THoTH

As anyone who has tried to become acquainted with the Jazz language knows, there’s a ton of stuff to learn and then try and remember. Chords, scales, modes, arpeggios, tunes, chord/scale relationships and the usage of these tools to create a musical statement can sometimes be intimidating and no small task for the beginner or intermediate student/player. Fortunately, Jazz Guitarist and “retired” Berklee Prof Steve Carter has developed a learning tool that can save you both time and frustration: THoTH.

THoTH is a Windows based software program that enables one to input relevant chords, scales/modes, lessons, music, notation and comments for any given song in a simple GUI (Graphic User Interface). As an example, I’ve chosen the tune “Blue Bossa” to work on. As I select the tune, from a long list of already included tunes, a separate window opens up and right away there is applicable information on the tune in the form of the Title (Blue Bossa), Composer (Kenny Dorham), Key (Cmin), Style (Bossa), Level (ME1), Meter (your discretion) and Comments (your discretion). If I was new to this tune I would already have a good head start in getting a feel for the tune.

Above the Song information are five tabs which bring you deeper into the program: Scales/Modes; Chords; Lessons; Notation; Audio. Within these tabs is a breakdown of the melodic and harmonic makeup that distinguishes this tune from others. For example, if I click on the Scales/Modes tab I see that there are six modes that I need to know and can use throughout the tune. In this case: Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian from the Major Scale family and the Mixolydian b9 b13 coming out of the Harmonic Minor Scale. Now if that wasn’t enough information for ya, there is a button titled “Analysis”. Click on that and you will see an analysis of the chord/scale relationship, the actual progression of the tune, the harmonic analysis or chord function within that progression and the “scale from which the mode is derived.” And in the Lessons section of the tune, Steve has included three pertinent lessons in helping the student work their way through “Blue Bossa”: A Comping/Chord study featuring the use of three note voicings and rhythmic content; an arpeggio study and a scale study utilizing stepwise motion with “a few passing tones.” Very cool stuff! If I was just learning this tune for the first time I would have a wealth of information to work with right off the bat.

There’s so much this program can do to facilitate a thorough understanding of study that I thought I’d take a quote from the man himself to provide a deeper understanding of what THoTH can do:

" If a student is learning new voicings  for, say, min7b5 and dom7b9, THoTH can quickly call up a list of tunes that use those chords. If a student's knowledge of chords is very limited, THoTH can pull up a list of tunes that use, for example, only min7, dom7 and maj7 chords. If a student is learning to improvise with modes, THoTH can call up a list of tunes that use certain modes related to the scales the student is studying; for example, modes derived from Real Melodic Minor, such as Lydianb7.

For teaching the application of chord-scales and harmony to improvising on tunes,    THoTH can instantly produce a chord-scale analysis of any tune for which a MusicXML file is available. Finale and Sibelius can export MusicXML files, (Notion exports MusicXML files, but at the time of this writing these files do not include chord symbols, so they can not be used with THoTH). THoTH version 2 includes two MusicXML files, to demonstrate this analysis functionality.

Teachers and students can quickly create a chord progression in a MusicXML- enabled program such as Finale, and then have THoTH produce the analysis, which can then be displayed on the screen or printed out for further study."

Thanks Steve, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Personally, I think that THoTH is a remarkable piece of software as it pertains to the systematic breakdown of the important concepts in learning how to play Jazz. And it can be a powerful tool when composing your own tunes. Imagine being able to input an original composition into THoTH and then sitting back and letting THoTH generate a theoretically sound analysis of what could be played over your own tune. It could definitely help with not getting into a rut when thinking about what to play over a certain chord progression. And the fact that you can add comments, audio, lesson direction and much more, makes honing your musical ideas a piece of cake.

The other great thing about THoTH is that even though it has been developed by a Guitar Player, it is not specifically a guitar oriented piece of software, but rather an instrument for enhancing Jazz language skills no matter what instrument you play or teach. And that’s a definite bonus in my book. Plus, Steve also sends out regular updates and is forever making the program stronger and smarter making the tiny cost of only $49.00 seem like nothing in the long run.

So whether you are a teacher or student, I would highly recommend THoTH as an exceptional learning tool that can only benefit the user in whatever capacity as student or teacher. Check out Steve Carter’s THoTH site at http://frogstoryrecords.com/thoth.html and give the THoTH demo a try before you buy. I think you’ll agree that it is a most worthy program to have at your disposal. Thanks Steve!

Go to http://frogstoryrecords.com/thoth.html to purchase THoTH or to see what else Steve Carter has to offer.

Lyle Robinson