Here is an idea to help make you solos flow better. Play endless eighth notes through every measure of a chord progression. Continously moving those eighth notes up and down the scales. After a while you’ll get tired of scale step note salad the idea now is to break up the scales with your own patterns or intervals and also try a different scale over a particular chord. Always keeping the relentless eighth notes moving. I did this a long time ago and it helped me connect my lines through any given chord progression.
Here is a basic minor blues progression. This type of Blues is my favorite sound. I was turned on to this many years ago at a jam session when someone called for the John Coltrane tune “Equinox” (in Cm). This is my favorite blues sound.
Fm | Bbm7 | Fm | Fm | Bbm7 | Bbm7 | Fm | Fm | Gm7b5 | C7 | Fm | C7 || (repeat)
Here is the same progression using minor 2 to V7 chords sprinkled in and around.
Try transposing this progression to other keys and play around with improvising over the changes.
When improvising over the blues form divide you solo into three 4-bar segments and make your first 4 bar segment really count make it as a call or question then in the next 4 bars try to repeat your idea as close as you can to the original melodic statement you made. In the last 4 bars, you can add a response to the first two phrases. A lot of players approach the last four bars by beginning with a repetition then finish the phrase with new material.
Here are some lyrics to a blues tune:
1st four bars: “If the river was whiskey and I was a diving duck” (first statement)
2nd four bars: “If the river was whiskey and I was a diving duck” (repeat first statement)
Last 4 bars: “I’d dive to the bottom and I don’t think I’d ever come up” (answer to the statement)
Try phrasing you solos so that they have a lyrical quality to them. One way is to record yourself playing these chords then sing a solo over the chords and if you can record you singing then try to notate what you just sang this is where you true personallity lies from within.
I’m going to use the key of F for this because I think a lot of piano players like blues in F because it lays down on the keyboard real nice. Below is a very standard blues progression that everyone has played. This is the take off point for the other variations to follow.
Comparing the Parker blues to the Jazzy progression you’ll notice that both progressions start with a 1 chord and have a 4 chord in bar #5 and a 2 chord in bar #9 both are essentially the same but the Parker blues utilizes the 2-5 progressions down in whole steps to get from the original 1 chord to the 4 chord in bar #5 and the rest of the chords move down in half steps to get from the 4 to the 2 chord in bar #9.
We can also mix and match these progressions. You might want to take the first 4 measures of the Parker blues then add the other progressions from the earlier jazz blues to make a completely new set of chords, then all you have to do is add a melody on top and you have a new Blues tune.
Although blues is not an overly complex musical style, I’m going to answer a couple of questions I get from time to time about the blues scale. The first question is “What is a Blues scale” and the second question is “What is a Major Blues Scale”. I think for all practical purposes I’ll use the Major scale as a way to construct a blues scale.
Here is an F Blues scale (sometime called an F minor blues scale):
F Ab Bb B C Eb F If you number them it would be F=1 Ab=2 Bb=3 B=4 C=5 Eb=6 F=1
Here are several ways of viewing or constructing a blues scale:
1. a series of scale degrees: 1 b3 4 #4 5 b7 1 (Using the parent major scale measured from root)
2. a minor pentatonic scale plus a tritone (#4)
3. a series of intervals; minor 3rd, whole step, half step, half step, minor 3rd, whole step
DON’T JUST READ THIS ARTICLE PLAY THE SCALE AND TRY IT IN A FEW OTHER KEYS KEEPING THE SAME FORMULA.
What is a major blues scale?
Here is a F major blues scale:
F G G# A C D F If we numbered them we would have, F=1 G=2 G#=3 A=4 C=5 D=6 F=1
Here are several ways of viewing or constructing a Major blues scale:
1. A pentatonic scale plus a #2
2. A series of intervals; whole step, half step, half step, minor 3rd, whole step, minor 3rd
3. a series of scale numbers; 1 2 #2 3 5 6 1
4. the second mode of a minor blues scale
I’m trying to post something that everyone can take away. Even at the early stages of someone’s musical path, you run into a major scale. Remember Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do well, that’ a Major scale. Let’s talk about what chords are found in a Major scale. For example I’ll use the Major scale in the key of G.
G A B C D E F# G
Number them G=1 A=2 B=3 C=4 D=5 E=6 F#=7 G=8 or (1)
To harmonize a major scale remember the following formula using 4 part chords:
The 1 and 4th tones of the scale are Major 7th
The 2 and 3 and 6 tones of the scale are minor 7th
The 5th tone of the scale is the Dominant 7th
The 7th tone can be either Minor 7th flat 5 or Diminished.
Let’s harmonize a G Major Scale with the following formula:
G Major7 – A minor7 – B minor7 -C Major 7 – D7 – E minor7 – F# dim. – G Major 7
You might be asking what does this have to do with playing music? If for example we have a chord progression like G Maj.7 | Em7 | Am7 | D7 | Taking a look at the chords we see that they are all in the key of G major so if you are soloing over these chords and had to play something, one down and dirty trick would be to play all the notes in the key of G Major and you would have all the consonant notes available to use for you solo in any octave on any instrument. Let your ear tell you what notes to emphasize when any one of those chords is being played.
If you want a copy on a free music theory e-book where you will learn how to read, write and understand music. This music theory book is versatile enough to be used by middle schools, Universities and Adults.
By: Dennis St. Germain
In this music lesson I want to show you how to spell chords and understand the component parts of a chord. You don’t have to even read music to learn to spell chords. All you need to know is the first seven letters of the alphabet. In music, chords are classified according to the interval between their tones. This lesson is applicable to all instruments.
Figure 1 the circle of fifths
Figure 1 is the circle of Fifths. Become familiar with this Circle it will be useful throughout your musical life. The numbers near the keynote names represent the number of sharps or flats within that key. If you divide the circle in half down the middle, the right side is the sharp side and the left side is for flats. There are 2 keys at 6 o’clock or F# or Gb and also Db or C# these keys are called enharmonic or they share the same number of flats and/or sharps for example F# has 6 sharps and Gb has 6 flats etc. They also sound the same but have a different name.
The order of flats and sharps
The next thing to remember is the order of sharps and flats. Remembering the order of flats first is easier because it spells the word BEAD then add GCF at the end like this: BEADGCF (I’ll leave it up to you to create some way of remembering this). Then the order of sharps is an EXACT mirror image of the order of flats. Like this: FCGDAEB
I’ll put the together to make some kind of chart.
BEADGCF(the order of flats) FCGDAEB (the order of sharps)
Are you with me so far? Let’s take it a step further. For example purposes, I will use just the G Major scale for now. Suppose you want to know how many sharps are in the key of G MAJOR. The first thing I would do is go to the circle of fifths and find G, we can see that G is at 1 o’clock (or has one sharp since it’s on the sharp side of the circle). Now count on the order of sharps chart one letter (F) therefore, we have one sharp in the key of G Major and F is sharped in the key of G Major.
Let’s write out the letter names starting on G to the next highest G.
G A B C D E F G
Number the letter names
G A B C D E F# G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Don’t forget to sharp the F to make the Key of G Major. All chords are built from its parent major scale and measured from the ROOT. Here is what you need to know about chord extensions.
Extensions are merely the same scale notes added to a 3 or 4 note chord to change its sound but not its type. If we take the G major scale for example and write it out for 2 octaves i.e.
G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
We notice that the 9th is the the same as the 2nd step of a scale the 11th is the 4th step of a scale and the 13th is the 6th step of a scale added to the basic chords. You can also sharp (#) or flat (b) each of the extension notes to create even more sounds.
Armed with this knowledge, you can now build chords using the following formula:
Major 7 chords 1-3-5-7Let’s take our G Major Scale and build a G Maj. 7 chord. Take the first, third, fifth and seventh notes and extract them from the scale. You now have the notes G B D F# which forms the G major 7th Chord. minor 7 chords 1-b3-5-b7For minor chords we now have to do some altering. Extract the 1 3 5 7 from the G Major scale then flat the 3rd and the 7th scale tones. You now have the notes G Bb D F which forms the G minor 7th Chord. Diminished 7 chords 1-b3-b5-bb7 or 6 (bb7 means double flat the 7th or it is actually the 6th scale step)For diminished chords, extract the 1 3 5 7 from the Major scale then flat the 3rd and the 5th and double flat the 7th (or you can use the 6th tone) so for G dim. 7 We have G Bb Db E Dominant 7th chord 1-3-5-b7The dominant 7th group is one of the most colorful of the chord groups and many musicians like to add extensions and altered scale tones to this group. Let’s extract the 1 3 5 7 tones from the G Major scale then flat the 7th step of the scale. We now have a G7 chord with the notes G B D F as the component parts of that chord.
Augmented chords 1-3-#5 Augmented chords also have a very unique sound to them having the raised 5th scale tone. Again let’s extract just the 1 3 5 scale tones (G B D) and sharp the 5th tone (D#) and there you have it a G aug. chord. Recap
Always measure your chords from its parent major scale. If you want to find the spelling of Bb7 then write out a Bb scale in letter names, number each letter then follow the formula for Dominant 7th chords i.e. 1 – 3 -5 – b7 so for example we would have the spelling of Bb7th as Bb D F Ab.
Voicings are merely all the component parts of a chord arranged in some other order like, 3157 or 151351 or virtually any combination you can conjure up. You can double some of the notes you can add extra notes really the sky is the limit.
The steps to greater knowledge come with application. Take all the keys in circle of fifths and work them out in all keys. Use a piece of paper and write them out like we did. You will start to have a huge vocabulary of chord knowledge and eventually, you want to commit this to memory. Remember when you were trying to spell words well now you have the tools to spell chords.
Learning to improvise music without beating yourself up over the right notes or fumbling for the right fingering is something we all work towards when learning to solo over chord changes. Some musicians are uncomfortable with the idea of using licks because they fear it will inhibit their creativity.
But learned correctly licks can enhance your improvising and make your ideas smoother. The idea is not to utilize them note for note and rhythm for rhythm but use them to express something you’re already hearing. And what you’re hearing will be right under your fingers.
Think of the process as improvising by puzzle pieces. Each short melodic sequence is a piece of music that you’ve practiced until it feel like a single unit. You’ve worked out the notes and the fingering, and you can play the whole lick. Then you simply insert these licks or puzzle pieces one after another to create the whole picture. You’ll get the most out of this if you learn each lick in twelve keys.
You can develop melodic content and create your own licks. Find a short chord progression to play at a medium slow tempo. It could be a ii-V7 Or, it could be an eight bar section of a tune. When you’re ready, start scatting over the chords then record about 2 or 3 minutes of your singing. Afterward, listen to what you recorded. After you have become familiar with what you sang, write down several excerpts. In particular transcribe sequences you especially liked and also some patterns you sang repeatedly. These little pieces of melody represent your musical personality. When you first try this exercise you may decide that you really don’t like anything you sang. My advice is to not let that stop you. Just find patterns that you hate the least and proceed.
Where else can you find licks? You can transcribe licks directly from recordings. or find them in books. You can also ask someone who is a music teacher or another friend who plays music. One huge volume for licks is Nicolas Slominsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns.
Once you found a lick that you like, you need to process it. Work out the best fingering and practice it until it sounds and feels like a complete thought and not a bunch of notes stuck together. Analyze the shape of the lick , for example, Is it wide intervals or scalar or chromatic? What is the relationship of the notes you are playing to the chord. Once you have a good grasp of the lick in one key then play the lick in all twelve keys. You could use a program like “band in a box” to play the chords while you play the lick. Band in a box is great because you can then tell the software to play the same chord progression in another key and presto, you have a rhythm section playing in another key with no mistakes in timing. Practice playing the lick in all twelve keys with little or no hesitation in between.
The next step is to decide how the lick can best be used over chords. Having a good understanding of theory will help you figure out the relationship of each note of the lick to a chord. You’ll soon find out that you can use that same lick over different chords then you start to realize the power of licks.
Let’s start by establishing some sort of chord progression. How about | Gm7 | Bb13 | Am7| D7#5| I’m taking anything at this point for an example. Here’s what people tend to do when trying to learn this progression. Vamp and play the whole thing say 50 times (not always perfectly) then they may need to play it 50 times to iron out their mistakes. Think about it, that’s 200 measures of music and it’s still not learned. Here’s how I recommend learning that same progression.
Step 1: Take the first chord (Gm7) and closely examine the fingering and the voicing of the chord, then play it (vamping on one chord) 4 times. So that means you’ve played the chord only 4 times not 40 times.
Step2: Add the next chord Bb13 and examine not only what fingering but also if you play piano or guitar, look at what transitional fingers are involved perhaps you only have to move a couple of fingers and maybe there might some some common tones between each of the chords and tell yourself every detail about the move from Gm7 to Bb13. Next Vamp on those 2 chords (1 measure each) 4 times PERFECTLY no mistakes.
Step 3: Add the next chord to the last two you just learned (Am7) and go back to step 2 and glue that new chord to the other two. Vamp on the 3 chords in sequence 4 times perfectly and slow enough that you will not make a mistake.
Step 4: Add the last chord in the sequence and follow the steps above and make sure that you vamp on all 4 chords.
Step 5: Play the whole sequence of chords Once through PERFECTLY from memory. Bingo you got it!
If you follow this outline and try to master this, you can reduce your practicing dramatically and never practice a mistake then have to go back and hack through the same thing a hundred times more to iron out the mistakes.
Learn each chord in 3 ways:
1. By itself (look at the big picture)
2. In conjunction with the previous chord (check out the moves) and play them without looking at the paper.
3. In the context of the entire poregression up to that point.
Licks a guide to creating your own improvised music
29th October 2008
Posted By dennis
Categoirzed Under: Music Lessons for any instrument
Comments (0)
LICKS
Learning to improvise music without beating yourself up over the right notes or fumbling for the right fingering is something we all work towards when learning to solo over chord changes. Some musicians are uncomfortable with the idea of using licks because they fear it will inhibit their creativity.But learned correctly licks can enhance your improvising and make your ideas smoother. The idea is not to utilize them note for note and rhythm for rhythm but use them to express something you’re already hearing. And what you’re hearing will be right under your fingers.
Think of the process as improvising by puzzle pieces. Each short melodic sequence is a piece of music that you’ve practiced until it feel like a single unit. You’ve worked out the notes and the fingering, and you can play the whole lick. Then you simply insert these licks or puzzle pieces one after another to create the whole picture. You’ll get the most out of this if you learn each lick in twelve keys.
You can develop melodic content and create your own licks. Find a short chord progression to play at a medium slow tempo. It could be a ii-V7 Or, it could be an eight bar section of a tune. When you’re ready, start scatting over the chords then record about 2 or 3 minutes of your singing. Afterward, listen to what you recorded. After you have become familiar with what you sang, write down several excerpts. In particular transcribe sequences you especially liked and also some patterns you sang repeatedly. These little pieces of melody represent your musical personality. When you first try this exercise you may decide that you really don’t like anything you sang. My advice is to not let that stop you. Just find patterns that you hate the least and proceed.
Where else can you find licks? You can transcribe licks directly from recordings. or find them in books. You can also ask someone who is a music teacher or another friend who plays music. One huge volume for licks is Nicolas Slominsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns.
Once you found a lick that you like, you need to process it. Work out the best fingering and practice it until it sounds and feels like a complete thought and not a bunch of notes stuck together. Analyze the shape of the lick , for example, Is it wide intervals or scalar or chromatic? What is the relationship of the notes you are playing to the chord. Once you have a good grasp of the lick in one key then play the lick in all twelve keys. You could use a program like “band in a box” to play the chords while you play the lick. Band in a box is great because you can then tell the software to play the same chord progression in another key and presto, you have a rhythm section playing in another key with no mistakes in timing. Practice playing the lick in all twelve keys with little or no hesitation in between.
The next step is to decide how the lick can best be used over chords. Having a good understanding of theory will help you figure out the relationship of each note of the lick to a chord. You’ll soon find out that you can use that same lick over different chords then you start to realize the power of licks.
