Reader,
We've come a long way learning to solo on the blues the last few months. And as we've learned, there's so much we can do with two blues scales.
But as we start moving into more jazz-blues tunes, like Billie's Bounce, Now's the Time, or Blues for Alice, we need jazzier flavors in our solos. That means starting to think, a little bit at least, like the great bebop players.
Meet the Dominant Bebop Scale
Up to this point, we've focused on blues scales, which belong to the key. We've been using the same scale over all of the chords. But, that's not the case with these dominant bebop scales.
These scales belong to the chord. As the chords change, the scale we use follows suit. On G7 we play a G dominant bebop scale, on C7 the C dominant bebop scale, and so forth.
Even though it has a scary-sounding name, it's not a scary scale to play at all. In fact, it's just the major scale you already know, with one extra note: the flat-7. It has BOTH the flat-7 AND the major-7.
Think of it like this... a G dominant chord is just a G major chord with a flat-7. This is just the scale version of that chord. G major scale, with a flat-7.
This is an 8-note scale, which is mega important. We love 8-note scales in jazz because it fits the rhythm so nicely. But, we'll talk about that more at the Friday workshop.
Running the Scales
Our first goal with these scales is to seamlessly connect them over the blues in one continuous run of 8th notes, moving in scale steps, and keeping chord tones on the downbeats. Like this:
Download this Example: Dominant Bebop Scales on the Blues.pdf
The Connector Note
Take a close look at the and-of-four in each measure. This note is our "connector" from one chord to the next.
The beauty of these 8 note scales is that they automatically keep chord tones on the beat within the measure. But, when it's time to change chords, you may need to break the rule slightly to make sure the next measure also lands on a chord tone.
Here at the end of measure 6, as I come down the C7 dominant bebop scale I should have played a B-natural, not a B-flat. But if I had, our downbeat on the following G7 measure would have been A, which is not a chord tone. As that G7 line continues, we'd have non-chord tones on every beat, completely out of rhythm.
So to fix this, we use our "connector" on the last 8th note to set up the B natural (3rd of G7) right on the downbeat.
For now, just use a note a step above or below that target, and it'll work out.
Practice This Before Friday
- Practice building dominant bebop scales for G7, C7, A7, and D7. Write them out if you need to.
- Practice playing those scales, up and down. Don't just start on the root. Get used to running them from the 3rd, 5th, or flat-7 too.
- Write out (or improvise) your own scale etude like the one above. You'll see how the 8-note scale keeps everything in rhythm. And, you'll have some puzzles to solve around those connector notes.