Split Tones PDF w/ Backing Tracks

A few thoughts from the authors...

The making of this book was a total blast for both of us. As close friends and colleagues for many years now, we had been brainstorming different ways to collaborate while in the midst of a global pandemic and also living across the country from one another. A text sent on a whim one evening with the thought to co-write a duet book turned out to be a great idea and the perfect quarantine challenge. We each selected six standards and wrote lead melody lines for them. Afterwards, we sent our melodies to one another, tasked with composing the counter-line to each one. It was a great learning project for both of us, as we had to find creative ways to compliment the other person’s writing style and vocabulary. It is our hope that as you move through this book with your teachers, friends, or colleagues, that the joy we had writing this book translates to the joy you have playing them.

“Split Tones” is a collection of 12 duets written over the chord changes to common jazz standards. Each duet was written with specific harmonic considerations, substitutions, tempos, and styles in mind.

This collection of duets aims to serve educators and students alike and features tightly-wound melodic lines, rich harmonic content, and precise articulations, with language and material that can also be applied to improvising over chord changes. The play-a-long tracks offer the performer an opportunity to play the duets at tempo with or without the recorded soloist accompaniment. The alto saxophone parts have been recorded by Alex LoRe and the tenor saxophone parts by Adam Larson.

Our deepest thanks to John Larson for creating all of the play-a-long tracks! Practice slowly, study intensely, and most of all, enjoy the material in this book.

Sincerely,
Adam and Alex