Landing notes

[dwest2419]

Landing on notes of the chord tones seems like a safe thing to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...vHZ76gWg4&NR=1

Anyone know what program hes using to play a G major chord with a drum machine included in there

[Malcolm]

Landing on notes of the chord tones seems like a safe thing to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...vHZ76gWg4&NR=1

Anyone know what program hes using to play a G major chord with a drum machine included in there

An inexpensive 66 key keyboard (- $200 US) has memory cards where you can play progressions along with drums beats save them and then call them up to play over. Great tool to use as backing tracks.

There are also software packages such as TuxGuitar where you can write a backing track and then loop it to play over. TuxGuitar is free software. Others are not free, but, have more to offer.

Landing on the right note. Have you seen this?

Major Scale Box Pattern

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

Improvise - within a scale, going out if you want and then coming home by ending on a scale note, i.e. a leap to the 6th brings you back home. The 6 works well if you are improvising over major scales/chords, as the 6 is neutral in a major setting. He spoke of using Dorian's notes and coming home with the natural 6. The natural 6 is Dorian's characteristic note. Phrygian characteristic note is the b2, Improvise using Phrygian's notes - moving in and out of scale and then bringing everything back home using the b2 as a landing note. Mixolydian's is the b7, Lydian is the #4, forget about Locrian for now. Ionian is the major scale, it's characteristic note would be the natural 3 and Aeolian is the natural minor scale, it's note would be the b3 or the b6.

Have we given you this:

Scales - using the major scale box as a Rosetta Stone.
• Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7 Home base
• Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6 Leave out the 4 & 7
• Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 Major scale with the 3, 6 & 7 flatted.
• Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7 Leave out the 2 & 6.
• Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7 Minor pentatonic with the blue note b5 added.
• Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 Natural minor with a natural 7.
• Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Major scale with a b3.
Let the major scale be your home base then change a few notes and you have something different. No need to memorize a zillion patterns. Let the major scale pattern be your go to pattern - then adapt/adjust from there.

Major modes
• Ionian same as the Major Scale.
• Lydian use the major scale and sharp the 4 - yes, it’s that simple.
• Mixolydian use the major scale and flat the 7. Change one note.....
Minor Modes
• Aeolian same as the Natural Minor scale.
• Dorian use the Natural Minor scale and sharp the b6 back to a natural 6. Change one note.
• Phrygian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2. Again change one note.
• Locrian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2 and the 5. OK here you have to change two notes.

Have fun.