Vol.4 - Mastering Improvisation

The Complete

Jazz Guitar Method

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JODY fiSHER

The Complete Jazz Guitar Method Beginning. Intermediate· Mastering Chord /Melody· Mastering Improvisation

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JODY FISHER

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Alfred, th e leade r in educational publishing. and the

National Guitar Workshop. one of America's finest guitar SGt;ools, have jo ined forces to bring you the best. most

progressive educational tools possible. We hope you will enjoy this book and encou rage you to look for other fine

products from Alfred and the Natio nal Guitar Workshop.

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, Copyrlgh/ C MCM XCV Alfred PubIJsfW)g Co" lne. All nghts reserved. Pnnlcd In USA

Acqut$IIICn. fId.I~I. muse; ' )'pftumng. ... renor des'f1'I N.Ir..NtII GI..nxt, WorlOll: MIChIJIII A/I8in. Workshop Arts Cover pII% Jeff OShIro ' c-erdeqm; Ted E.,bJrltlManhfl WlClm.fIIl CoIlsull"'!1 editor. Unk ~msberper. AlflfIfJ Publtshttfl

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR ................................................................................................. .. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ S

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J6 18 .i.t;, .-~'J Lenon Lenon Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson

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I: The MelodIC M,I'IOf' Sale 2: The Modes of the Melodic MII'IOf' Sale 1: ArpeggIOs In the Melodic M,nor Snle 4. The HumonIC MIIlOI'Sale 5: The Modes of the Harmonic MII'IOf' 5ule 6: Arpeu'os in the HarmOl'1lC MInor Sale

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Lenon I: Chord Supenmpomioo _ _ _ " __ '_'~_ "'_"' ____ ~""M' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Lesson 2: Melodoc Plttems B.ued Around Arpegpn Lesson 1. Melodic Plttems Sued Around Chord ShIpes _

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Chapter " -Eigh t-Tone Scales

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The Elght·Tone ii·V? SCale ___ ._N.~ ~ ~ ~ ~.~._~ The Elght·Tone 1 Sc:a.le __._.. _. ___ ._._.. __ ~ .. _...... _.. _. ____ •__ .. ______ ..

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Table 0( Contents

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Cliii)ter' S ~ConncctlngYour Idcu

~'" Lc~o~ I:Thc- Ch;omnic Connectl, .., LC Hon 2; Lesson] LeHon" Lenon 5 Leno n 6

Accentv~un&

lhe DIfference Belween Keys .. Repnl,ng ~n tdn ,n D,fferent Oct;Jves . RhythmIC Mowfcs, ,, ..................... Melo dIC ConnectIon ..... Oiatonic Connection ......... "................ .

CODA--A Me dley of Suggestion! ond Musical C o ncepu Play'"g on Ihe ExtenSIons Usm& Adv~nced Pent;Jtonin ........ PI~y'n& on the EJnensoons Us.ng Tones From I] Chon; Pl1yon& W,th Wider Intervals . SymmetriCal Mo tIves ..

:'. . ' ; ~:'i.~, r?;,::· ,t>:"'S5-. \K;~·7?~1j . ___ ,,. _ .~._ •. _., .,;;". ..... 7' ,. _ · .·,~·:rr: :...-. ..!L . , ~;t .................................... 55 ..... 57 ...... S9

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62 ....... 62

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A compact disc is available for each book in th is series. Thes e discs can moke Icarning with these baoks cosier ond m ort' enjoyable. This sym .' "I will appear ncxt to every example that is o n th e :0. Use the CO to h . iJ insure that you are capturing the feel of t he examples, interpreOng the rhythms correctly, and so on. The Track num !..crs below the symbols correspond directly t o the example you wont t o hear. Trock / will help you tu ne to the CD. H a ve fun!

Table of Contents

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ABOUT TH( AUTHOR Jody Fish!!,. h~s worked profeu lon~lIy in ... irtu~Jly all $tries of music during his career, from stnight-ahead ;and contempor.ary jnz, to rock 'n' roll, country. pop and show tunes. He uught Guitar and JUI Studies :It the University of Redlands ttl Southern California and ;at the Idyllwild School of Music and (he Arts (ISOMATA). An active performer tn the Southern Cillifornia area. he still mainQins

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priViltC! teill ching pMlCtice. serves on the fac-

ulty of the University of u. Verne, ilnd ;n an ISSOClue director of the National GUitar Summer Workshop's California ~lnd N:l5lwille campuses Jody Fisher is the lurnal'" o f the Guilor Mode Encyclopedia, also published by the Nuional GuiurWorkshop and A1(red.

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About the Aumor

INTRODUUION GUItar students typically spend a lot of time looking around for informulon that will take them to a higher level. When I was growing .'p. it was very dIfficult to learn how to play jazz. There were no instructional videos, and the books that were available were just not very helpful. There were no gui tar Khools. Most students we re self-taught and some loo k tenons. but really good teachers were very hard to find. I w;u lucky-rve had some great teachers. Today. there are videos, books, guiur schools, upes, CDs and very ulented tuchers all over the place. But there is nili something missing: books thu give a complete overview of whu you need to know to become a proficient juz guitarist. Hope fully, this seriu fills that gap. A,ny student wh o suru with Ikeinnin:jau Guitar and proceeds through the entire series will be exposed to most of what they need to know to play jan guiur. You will find some complelC subje~.

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A litde less obvious is the dlmmished scale's use over altered dom inant chords. When we

apply the d iminished sule to altered dominant chords (excluding the =5, since the dlmished scale has a 15). we play the scale whose root is one half step higher than the root of the chord. For instance, play an A~ Diminished scale over an altered G Dominan t chord. Example 5 shows ho w the ~S (or :11). ~.and '9 are included in the Kale. (D~)

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me chords thiS scale can be used over. G7:9

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Part of your t raining as a jazl! musIcian IS to learn to recognrze the sound of altered tOnes in chords, This will help you know which sCiles to use and whn notes to emphisize. Ear.training ·h beyond the scope of this book. but it IS well worth your time to investigne this subject thoroughly.

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"The scale tones as related to the G dominant chord.

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Chapter I_Improvising Over Altered Dominant Chords

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Here are (our fingerings for the diminished scale In G. Memorize and prOlCllce them with melodic patterns that you kno w. Also.lun spend some tIme noodh ng around WIth them. This wilt help you get aquainted with the sound.

THE G DIMINISHED SCALE

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These fingerings requ ire quite a few shifts from one position to another. When pruticing shifts, try to make it sound like there wu no shift 'll 'lIt Do not slide into position or lessen the time value of ilny nOle to get to t he neKl no te in time. If you ilre Shifting from your fourth finger to your first finger on t he same string. listen to how it sounds when you pl.lly the first note WI th your first fi nger and the second note with your third finger. Then try to duplicate that sound with the correct fingering. Your listener should no t be able [0 he.llr the ShIrL Some plOlyers prefer to look at th is scale as the "half_whole" scale when It Is used o ver .lIitered dominant chords. The sule still alternates whole seeps and half steps. it's just that you start with a half step instead o f a whole seep. as in the diminished sule. If you prefer this way of thinking, then the scale would begin on the roOt of the Olltered dominant chord instead of .ll hOlif-step above. It's a matter o f personal preference. ExperimenL

CNpter I-Improvising Over Altered Dominant Cht.>rds

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L Here Is a sampling o f licks based on the d iminished 5c~le . Memo n:c the ones you like ~ n d U~rt us ing t hem oyer d iminished ~nd ~rtered domin~nt chords In your so los. The ublnurc proYided sho ws only one of t he possible fingerings for these licks. Experimen t pbYlng them In ~n possible finge rings. Try mJking up Ilcb of your own, too.

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Here are several licks bued on the super Icerian sule. Tr;anspose them to all possible keys .lind sun using them in your solos. ElCpenment with d,fferent fingerings. too.

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Chapter I- Improvising Oyer Altered Dominant Chords

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diminished. whole tone 'I'd super toenan scales shoulJ be conSIdered b.uic. lnrn these well and you wIn find chern useful in almon every s.[uuion where altered chords ne present. Ve t eran juzen Tal Farlow. Wes Mont80m . ery. John Scofield and Pu Metheny all use these sounds. listen to alot of jazz played on .1111 instruments OInd you w ill become bmlhar w ith these devices.

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Chapter I-Improvising Over Altered Domlnam Chords

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T his is :II umple solo based o n the fi rst sixteen b"'n or How H'lh [he Moon . It utihlCS the dim inished, w hole tone and super locriiln sales. Experiment with the fingerings!

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