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©Jack  Gardiner  2014  

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Foreward Welcome  to  ‘One  Chord  Grooves  –  An  Improvisation  Class’!     So  first  of  all,  I’d  like  to  thank  you  for  purchasing  my  3rd  HD  Video  Package.  I  hope  you  enjoy  this   product  as  much  as  I  have  putting  it  together!     For  a  long  time,  I’d  had  the  idea  to  put  together  a  package  based  on  my  approach  to   improvisation  and  some  of  the  exercises  and  ideas  I’ve  picked  up  over  the  years.  Condensing  so   much  information  into  one  product  was  a  huge  amount  of  work  but  eventually,  I  decided  to  cover   some  of  what  I  consider  to  be  fundamentals  when  it  comes  to  improvisation  -­‐  with  my  own  little   twist.  On  top  of  this,  I  transcribed  lots  of  other  ideas  in  the  form  of  improvisations,  licks,   arpeggio’s  etc.       If  you’re  in  a  function  band,  playing  jam  tunes  or  even  practicing  with  backing  tracks,  you’ll  find   that  lots  of  the  playing  that  get’s  done  by  a  guitarist  is  over  a  one  chord  groove/vamp/static   groove.  After  a  few  years  of  playing  this  sort  of  stuff  night  after  night  (think  Stevie  Wonder,   Average  White  Band  etc.),  I  quickly  found  I  needed  to  explore  more  sounds  available  to  me.  It   became  apparent  that  there  was  much  more  than  just  the  Dorian  Scale  and  the  Minor  Pentatonic   available  to  me.  There  are  tons  of  options!     I  think  that  the  cool  thing  is  with  these  one-­‐chord  vamps,  ultimately  you  can  apply  the   ideas/scales/arpeggios  to  changes  playing.  Once  you  know  a  Mixolydian  Scale  inside  out  in  the   different  keys,  you  should  be  able  to  quickly  visualise  and  apply  it  to  chord  changes.  Practicing   over  these  types  of  backing  tracks  allows  you  to  explore  all  the  colours  harmony  has  to  offer.     If  you  have  any  questions  with  regards  to  the  ideas/licks/improvisations  etc.  covered  in  this   package,  or  if  you’re  interested  in  one-­‐to-­‐one  lessons  with  me,  please  don’t  hesitate  to  contact   me.       Anyway,  enough  of  my  rambling!  Let’s  get  stuck  in!       www.jack-­‐gardiner.com       Jack  Gardiner        

©Jack  Gardiner  2014  

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One Chord Grooves – An Introduction Before we dig in and look at some of the ideas and concepts I use when soloing over the ‘one chord vamp’ or ‘static groove’, we need to understand some fundamental harmony/theory. I’m going to show you my way of visualizing and understanding chords/chord types and how we relate them with various scale options and arpeggios. When it comes to playing over any kind of track, be it with a band or a backing track, I always have a set way of thinking. My usual thought flow is… Key > Groove > Chord Changes > Scale Choice/Arpeggios > Time Feel > Phrasing > MUSIC In the case of a ‘static groove’, we can focus a lot more on Groove, Scale Choice/Arpeggios, Time Feel and Phrasing, for the simple reason that there are no chord changes. I feel that it’s vital to be able to play well and phrase properly over one chord, before attempting to nail a number of chord changes.

*One thing to be aware of throughout this booklet, is my use of intervals to label notes, rather than note names – e.g. If we played a C Major Scale, I will think of it as Root (1), 2, 3, p4, p5, 6, 7 rather than C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. I find that this is a much more quick and logical way to think, as you can apply what we learn to any given key - so long as you know your root note.

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Chord Types and Scale Choice When it comes to Chord Types, I like to think of it as 3 main families each with their own distinct sound. From these, I can derive what scales I will play in relation to the chord. If this sounds like too much harmony or theory for you at the minute, don’t stress! I’ll make this all relevant later on. I’ve included the major family for the sake of learning the harmony, but in this package we will be focusing more on the Dominant Family and Minor Family. Shell Voicing’s

Above, we have 3 chord types, which are maj7, dom7 and min7. The voicing’s you see above are known as ‘shell voicings’, as they only contain the root, 3rd and the 7th. If you already know your theory, you will know that to build a chord, you take the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th. You may wonder why these voicing’s don’t contain a 5th. That’s because the perfect 5th doesn’t need to be there. If you hear any given root note, you should be able to hear the 5th already. It doesn’t add any information to a chord unless it’s altered. I like to view it as the ‘potato’ interval. To understand what type of chord or to convey the sound of a certain chord type, all you need is the Root, a type of 3rd and a type of 7th. Anything else is just added ‘colour’.

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The Major Family

So here is our first ‘family’ – The Major family. All of the above chord diagrams are forms of maj7 voicings. Note how all of them contain a root, 3rd and 7th of some degree. Over all of these chords, I would suggest to play Major Pentatonic, the Lydian Scale or the Ionian from the root. Major Pentatonic – I, II, III, V, Vi, - root (1), 2, 3, 5, 6 Ionian Scale Formula – I, II, III, pIV, pV, Vi, Vii root (1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Lydian Scale Formula – I, II, III, #IV, pV, Vi, Vii    -­‐                  root (1), 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7  -­‐  You  know  it’s  part  of  the  Major  family  if  the  voicing  contains  a  maj3  and  maj7th     *If  the  voicing  contains  a  #11  interval   Amaj7(#11)),   ©Jack  (Ge.g.   ardiner   2014   then  you  HAVE  to  play  Lydian.   A  natural  IV/11  will  clash.  

 

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The Dominant/Altered Dominant Family

Here are a bunch of common unaltered 7/dom7 chord voicings. Just like the major voicings, note how they all contain a 3rd and 7th interval of some kind. In this case though it’s a maj3rd and a min7th (b7) interval. We will be speaking quite a lot about this chord type later on in the package, as it’s one of the sounds we’ll be exploring in our improvisation. Over these chords I would suggest to play Dominant Pentatonic, Major Pentatonic, and the Mixolydian Scale. Dominant Pentatonic – Major Pentatonic – Mixolydian Scale –

I, III, IV, V, bVii - root (1), 3, 4, 5, b7 I, II, III, V, Vi - root(1), 2, 3, 5, 6 I, II, III, IV, V, Vi, bVii - root(1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7

 -­‐  You  know  it’s  part  of  the  Dominant  family  if  the  voicing  contains  a  maj3  and  min7th    

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Continued…

Here are a few common altered dominant chord voicing’s. Why the name altered? That’s because one or more of the intervals has been raised (#) or flattened (b). These are quite special as they have numerous options when it comes to scale choice and approach. The main scales we’ll be exploring later on are Lydian Dominant and Diminished Scale. Lydian Dominant – I, II, III, #IV, V, Vii, bVii – R(1), 2, 3,#4, 5, 6, b7   Diminished Scale – I, b9, #9, 3 #4, 5, 6, b7 R(1),b9,#9, 3,#4, 5,  6,b7

 -­‐  You  know  it’s  part  of  the  Altered  Dominant  family  if  the  voicing  contains  a  maj3  and   min7th  but  the  extensions  are  Raised  or  Flattened    

 

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The Minor Family

The final family that we’ll look at is the Minor family. Above are a number of Minor7 chord voicings. Like the other two families, notice how they contain both a 3rd and 7th interval. This time they are both minor (b) intervals – a min3rd and a min7th (b3, b7). Over these chords, we’re going to talk about playing the Minor Pentatonic, the Dorian Scale - even a little bit of Melodic Minor and how to phrase with them. Minor Pentatonic – I, bIII, IV, V, bVii – Root, 2, b3, 4, 5, bDorian Scale – I, II, bIII, IV, V, Vi, bVii - Root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7 Melodic Minor Scale – I, II, bIII, IV, V, Vi, Vii - Root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, 7  -­‐  You  know  it’s  part  of  the  Minor  family  if  the  voicing  contains  a  min3  and  min7th  

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A quick word on the backing track… The backing track labeled ‘E Static Groove’ is the track we’ll be looking at in this package. The reason why I’ve chosen this track as the basis of all exercises, ideas and concepts covered in this package, is because I feel that the key of E is one in which most guitarists will find it easier to get to grips with. I strongly urge you to practice these ideas in all keys. The track clearly states a min7 interval but doesn’t clearly state a 3rd interval, much like a few famous artists’ tracks – ‘something superstitious’ and ‘playing funky music’ if you understand what I’m trying to say hah! This means we can play a large number of different sounds/scales/arpeggios etc. over the top, which is exactly what we’re going to explore here. You have two options; you can treat it like a min7 chord, or a dom7 chord. We’re going to explore both possibilities and by the end of it, mix it all up to increase our musical vocabulary!

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Tackling the ‘m7’ Chord Em Pentatonic

Above we have our good old friend – the E Minor Pentatonic (Position One). Now let me clarify that there is absolutely nothing wrong with playing this scale and this scale only. So long as your phrasing is good and your time feel is strong, you can make this scale sound amazing. Think Blues. It may come as a shock that I present you with a scale and you think ‘why I already know this inside out in every key?’ I believe that it’s a good foundation for solid phrasing. As guitarists, it tends to be the first scale we learn when it comes to improvisation, and so we usually learn a load of ‘lick’s’ or ‘phrases’ utilizing this sound, but then when we learn the 3 note-per-string patterns, phrasing seems to go out the window. I am not saying that this happens to every player, because there are tons of amazing guitarists out there who heavily rely on 3 note-per-string patterns - which is a great thing to learn your shapes, YET for many players, this hampers their ability to get creative and really get the most out of the sounds available to us. What we’re going to do is look at how we can expand on this basic shape, to get the most out of the sounds available to us by simply exploring additional intervals around the shape.

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Em Pentatonic + the maj9/2nd

With the diagram above, you can see that I’ve added in just one note/interval – the maj9th/maj2nd (9 and 2 are essentially the same label). You could call this scale the ‘E Minor Pentatonic PLUS a maj9th/maj2nd’ I would suggest playing just the added note for a second to hear just how it feels against the chord. Notice the colour it adds. Now it’s time to take all your licks, patterns and phrases you know within the pentatonic, and try to include this note. Some exercises you may try: -

Starting all phrases with the maj9th/maj2nd Finishing a phrases with the maj9th/maj2nd Both of the above help you to ‘target’ the note, and see where it hangs/feels good over the harmony. Luckily the 9th is an interval that can quite happily sit there over a min7th chord and it is also a common extension of the chord. If you do want to resolve somewhere close, you always have the root a tone below, or the minor 3rd a tone above.

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Em Pentatonic + the maj6th

Like the title suggests, this time we’re just going to add in the maj6th interval. Forget the 9th for now – we’ll look at that again shortly. First of all, you should familiarise yourself with the sound of this interval over the backing track. If you know your intervals, you may be thinking ‘why is it not a minor6 interval?’ Try playing a min6th interval over the track and I’m sure you will agree it doesn’t really sit well, were as the maj6th interval adds a bit of ‘naughtiness’ into the mix. It’s happy to sit there, or resolve down to the 5th, or even up to the min7th. It’s now time to try adding just the maj6th interval into your pentatonic licks. Just like before try: -

Starting all phrases with the maj6th Finishing all phrases with the maj6th

You may notice you’re starting to get a bit of ‘Santana’ style sounds in there. Now let’s move on to a complete scale.

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The Dorian Scale/Mode

We’re finally there. By adding both the maj9/2 and the maj6 to the Pentatonic Scale, we have the Dorian Scale/Mode. Now with both of these added intervals, we can start to have a lot of fun. This scale is an absolute essential sound in most styles of music – especially rock, blues, fusion etc. Here is how you would write it in terms of intervals:

E Dorian Scale R/1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F# – G – A – B – C# - D If you take this interval structure, you can move it in to any key. Just change the root. It’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with a new scale in all keys. Remember, not every tune you’ll play will be in the key of E. Things to practice: -

Map out the intervals in each position of the 5 Position Pentatonics Try practicing and visualizing in all keys and play over different backing tracks that use min7 chords - Learn to hear how the 9th and the 6th sit over the chord - Resolving phrases to not only the 3rd and 7th, but also the 9th and 6th

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Tackling the ‘dom7’ Chord E Dominant Pentatonic

Above we have what I like to call the Dominant Pentatonic Scale. I choose to use this Pentatonic rather than the Major pentatonic as I believe that it better outlines the sound of a Dom7 chord. The reason for this is that it contains a b7 interval. The major pentatonic DOES NOT. Try familiarizing yourself with this scale and if you can, work out the 5 positions of it – just like with the minor pentatonic scale. Let’s take a look at the improvisation.

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E Dominant Pentatonic + the maj9th/2nd

With the diagram above, you can see that I’ve added in just one note/interval – the maj9th/maj2nd (9 and 2 are essentially the same label). You could call this scale the ‘E Dominant Pentatonic PLUS a maj9th/maj2nd’ I would suggest playing just the added note for a second to hear just how it feels against the chord. Notice the colour it adds. Some exercises you may try: -

Starting all phrases with the maj9th/maj2nd Finishing a phrases with the maj9th/maj2nd

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Dominant Pentatonic + the maj6th

Above we have what I like to call the Dominant Pentatonic Scale + the maj6th. Like the title suggests, this time we’re just going to add in the maj6th interval. Forget the 9th for now – we’ll look at that again shortly. First of all, you should familiarise yourself with the sound of this interval over the backing track. It’s now time to try adding just the maj6th interval into your Dominant Pentatonic licks. Just like before try: -

Starting all phrases with the maj6th Finishing all phrases with the maj6th

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The Mixolydian Scale/Mode

We have a full scale again! By adding both the maj9/2 and the maj6 to the Dominant Pentatonic Scale, we have the Mixolydian Scale/Mode. Now with both of these added intervals, we can start to have a lot of fun. This scale is an absolute essential sound in most styles of music – especially rock, blues, fusion etc. Here is how you would write it in terms of intervals:

E Mixolydian Scale R/1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F# – G# – A – B – C# - D If you take this interval structure, you can move it in to any key. Just change the root. It’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with a new scale in all keys. Remember, not every tune you’ll play will be in the key of E. Things to practice: -

Map out the intervals in each position of the 5 Position Pentatonics Practice using it in different keys with different backing tracks that use unaltered dominant7 chords - Learn to hear how the 9th and the 6th sit over the chord - Resolving phrases to not only the 3rd and 7th, but also the 9th and 6th

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The Importance of Arpeggios Min7 & Dom7 Arpeggios play a huge part in my improvisations. They are a great tool to use for outlining chords. After all an arpeggio is essentially a broken chord. To construct 7th arpeggios we just need the root and some kind of 3rd, 5th and 7th. The most important intervals within an arpeggio in the context of min7/dom7/maj7 are the 3rds and 7ths. The 5th doesn’t change, hence why I label it the ‘potato’ interval. It doesn’t add any information. The 3rd and 7th immediately tell us what type of chord we’re playing!

Above are examples of a Min7 and a Dom7 arpeggio shape. I would suggest you learn all of the shapes within the 5 different positions of both the Minor Pentatonic and Dominant Pentatonic. Understand where each interval looks in relation to the root in each position. Let’s look at some improvisation examples, were I’ll strictly use either Min7 or Dom7 arpeggios. You will notice I move quite a lot between positions and shapes. That’s why I encourage you to learn each arpeggio shape all over the fretboard. Min7 Arpeggio – R, b3, 5, b7 Dom7 Arpeggio – R, 3, 5, 7

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String Set Limitation Improvisation Everything that we’ve covered so far in the package has really been about limitation. I believe that through limitation we can be a lot more creative and musical with our phrasing. String Set Limitation is another exercise I’m going to present to you. Basically, it’s up to you to choose how many strings you want to limit yourself to (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) and whatever combination of strings you want to work with (i.e. A, D, G strings). It forces you to think horizontally rather than vertically (the normal way of thinking when playing box shapes). Say for example you limit yourself just to one string – it means that to complete phrases you have to constantly move out of position. You begin to visualize the whole scale just on one string, which also helps to label the intervals across the fretboard for your scale of choice. You should find this helps to expand your creativity within your phrasing. For the improvised examples provided in the video, I limited myself first to 3 strings (A, G and E), 2 strings (G and E) and finally 1 String (the high-e) with both the Dorian Scale and the Mixolydian Scale. I would highly suggest applying this exercise to any scale/arpeggio that you really want to get to grips with. Let’s take a look at the examples.

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Chromaticism This is a subject that I find is often over-complicated. The way in which I view Chromaticism, is to view it like I’m filling in the gaps of a scale/arpeggio. If you know your Blues Scale (which I’ve used in some of the examples already), you’re already using a form of chromaticism the (#4/b5). If we were to take a look at the Dorian Scale, you should know that we have these intervals:

E Dorian Scale R/1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F# – G# – A – B – C# - D Now there are certain gaps within this scale. Think of the construction in terms of whole-steps and half-steps or tones and semi-tones:

W–H –W –W– W– H–W T – ST – T – T – T – ST – T So in between some of the intervals we have a gap. In between the Root and the maj2nd/9th we have a gap (the b2/9). In between the min3rd and the p4th (maj3rd) In between the p4 and the p5th (#4/b5) THINK THE BLUES SCALE. In between the p5th and the maj6th (#5/min6th) In between the min7th and the root (maj7th).

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E Mixolydian Scale R/1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F# – G# – A – B – C# - D

In between the Root and the maj2nd/9th we have a gap (the b2/9). In between the maj2nd/9th and the maj3rd we have a gap (the #2/b3). In between the p4th and the p5th we have a gap (the #4/b5). In between the p5th and maj6th we have a gap (the #5/b6). In between the min7th and the root we have a gap (the maj7th). So now that we’ve identified all the other notes you can play, try bridging these gaps one at a time. Start by playing phrases that go up, down and enclose (one below, one above and back down towards the original). Exercises to practice: -

Take one of the 5 gaps from the scale and practice phrasing with this gap being filled in. - Apply the chromaticism to your pentatonic ‘go-to’ licks - Intertwine chromaticism with both the Rhythmic Limitation and StringSet Improvisation I have provided a number of Chromatic Licks for both the Dorian Scale and Mixolydian Scale as examples.

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Rhythmic Limitation Improvisation Repeated Rhythms

So here’s another form of limitation. This time, what I want you to do is think of a small repeated rhythm. It could last a bar, or just a certain small group i.e. two 16th notes followed by an 8th note rest. From here you take this rhythm and improvise using your scale/arpeggio of choice for however long you like (the longer the better). This forces you to play the same rhythm over and over again. Not only will it help you to come up with some interesting phrases, but it should also improve your time feel. Please listen to the video demonstration for some ideas. In the video, both of my examples are with the Dorian scale using chromaticism, but I would suggest that you come up with your own rhythm patterns and improvise with all the scales/arpeggios we have gone through.

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Triads and Triad Pairs So now we’re into the second video file. Understanding triads and being able to utilize them both in your comping and your line improvisation can help you become more creative with your playing. It helps you to view the fretboard in a different way. If you don’t know your triad shapes and inversions with the different string sets (E,A,D, A, D, G, G, B, E), I would suggest you learn your major triads, minor triads, diminished and augmented. It’d be a good idea to try to visualize the intervals of each triad shape in relation to a root. Now we are going to look at them in context. If we were to build a triad on each note within the Dorian Mode, this is what we’d get: Root – Em Maj2nd/9th – F#m Min3rd – Gmaj P4th – Amaj P5 - Bm Maj6th - C#dim Min7th – Dmaj A triad pairs are basically two triads (usually of the same triad/chord type) that fall next to each other in the scale. The first two triads that we will use are Gmaj and Amaj. The second two triads are Em and F#m. You can really open up your chord playing using these two triad pairs. It also opens up line playing. You should be constantly outlining chord tones, which really spells out ‘I’m playing a Minor7 Chord’. For the Mixolydian Mode: Root – Emaj Maj2nd/9th – F#m Maj3rd – G#dim P4th – Amaj P5 - Bm Maj6th - C#m Min7th – Dmaj

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Dorian and Mixolydian Arpeggios Basically, now we are going to look at how to build 7th arpeggios from every degree of both the Dorian Scale and the Mixolydian Scale. For most of my ‘legato chops’, I rely on these ideas to construct lines. It enables us to highlight certain sounds, as each 7th arpeggio contains different groups of intervals. If we harmonise the Dorian Scale with 7th arpeggios, we should get the following: Root – Em7 (R, b3, 5, b7) Maj2nd/9th – F#m7 (9, 11, 6, R) Min3rd – Gmaj7 (b3, 5, b7, 9) P4th – A7 (11, 6, R, b3) P5 – Bm7 (5, b7, 9, 11) Maj6th - C#m7(b5) (6, R, b3, 5) Min7th – Dmaj7 (b7, 9, 11, 6) As you can see, they enable us to play the upper extensions of just an Em7 using various combinations of intervals. The idea is that you link these shapes together across the fretboard. Try experimenting with just one at first – map one of the above arpeggios across the 5 positions. Move on to linking two types together etc. If we were to look at the Mixolydian Scale, we should get this: Root – E7 (R, 3, 5, b7) Maj2nd/9th – F#m7 (9, 11, 6, R) Maj3rd – G#m7(b5) (3, 5, b7, 9) P4th – Amaj7 (11, 6, R, 3) P5 – Bm7 (5, b7, 9, 11) Maj6th - C#m7 (6, R, 3, 5) Min7th – Dmaj7 (b7, 9, 11, 6) Please check out the Lick Examples on the following page.

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An Introduction to Outside Playing Side-Stepping Outside playing seems to be often an over-complicated subject. If we go back to basics and think of the Blues Scale, that is a good example of playing ‘outside’. That #4/b5 doesn’t really belong in there, but it sounds so good. Why? I think that for years, players have craved the tension that it creates in your phrasing. You could refer to it as ‘the filth factor’. You know when you pull that funny face? How did they do that? It’s all about tension and release. Playing outside, but more importantly – the resolution. It’s all about forcing intervals over a chord to imply certain other chord types. One thing we’re going to look at first is a trick that has been used for years by musicians. It’s a really simple concept called ‘Side-Stepping’. To ‘side-step’, you simply take a phrase (usually a repeated pattern), and shift the whole phrase up or down a half-step (semi-tone). On a guitar, this is relatively easy to visualize, as we just have to shift a shape up one fret, or down one fret. It often implies more complex outside scales, when really you’re just shifting your shape about. I’ve recorded a few Lick examples over the track to give you an idea. I strongly urge you to experiment with this using all the scales/arpeggios we have gone through so far. If you’ve never really delved into ‘outside’ playing, this is the place to start.

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The Melodic Minor Scale The first ‘Outside’ scale that I’m going to present you with is to be forced over the min7 chord. The Melodic Minor Scale actually has it’s own set of modes. It’s a completely different family to the Major Scale modes.

E Melodic Minor Scale R/1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 E – F# – G – A – B – C# - D# Please note that it is very different to the ‘Melodic Minor’ scale that we are taught in Classical Music. In Classical music they say you go up Melodic Minor, and come down the Natural Minor (Aeolian) Scale. I don’t understand how a scale can change. In my eyes, a scale is a set group of intervals that don’t change half way through! For that reason, you may see this labeled ‘the Jazz Melodic Minor’. I like to think of this mode as the Dorian Mode with a raised 7th interval, although some people may like to think of it as a Major Scale with a b3. Technically, over a straight min7 chord, you shouldn’t really play the maj7 interval as it will sound horrible if you linger – but you can play it in passing.

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It implies that you’re playing over a min(maj7) chord. The interval construction for the chord is:

Em(maj7) R/1 – 3 – 5 – 7 E – G – B – D# Think of the James Bond Theme tune! It’s THAT chord.

If we were to create an arpeggio for the Melodic Minor Scale, it’ll be the same as the broken chord. We would use what you call an Em(maj7) Arpeggio.

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One last thing we’ll look at when using this scale, is building a dom7 arpeggio from the 5th degree of the scale. That in the key of E, is the note B. This works because a B7 arpeggio contains the following intervals:

B7 R/1 – 3 – 5 – b7 IN RELATION TO E 5 – 7 – 9 – 11 Hopefully, you can see that the 2nd note in the B7 Arpeggio is technically the maj7th in relation to the root note E.

Let’s take a look at a few lick examples using both the Scale, the arpeggio, and this B7 arpeggio.

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The Lydian Dominant Scale The second ‘Outside’ scale that I’m going to present you with is to be forced over the dom7 chord. If you know your theory, you will know that this scale is the fourth mode of the Melodic Minor Scale – but I like to think of it as just a Mixolydian Scale with a #4. If you know your Blues Scale, you’ll know which note we need to use! You should also be familiar with the sound if you know the ‘Simpsons’ Theme tune!

E Lydian Dominant Scale R/1 – 2 – 3 – #4 – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F# – G# – A# – B – C# - D

By playing this scale you are implying a E7#11 Chord.

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Rather than use a dom7 arpeggio shape and add in the #11 to the arpeggio, I decided to give you an idea I like to use with Triad Pairs. This idea also works with the Lydian Scale (Major Scale with a #4/11). We’re going to take two major triads. These are built from the root (E Major) and from the second degree (F# Major). This can work well in both your comping and line playing. Why F#Major?

F#major Triad R/1 – 3 – 5 IN RELATION TO E 9 – #4/11 – 6 Let’s take a look at some examples over the backing track!

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The Diminished Scale The final scale we’re going to take a little look at in this package is the ‘Diminished Scale’. This is very different to the other in that it is what we call a symmetrical scale and is constructed solely of half steps and whole steps. It is unlike most scales in the sense that it contains 8 notes. In terms of intervals it is constructed like this:

E Diminished Scale R/1 – b9 – #9 – 3 – #11(b5) – 5 – 6 – b7 E – F –F##(G) - G# – A# – B – C# - D

It really is an essential sound in modern rock/fusion playing. We are technically implying a dom7b9 chord when we play this, but it does work over a min7 too, creating a lot of tension. That’s why you have to make sure to resolve well! If you want to comp using this sound, you can build diminished triads from the b9 (Fdim), 3 (G#dim), 5 (Bdim), and b7 (Ddim). If you wanted to use it in your line playing, you could use these as arpeggios. Think the typical Yngwie Malmsteen Diminished Sweeps!

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One thing to practice to get used to this sound, is to play Dom7b9 Arpeggios. Eventually you can get rid of the root note E, and you’ll have an Fdim Arpeggio.

Another little trick I use is based on the 4 major triads that can be constructed from within the Diminished Scale. These are:

E Major G Major A#/Bb Major C#/Db Major Hopefully you will notice that these are all built a min3rd interval apart from each other! Let’s take a look at an improvisation and some licks and arpeggio’s to round everything off! Remember, whenever you play outside – the idea is to build tension and release. Always think of it as a Wave – it comes up, but must come down!

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