trumpet and
horns in general.
• We will do it in Bb to start.
• The next page has the chords and the melody. Again
start with analysis of the chords.
• Bb7 = Bb D F Ab
• Eb7 = Eb G Bb Db
• F7 = F A C Eb
• Ab7 = Ab C Eb Gb
Chords
• Take chords from All Blues and move them
up 3 frets (easy chords) and you will have
the basic chords to this.
Chords
Chords are as follows:
6/4 ||: Bb7 | | | | Eb7 | | Bb7 | | F7|Eb7 | Ab7 | : ||
Bb7
1
1
1
Eb7
1
6th
1 1
fret
1
1
1 1
3
4
6th
1
fret
2
3
Ab7 at the 4th fret
F7 at the 8th fret!
These are just basic chords.
You can make it more
complex by using 9th’s 13th’s
etc. Chord substitution can
work also but be careful in
this tune as the simplicity is
one of the items that makes
this work!
Freddie melody. Play in 5th postion
Take your time in learning this. The
key is to get it down pat. Learn it
up one octave also and then as
a chord melody.
Here it is up one octave.
Here is Freddie as a chord melody.
It is really a good idea to learn it this way.
Later you can even play this while doing
a walking bass line!
Chords
• This is very easy take the chords used in
All Blues and just transpose them to Bb.
• G7 to Bb7 just move it up 3 frets to the 6th
fret. For C7 move it up 3 frets to Eb7 etc.
• You can use almost any voicing for this.
• This song is in many ways very similar to a
rock blues. A simple 1 bar blues. You
don’t need complexity in jazz all the time.
Next add in the Chords
Chords are as follows:
6/4 ||: Bb7 | | | | Eb7 | | Bb7 | | F7|Eb7 | Ab7 | : ||
Bb7
1
1
1
Eb7
1
6th
1 1
fret
1
1
1 1
3
4
6th
1
fret
2
3
Ab7 at the 4th fret
F7 at the 8th fret!
These are just basic chords.
You can make it more
complex by using 9th’s 13th’s
etc. Chord substitution can
work also but be careful in
this tune as the simplicity is
one of the items that makes
this work!
Bass Line
• The bass line is a walking bass similar to
the one in All Blues.
• Take what is in the book and write it out by
first writing the notes of it down then
writing out in tablature the bass line on the
5th and 6th strings!
Here is a sample bass line that will
work on Freddie. While I have the
tablature in 1st position this can be
played up the neck
Move this up 3 frets and it
can be a Freddy Green
(Count Basie’s Guitarist) type
backup. This is very common
in jazz. Particularly in Swing
music.
I could spend a whole term
just on this.
Scales
• Follow exactly what was done in All blues
but now transpose it to Bb. You need to
do that so that you can play any blues in
any key.
• You could simply move everything up 3
frets. That is at least a place to start. This
is since G7 is 3 ½ steps (frets) from Bb.
Analysis of Miles Solo
• To start I want you do write it out from the book
and the following 2 slides. Do at least one
chorus.
– Write the names of the notes – map them to the chord
tones:
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Bb7 = Bb D F Ab
Eb7 = Eb G Bb Db
F7 = F A C Eb
Ab7 = Ab C Eb Gb
– Then try to map to what degree of the scale each note
is.
– Then to the scale that each note resides in.
Here is Miles solo in the key
he played it in. This might be
easier to analyze as it is in
the key of C.
RR
R (R=1 of chord) 3
5 3
7 9
13,R b3 4 b3
Note that the analysis has
slightly different changes
than the head (melody), this
is also common.
I did the first line.
Chord tones
C7 = C E G Bb
F7 = F A C Eb
G7 = G B D F
Bb9 = Bb D F Ab C
Again notice how many chord
tones!! I tell you the chord rules!!
Compare to the following 7 pages
of Wes’s solos. Very similar in
many ways.
Also note the use of rests.
Note how many times Miles comes
in on the and after 3 or on 3 to start
the next phrase.
Notice how he ends – like the start!
This is so musical, that is why
people loved his music. That is
something you can and should
learn from Miles.
Less direction than All Blues
• Even though there is less direction than All Blues
at this point you need to apply what was learned
in All Blues to other songs.
• It is key that you get it not that I give it to you.
• Next few slides have a solo that Wes
Montgomery did to this song. He did Miles tunes
and used many of Miles techniques.
• You could analysis his solo and at least use
some of the riffs that Wes used.
Very simple to analyze.
Just take your time.
Note that the first note
of the solo is the first
note of the melody.
Great way to tie in.
Use the G as the
starting note but
approach it differently
than in the melody.
Final thoughts
• You have looked now at 3 Miles Davis
tunes in some depth. The more you put
yourself into it the more you will get out of
it.
• Spend time on other pieces or other artists
and follow the procedure. It will improve
your playing significantly.