Backing tracks are all over the Internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4x0u...eature=related
I like the ones that give you the chord changes. Help yourself. I like this one because I'm electric bass and generic scale degree bass lines (R-b3-5-b7 or R-5-8-5, etc.) fit right in. Plus it's one of the jazz standards you are supposed to have in your bag of tricks. The song is in Em, Good luck playing the Em scale note for note and expecting great things to happen. If you want to play a mode over this, not your best choice of a backing track - look for something else. But, you could try the chord tone notes or the chord's pentatonic notes over each chord -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT0V5...eature=related Copy down the possible combination of "things" you could use.
Listen to this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehOx...feature=relmfu
Hal talked about four note phrases. Yep it helps. A scale or mode taken to the next octave note (the 8) has a total of 8 notes. Pause in the middle to let the melody breath then come back home using the chord's four note arpeggio. Try to get your four note phrases working.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB9CbmLBs7Q
Copy down the text that comes on the screen with this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0iZ1j00wSU
I've been messing around, on the keyboard, with what he said about improvising around the 3rds. Got possibilities. You gotta have something to base your improvisation upon. The tune's chord tones and using the 3rd as a place to leave and then come back to - is one way.
If you go Modes - check this out:
http://scottsbasslessons.com/welcome-to-the-shed
I really like the jamming tracks that are on the CD you got with your instruction book. The book gives you what you should try over this specific track.
My point -- having the track and then
not having a plan of what to do with that track is time wasted. You have to base your improvisation on something. The tune or the song's chords are a starting point. Play the tune and improvise around the 3rds. Or, at first follow the chords playing the chord's pentatonic scale or the chord tones over them. Pentatonic will give you three chord tones for harmonization and two passing notes for color. Pentatonic scales or chord tones and follow the chords is a safe step one. Of course all this is IMO.
Code:
Major Scale Box Pattern - showing chord tones
E|---7---|--R(8)-|-------|---2---| 1st string
B|-------|---5---|-------|---6---|
G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---|
D|---6---|-------|---7---|--R(8)-|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---| 6th string
That video of Autumn Leaves on the electric guitar - very similar to what we do on the bass - see if you can keep up with the music using some of what we do on the bass when soloing. Play chord tones. Root on 1 and if the song gives you room we add a 5 (R-5). Still have room the 8 is a safe addition (R-5-8-5). After that the correct 3 and 7 can come into the picture (R-3-5-7). The 3 if the chord is major and the b3 if it is minor. With the 7 if the chord is a maj7 the plain ole 7 and if it a dominant seventh or a minor seventh then the b7 fits (R-3-5-b7). That F#m7b5 is R-b3-b5-b7. Am7 is R-b3-5-b7. Measures with two chords you have two beats for each chord. R-5 or R-3 or b3 as the case may be, for each chord, will be all the time you have.
You've been working on your scales. Which is the correct thing to do, however, just scales by themselves is not the answer to what you asked. OK you have scales down, time to add chord tones into the mix.
Have fun, it's a journey.
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Originally Posted by Malcolm
