THE GUITARIST'S GUIDE TO COMPOSING AND IMPROVISING Improvise or compose an 8-bar melody using this C with the progression below, “Vamp No. 1” (a vamp is a repeated musical idea used as an accom- paniment). Find this same pitch elsewhere (the guitar has tive of them!) on the fingerboard and use these too. Notice the variety of tone colors the guitar gives you. The C “works” with the following chord progression, serving as either part of the basic chord or as a tension note (added color). Have fun enjoying how the C sounds as the chords move, and enjoy your improvisation with the sound dimensions. Vamp No. 1 Light Funk Feel lg Sines nab emu wae come To Coda Last Time Fig. 2.1. Vamp No. 1. Improvise using only the note C. Find C on the fingerboard in all its octaves. Seeing the octaves of a note (all Cs, in this case) on the fingerboard is an important awareness for playing. scales and melodies. The octave is a strong melodic interval, and later in the chapter, we will work with octave adjustment—a really nice way to breathe life into those tired licks! It's also an important interval to learn to hear. Check out “Ears 2,” a study in Foundations (chapter 6) that will help you learn to hear all the intervals. Try another improvisation with “Vamp No. 1,” using all the Cs on the finger- board. Choosing a note and then finding all its octaves is a good way to build strong fingerboard observation abilities. 32