Scale patterns/How to use?

[RHBoy]

Hi,

I hear many players doing this-playing a start/hint of a melody then a flurry of notes. If I understand correctly, these players are using scale patterns or memorized licks to accentuate or actually substitute for the melody. Is this correct? How is this done? I have noticed some G patterns in the tabledit exercise files-is this a good place to start? Can someone point me to an exercise/book/dvd that can help me get this concept from my head to my fingers? Or am I missing it completely? Any help would be appreciated-Thanks in advance.

Jeff

[groveland]

Is this correct?

Yes!

How is this done?

One way to see it is, scales are really 7-note chords. For example, a G major scale is the chord GABCDEF#. A G major chord, GBD, is really a subset of a larger set of notes. It's a three-note fragment of GABCDEF (G major), and many other scales: CDEFGAB (C major), CDEFGAB (C melodic minor), even D#E#F##D#A#BC## (D# harmonic major)!

So if there's a G chord, as in the example, you will play a scale that has the G chord notes in it. The low-hanging-fruit would be the G major scale, in this case, but there may be many other options.

If there are other chords in the tune in addition to the G triad, the scale options may be pared down. Maybe 3 chords in a row might be a subset of a single scale, but then chord number 4 is from another scale entirely. You would switch scales for that other chord.

Also, the more notes in the chord, the fewer the options. Like adding a fourth note to your G major triad, making it perhaps a G7 (GBDF) would be less ambiguous, and fewer scales would contain all four notes.

But I wouldn't worry about all that now. Just be aware of it and get the general idea. The scale choices contain the chord.

Really, start here...

I have noticed some G patterns in the tabledit exercise files-is this a good place to start?

That's a great place to start. Learn what others have done, and get out there playing. The rest will come together eventually.

[Don Stiernberg]

Scales played in patterns form the basis for improvisational vocabulary. They're also good for your chops as warmup exercises, technique solidification, and the like.

here's a very common one in G:

G-A-B-G, A-B-C-A, B-C-D-B, C-D-E-C,D-E-F#-D,E-F#-G-E,F#-G-A-F#, G

I like that one because it also gets you hearing parts of the chords of the harmonized G major scale: G, Am, Bm, C, D(7), Em, F#(m7b5), G. Record or have a friend play those chords and hear how they correspond to each group of four notes.

Here's another G one. Notice here how rearranging the order of the notes in the scale has you using the melodic tools of the scaletones, but not sounding as if you're "running the scale':

G-B-A-C-B-D-C-E-D-F#-E-G-F#-A-G

Now you're ready to get even more mileage--play these in more than one octave, and all over the fretboard, in all the keys. Then vary the rhythms. Triplets are a good starting point for that. And tremolo. Don't allow any buzzy or ghost-type notes. Soon enough your technique loosens up and you also learn where things are on the fretboard. Shifting these patterns to a closed fretting position(no open strings) speeds this along. Start with A major. When you're done with that, you know them all!Moving that position to a different fret yields another key--patterns stay the same.

So here's another favorite, this time in A. We'll be starting on the second fret E on the D string. Open strings are OK for starters, then try an all-fretted version later. Your pinky will thank you.

E-C#-A, F#-D-B, G#-E-C#,A-F#-D,B-G#-E,C#-A-F#,D-B-G#,E-C#-A,F#-D-B. G#-E-C#-...A.

again, you're hearing the chords: A-Bm-C#m-D-E(7)-F#m-G#(m7b5)-A..Bm, C#m..A


I hope these little workouts are pertinent to your question.

[craig.collas]

Hi Jeff
Ted Eschliman's book 'getting into jazz mandolin' covers the scale issue rather well. Not just for jazz either. Check him out on http://www.jazzmando.com the web site has some great exercises and good all round mandolin.

[groveland]

...It's a three-note fragment of GABCDEF (G major), and many other scales: CDEFGAB (C major), CDEbFGAB (C melodic minor), even D#E#F##D#A#BC## (D# harmonic major)!...

Ooops.

Can't let false info linger out there for others to stumble over!

[Pete Martin]

Hi,

I hear many players doing this-playing a start/hint of a melody then a flurry of notes. If I understand correctly, these players are using scale patterns or memorized licks to accentuate or actually substitute for the melody. Is this correct? How is this done? Can someone point me to an exercise/book/dvd that can help me get this concept from my head to my fingers?

Jeff

I recently wrote an instruction book on one way this is done (keep in mind there are many ways to do this). It is called "Mandolin and Fiddle Improvisation Using The Chord Tone Scale" and you can download it free at my web site.

[John McGann]

Great info from the Café Mando Monsters!

Please forgive me if this seems overly obvious, but one thing to keep in mind whenever you touch fingers to instrument:

You are creating melody.

When you learn patterns, you are learning "sequential melodic snippets". Sequence is when you take an idea and repeat it through different pitch levels. Let's say we have a scale with notes numbered 1234567.

A sequence might start with 1231. When you play 2342 you are repeating the sequence (starting pitch-next highest-next highest-starting pitch again).

You can juggle many different patterns this way- but they are all 'melodic sequences' that practiced on their own lead you to great flexibility and dexterity- but if you improvise with them too much, you'll be playing 'mechanically'. JS Bach is a master of sequences that have great musical impact; they don't sound mechanical or 'exercise-ish'.

Improvisation is about creating melody the same way that writing a tune is about creating melody. Just a good thing to keep in mind...