OK... I'm trying to get more into the theory of scales and soloing and have come up with this quick exercise. I created a progression (in C Maj) and tried to choose which scales would fit over that progression.
Could someone please direct me as to whether this line of thinking makes sense or not? (and if wrong, please point out where I'm mistaken).
So the progression goes:
C | C | Em | G ... and repeat
The notes included in these chords are C, E, G, B and D which leaves out A and F. So I can play around with the notes A and F (sharpen them or flatten them for a different style to the standard C Maj scale.. obviously not the F... it can only be sharpened).
So I ran through the different modes available and decided on any of the following:
C Major (obviously)
C Lydian (F#)
C Maj Pentatonic (same as C Maj with less notes)
C Min Pentatonic (only over the C and the Em in order for the Eb not to clash with the E being played over the chords).
I'm not sure about the last one since it would lose it's flavor when the Eb is not played on the C and Em. But what do you think of the other scales? Did I come up with the possible scales to use the right way? Or am I missing something?
Thanks a lot for any feedback!
Those choices look fine, even the minor pentatonic as the Eb (and Bb) aren't necessarily a problem. Not all clashes are bad. The major/ minor 3rd clash, E/Eb over the tonic chord (C) and B/Bb over the dominant chord (G) are frequently used for their bluesy sound.
The major/ minor 3rd clash, E/Eb over the tonic chord (C) and B/Bb over the dominant chord (G) are frequently used for their bluesy sound.
Could you please expand a bit over this as I'm not sure if I understood you. And even if I understood, I'm definitely not sure why they're 'OK'.
Oh and thanks for the insta-replies you leave on my posts :D
Blues music, typically, uses 7th chords. In a blues in C, you'd commonly have 3 chords:
C7 = C E G Bb
F7 = F A C Eb
G7 = G B D F
The C minor pentatonic scale = C Eb F G Bb
As you can see, those notes all fit in somewhere in the progression. In other places they clash. Eb will clash with E in the C7 chord and Bb will clash with B in the G7 chord. These particular clashes produce a unique dissonant effect that is a hallmark of blues music. In both cases the dissonance is often (but not always) 'resolved' by moving from the dissonant note to the neighbouring chord tone (e.g., Eb rising to E or falling to C) producing a satisfying release of tension. Or it may be left unresolved until the next chord comes along.
Wow, genius I would have never thought about that.
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