FOREWORD Hello and welcome to ‘Epic Fusion’! This package is mainly aimed at guitar players that need something of a challenge in terms of improvisation. Rock players looking to further develop their soloing skills will find this particularly challenging but it is by no means limited to that genre of player. At the heart of this lesson are 5 fusion style backing tracks which I have graded in terms of relative difficulty; BT1 being the ‘easiest’ and BT5 the most’difficult’. I have also recorded 5 video solo examples for each backing track to show you my specific approach to improvising over them. Each solo is fully transcribed in both PDF and Guitar pro format. Additionally, I have included the chord charts for each backing track and in the full video lesson I explain which scales I use over each chord. I have purposely chosen changes which aren’t too outlandish and that contain closely related scales to help you really get to grips with changes playing in this kind of fusion style. With that being said, soloing over these backing tracks is no easy task, especially if you want to do it well! I hope you enjoy the material I have presented for you and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at any time if you have any questions. I can be reached via the contact page at my website: www.rick-graham.co.uk. Best of luck and happy improvising!
August 2012
SCALE CHOICES When soloing over this Krantz style-backing track (I wrote it being heavily inspired by Wayne Krantz), I like to think of it in two sections. In the first section my scale of choice as used in the solo example would be A Dorian:
However, I like to use the extensions (9 t h , 11 t h , 13 t h ) very carefully here making sure that I am always following the
chords as they occur. A very useful approach is to use Aminor pentatonic as a main framework and then simply add in your extensions as and when you feel you want to. I find that a common problem when improvising, particularly amongst rock players, is to rely too heavily on ‘key centres’ when soloing. This can be a very effective tool but doesn’t give you specifics when it comes to individual chords and because of this, players can easily lose direction when soloing. With that said, always keep the harmony at the forefront of your mind and it goes for every example here. In the second section, the main change comes on the F5add13 chord and at this point on I play A Aeolian:
To capture the sound of the change it is essential that you highlight the difference between A Dorian and A Aeolian, which is a major 6 t h to a minor 6 t h .
SCALE CHOICES As with BT1, BT2 comes in two distinct sections. My scale of choice for the 1 s t section is E Aeolian:
Again though, I tend to use the minor pentatonic scale as my main framework and add any extensions that I wish to, being sure that I’m always following the chords along the way. As stated before, progressions like this can be a minefield for guitarists if they don’t follow each chord as it occurs. In the second section, things get a little bit more interesting. I would still use E Aeolian over the first E5 chord. Over the following C9b5 chord I use C Lydian Dominant:
Lydian Dominant is the 4 t h mode of the melodic minor scale and in this case the parent melodic minor scale is G melodic minor:
And over the Aminor7 chord I would be thinking A Dorian:
This is essentially the same as E Aeolian but playing from the same root as the chord makes it easier for me to follow the chord when improvising.
SCALE CHOICES With BT3, I decided to take more of a modal approach to the changes. I also use what I like to call ‘Parallel Perspective’ which is essentially taking a tonal centre and changing the scale/mode around that tonal centre. It makes comparing scales much easier and helps to identify notes, which capture the essence of the chord change(s). Over the Amin11 chord my scale of choice would be A Dorian:
And over the Amaj9 chord I would play A Lydian:
This sequence repeats until we come to the Asus4b9 chord over which I would play A Phrygian:
Upon return of the Amaj9 chord I would go for A Ionian (A Lydian works but I prefer this over Lydian at this point):
The Amin6add9 chord calls for A Dorian. Over the A7sus4 chord I use an Eminor pentatonic scale which helps to reinforce the suspended sound as it contains a 2 n d and a 4 t h against A (with no 3 r d ):
And finally over the A7 we have A Mixolydian. Be sure to resolve the 4 t h degree to the 3 r d for maximum effect:
SCALE CHOICES BT4 has two distinct sections and in the first we have what could be viewed as a VI – V – IV – V chord progression. Scale wise I would be thinking E Aeolian:
As before though, I never think in terms of one scale over the whole progression but rather as individual chords so I can target chord tones or embellish the chords as each one goes by. So, even though theoretically I would be playing notes which belong in the same, one scale, I am in control of the note choice in relation to the underlying harmony .
The second section is a little more challenging to improvise over. The Cmaj7sharp5 requires the use of a C Lydian Augmented scale:
This scale is the 3 r d mode of A melodic minor scale:
And for the A13sus4b9 chord my scale of choice would be A Dorianb9 scale:
Which is the 2 n d mode of the G melodic minor scale:
SCALE CHOICES Finally we arrive at BT5 which I have graded as being the most difficult to solo over. The track, just like the majority of the others, has 2 distinct sections. The first contains 2 min/maj9 chords which are a whole tone apart. For these chords my scale of choice would be the melodic minor scale.
Firstly, B melodic minor over the Bmin/maj9 chord:
Followed by A melodic minor for the Amin/maj9 chord:
As for the second section, over the F#sus4b9 Chord I would play F#Phrygian:
And over the E13sus4b9 chord I would play E Dorianb9 scale:
Which is the 2 n d mode of D melodic minor scale:
AFTERWORD I very much hope that the material that I have prented to you has been useful in your journey as a guitarist and musician. I really enjoyed putting everything together for you and had a great time soloing over the backing tracks. Please spend as much time as you can picking the solos apart and using the ideas within them to create your own ideas. Even with just one phrase there are so many paths you can explore to create your own phrases so never stop exploring and remember to be as creative as possible with both the rhythmic and melodic content. I’ve discussed the perspectives that I take when it comes to improvisation and it’s important to find perspectives that work for you. Perspective is a very important word in this context and can make all the difference to your playing and creative thinking. Explore as much as you can!
Thanks and good luck,
Rick
