Practical Scalar Practice
Q: I’ve been reading a lot of posts online and doing searches about which scales work over what chords. I’ve found a lot of good information, but I’m not really sure how to actually practice and internalize the information once I have it. Any advice?
A: This is something that I’ve been working on with my students at PSU (Portland State University) lately. We’ve been exploring the use of melodic minor (and related modes) as well as symmetrical diminished scales. The attached PDF is a rough version of how I encourage them to approach (and how I personally approach) getting used to thinking of X scale over Y chord.
Using any given tune (we’ll use Stella By Starlight here, as it’s a great tune for practicing minor ii-V’s), I have them map out where they can use certain scales they’d like to explore within the changes. In this example, I’ve written a scale for every chord, however I emphasized the Melodic Minor and Symmetrical Diminished options.
NOTE: If I was doing this for myself, I’d probably reduce the clutter and only write in the chords that were giving me problems, or the chords that specifically related to what I wanted to focus on. Leaving the rest to spontaneity and keeping the page free of clutter so I don’t get distracted.
I tell the students to practice this both in time and out of time. Practicing things out of time and at your own pace allows you to more fully explore certain sounds and chord types without having to jump to a new chord so quickly. Playing each scaler option over a held chord, looped chord, etc. can be very useful in internalizing how the mode sounds over that chord type and giving you time to explore the shapes and sounds inherent to that mode.
I also encourage them to explore each scale possibility from any related mode (in other words, to not just think G melodic minor from the E-7(b5), but also:
- E Locrian natural 2
- F# super locrian
- G melodic minor
- A dorian b2
- Bb Lydian Augmented
- C Lydian Dominant
- D Mixolydian b6
I know that each of us tends to gravitate towards certain shapes and we may be more comfortable with Lydian Dominant than we are dorian b2, for example. So, over an E-7b5, you can pick any of the related modes and play that shape, from that root note (as written above as relating to G Melodic minor).
Because of this, I have them pick two or three of the modes that they like the sound of the best, or can see the shape of the best and then explore those modes with full focus and intentionality.
Here’s an example of a homework assignment I gave some students just today:
- Pick 2 or 3 melodic minor modes that you like
- Develop and notate (put on paper) 3 different minor ii-V licks using melodic minor on the ii, symmetrical diminished over the V7b9 and resolving to the minor I chord.
- Develop and notate (put on paper) 3 different minor ii-V licks using melodic minor on the ii, the altered scale (super locrian) over the V7b9 and resolving to the minor I chord.
- Do a chord scale study of “Stella” using all available options for modes as relating to the minor ii-V’s
Note that, in the homework, I make mention of the fact that you could also play the altered scale (or super locrian – 7th mode of melodic minor) over the V7b9 chords. This is true and fully worth exploring, however I, personally, prefer the sound of symmetrical diminished over that chord so I have them explore all of the options and decide what they think sounds the best to them.
Feel free to print out this PDF and write in each of the scales for each chord, if you like. This is a nice way to see similarities between the scaler options available to you.
So, in short… there is no quick and easy way, but there is any number of thorough ways to explore this type of stuff. It just takes:
- A lot of time and/or research with regard to figuring out what scales are available to you
- Even more time exploring the sound of each scale
- Even more time playing through tunes with this kind of intentionality in order to really internalize these things!
I also keep a little cheat sheet by my desk of certain chord types that have given me fits and what scales I could use over them (as well as different “cheats” as to how I can think of it or remember what to play). Print this out and continue the work and add your own.
Have a question for Damian Erskine? Send it to [email protected]. Check out Damian’s instructional books, Right Hand Drive and The Improviser’s Path.
Thank you for this… it is priceless… love your lessons… thank you…
Thanks man!
Here is a question I was emailed and my response to it. Thought it was worth publicizing as many may have a similar view or thought about this highly technical article….
I encourage further discussion! ;)
EMAIL RECEIVED:
I read what you suggested to this persons question and wanted to ask you a question.
Could you play a solo thinking of none of what you suggested.Just play a solo.From your heart.Never mind scales just off the melody in your head and as a musician knowing the harmony that “sounds” when you playing that melody.Improvising of that?
What are you trying to make happen? A thesis of a solo for the scholarly.Or one that someone can just go “yes”.
Exploring all those scales will get you close to a sound sourse when you internalize them but are you sure that that’s the way to capture the heart of the music and the heart of the improvisor? And the heart of the listener?
MY RESPONSE:
The most complete musicians marry both the technical or mathematical side of music AND the ears. Nobody could say Coltrane or Steve Coleman weren’t playing from the heart, but they would be NOWHERE near where they not to explore the technical side of scaler playing. And, what if someone just puts a tough tune in front of you on a gig? You going to “hear or “feel” your way through an unfamiliar bebop tune? No, you need to have studied chords and their applications in order to instantly be able to navigate difficult changes, etc…
This is geared towards PRACTICE! Jazz practice, specifically. The ideal is that you spend a lot of time exploring harmony and what you could do over any given chord type in a thoughtful way and then, in real time on the gig, that exists in your sub-conscious mind and you just play. I’m certainly not thinking of this stuff like that when I’m on a gig and playing a tune at tempo. But, that stuff is there because I’ve worked on it. Practice is for doing what you can’t yet do and exploring music from different angles in order to have a more complete perspective and a more well-rounded capacity for music making.
I find that a lot of folks who complain about not wanting to get deep into scales or thinking about chord tones, etc.. and just want to “feel” it or play from the heart often can only play certain types of music well. Jazz is a study. Bird, Coltrane, Miles, Chick, Scofield, Metheny, etc.. would spend HOURS most every day exploring this stuff. They are also some of the most “from the heart” jazz musicians that have ever existed.
If you are playing funk, blues, jam-band, etc… No, you don’t really need to get that deep into this stuff. No need to get “mathy” but, if you really want to explore playing freely over changes? Yeah, you need to fully explore the harmonic possibilities available to you.
If you never force yourself out of your box by exploring alternate harmonic possibilities, it’s only harder to grow musically and gain a perspective other than the one you already have.
There certainly are players that are technically astounding and harmonically deep but (in my opinion) don’t play with much soul. That’s internal and you can’t practice playing with your heart and not the mind. I don’t think those players would be any more “soulful” had they not done the work they did, they just would be undeveloped technically in addition to feeling stiff (or what have you). Soulful players and soulful people will not lose the heart-felt nature of their music by having worked hard at understanding the technical sides of music.
I fear that your question is either coming from a place of fear or laziness. How working hard and pushing yourself in NEW ways could ever be a negative, I don’t know.
Don’t forget that we’re talking about jazz changes here. Not 2 or 3 chord funk vamps (although you could employ some of these concepts there, too if you wanted). These are exercises for people who want to explore more deeply, how to navigate melodic minor harmony. Most people don’t just “feel” that stuff. You have to push for it because you like the sound and having options… over jazz changes. That requires thought, intention and lots of time in the shed and playing with these ideas on jazz gigs.
I play in a TON of different bands and in a TON of different genre’s. No, I don’t play this stuff on a vast majority of the gigs I play. But practicing this stuff (when I’m PRACTICING) has been great for my jazz vocabulary when in that setting…
Like like like.
We must have a musical vocabulary and scales and arpeggios are how we learn to be conversant. If the mind, heart, or soul hear something, the vocabulary we’ve practiced will make it a reality.
Yes. Learning the language does nothing other than help further develop your ability to speak with your true voice!
wow vry nice.
Amazing lesson! Thanks alot Damian!
This is an information you don’t hear very often, and you sharing that with everyone is simply awesome.