SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

 

We have covered a lot of ground with the scales and chords up to now and I think it is time to explore the scale a little deeper. Examine this next example and you will see how we can build arpeggios from basic scales.

 

      

 

 

If you look at the bottom A major scale and follow the lines you will see how the top line has been created. The process is very simple and it can be used on all heptatonic scales. Heptatonic scales have 7 notes between the octave. All I have done is to take every second note from the scale and transposed it up an octave and put the transposed notes on the end of the 4 notes left. As you can see the Blue the Red the Green and the Yellow  lines all are transposed up the octave and are at the end of the arpeggio. The other 4 notes the A, C#, E and the G# start the arpeggio. Lets examine this Arp a little closer. First we have 8 notes ,including the octave A, the first 4 notes make the chord of Amaj7 if you play them all together. The second 4 notes make the chord of Bmin7. So we can see the first 2 chords of the modal family straight away. If you do the same thing starting from the next note, the B you will get the next set of chords in our modal family, namely Bmin7 and C#min7 and by adding notes to the octave you will find all the chords in the scale that we have covered so far. This is just a simple exercise to show you how much all the chords, scales and arpeggios are related, no matter how you approach the exploration of these scales we always return back to the basic centre. In case you need a reminder the definition of  an arpeggio is the striking of the notes of a chord one after the other.

 

 MULTICHORDAL ARPEGGIOS

 

We will now go on to what I call Multichordal Arpeggios. These arps have 2 or more chords in arpeggiated form within their structure. As an addition in this next example I have given you a descending exercise as well as an ascending exercise.

 

EX 1

 

In EX 1 we have 2 basic chords for each bar.

              The 1st bar has an        Amaj (There is no 7th) G#min7^b5

              The 2nd bar has a         Bmin                             Amaj7

              The 3rd bar has a          C#min                          Bmin7

              The 4th bar has a          D                                   C#min7

              The 5th bar has a          E7                                 Dmaj7

              The 6th bar has a          F#min                           E7

              The 7th bar has a          G#min^b5                       F#min7

EX 2

 

In EX2 the descending arps and scales have the same basic contents but with different chords.

 

              The 1st bar has an        F#min7 (There is no 7th) G#min^b5

              The 2nd bar has a         E7                                     F#min

              The 3rd bar has a         Dmaj7                                E

              The 4th bar has a          C#min7                             D

              The 5th bar has a          Bmin7                               C#min

              The 6th bar has a          Amaj7                               Bmin

              The 7th bar has a          G#min^b5                           Amaj7

 

EX 3

These next arpeggios EX 3 have 3 or more triads played over 2 or more octaves. I’ll give you a quick analysis of this exercise. If you take the first triad then the second triad and then the third triad you will find that

:- The 1st triad is Amaj

:- The 2nd triad is G#min^b5

:- The 3rd triad is F#min

Now if you want to you can find a lot more triads within this exercise :-                                                                       The 1st 3 notes are Amaj           A            C#          E.

The 2nd 3 notes are C#min        C#          E            G#.

The 3rd 3 notes are Emaj           E            G#          B.

The 4th 3 notes are G#min^b5    G#          B            D.

The 5th 3 notes are Bmin          B            D            F#.

The 6th 3 notes are  Dmaj         D            F#          A.

The 7th 3 notes are  F#min        F#          A            C#.

I hope by this you will see the possibilities for improvisation. Within this one arpeggio there are 7 more for you to play with.   

If you practice and learn this exercise you will have used 90% of the fingerboard and your fingers will be getting very strong, subtle and possibly very tired.

 

 

 

 

COMBINED SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

 

Even at this early stage the melodic patterns are getting more interesting. Using the combinations of arpeggiated triads and scales the melodic contents get even more interesting. I know we have used this before but I think it is a good time to do more of an analysis on this exercise.

 

EX 4

 

 

I think you can see the way this exercise is shaped, the first bar consists of an Amaj7 Arpeggio and then the first 4 notes of a descending Aeolian scale. If you do the same analysis on the rest of the exercise you will come across the family of chords and scales we have covered so far. In EX 5 we have the same sort of approach but the scale starts first and the descends in arpeggiated form, the same analysis applies, all the modes are covered. Also we have a change of time signature from the normal 4/4 to 5/4. All this means is the bar has 5 beats in it instead of 4, I will cover more of this when we cover different time signatures later in the book.

 

EX 5

 

EX 6

The point of these exercises is the combination of arpeggios and scales are the basis of most of our improvisations. We play through chord changes by layering scales and arpeggios on top of the basic chord sequence. For instance if we have a chord sequence that consists of a Bmin7, E7, Amaj7. We can layer or superimpose any of the modes or arpeggios that are related to the basic key or tone centre, in this case the A major. In chapter 5 I deal with the 2-5-1 cadence in more detail and I hope it will throw more light on the situation, but before we get there I will give you one example. Here I have superimposed an F#min7 and a Lydian scale against a Bmin7 Chord. In the next half of the bar I have superimposed a Bmin6 and a Mixolydian  scale against the E7. When you play this example you will hear that there is compatibility between the improvised line and  the chords. This is a basic substitution

EX 7

I will deal with more of the 2-5-1 and substitutions at a later stage in the book. For now I think this example will give you an idea how we can force other chords and modes against the basic chords and still sound very close to the basic chord changes.

 

                                                IMPROVISATION

                                                         and Attitude

 

The idea of improvisation is to be able to change the melodic and chordal a structure of a theme or chord sequence with spontaneity. Also, and more important, to be able to create spontaneous music with or without any basic format to work on. This ability comes more easily when you have a fundamental grasp of your instrument and of musical form in general. The knowledge of how chords are formed and how they can be used by substitution is of great importance when we improvise, as is the knowledge of your instrument. The ability to be able to transfer musical ideas from the mind to your instrument is a gift that should be nurtured and respected. It can be learned by study and practice. Everybody can’t be a genius, but we can, all of us, be very proficient and enjoy a rich musical life and with a little hard work we could even earn a living out of music. I have been a professional musician since I was sixteen and have earned a good living out of my instrument. I’ve traversed the world a dozen times and have met so many people that my mind sometimes boggles. The amount of knowledge that can be gained just from meeting people, from different musical cultures, is amazing. I have learned from every musician that I have met. I sincerely believe that everybody has something to offer and that we can learn from everybody, even the beginner. I remember hearing a guy playing in a guitar shop in the fifties. He worked in the shop selling guitars and was a starter like the rest of us kids, but even at this early age all of us new that he was special. He would dedicate all his spare time and all of his life to his instrument, not for any other reason but because he loved it. His name was John Mclaughlin. The great players of our time all had to start somewhere, just as we have to start somewhere. They have to practice and work hard at their instrument to get the results that we hear when they reach their maturity. My point is this, nothing comes from nothing, if you don’t work at your instrument you will not improve. You don’t think players like John Mclaughlin and the rest of the greats just sat back and let it come to them, do you? The thing to remember is this, players like Mclaughlin and the other great players were like you at one time and had to start somewhere. I should imagine that even now they still feel the same way, just a starter. The thing about music is the fact that you will never stop learning. There are always new things happening in music, new techniques, both physically and mentally. The harmonic approach is in constant flux and forever changing. The Styles of music are far from constant even in the great foundation of classical music. So there are always things to learn, always something you don’t know, always a constant flow of knowledge being passed from one musician to another. The interchange of musical language within one band on stage is a microcosm of the whole musical world. To have the knowledge that this is going on should spur you on to greater things. I, for one, am looking out for new things all the time. At the time of writing this book I am venturing into two or three different ventures in varying styles of music. I hope from what I am saying here you will gather that my enthusiasm for my instrument and for music is still very much alive. I also hope that you will have gathered that I believe that the right attitude is one of the most important thing we can have in music, No! not just in music but in the whole of your life. If you can develop an open mind and not think that you know it all you will not go far wrong. Don’t forget there is always someone who knows more and can do it better than you.