This post relates to my column in Guitarist Magazine. In the latest issue (320) I’ve started a series on incorporating lines and chords from the Melodic Minor scale, and its modes, into your playing. In the column there’s a short solo excerpt; here’s the rest of the solo and the full transcription.
The solo uses the G Melodic Minor scale: G A Bb C D E F# G. Re-arranging that lot in this order – G Bb D F# A C E [1 b3 5 7 9 11 13] – gives you the basic harmony for the scale: G-∆ with possible extensions 9, 11 and 13.
Click here to download the transcription. [notation and TAB]
Check out the mag article as there’s more stuff there too – chords and whatnot.
The following columns will go through the rest of the modes and I’ll be expanding on the mag articles here with the full transcriptions of the solos and whatever else.
So, any use? Does it make sense? Let me know…
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great study, Mike! Thanks for sharing here, I really like the site redesign too.
Thanks, John. There will be more. Glad you like the site redesign too!
have you seen that don mock mel. minor book? he treats the mel minor as just an altered scale over dom7 chords. eg;
A7b5 play mel min up a 5th (E mel minor gives you 5, 13, b7, 1, 9, 3, b5)
A7#5 play mel min up 4th (D mel min 11th, 5, #5, b7, 1, 9, 3)
there’s the jazz minor up 1/2 step
and over a half dim v7 its nice to play the mel min down a whole step from the v7 ie Em7b5 to A7 play G mel minor.
its good to mix things up say you’re playing A7b5 you can play a jazz minor lick (ie 1/2 step up)and then repeat the lick in E mel minor (so its still a b5 sound), that’s if your head doesnt explode first(!)
Haven’t seen the Don Mock book. I’ll be covering some uses of the other modes as the series progresses. Hope they’ll be of some use, and hope your head won’t explode :) M