Hall Rugg & BE at Bell Cove: What's HR doing?

[J D Sauser]

I was revisiting the full length youTUBE video on Hall Rugg & Buddy Emmons @ Bell Cove in 2002 the other day: https://youtu.be/iGb9XLFY6C4


Hall Rugg is doing an eery sounding lick where he slides a higher pitched chord around:


here: 5:20 thru 5:25: https://youtu.be/iGb9XLFY6C4?t=320
and there on Killer Joe again: 32:09 thru 32:17 https://youtu.be/iGb9XLFY6C4?t=1926



What's he doin'?

... J-D.

[J D Sauser]

I just listened to it again on the couch (away from the guitar), and somehow I thought "So What"! Well, not that I was about to throw the towel on it... "So What" the 1959 Miles Davis Tune!
Most of Bill Evans' comping behind Miles and Parker is in Quartal voicings: 3 notes a 4th apart rounded off with a Major third interval on top.
On C6th (which is what the two are playing), one can get that off strings 6, 5, 3 & 2 with the 6th string lowered a whole step (Paul Franklin and I believe Doug Jernigan have or had that change, and I do too). So:

String #6 lowered a whole |-4th->| String #5 |-4th->| String # 3 |-Maj 3rd->| String # 2 |

One can add the 8th string to the mix adding a 3rd 4th interval.

I just tried it the guitar, and if other would (can IF you have the change)... I think, it's what that is.

Quartal voicings are mostly used "on" or "against" minor chords. They kind'a tend to work every 2 frets... remember I said "KIND'a", as it defies theory and tends to "stretch the ear" to the point that many may just not see the "fun" in them, while others find them maybe "interesting" for a short while.

... J-D.