software

i was just thinking-dont most of the pros base their improvisation over chord tones rather than modes or scales?

How can i start working on this kind of stuff?

Yea.. that was what i was thinking. I dont think a piece of improvisation will sound as melodic by just using scale/mode. I read a book that reccomends guitarist to emphasize chord tones and use other notes of the scale/mode as passing tone. And that you can easily differentiate someone who plays using both scale/mode and chord tone as it goes with the song. I believe that the intro of Sweet Child O' Mine uses them?

how can i practice this, or get more familiar with it?

I believe jazz players are some of the only ones to do this. They still use modes, they just switch modes along with the underlying chords, rather than using a root mode for the whole solo. It's pretty complicated figuring out which mode to use under which chord. Maybe some jazz players will chime in.

Modes and scales are used to build chords... Thereby, you are ALWAYS using a given scale or mode to play leads.... Some peopel spend tooo much time analyzing the scales, and not enough on chords or practicing them... others spend too much time on chords, and not enough on scales and practicing... and still others have a delicate balance of understanding the relationship of scales and chords, and spend the right amount of time analyzing each and practicing them ALL....

I just want to be able to play OVER chord changes well. I know how to hit target notes that reflect the chord that is being played, but a better understanding of improvising using chord tones would help me make my soloing method 'tighter'.

Is it a good idea to map out scales according to the chord tones being played? Like a C7 for example-you have a root, a 5th, a 3rd, and a 7th (right?). I should try to use those tones to form a line that sounds right for that chord, instead of just rambling around on a pentatonic scale.

Well just got back from a jazz lesson. Mostly working on some crazy chords but we talked a little about soloing. The chords are VERY important in jazz soloing. Holy cow this guys solos have melody! I need to work on this skill myself.

chord tones and modes and scales are the same thing more or less. It's kind of hard to explain. You shouldn't look at them as two different things. That's one of the keys to jazz playing. You should be able to identify the intervals in chords, and then when you think about scales/modes, forget about patterns and use intervals. As long as you know intervals you know all the scales and modes all over the fretboard even if you don't know the patterns. That really goes for all styles of playing.

It's important to know these things but on some level you have to be able to play a line over the given chord progression and know intuitively that quot;yes, this sounds good/no it stinksquot; or quot;this is good, but that is even betterquot;.

This is what I meant in another mode thread when I said you have to not merely know the modes intellectually but to feel them. They should trigger a certain vibe or mood, even almost have a taste in your mouth. Feeling the modes will affect your playing by changing your phrasing, attack, playing slightly behind/ahead of the beat, where you hit the string with the pick, etc. Not feeling them will affect your playing by making it sound mechanical.

yeah i see what you all mean about the modes vs chords-they're the same thing, except modes and scales are pre programmed so to speak.

How can i work on getting more familiar with intervals and being able to traverse the fretboard, and know where i am going according to the chords being played? What's a good progression to practice this on?


Originally Posted by Quencho092yeah i see what you all mean about the modes vs chords-they're the same thing, except modes and scales are pre programmed so to speak.

How can i work on getting more familiar with intervals and being able to traverse the fretboard, and know where i am going according to the chords being played? What's a good progression to practice this on?

To be honest with you, I can't suggest anything for that. Maybe some other guys could. For me it just just a conglomerate of years of lessons.

most of my skills come from sitting in front of my computer and looping my favorite songs/jam tracks and trying to comp over them and make lines. Then i've built most of my repertoire from loads of guitar pro files. The past year, most of my new skills have come from jamming with my band and improvising/song writing.

I'm just out to expand the territory or my approach on the fretboard. Or at least find a method to master what i already know about playing over chord changes.