With this installment of Psycho Licks, I'm presenting the third of four installments of a monster lesson called “Walking Basslines Bonanza”! In case you missed the first two, all four of these installments will be geared towards developing walking basslines and using them in conjunction with chords—an often puzzling aspect of jazz guitar accompaniment (or solo jazz guitar)—to outline a G blues. For the curious, this approach is similar to the type of accompaniment I attempted to unload in a couple of the nutty “live” solo recordings (guitar & vocal) I've posted elsewhere on this site—namely the versions of “Twisted,” “Stray Cat Strut,” “Detour Ahead,” and “The Man That Got Away.” Feel free to earball those tracks, if you want to hear some “raw” examples of how these techniques can be implemented in a real-life performance situation...

Hopefully these four installments will help you become more technically adept at executing these types of complex figures, as well as provide a deeper understanding of how to improvise with them.

*****************************************

In Part 2 of this lesson (LICK #23), we practiced connecting inversions for each chord type in a basic G blues (G7, C7, and D7) using notes from each chord's respective “chord scale”—notes from the G, C, and D Mixolydian scales as can be found along the 6th string. Bassically, we used the scale tones to “fill in the blanks” between each chord's arpeggio notes (the scale's tonic, 3rd, 5th, and b7th), then used those chord tones as the foundation for plugging in one of four chord inversions.

But what if the spirit moves you (or you work yourself into a hole) and you need to grab a chord off of a non-chord scale tone (a note beyond that scale's tonic, 3rd, 5th, and b7th)? To be more specific: Say you're generating a walking bassline to outline a “G7” sound—its chord tones being G-B-D-F—and you need to grab a chord structured from one of G Mixolydian's remaining notes, A (the 2nd/9th), C (the 4th/11th), or E (the 6th/13th)?

To deal with this inevitable scenario, in this lesson we'll take a look at creating a “chord pop” safety net by harmonizing the Mixolydian scale in 4ths. Using this simple approach, you'll find that—from any single note within that scale—a chordal sound can be constructed. Let's get crackin'!

*****************************************

G MIXOLYDIAN (Harmonized in 4ths)

By taking the Mixolydian scale that corresponds to each domiunant seventh chord in a basic blues (e.g., G7, C7, and D7), taking every fourth note from it and stacking them on top of one another, you can arrive at an interesting sounding “modern” voicing that can be used in all sorts of scenarios. For instance, in the case of G Mixolydian (G-A-B-C-D-E-F), stacking the notes in 4ths from the note G (G-C-F-B-E-A) creates a G13 chord (w/add11), comprised of notes conveniently dispersed across *roughly* the same fret. By using that same process (stacking every fourth note) with each successive scale tone from G Mixolydian (from A: A-D-G-C-F-B, from B: B-E-A-D-G-C, from C: C-F-B-E-A-D, from D: D-G-C-F-B-E, from E: E-A-D-G-C-F, from F: F-B-E-A-D-G), you arrive at a harmonized version of this scale, using 4ths voicings exclusively. That provides you with a cool, modern sounding chord that's payable from any note within the Mixolydian scale, useable in instances where a regular dominant 7th chord inversion might not be accessible.

Of course, it's worth noting that building these voicings from a note found along the 6th string—when it contains all six strings—creates a somewhat “muddy” sound (e.g., too many notes!) For this reason, it helps to strip away some of these chords' excess fat! In the sections below, 4ths voicings with notes from either the 1st and 5th or 1st and 6th strings omitted will be presented from each of the three Mixolydian scales (G, C, and D Mixolydian) that pop up in a basic G blues. This way, you'll have a voicing you can use that stems from both the 6th and 5th strings, for maximum voicing flexibility. (*NOTE* The voicings below are arranged from the lowest fully-fretted position on the neck, up to the 12th fret.)

Harmonized From 6th String (5th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

Harmonized From 5th String (6th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

***

C MIXOLYDIAN (Harmonized in 4ths)

In the case of C Mixolydian (C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb), stacking the notes in 4ths from the note C (C-F-Bb-E-A-D) creates a C13 chord (w/add11), comprised of notes conveniently dispersed across *roughly* the same fret. By using that same process (stacking every fourth note) with each successive scale tone from C Mixolydian (from D: D-G-C-F-Bb-E, from E: E-A-D-G-C-F, from F: F-Bb-E-A-D-G, from G: D-G-C-F-Bb-E, from A: A-D-G-C-F-Bb, from Bb: Bb-E-A-D-G-C), you arrive at a harmonized version of this scale, using 4ths voicings exclusively.

Again, note that the voicings depicted below strip away notes occurring at the 5th and 1st or 6th and 1st strings, in an effort to minimize mud. (*NOTE* The voicings below are arranged from the lowest fully-fretted position on the neck, up to the 12th fret.)

Harmonized From 6th String (5th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

Harmonized From 5th String (6th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

***

D MIXOLYDIAN (Harmonized in 4ths)

In the case of D Mixolydian (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C), stacking the notes in 4ths from the note D (D-G-C-F#-B-E) creates a D13 chord (w/add11), comprised of notes conveniently dispersed across *roughly* the same fret. By using that same process (stacking every fourth note) with each successive scale tone from D Mixolydian (from E: E-A-D-G-C-F#, from F#: F#-B-E-A-D-G, from G: D-G-C-F#-B-E, from A: A-D-G-C-F#-B, from B: B-E-A-D-G-C, from C: C-F#-B-E-A-D), you arrive at a harmonized version of this scale, using 4ths voicings exclusively.

Again, note that the voicings depicted below strip away notes occurring at the 5th and 1st or 6th and 1st strings, in an effort to minimize mud. (*NOTE* The voicings below are arranged from the lowest fully-fretted position on the neck, up to the 12th fret.)

Harmonized From 6th String (5th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

Harmonized From 5th String (6th and 1st strings omitted)

(*You can hear the FIG below by clicking HERE*)

*****************************************

CREATING WALKING BASSLINES OVER STATIC DOMINANT 7th VAMPS (Using Dominant 7th Chord Inversions and 4ths Voicings)

The following pair of figures illustrates ways to use all the voicings studied so far, in order to deliver “walking basslines” in a static chord context—where the same chord is stated for numerous bars (i.e., unchanging harmony). Each figure is essentially the same, but transposed to fit a different dominant 7th chord. Try to think of these types of “walking basslines used with chords” moves as licks you can insert whenever you need to engage in an extended “walk” through a lengthy dominant 7th chord vamp. Transpose them to work with other dominant 7th chords, and most inmportantly, try creating some of your own!

This first example focuses on creating walking basslines using chord shapes stemming from the 6th string, to outline an overall “G7” sound.

(*You can hear the lick FAST by clicking HERE*)

(*You can hear the lick SLOW by clicking HERE*)

***

This second example focuses on creating walking basslines using chord shapes stemming from the 5th string, to outline an overall “C7” sound.

(*You can hear the lick FAST by clicking HERE*)

(*You can hear the lick SLOW by clicking HERE*)

FYI, the final installment of this “Walking Basslines Bonanza” lesson will combine all the elements studied thus far, as well as present a few new ones for use over a 12-bar jazz blues. Stay tuned!!!

Like This 100% Free Jazz Guitar Lesson?

To help support this site's free online guitar lessons, please check out my brand-new “full band” album of original compositions, MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED (now available through CDBABY.com, iTunes and AMAZON.COM), featuring me performing all the instruments (voices, guitar, bass, real acoustic drums, piano, accordion, and mandolin). I also produced, arranged, engineered, and did all the artwork/illustrations—intimate audio AND visual, lol! (Details can be seen in my YouTube: ALBUM PREVIEW/documentary.) I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thank you :)

[ Join Now | Ring Hub | Random | | << Prev | Next >> ]