Scale Choices

[JGuitar]

Hi there

Please could someone give me some ideas for scale choices to solo over the following chords E5 C5 F5 G5

I am looking for a metal type sound, maybe a little eerie sounding.


When I try to improvise over this, it comes out way too blues sounding.


thanks!!

[Shred Fan]

For an Eerie 'Egyptian' like sound, try the E Phyrgian Scale. A Minor should also work quite well and you could try A Pentatonic minor but that would be to blues sounding which you said you don't want.

[JGuitar]

Thanks Shredfan!!

Do you recon E Phrygian will work over the entire progression?
Haven't managed to try it yet.

[forgottenking2]

You could also try switching scales in the middle of the progression for instance one of the things I would do (not meaning at all that it would be the best choice or the only one) is if the progression repeats itself 4 times... (if they give you that much of a solo spot... bandmates aren't that nice sometimes :D )

E Phrygian dominant E minor(Pentatonic if you want)
E5 C5 F5 G5

E Gypsy F Lydian
E5 C5 F5 G5


E Phrygian dominant F Lydian
E5 C5 F5 G5

E minor E diminished
E5 C5 F5 G5

Try it out and see if it works for you... that's what I used to do back when I was a metal freak, also try and mix up arpegios along with scalar lines.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

[JGuitar]

That gives me a lot of choices, thanks Jorge!!
I will give all the suggestions a try.

Please could you give me some suggestions on the use of the diminshed? I usually struggle with applying it over chords.

Thanks

[forgottenking2]

The diminished scale, just like the augmented chromatic and whole tone scales are specially "designed" to create tension the way it seems to work the best (at least for me) is instead of playing the pattern in order (semitone, tone, semitone, tone, etc <E F G Ab Bb etc>) I break it into arpegios (after all the diminished scale can be considered as 2 diminished 7 chords overimposed <Like in the example we're considering: E E dminished can be formed by overimposing E dim7 and F dim7) I normaly use triads (although you can experiment with bigger arpeggios)... the actual application to the song deppends on what the others are playing, you said you wanted a metal sound, so my guess is you have an open E string groove or riff; if it's a riff play attention to the notes included in that riff and try playing a complementary line using the diminished scale remember what intervals are consonant and what ones are disonant and just experiment until you find the results you want. If it's an open E string grove you have a lot more options... I think that's about it. Just try it and see what you like and dislike.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

[JGuitar]

Thanks Jorge!!!!

[forgottenking2]

No problem man, that's what we're here for, right? :)