Improvisation Lesson

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guitargod
Mordell


   Hi Chaps, great to be here again! This lesson we are taking a look at improvisation.
I had some questions regarding improvising and where to get ideas, how to improvise, what scales to use etc. so I thought this would be an ideal way to bring my own ideas across.

The video on this page is an improvisation I made over a 2 chord loop. The two chords in question are from different keys and therefore we cannot play 1 scale that will fit over both the chords. When the chord changes, the scale must change with it. If this is a concept you haven’t tried before then be sure to take your time and really make sure you hit the right notes at the right time, if you get the scales mixed up it will sound awful!

The first thing we need to look at is the chord progression itself - here it is:

E minor11 | Eb Major9#11

Here is the interval formula for E minor11 - R b3 5 b7 9 11
and here is the interval formula for Eb Major9#11 - R 3 5 7 9 #11

First of all I will explain what a 9th and a #11 are. When we go up a scale 8 notes (assuming its a standard 7 note scale) we get back to the octave. Therefore a 9th is the same as a 2nd only 1 octave higher. So a #11 is a #4 - AKA b5.

When improvising over any chord we need to know that our note choices for improvising don’t clash with the notes in the chord. So the safest way to make sure is to choose a scale which contains the same intervals as the chord. I should mention that as well as scales we can improvise with many different approaches - Arpeggios, Pentatonics, Diads etc..
Lets take a look at our chord intervals and see which mode would fit with which chord. So first the E minor 11.. there are 3 minor modes in the major scale. Dorian, Phrygian and Aeolian. We cannot use phrygian with the E minor 11 chord because the chord contains a 9th whereas the scale contains a b2 - AKA b9. The result would be catastrophic! We can however use Dorian and also Aeolian.. I personally chose dorian because it has a edgy and bluesy feel to it... and also because its transition into the next chord seems smoother.

The next chord is Eb Major9#11... there is only one mode of the major scale that contains both a #11 and natural 7 and that is the Lydian mode.

Throughout this lesson I will be talking you through my mental and theoretical approach to improvisation which will include thematic development and interval stacking.

This lesson is a little different in that I am encouraging you to improvise as opposed to learning a set solo, therefore I have outlined various concepts with a series of licks for you to try out and implement in your own way.

Good luck and speak soon!
Nick



E Dorian.jpg

Eb Lydian.jpg


     Lesson Questions, Feedback & Comments



Kristofer Dahl
post 18th March 2008


GMC Founder & Rocker


This is a really cool improvisation - and some great advice inside - thanks Nick! biggrin.gif
mattacuk
post 18th March 2008


Lets go fishing!


Sounds fantastic !! great playing Nick smile.gif
Tuubsu
post 18th March 2008


Member


Sounds great and a good topic for lesson! smile.gif
Trond Vold
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Excellent smile.gif Love the improv
Nick Kellie
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


thanks chaps... hope it helps give you some ideas.

nick smile.gif
Nemanja Filipovic
post 18th March 2008


Singing Instructor


great lesson Nick...
Siggum
post 18th March 2008


Member


Though i am unable to listen to this while at work, the topic is exciting and i cant wait to hear this lesson smile.gif
Bogdan Radovic
post 18th March 2008


Bass Instructor


Great lesson Nick and cool ideas inside! smile.gif
Joe Kataldo
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Cool I'm sure you are a Frank Gambale fun biggrin.gif
Muris Varajic
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Sounds great Nick! smile.gif
Dejan Farkas
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Great improvisation, sounds a bit like Satch smile.gif
Ivan Milenkovic
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Great lesson, lots of nice tips. Good job man! smile.gif
ItsMe
post 18th March 2008


Member


That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot !!
Juan M. Valero
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Amazing !!! love your great music taste wink.gif
Iluha
post 18th March 2008


Member


This is, in my opinion the BEST lesson of the site... I wish there were more lessons like this, that would teach things generally rather teach a set solo!

Thanks alot Nick, I really learned alot by watching this lesson smile.gif
Carlos Carrillo
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


excellent lesson nick!!!

thanks
Maximus
post 18th March 2008


Member


Very fresh lesson. Well done.
Gerardo Siere
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Excelent lesson, by the way whats the thing with the first two fretts of your guitar, it's some intonation stuff?
PhilipG
post 18th March 2008


Member


This is great Nick. Makes you view the fretboard in a really fresh way and has a real Frank Gambale edge to it. Look forward to more like it. Thanks a lot!!
Slammer
post 18th March 2008


Member


My First thought while watching this was: "Wow, this guy is a Real Pro".

I'm glad we have you at GMC Man, Great Lesson.
Marcus Siepen
post 18th March 2008


Instructor (Blind Guardian)


Awesome lesson Nick
eddiecat
post 18th March 2008


Member


Thank you, Nick.
I'm loving it!
Would be great to have such a lesson
about chordal progression too!
Supa-dupa!
Cheers, Eddie
Nick Kellie
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


wow thanks for the overwhelming compliments guys. Really cheered me up smile.gif
with regards to the first 2 frets being bent... Its a system called fretwave. In order for every note to be really in tune on the guitar, every fret would need to be positioned slightly differently, but the worst offending frets are 1st fret G string and 2nd fret B string.. so to compensate for their sharpness the fret is knocked back to make it more in tune. Works great and doesnt affect the playability and means that all the open chords are in tune.. no compromise. So now E chord and C chord are in tune at the same time smile.gif
all the best,
nick
ps...eddie- I will work on a lesson about chord progressions soon
Danilo Capezzuto
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


Great lesson Frank...ops...Nick!
Josiah
post 18th March 2008


Member


Thanks Nick, excellent choice for a lesson, and well done!
Hisham Al-Sanea
post 18th March 2008


Instructor


good work Nick.nice impro.
Pablo Vazquez
post 19th March 2008


Instructor


Very cool man!! Great Lesson!
fatb0t
post 19th March 2008


Member


Very clear and understandable, makes a lot of sense! thanks man
Alejandro Piñero
post 19th March 2008


Instructor


good lesson nick!!
Zizi Top
post 20th March 2008


Member


really cool lesson man
i didn't get the ascending and descending 4th sequence .... sometimes i think that i get it but then i figure out that i didn't .. i can continue it by ear but i would really like to no it's secret though smile.gif
Pi38
post 20th March 2008


Member


Very cool. The beginning kinda reminds me of John Mayer.
Nick Kellie
post 20th March 2008


Instructor


glad everyone is enjoying the lesson.
Zizi Top - let me explain what 4ths are first.... its basically a way of sequencing the notes in the scale. When you play through a scale, rather that always going to the next note, you would skip to its 4th (the note you are on is 1, the next 2, next 3 and the following note is 4). So here is how a C major scale would be played normally - C D E F G A B... but in 4ths it would go like this: C F - D G - E A - F C and so on... So you see I am going up 4 from each note rather than always going straight to the next note... Ascending 4ths is just the same thing in reverse.
hope this helps,
Nick
Zizi Top
post 21st March 2008


Member


wow, quite tricky, i really like how it sounds.
Thanks man, really helped me wink.gif
Nick Kellie
post 21st March 2008


Instructor


anytime dude smile.gif

Nick
ItsMe
post 21st March 2008


Member


Hi,
this lesson is realy great.
What about a general lesson on scale (mode)harmonisation.
Nick Kellie
post 22nd March 2008


Instructor


thank you itsme - Yes that would be good.. do you mean the process of how to harmonize a scale in chords etc ? I think that would be an excellent idea
ItsMe
post 24th March 2008


Member


Yes that's what I mean. I got into that topic some time ago but it’s still hard for me to visualize modes as harmonized chord scales. At least in a more systematic way.
Lian Gerbino
post 2nd May 2008


Instructor


great sound man! nice.
Nick Kellie
post 3rd May 2008


Instructor


thanks! glad you liked it.
nick


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