Improv, Soloing Scales.. Help!
- Thread starter Smilemon
- Start date
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Re: Improv, Soloing Scales.. Help!
Rather than memorize hundreds of different scales and try to remember them when you're soloing (which I've found is impossible for me), I've found it is very helpful to really focus on chords, arpeggios, and chord construction, as well as the major (Ionian) scale. Once you know where the 1, 3, 5 of each chord is (1 b3 5 for minor chords, 1 3 5 b7 for dom. 7th chords, 1 3 5 9 for 9th chords, etc. etc.), then you can play melody notes that always fit. You can add different intervals for different sounds. A 4th bent up to a b5 will sound bluesy, a b2 resolved to the 1 will sound middle eastern, 6ths sound jazzy, etc. etc. Once you know what all of these intervals sound like, you can improvise intelligently with them without really knowing any scales.
For example, if you're soloing over a E - E b6 - D progression you can just improv off of the notes in the chords and come up with your own scale based on that. In E (E Ab D) I'd stick to the E major scale emphasizing the chord tones, In the E b6 (E Ab D C) I'd stick to the E chord notes very closely, and probably throw in a b2 or something to get a middle eastern vibe, D (D Gb A) just stick to the D major scale emphasizing the chord tones.
See, this way you can play exotic scales (or any scale that you can hear in your head) without actually memorizing any of them.
Rather than memorize hundreds of different scales and try to remember them when you're soloing (which I've found is impossible for me), I've found it is very helpful to really focus on chords, arpeggios, and chord construction, as well as the major (Ionian) scale. Once you know where the 1, 3, 5 of each chord is (1 b3 5 for minor chords, 1 3 5 b7 for dom. 7th chords, 1 3 5 9 for 9th chords, etc. etc.), then you can play melody notes that always fit. You can add different intervals for different sounds. A 4th bent up to a b5 will sound bluesy, a b2 resolved to the 1 will sound middle eastern, 6ths sound jazzy, etc. etc. Once you know what all of these intervals sound like, you can improvise intelligently with them without really knowing any scales.
For example, if you're soloing over a E - E b6 - D progression you can just improv off of the notes in the chords and come up with your own scale based on that. In E (E Ab D) I'd stick to the E major scale emphasizing the chord tones, In the E b6 (E Ab D C) I'd stick to the E chord notes very closely, and probably throw in a b2 or something to get a middle eastern vibe, D (D Gb A) just stick to the D major scale emphasizing the chord tones.
See, this way you can play exotic scales (or any scale that you can hear in your head) without actually memorizing any of them.
