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Originally Posted by bmurnahan
I would have to say this is a bit of a stretch however. Not trying to bring up the old debate about which is better, scales or chords. I would like to think we are in agreement about the power of chord tones.  |
Not for me, Bob. As I say, once you really really know your chords, you know all 12 notes ... all 12 notes encompass all scales, and classifying them by sorting them into scales becomes redundant. They're all eligible where it comes to making melody ... why omit some of them by forcing others into scales? In my mind, there's a heirarchy of notes at all moments: chord tones are boss notes; the other scale notes are secondary; the remaining few are tertiary. They can all be used ... scales are restricting, I don't want to feel restricted when I'm creating a solo.
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Originally Posted by Fretsource
So, apart from being aware of the chords played at any time, are you also keeping an eye on the key? Or do you feel the passing notes 'by ear' and anticipate whether the best one will be a semitone or whole tone away from the note you're currently playing (or going to)? However you do it, it always sounds natural and inventive.
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Yes, Fretsource, I'm always acutely aware of the key, and the chord within the key I'm playing over. That tells me which passing tones will be appropriate. I've found over the years that if you can 'see' the I-IV-V chords together on the fretboard, they automatically display the underlying scale ... so I'm actually seeing the scale, but via chords, and seeing everything in the context of that moment in the tune. Outside chords are tracked separately, but always with the mother key in mind. These details very quickly sort themselves out once you can really see those chord tones.
Also: I see the seven related chords as 'potential' extended chords ... in other words I see the I chord as a potential maj7; the IV as a potential maj7/#4; the V as a potential dom7th; the three minors as potential min7ths ... So I'm seeing those non-chord-tones as potential chord tones ... if you see what I mean. It sounds much more complicated that it is once you get the full view of the 'super-chord', as you put it so well.
Also: when you're actually improvising lines, if in doubt as to which of the two or three 'in between' notes to use, you can feel them all out by playing a chromatic run and testing the water, so to speak. Chromatic runs are always permissible ... you just need to get the timing right.
Even though I'm an Australian citizen now, I'm Canadian by birth, and I never lost my Canuck accent.