F#7 Lick (Hip and Easy)
If you’ve been reading these emails for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about the effectiveness of soloing with chord tones as a way of getting better at improvising.
Here are the top three reasons why:
A smaller amount of note choices reduces cognitive load, making more headspace available to focus on rhythm, phrasing, motivic development, etc.
Chord tones imply harmony, which guides the ear and promotes internalization of the chord progression.
Limitation breeds creativity.
But even with all of those benefits, it can be challenging to come up with a chord tone solo that actually sounds good.
Many musicians are disappointed by how they sound when improvising with chord tones. The words boring, dull, and stiff come to mind.
But trust me – it is possible to improvise great-sounding lines using only chord tones – you just have to think a little outside the box. For instance, spend some time experimenting with unusual arpeggios like the one used in my favorite chord-tone lick over dominant seventh chords.
Here’s the formula:
5 3 1 b7
On an F#7, it looks like this:
Now, you may be wondering: Why write this out on an F#7 chord?
Well, I pulled this lick from a chord tone etude I wrote over “Spain” by Chick Corea, which has a whole lot of F#7 chords.
And I’m excited to let you know that I just recorded a 25+ minute video training in which I analyze this solo and share the takeaways that will teach you the secrets to improvising with chord tones, ridding yourself of those boring, noodly solos for good!
Here’s the best part – I’m including this video breakdown as a bonus for anyone who purchases Chord Tone Magic – 12 Chord Tone Etudes Over Popular Chord Progressions.
And because this bonus breakdown is going to help make real change in your playing, I’m offering a 25% discount to make this purchase as much of a no-brainer as possible – just enter code MAGIC25 at checkout to save 25%.
Just know the deal expires Friday, April 2, so click here to get Chord Tone Magic plus the "Spain" etude analysis video with the 25% discount.
Happy Shedding,
Jeff
P.S. Here’s just a taste of what you’ll learn in the bonus video training:
How to come up with chord tone lines that sound ridiculously hip and are easy to play
The secret to developing your ideas without sounding boring and repetitive
Why “melodic voice leading” is the shortcut to improvising lines that sound musical and sophisticated instead of noodly and random
The repetition/variation ratio that’s easy to apply and makes your solos more coherent and less scattered
The “salt” analogy that turns dull, boring solos into improvised compositions
Why and how you should be using syncopation to add interest to your lines
An easy-to-understand explanation of inversions that will unlock a door to arpeggios you never knew existed
How to keep it simple by only play with triads and still sound hip (no sevenths needed!)
How to improvise a climax for unforgettable solos
The “b7 withholding trick” for injecting energy and movement into lifeless solos
How to know where to rest within a chord progression so that your solos don’t sound cluttered and sloppy
The “Step-Skip” arpeggio that sounds a lot harder than it is to play
How to decode syncopation by analyzing emphasis and pickups
And so much more!
Click here to get Chord Tone Magic plus the bonus breakdown of the “Spain” etude, and enter code MAGIC25 at checkout to save 25%.