Last time we looked at some basic melodic patterns used in soloing. We called them the 1 2 3 1 and 1 3 2 1 patterns. Please see the newsletter archives for the tablature. Let’s now look at ways of practicing these patterns.

Main ideas in practicing include covering all the basic major scale forms and avoiding boredom. We’ll deal with the “boredom” idea last.

We showed the two patterns in just one major scale form: the one with pinky on the root, string 5. If we’re going to be proficient soloists we need to be fluent in this pattern in the other basic scale forms. Presenting those forms is out of the scope of this tip, but you can brush up on or learn them with the Playing Guitar guide.

Learn those two patterns on the basic major scale forms. But actually, before you do that and possibly court the “what good is this pattern doing for soloing” response, let’s tackle our second idea for this tip: avoiding boredom.

We can translate (transpose?) “avoiding boredom” to “playing something more solo-like.” And *that* means playing the solo with accompaniment. To play the pattern in F major, you could probably guess that you could record an F chord, and play the pattern over that. True enough. Some other suggested progressions:

• Prog1: F, D7, Gmin, C7 [repeat]
• Prog2: F7, Bb7, C7. You’re going to get some funky dissonances with that one. That’s part of the fun of soloing.
• Prog3: Bb, Gm, Cm, F7. More dissonance, but some of it kind of sweet.

And that last idea for a playalong “partner”: When you don’t have a computer or tape recorder to back you up, think “drone string.” Play the pattern in E major and play over an open E string. Then, play the pattern in B major, over the same E drone.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - December 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Here are two pretty common patterns to solo with. There are some more complicated things we can build with these patterns but let’s start with the basics for now. We can call these patterns 1 2 3 1 and 1 3 2 1. These refer to the degrees of the major scale. F is 1, G is 2 and so on.

Here are the patterns at the fifth fret, F major:

|------------------|-----------------|
|o-----------------|-----------------|
|------------------|-----5-----5-7---|
|----5-7---5-7-8-5-|-7-8---7-8-----8-|
|o-8-----8---------|-----------------|
|------------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|----------------|
|-----5-----5-6---|-5-6-8-5-6------|
|-5-7---5-7-----7-|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|

And here’s the 1 3 2 1 pattern:

|------------------|-----------------|
|o-----------------|-----------------|
|------------------|---5-------7-5---|
|----7-5---5-8-7-5-|-7---8-7-8-----8-|
|o-8-----8---------|-----------------|
|------------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|----------------|
|---5-------6-5---|-5-8-6-5-6------|
|-5---7-5-7-----7-|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|

Next time we’ll look at some ways to practice these patterns.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - November 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

We continue exploring approach notes in this tip. In the previous installments we worked out with notes that were below the note we really wanted to hit, and we did this for dominant 7ths and major arpeggios. Now we’re going to use notes that approach the target note from above. We could attempt to go into how this sounds, compared to the approaches tones of the previous installment. But it’s better to dive in and listen. Here’s the exercise:

|-------------------|-6-5--------------|
|---------------8-6-|------8-6---------|
|----------7-5------|----------7-5-----|
|-5----8-7----------|--------------8-7-|
|---8---------------|------------------|
|-------------------|------------------|

-----------------|--------|
-----------------|--------|
-----------------|--------|
-5-------------5-|----5---|
---8-5-------7---|-8----8-|
-------8-6-5-----|--------|

Play these as eighth notes. It might be a bit tricky when you first try this exercise, because it uses finger rolls, including finger rolls for the pinky. So you can look at this exercise as a way to build pinky chops and dexterity, and not just as a way to learn about approach tones.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - April 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

We’re continuing our work with approach tones this time. Remember that all we’re doing is putting a little delay note before the real note we want to hit. This builds a little suspense and gives your melodic playing more color, whether you’re improvising or not. We continue using an approach that comes from a 1/2 step below our target note.

We did approach tones for a major arpeggio last time. Let’s do a Dominant arpeggio with approach tones a 1/2-step below. Here we go:

|---|-----------------|-----------5-6-7--|
|---|-----------------|-----5-7-8--------|
|---|---------------4-|-5-8--------------|
|---|-------4-5-7-8---|------------------|
|---|---6-7-----------|------------------|
|-7-|-8---------------|------------------|

|-8-5-6-----------|----------------------|
|-------7-8---5---|----------------------|
|-----------8-----|-5--------------------|
|---------------9-|---7-8-4-5------------|
|-----------------|-----------6-7--------|
|-----------------|---------------7-8----|

These are all eighth notes. The very first one should be started on an up beat, so you come down in measure two on a strong beat.

I know that descent gets a bit tricky when you first try this. You’re going to give your pinky a workout, which may be like a jump into a cold shower on a snowy day if you don’t even use your pinky now. But first, you don’t have to use this fingering, and second, this exercise gets easier (and sounds better) the more you do it. But you probably already know that.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - April 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Here’s a pattern that introduces us to approach tones. Approach tones are those notes used for melodic embellishment that happen before the note you actually want to play. For example, if you’re going to play a C, E, G (C major arpeggio) you could dress it up by instead playing B, C, Eb, E, Gb, G. This is just one example of approach tones. There are many different ways of using this type of melodic embellishment.

Let’s work with the F major arpeggio:

|------------------4-5-|-7-8-4-5--------------------|
|--------------5-6-----|---------5-6----------------|
|----------4-5---------|-------------4-5------------|
|------6-7-------------|-----------------6-7--------|
|--7-8-----------------|---------------------7-8----|
|----------------------|----------------------------|

This pattern can go equally well over a Dm7 chord. Try to play this by first stressing the first note in each 2-note group. Then, play again but stress the 2nd note.

If you like working with this exercise, you’ll probably want to create other patterns based on the common open position chords as follows: a major arpeggio pattern with root on string 5, under finger 2. Then, major arps whose roots fall here:

string 6, finger 4
string 6, finger 2
string 4, finger 1.

We’ll learn a dominant 7 pattern for approach tones next time.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - March 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Let’s look at a simple but pleasing pattern to break up the monotony of the standard scale pattern. We can call this the Stardust pattern. These are all eighth notes.

|-8-5-6---5-------|-----------------|
|-------8---6-8-5-|-6---5-----------|
|-----------------|---7---5-7---5---|
|-----------------|-----------8---7-|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

-----------------|-------------|
-----------------|-------------|
-----------------|-------------|
-8-5-7---5-------|-------------|
-------8---7-8-5-|-7---5-------|
-----------------|---8---6-8-5-|

|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------5---7-|
|---------------5-|---7-5-8-7---8---|
|---5---7-5-8-7---|-8---------------|
|-6---8-----------|-----------------|

---------------5-|---6-5-8----|
---5---6-5-8-6---|-8----------|
-5---7-----------|------------|
-----------------|------------|
-----------------|------------|
-----------------|------------|

If you want to continue working with this pattern, you might try these additional exercises: transpose to another major scale pattern; start on a different note; jump by a perfect fourth instead of a third.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - March 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

We started learning about modes last time. Let’s pick up the trail again, and explore some fundamental questions about modes.

First, we noticed how playing a scale a certain way can be just like expressing the same feeling of a chord. We played the C major scale starting from note A and ending on A, and got the feeling of an Am7 chord.

But how do we use modes? When do we use them? And how do we practice them?

You can use modes when you don’t have a playalong partner like a bassist or recording, and you need to hear a certain chord. You’re tired of playing the same old chords, so you do what horn players do: they play arpeggios or play modes.

Here’s an example:

First, the chords:

|-----------|-1----1----|-1----1----|-----------|
|-1----1----|-3----3----|-0----0----|-1----1----|
|-0----0----|-2----2----|-0----0----|-0----0----|
|-2----2----|-0----0----|-----------|-2----2----|
|-3----3----|-----------|-----------|-3----3----|
|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

Now, the modes to achieve the same basic feeling as the chords. These are all eighth notes, but bars 2 and 4 have eighth note rests on the last eighth note.

 E E E E E E E E   E E E E   E E E E
|-----------------|--------------------|
|-----------------|-3------------------|
|-----------2-4-5-|---4-5--------------|
|-----2-3-5-------|-------5---3-2------|
|-3-5-------------|----------------5---|
|-----------------|--------------------|

 E E E E E E E E   E E E E  E E  E E
|-------------1-5-|-3--------------------|
|---------3-5-----|---5------------------|
|---2-4-5---------|-----5-4--------------|
|-5---------------|----------5-----------|
|-----------------|------------5--3------|
|-----------------|----------------------|

To hear more clearly how these modes work, play the chord associated with each measure, both before and after you play the measure. Example, play the C major chord before and after bar 1.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - December 15, 2005 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

We’ve been exploring the use of scales for soloing to learn which scales go with a particular chord. Please see the previous entries listed below for the details.

Let’s look at minor chords now. What scale can we use to solo over an E minor 7 for example? Let’s rephrase and ask this: in what scales does E minor 7 appear? If we limit our choices to major and melodic minor scales, we get this:

• C major: E minor 7 is the III chord
• D major: E minor 7 is the II chord
• G major: E minor 7 is the VI chord
• D melodic minor: E minor is the II chord.

If you are just starting out soloing or learning about how scales and chords are connected, you might have had the idea that there was only one scale you could use for a particular chord, E minor 7 in this instance. But now you’re a bit more savvy, and maybe even relieved, to see that you have many choices for melodic improvisation. The point? Learning a bit of chord scale theory can enrich your playing.

Before we move on, do please try each of the aforementioned scales over E minor 7. You can have you mind filled with memorizations of possible scales to use for a given chord; but until you get “inside” the music and *do* it, you won’t truly be soloing.

A note about modes. Get out your guitar and play a C major scale — except start the scale on the E note instead of the C note. After you play the scale, play an E minor chord, preferably in the same area you played the scale.

The purpose of doing this is to get you to hear that you can imply a chord by playing the *modes* associated with that chord. How is that possible? We’ll cover that next time.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - November 15, 2005 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Scales and Soloing Series

• Scales To Use For Soloing
• Scales To Use For Soloing Part II
• Improvising With The Blues
• Scales To Play Over Dominant Chords
  
• Soloing With Melodic Minor Scale
• Soloing With Melodic Minor Scale II

We’re exploring the melodic minor scale for soloing over dominant 7 chords. Please see the previous entries listed below for details.

The last time we looked at playing the D melodic minor scale over a G7 chord. We saw how that D scale contains all the notes in a G7.

Now we’ll see that D melodic minor is not the only scale to contain a G7. Look at the C melodic minor scale:

C D Eb F G A B C

Just one note different from the C major scale. Once again, G7 is present: notes G, B, D, F. We’re going to use this C scale to solo over G7. Here’s a pattern:

|-------------5-7-8-|-7-5--------------|
|---------6-8-------|-----8-6----------|
|---5-7-8-----------|---------8-7-5----|
|-------------------|----------------9-|
|-------------------|------------------|
|-------------------|------------------|

Record yourself strumming the G7 chord onto a tape recorder and then play back the recording. Play around with the C melodic minor pattern just given.

Let’s cap this exploration of using the melodic minor scale for soloing over dominant 7 chords by adding one more point:

It’s possible to use two other melodic minor scales over the G7 chords, besides the D and C scales mentioned. Without getting into details here, you can try the F melodic minor scale and also the Ab melodic minor scale. Neither fully contains the G7 notes, but both may still sound good to you.

Thanks for reading. Next time: soloing over minor chords.

Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - November 1, 2005 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Scales and Soloing Series

• Scales To Use For Soloing
• Scales To Use For Soloing Part II
• Improvising With The Blues
• Scales To Play Over Dominant Chords
  
• Soloing With Melodic Minor Scale
• Soloing Over Minor Chords

We’re exploring what scales to play over dominant 7 chords. See the previous entries listed below for more details.

We’re working with this one-chord progression, which we’ve recorded into Band-in-Box or a tape recorder or something similar:

||: G7 :||

And let’s take look at a single melodic minor pattern to solo with. But before we do that, a bit of explanation on what the melodic minor scale is. Super simple explanation, though a big difference in sound: the melodic minor scale is just a major scale with its major third turned into a minor third. Example:

C Major: C D E F G A B

C Melodic minor: C D Eb F G A B

And here’s a pattern for D melodic minor. Why D melodic minor? Hang tight: play first and we’ll answer questions in a bit.

|------------------|--------------------|
|--------------2-3-|-3-2----------------|
|----------2-4-----|-----4-2------------|
|----2-3-5---------|---------5-3-2------|
|--5---------------|---------------5----|
|------------------|--------------------|

Get acquainted with this pattern and play it over the G7 chord. If you already know a few major scales, this pattern is real close to one you know: the D major scale. As just mentioned, there’s just one note difference between the major and melodic minor scales.

What did you think of the sound? That gets us into answering the question: why are we using a scale whose root is D to solo over a G7 chord? Is it magic, or are we just playing scales at random?

No, we’re not just choosing any scale. Let’s look at the notes in G7 and those in the D melodic minor scale:

G7: G B D F

D melodic minor (starting with G): G A B C# D E F G.

You see that the D melodic minor scale contains the G7 chord with no conflicts. That is, every note in G7 is found in D melodic minor.

But notice something else: The D melodic minor scale has just one accidental: C#. The whole scale is extremely close to the C major scale — just one note different. This means that if you’re playing a tune that uses the C major scale and come across a G7 chord, you can play the D melodic minor scale instead of the C major scale; you will sound interestingly different, but not so different to where you would consider the sound wrong or ugly.

Next time: another way of using the melodic minor scale to play over a Dom 7 chord.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - October 15, 2005 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Scales and Soloing Series

• Scales To Use For Soloing
• Scales To Use For Soloing Part II
• Improvising With The Blues
• Scales To Play Over Dominant Chords
• Soloing With Melodic Minor Scale II
• Soloing Over Minor Chords