Improvisation XII - "Everything Happens to Me" Part 3

This is the last exercise in a series of improvisation exercises based on the song “Everything Happens to Me” and focusing on tritone substitutions. Just like last month, the fret range is preserved but the key is changed—this time to Ab major. In this arrangement, there are tritone substitutions wherever a dominant chord would resolve to its associated tonic.

The rules of this arpeggio exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, Db, the third of a Bb minor 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Ear Training XII - 7th Chords in Closed, Drop 2, Drop 3, and Drop 2/4 Voicings

This is the last ear training exercise in a series of exercises on 7th chords. New this month is the presence of Drop 2/4 voicings. I am actually not sure if this exact terminology is used by other guitarists. By Drop 2/4 I mean a voicing which results from dropping the second and fourth note from the top of a closed voicing down one octave. For example, C-E-G-B becomes C-G-E-B. These voicings are quite spread out and possess the chordal seventh as their highest note. I especially like these voicings for minor 7th and major 7th chords as they expose the perfect 5ths that compose those chords.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Improvisation XI - "Everything Happens to Me" Part 2

Months ago, when I using this arpeggio exercise on the standard “Like Someone in Love” I altered the key of the song rather than change fret range. That is what I’ve done here as well. Rather than move out of the 7th-10th fret range, this month’s arpeggio exercise features “Everything Happens to Me” in F major with tritone substitutions on every dominant chord that would resolve to its associated tonic.

The rules of this arpeggio exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, D, the fifth of a G minor 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Ear Training XI - 7th Chords in Closed, Drop 2, and Drop 3 Voicings

Continuing a series of ear training exercises on 7th chords, this exercise randomly plays root position 7th chords in closed, Drop 2, and Drop 3 voicings. Drop 2 voicings are more tightly packed than Drop 3 voicings and tend to require more fingers. When I am in doubt as to the voicing of a particular chord I will often listen for the highest note. In a Drop 3 chord this will always be the chordal fifth and in a Drop 2 voicing it will be the chordal third.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Improvisation X - "Everything Happens to Me" Part 1

This month’s improvisation exercise begins a new series of arpeggio exercises focused on tritone substitutions, now based on the standard “Everything Happens to Me”. I chose this song in part because I really like it and because it has some slightly unusual harmony in it—at least for a 32-bar AABA jazz ballad. There is a nice use of viiº7/iv (F#º7) in the fifth measure of the A sections. This prolongs dominant harmony from the previous measure’s VI7 (B7) as these two chords share the same diminished set. Additionally, there is a ‘baked in’ tritone substitution in measure seven of the A sections.

Continuing the previous series’s focus on tritone substitutions, I have made tritone substitutions in this arrangement in every situation where a dominant seventh chord would resolve to its associated tonic.

The rules of this arpeggio exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, B, the fifth of an E minor 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique X - Pentatonic Scales; Dissonant II - V - I

Like last month’s technical exercise, this month’s uses the pentatonic ideas I’ve been developing over the course of the last many months in the harmonic context of a II-V-I. What is different about this exercise is that the pentatonic scales used sound largely dissonant against the chords of the progression. Additionally, I am switching between pentatonic scales in an asynchronous way, relative to the harmonic rhythm of the chord progression.

Over the II chord, which I am hearing as a ‘minor’ or half-diminished II chord, I am playing a pentatonic scale whose root is a tritone away from the root of the II chord. This produces the third, fifth, and seventh of the chord and adds the ♭9th and ♭13th.

Over the V chord I am switching between a pentatonic scale built on the root of the chord and one built a tritone away from the root of the chord—in this case, C and then F# pentatonic. Heard against a C7 chord, the F# pentatonic scale produces ‘altered’ extensions, the ♭9, ♯9, ♯11, ♭13 in addition to the chordal seventh.

Over the I chord I am using pentatonic scales built a perfect fifth and major second from the root of the chord—in this case C and G pentatonic against an Fmajor7 chord. These scales produce lydian inflected extensions, especially the G pentatonic which produces the 9, ♯11, and 13 in addition to the chordal third and seventh.

You can download the PDF for these exercise here and view my performance of them here.

Ear Training X - 7th Chords in Closed and Drop 3 Voicings

This month’s ear training exercise complicates the previous 7th chord exercise by presenting them in closed and Drop 3 voicings. ‘Drop’ terminology is frequently used by guitarists and simply describes the process of ‘dropping’ one note from a closed voicing one octave. In this case Drop 3 means “take the third note from the top of a seventh chord in a closed voicing and drop it one octave”. For example, C-E-G-B would become G-C-E-B. Guitarists make use of these voicings because they tend to spread the intervals of chords out in such a way that makes them easier to play.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Improvisation IX - "Everything I Love" Part 3

This is the last exercise in a series of exercises based on the song “Everything I love” and tritone substitutions. This month the range of the arpeggio exercise has been shifted to the 10th-14th frets inclusive. Each month the fret range has shifted upwards 4 four frets. By the end of three months, then, I have covered an entire octave range on the guitar.

As always, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, E, the seventh of an F major 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique IX - Pentatonic Scales; Consonant II - V - I

The technical exercise for this month situates the pentatonic ideas explored over the last several months in a particular harmonic context, a II-V-I progression. There are no rules for this particular exercise but I tried to make the connection between these example melodies and the preceding exercises as linear as possible.

Over the II chord I am playing a pentatonic scale built on that chords seventh. In the picture above and the attached PDF, this looks like playing a C pentatonic scale against or over a Dm7 chord. This combination excludes the II chords third but includes its 7th, 9th, and 11th in addition to its root and fifth.

Over the V chord I am playing a pentatonic scale also built on that chords seventh. In this specific case, I am playing an F pentatonic scale over a G7 chord. Like the II chord, this combination excludes the V7’s third but includes a 7th, 9th, and 11th in addition to the chordal root and fifth.

Lastly, over the I chord I am playing a pentatonic scale built on that chords fifth—in this example, a G pentatonic scale over a Cmaj7 chord. This combination omits the root of the I chord but includes its 7th, 9th, and 13th in addition to the chords third and fifth.

You can watch me play through these examples on my instagram page.

Ear Training IX - 7th Chords in Root Position

This month’s ear training exercise turns away from melodic sequences and back to harmony. The exercise randomly plays 7th chord—major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th, half-diminished 7th, and diminished 7th—in root position and in a closed voicing. Compared to previous triad exercises, this exercise is complicated by a greater number of chordal qualities. The principal difficulty I have with this exercise, however, is identifying the root of fully diminished 7th chords. Here, even more than with diminished triads, I find the symmetrical structure of the chord makes identifying its root problematic. It is also worth noting that certain chords in certain registers of the guitar can be very uncomfortable if not impossible to execute. In these case I simply arpeggiate some portion of the chord.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Improvisation VIII - "Everything I Love" Part 2

Last month, I changed my usual improvisation exercise by tritone subbing every V7 chord that would resolve to its associated I chord in the song “Everything I Love”. This month, I continue that practice by shift the range of the arpeggio exercise to the 6th-10th frets inclusive.

As always, the rules of the game are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, C, the fifth of an F major 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique VIII - Pentatonic Scales; Ascending Key/Descending Melody

This month’s technical exercise is the reverse of last month’s. Rather than modulating by a descending half-step, I am doing so by an ascending half-step. This exercise works best if you start at the top of the fretboard and gradually descend. The fretboard patterns are more varied and unpredictable.

The rules for this exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play a D♭ major pentatonic scale starting on the highest available note on the guitar’s first string or the highest sounding string of any set of three adjacent strings.

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (D♭-B♭-A♭, switch strings, A♭-F-E♭).

3. Every three strings change direction and modulate to a pentatonic scale one semitone higher (the first modulation will be from D♭ to D pentatonic).

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

This and last month’s exercises are a bit difficult to hold only in one’s imagination. For reference, you can download a transcription of the exercise here and view my performance of it here.

Ear Training VIII - Echoing Four Randomly Generated Notes

This month’s ear training exercise increasing the chain of randomly played notes to four. I found this to be a considerable increase in difficult. Everything I mentioned last month about having to focus more on remembering sounds is amplified in this exercise. Because the challenge of this exercise lies in memory and not an instantaneous response, I find that, more than anything, being able to maintain my focus is the most reliable predictor of success. For that reason I have found it useful to play with the duration of the exercise; the longer it is, the more difficult it will be to maintain the needed focus.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Improvisation VIII - "Everything I Love" Part 1

In previous posts I have mentioned how the improvisation arpeggio exercises I have been documenting are useful for learning the fretboard in a very thorough way. They can also be an excellent kind of ear-training. The rules of the exercise force specific resolutions of one chord to the next—resolutions we might not have otherwise chosen or ‘heard’. By repeating this exercise I will eventually expose myself to every resolution of one chord tone to another. Furthermore, this exercise can also be a way to target specific kinds of harmony.

In this month’s exercise I have replaced every V7 chord that resolves to its associated I chord with a tritone substitution. Tritone substations are perhaps the first substitution many jazz musicians learn. By practicing them in the context of this exercise, I can better train myself to ‘hear’ them and anticipated their resolution no matter what chord tone I happen upon.

As always, the rules of the game are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, A, the third of an F major 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some may find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique VII - Pentatonic Scales; Descending Key/Ascending Melody

Over the last several months, many of my technical exercises have alternated between two pentatonic scales that have no common tones. While I varied which two scales I was alternating between, I was still always alternating between just two keys. This month’s technical exercise, like the exercise from January, switches directions every three strings. Rather than coordinate this change of direction with a switch between one of two scales, it is coordinated with a ‘modulation’ down a semitone. Instead of switching between two scales, I am constantly cycling through twelve.

The rules for this exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play a G major pentatonic scale starting on the guitar’s third string or the lowest sounding string of any set of three adjacent strings.

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (G-A-B, switch strings, B-D-E)

3. Every three strings change direction and modulate to a pentatonic scale one semitone lower (the first modulation will be from G to F# pentatonic).

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

This exercise works best when moving up through the fretboard as the fretboard patterns so created are more varied and unpredictable. You can try this exercise with just the rules above or you can play through my transcription of it, available here. You can also watch me play it here.

Ear Training VII - Echoing Three Randomly Generated Notes

In this month’s ear training exercise I have added one more note to the chain to make a total of three notes that will be played in a row. I do not find this change to be a great deal more difficult than the previous exercise but it does feel as though it is exercising my ear in a slightly different way. That is, it takes a bit of extra focus to remember a chain of three notes instead of two. Sometimes I will be so focused on determine the last note in the chain that I will forget the sound of the first one.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Transcription VI - Steve Grossman "Fancy Free"

In December of 2019 I presented a partial transcription of Dave Liebman’s solo on “Fancy Free” from Elvin Jone’s Live at the Lighthouse. Today I am presenting a partial transcription of Steve Grossman’s solo on the same recording and song. There are many challenges to performing something like this on guitar. Of course, one has to contend with the incredible speed of certain passages. Generally speaking I like to pick as much as I can but to do so in this context I have had to make calculated switches between economy and alternate picking. Some of my favourite moments in Grossman’s solo are the most saxophone-specific—the ‘barked’ low notes which skip up or down an octave, for instance. This can be imitated of course but such effects are incredibly hard to execute on the guitar. You can find a partial transcription of the solo here and watch my performance of it here.

Improvisation VI - "Like Someone in Love" Part 3

In keeping with my aim of altering the key of each exercise while preserving the fret range, this month’s improvisation exercise features the song “Like Someone in Love” in the key of B major arpeggiated between the 6th and 10th frets inclusively.

As a reminder, the rules of this exercise are:

1. Arpeggiate the chords of a song in 8th notes within a five-fret range of the guitar.

2. Starting on the lowest available chord tone in that range (in this case, A#, the seventh of a B major 7 chord) and arpeggiate upward. Change directions only when the next chord tone falls outside of the five-fret range.

While the purpose of this exercise is to improvise according to the above rule, some find it helpful to read through a reference exercise. You can find one chorus written out here and watch me perform it here.

Technique VI - Pentatonic Scales; Alternate E/B♭ Major - Two Strings

This month’s technical exercise further restricts the use of guitar strings, from three to only two. I mentioned last month that ‘turning around’ on a string is the most demanding part of these exercises for my right hand. Well, by restricting myself to playing on only two strings, I am forcing myself to ‘turn around’ on every string I play.

Playing one pair of strings at a time also considerably shortens the exercise and so my performance, which you can view here, and transcription, which you can download here, include examples starting on a few different strings.

The rules for this exercise are:

1. Using three notes per string, play an E pentatonic scale starting on the guitar’s second string or the lowest sounding string of any pair of adjacent strings.

2. When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (B-C♯-E, switch strings, E-F♯-G♯).

3. Every two strings switch to the pentatonic scale a tritone away and change direction (the first switch will be from E to B♭ pentatonic).

4. When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.

Ear Training VI - Echoing Two Randomly Generated Notes

This month’s ear training exercise is a simple incremental increase over last month’s. Rather than one note being played at a time, in this exercise two notes will be played in a row. The task is then to repeat those two notes in the intervening silence. With this exercise I can really tell when I am losing my focus. It is not so much that I miss particular two note combinations but that I will forget to listen for the interval between the last note I played and the first note the computer plays in the next sequence.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.