Major Scale Improvisation

Beginner Grade 2 Module 10: Alternate Picking, Hammer-Ons...
51

Thanks David

1 Like
53

Had another look at this. OK with playing over the backing track but how do you remember what you play. No two goes are the same!

1 Like
54

Thats all part of the fun of improvisation Stuart.
It’s a bit like a roll in the sheets. You sort of know what ya doin, but you never know where it’ll end up. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Cheers, Shane

2 Likes
55

OMG this is the best. Justin Hands down this is the best course I have done so far, I have bought 2 other online courses and they just don’t compare. Your level of teaching is top notice and the fact that it is free well, that is one of the main reasons I have bought both your song app and metronome. Playing this scale over the backing track, it makes you feel awesome cause you can hear the notes when they mesh. It makes you feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I get it. To you Good Sir and your amazing team, my hat goes off to you all. :cowboy_hat_face:

2 Likes
56

Great to hear you’re havin fun Dave, and makin some music. That’s really what its all about.
Yep, Justins certainly the man, and this community complements his teachings perfectly. Best teacher on the planet I reckon. He’s taken me a long way in 2+ years, and I’m only just getting started. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:Its a win/win for everbody.
All the best.

Cheers, Shane

2 Likes
57

Check this topic for ways to explore the ideas further:

3 Likes
58

Thanks I’ll check that out. :slight_smile:

1 Like
59

Are you sure? It just feels like I’m playing random notes most of the time, especially as I can’t remember what I played 5 secs before!!

1 Like
60

Unpopular opinion here. I don’t like this lesson. I’m not saying its not fun and liberating. But I am saying I don’t like it. I don’t like nor want to improvise, and I’m not good at it. It’s a glaring illustration of how my two hands just can’t land on the same string at the same time. :laughing: And the fact that the open string is a note all by itself (don’t have that concept in piano), its tough to play notes in succession like my ear wants to hear when the notes are not all in a straight line like I am used to. But I suppose this is all the more reason why I need to do this exercise, to get used to the weirdness of the fretboard. But I just might be a grump about it.

1 Like
61

So fun! I have been doing this for 1 hour and it feels so good!

2 Likes
62

Practicing scales will fix that. Eventually. :laughing:

1 Like
63

I have a question about improvisation and music theory. Is there any way to know what scale to use given the basic information about a song? IF I know a song is in Key F, for instance, is there a way to know what scale I can use to improvise a solo?

1 Like
64

Stuart, try playing many fewer notes.
Put on a slow backing track and start with one note. Just a single note. Play it multiple times in different ways. Play it repeatedly and let it ring. Play it, mute it, play it, mute it. Slide to it from below. etc.
Then play two notes. Just two. Think of it as a vocal phrase. Perhaps it is singing ‘Oh yes’ or ‘Oh no’ or ‘Love you’. Take this two-note idea in all sorts of different directions by choosing different combinations of two notes.

2 Likes
65

@drake_equation Good question and knowledge of music is your friend.
Justin has a brilliant course to help with that. It is one of the few subscription courses he has though the first few modules are free.

66

I’ll give it a go.

1 Like
67

Thanks. I had actually finished Grade 1 and Grade 2 previously. I just never got around to grade 3 yet.

1 Like
68

This is such a great lesson and a heap of fun to do. Thanks Justin and team.

1 Like
69

Hi guys this might seems like a dumb question I am sorry. I am at grade 2 module 10, improvising with the major scale. The chords meant to be in that scale are C, Dm, Em, F, G, and Am. I guess if i would strum those chords it wouldn’t be an issue but if i want to pick them there arent any Dm, Em, Am. So I guess it becomes : C,D,E,F, G,A,B which are all the notes if you take the flats and the sharps away - right?
I am confused. Is that it? Or am I missing something ? I feel like I am.
When improvising its not like i need to start with playing the C, that sounds weird right ?
Anyways, thank you all.

1 Like
70

I’m guessing what you may be missing is this:

When harmonizing the maj scale you take a note and stack 3rds. Justin describes this as first note, skip one, then add the next, skip next and add the last. 3 notes makes a triad chord, 4 notes makes a 7th chord.

So the A note in C maj scale is A C E notes building a triad. Now the tricky part is to analyse what this chord is you use the scale of the chord name you are examining to discern its tonal qualities. So A to C is a b3 away and this is why it’s a minor chord type. A to B is one tone, to C is a semi-tone.

This is why all maj scales harmonize triads being maj, min, min, maj, maj, min, diminished. C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bº

3 Likes
71

Hey mate,

Firstly, there’s no silly questions here mate. We all picked up a guitar on the same day. Day one. :+1:

@bblak is spot on, but you may need to build up a bit of scale/ chord construction knowledge to get the full picture. Initially, it can all be a bit vague, but stick with it, and it becomes quite clear and logical. Does take a little time though.
Justin has a terrific practical theory course if you’re interested. First two grades are free to get you started.

As an initial exercise, in your improvising, try playing the scale over just a C chord, and see which notes from your C major scale sound ‘perfect’ over it. You’ll find its the C-E-G, as these notes are the actual C chord. The other notes from the scale sound OK over the C chord as well, in differing degrees, but these 3 notes (CEG) are a perfect match.
Try this over the other chords, and over time you’ll start to see the pattern and structure that Brian decscribed.

Cheers, Shane

4 Likes