Yeahhhhh! We got our own space for some serious strictly work!
I thought we'd start off with something new and trying to add it to something we've already done in the "strictly" series.
The following track is made up of two parts: Verse/Chorus arrangement which repeat.
The verse is Emaj Fmaj7#11 which repeats.
The chorus is Gmaj D/F# Fmaj Emaj
Some I'm sure will recognise the verse progression which featured in Part 3 of Jorge Maldonados article on Exotic Scales. If you didnt check it out, check it out now!! You'll need to equip yourselves with that information. (A quick thanks to Jorge who was happy for me to make reference and incorporate his ideas).
The other thing to notice is the chorus features a slash chord. D/F#, a 1st inversion Dmajor in the open position. The reason for this is to create a chromatic descending bassline:
G F# F E
The phrase I have built over the verse uses the Phrygian Dominant.
You'll recall from the Strictly Phrygian that E Phryg contains no sharps or flats but here we have an Emaj chord featuring the major 3rd G#.
E Phrygian Dominant also includes the G# : E F G# A B C D E.
As Jorge explains we can therefore employ this scale over the Emaj (EG#B) Fmaj7#11 (FACEB) progression.
I have not focused particularly heavily on the G# in my phrase but it gets the feeling across. See the powertab for the breakdown of my phrase which includes an old school pedal point type section which runs down the scale nicely I think. You can also see the G#s standing out in the score. Sparse but fairly sprinkled throughout.
Then in the chorus section again we have a number of chioces using basic major barre chords. I've elected to go to G mixolydian: G A B C D E F over the G major to remove the G# sharp from the Phrygian Dominant scale and fit it over the Gmajor but at the same time keep the scale closely related, i.e we're only changing one note.
As we go to the D/F# , D major inversion, I play a single string ascending scale run which I believe could be best described as D mixolydian ( ok I know I put the D# passing tone in at the end...) again only needing to introduce the F# into the scale to make it fit.
D mixo D E F# G A B C. i.e. only changing one note.
Then on the F major I descend in the same way slowly on one string.
Going E D C B A then finishing on an E again as we finish the chorus on Emaj. This is F Lydian over the Fmajor chord. F Lydian : F G A B C D E again only changing one note to make it fit.
At the end of the first chorus I pull a fairly standard major pent lick in E which links back to the verse well and adds a bit of humour. After the second verse I replace it with an Eminor pent lick, which although played over a Emaj ringing chord, doesn't seem too out of place.
I haven't attempted to create too much tension, if any really, but Jorges article points out many ways you could, and scales you could use. Gypsy scale? Lydian b2? Just be careful with those C#s!
I know some of the note players may focus on chord tones as you go or arpeggios, but whatever your tools:
The challenge is to strictly create a melody over the progression coming up with alternative, and hopefully exotic, scale choices and explanations for why what you do works.
Enjoy!
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). And the other thing is that I mostly play rock and absouletely not familiar with other scales than major, and its modes. (mostly I use aeolian). Well, hell, maybe I'll give it a try but I know myself, so I guess my take won't be "srtrickly melody".
I'm going to try this as soon as I quit this damn game of Monopoly with my sister :P I'll be editing this post with my recorded file pretty soon.
Originally Posted by UKRuss
