Wes Montgomery's Solo on Airegin: Lesson and Transcription

AIREGIN

Hey guys it’s been awhile but i’m back with another great transcription for you all! This time were focusing (again) on Wes Montgomery and how he tackles this Sunny Rollins classic Airegin (Nigeria spelled backwards). I feel there are three things that he focused on in his solo: simplifying the changes, color tones, and articulation/space. Let dive into it!



1) Simplifying the changes.

Wes focuses on making things that are simple and make sense. Now simple doesn’t mean “dumbed down,” it means playing smarter, not harder. The first example of this is how he treats the A sections of this tune. He doesn’t always play i-Vb9-i, sometimes he just plays the blues or just modal. This allow for space to breath in the solo, so it doesn’t get crowded up with eight note lines. Another example of this is how he solos over the B section. The Sunny changes go to Dbmaj7. Wes ignores that and just plays D-7 G7 instead. This works because IT FITS THE MELODY. If you are going to change the chords to a song make sure it works over the melody first! This is smart because not only does it fit, but it makes it easier to blow over these changes at this tempo. Here are a few examples of these concepts:

2) Color Tones

If you study Wes you know he loves color tones (extensions). This solo is no different. A lot of times Wes wont really rest on a 3rd, instead focusing on 11th’s, 13th’s, and 9th’s. This provides a nice change in color from the 3rd and really creates on tension in his lines. Try targeting these in some bebop lines that you already know and see what happens! Here are some examples:

3) Use of Articulation and Space

Lastly, Wes knows how to play this tempo uses space and articulation to keep his solo interesting instead of constant eight note lines. He will accent the tops of phrases a lot, as not every not needs to be heard. This is important at these tempe because if you place the same value on every note you play, it will for one be very difficult, and two it will feel static. Also as Wes shows us, leaving space between phrases helps the listen digest what is going on. This can be hard to do at this tempo though. Try just taking you hands off the guitar and force yourself to leave more space than your use to. Eventually this will be natural. Listen to a lot of uptempo Wes for examples of this!



Hope you enjoy!

Thanks,

Nathan Borton

Nathan Borton