Licks & Riffs : Dave Brubeck - Take Five




Dave Brubeck's classic, Take 5 uses only two chords throughout, for both the main melody and the subsequent improvisations. It's in a minor key (we've chosen F here, but the original the more challenging Eb) and the whole piece rocks back and forth between chords I and V of the scale - F and C, only instead of the traditional major chord on the fifth, we have instead a minor 7th.

So the resulting pattern is F minor - Cminor7

Dave Brubeck




The next step of course is to add the famous five-in-a-bar pattern, giving three beats to F minor and two to C minor.

Dave Brubeck




Melody and improvisation



The main tune (and most of the improvisation that follows) uses a traditional blues scale - here it is in F.

Dave Brubeck




And the same transposed for the alto saxophone, in the key of D :

Dave Brubeck




The key to making a convincing Take 5 sound is to move around the notes of the blues scale using the dotted rhythm found in the accompaniment. I've notated a short extract, the midi file has a longer example.

Dave Brubeck




And the same again, with the transposition for alto saxophone

Dave Brubeck




Obviously that's only a start on the kind of improvisations you can get up to, but it's probably enough to get you hooked on that Take 5 vibe!

1346391
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Take Five - Piano Solo By Dave Brubeck Quartet. By Paul Desmond. For solo piano. This edition: Piano/Vocal/Chords. Artist/Personality; Piano/Vocal/Chords; Sheet; Solo. Jazz. SMP Level 8 (Early Advanced). Single. Chord names (does not include words to the songs). 4 pages. Published by Alfred Music (AP.0158TSMX).




Chords Used in Dave Brubeck - Take Five









5829539
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The Dave Brubeck Anthology (Piano Solos). By Dave Brubeck. For Piano. Artist/Personality; Piano - Personality Book; Piano Supplemental. Jazz. Advanced; Early Advanced; Intermediate; Late Intermediate. Book. 304 pages. Published by Alfred Music (AP.PFM0218).


4909469
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Seriously Brubeck (Original Music by Dave Brubeck) (Original Music by Dave Brubeck). By Dave Brubeck. By Dave Brubeck. Edited by Gail Lew and John Salmon. For solo piano. Artist/Personality; Piano - Personality Book; Piano Supplemental. Piano - Personality Book. Jazz and 20th Century. Advanced; Early Advanced. Collection. Standard notation, fingerings and introductory text (does not include words to the songs). 206 pages. Published by Alfred Music (AP.ELM02027).


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The Genius of Dave Brubeck - Book 1 (Piano Solos). By Dave Brubeck. For solo piano. Artist/Personality; Piano - Personality Book; Piano Supplemental. Jazz. SMP Level 9 (Advanced). Collection. Fingerings and chord names (does not include words to the songs). 78 pages. Published by Alfred Music (AP.TPF0130).


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Volume 105 - Dave Brubeck "In Your Own Sweet Way" Composed by Dave Brubeck. Edited by Jamey Aebersold. For any C, Eb, Bb, bass instrument or voice. Play-Along series with accompaniment CD. Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long series. Intermediate, advanced. Book & CD. 72 pages. Published by Jamey Aebersold Jazz (JA.V105DS).


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Selections from A Dave Brubeck Christmas (Piano Solos). By Dave Brubeck. For solo piano. Artist/Personality; Piano - Personality Book; Piano Supplemental. Christmas and Jazz. SMP Level 8 (Early Advanced). Collection. Standard notation and chord names (does not include words to the songs). 36 pages. Published by Alfred Music (AP.0157B).


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