Friday, December 14, 2012

Altered Major Chord

Hi,

A common alteration on the major chord is to add a #11.

The formula of a Cmaj7#11 is 1 3 5 7 #11

#11 is to raise the 4th degree by half step.

4th in C is a F. Raise half a step is F#.

So the chord tone in a Cmaj7#11 is C E G B F#.

You can easily improvise over the Cmaj7#11 with the C major Pentatonic or Lydian scale.

Have Fun!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Simple Chord Tone Solo

Hi,

Ever thought of starting a song with some simple solo bass lines?

The easiest way is to play chord tone (1 3 5 7) at a higher register.

Playing the guide tone (3rd, 7th) is a good way to solo.

You can practice soloing over a ii V I progression.

If we are in the key of D, you will have Em7 A7 Dmaj7.

Find the chord tones around the 12th fret or higher and experiment.

Most people will tell you to avoid playing the root note when you solo.

So find the 3rd and 7th note of each chord.

Em7 - G D
A7 - C# G
Dmaj7 - F# C#

When you are comfortable, slowly add other notes in the D major scale as your passing notes.

Have fun trying.