Impressions (Dorian)
by John Coltrane
Table of Contents
Introduction / Learning Outcomes
John Coltrane was not only a great saxophone player, but also an innovator and one who pushed the boundaries of what music can be. His quartet was legendary, with Elvin Jones on drums, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Jimmy Garrison on bass. Listen to each part when you listen to the track below.
This is the third song that we'll study that uses the Dorian Mode. The form is exactly the same as "So What" (16 bars of D Dorian, 8 bars of Eb Dorian, and 8 bars of D Dorian), but this tune is much faster and has a different vibe to it. Here's what we'll focus on in this lesson:
Switching between Dorian and Minor Blues ideas
D Dorian and D Minor Blues (concert)
Eb Dorian and Eb Minor Blues (concert)
Adding Chromaticism
The Coltrane Pattern (1235)
The Tracks
The Charts
Play-Along Sections
To practice along with sections of the song (i.e. to practice over a particular chord), click the measure that you want to start on and press play. For suggestions on scales and licks to play, check out the help sheets further down the page.
Help Sheets
The help sheets below cover a little on how to incorporate the Dorian scale, minor blues scale, chromaticism, and the Coltrane Pattern into your playing. The reason why we study techniques and theory is so that you have access to many different sounds and emotions when you play and these exercises can help you practice combining techniques.
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