XO Patterns

B Y J O N F I N N
I HEARD STEVE MORSE PLAY A LICK intervals create two lines that converge into one
once that was so cool, I stole the idea and turned note before moving apart again.
it into this exercise. I call it the X pattern because At some point it dawned on me to look for
the intervals trace an X on the fretboard and on an O pattern. Ex. 2 shows what happens when
paper (E Ex. 1). As you play this, notice how the one note expands into ever widening intervals

Ex. 1
ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ú
44 ö ö ö ö öö # ö öö ö ö ö ú
4 2 2 4
1 4 1 1
2 2 4

==================
& =
1 3 3 1 4
1 3 4 3 1

10 8 7 7 8 10
T
10 8 7 8 10 before contracting in on itself again.
A
7 9 9 7
B
7 9 10 10 9 7 Ex. 3 illustrates how to turn the concept of
expanding and contracting lines into a musical
phrase. This passage is demanding because it
Ex. 2 incorporates both slurs and wide interval jumps.
ö ö #ö ö ö
44 ö öö öö # öö ö
1 4 1
The hammers and pulls will help refine your

#ö ö ö ö ö ö ú =
2 2 3 1
3 4
4 1

==================
& 3 1
4
1 3 4
1
3 fretting technique, while the string skipping will
put your picking to the test. Strive for a legato
3
sound and keep a constant tempo. g

7 8 10 8 7 Jon Finn teaches at Berklee’s renowned gui-

T 7 9 9 7
A 10 9 7 7 9 10 tar department in Boston. For more info on his
B 10 9 7 9 10 group, gigs, and new CD, Wicked, visit www.
jonfinn.com.
Ex. 3
Am7
öö ö ö ö ö öö ö
4 2
ö #ö ö ö ö ö ö ö# ö ö ö ö ö ö ö w
1 2 4 4 2 4

# ö
1 4 4 2 1 1 4 1
2 1 4 1
44 ö ö ö ö
2

öö ö ö ö ö
3 4
ö ö ö #ö ö ö ö
1 1 3 3 1 3 3 1 4 3 3 3 1 3

ö ö
1 3 1

ö ö# ö ö
1

=================================
& = 1
3
3 4
1
3 1 1

10 8 7 7 8 10 10 7 7
T
10 8 7 10 10 7 7 8 10 8 7 8 10
A
7 7 9 7 7 9 7
B
7 9 10 9 10 9 7 9 7 9 7 10 10
9 7 10 9 7 9 10
J A R

“I recommend practicing without the guitar. This

way, muscular coordination problems are isolated

from recall difficulties. Many people confuse the

two. They practice for hours, when what they

should be doing is stopping to think where they’re

T I P S

going on the fretboard and what they’re going

to do there.” —Howard Roberts, Aug. ’67 GP

F I N N PH OTO : T E R E S A I Z ZO
 L i c k o f t h e M o n t h
L O R D O F T H E P R A N C E

“I CALL THIS ‘TRANE’S ANSWER much—instead, get lost in the musical con- pattern on a 7-string’s bottom two strings.
to Michael Flatley,’ writes Harald Schneller, tent. Break the phrase into pieces, or drop Go for the brightest possible tone and
of Munich, Germany. “Don’t analyze it too it an octave and use it as a drone. Try the have fun.” g

Ã
128 ö ö ö b ö ö # ö ö n ö ö b ö ö ö ö(n)ö b ö n ö ö ö ö ö b ö b ö ö ö ö ö ö b ö ö # ö ö n ö ö b ö ö ö ö(n)ö b ö n ö ö ö ö ö b ö b ö ö ä
1 3 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 1 2 4

=================================
& =

12 11 14 12 9 12 10 7 10 10 9 12 12 11 14 12 9 12 10 7 10 10 9
T
10 13 12 10 13 10 8 11 8 8 11 10 10 13 12 10 13 10 8 11 8 8 11 10
A
B

Send us your candidate for Lick of the Month tom T-shirt that’s available only to Lick of the phone number. Materials won’t be returned, and
(preferably notated and on cassette), along with Month club members. Mail your entry to Lick of please don’t call the office to check the status of
a brief explanation of why it’s cool and how to play the Month, Guitar Player, 411 Borel Ave. #100, San your submission. You’ll get your shirt if your lick
it. If we select your offering, you’ll get a funky cus- Mateo, CA 94402. Include your name, address, and is chosen.

“His playing was like a beautiful dance—it was so free.” —Eric Johnson on Jimi Hendrix, May ’96www.guitarplayer.com
GP MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 1 2 9
Superimposed
Maj7b5 Arpeggios
B Y P I N O M A R R O N E

IT’S A CHALLENGE TO CREATE IMPRO- enhancing lines is to superimpose arpeggios

vised melodies that outline a tune’s chord struc- onto the fundamental harmony. The idea is to
ture. One way to sketch harmony is to “spell out” extend a four-note chord using tones outside
chords using arpeggios. If you started playing of its 1, 3, 5, and 7 formula. You can get very col-
guitar by jamming over rock and blues vamps orful results by enhancing different chord types
as I did, you may find that it takes time to in- with superimposed maj7b5 arpeggios (1, 3, b5,
ternalize these vertical sounds and shapes. Fur- 7). Let’s examine the process.
thermore, it’s often difficult to create interesting Ex. 1a shows the four notes of an Fmaj7b5
sounds beyond basic four-note, seventh-chord arpeggio—F, A, Cb, E. Ex. 1b shows a three-
formulas. octave, Fmaj7b5 arpeggio pattern that has its
Superimpositions. A potent technique for root on the sixth string. This layout yields a
smooth, legato sound. Ex. 1c shows another
Fmaj7b5 arpeggio pattern. In this two-octave
Ex. 1a fingering, the root is on the fifth string.
Fmaj7 5 b Charting your course. Take a look at the
chart on p. 131. It shows what kind of chord Take Dm7 (D, F, A, C ): The b3 is F, which

======
& ö= types you can enhance with a maj7b5 arpeggio, means the maj7b5 arpeggio is Fmaj7b5. Or how

ö ö bö 4
1
1
which chord tone to launch the arpeggio from,
and which extensions get emphasized in the
about Am7 ? Its b3 is C, so you’d arpeggiate a
Cmaj7b5. Whatever chord you start with, arpeg-
1
process. For example, to superimpose a maj7b5 giating a maj7b5 from the b3 will emphasize two
T
arpeggio on a minor-7th chord (1, b3, 5, b7), start extensions—the 6 and 9.
A
B
2 the arpeggio from the b3. Play on. The best way to understand any
2
1 5

Ex. 1b Ex. 1c
b
bö ö ú
b bö ö w
4 Fmaj7 5 4
Fmaj7 5
ö ö 1
ö ö 1

bö ö bö ö
3

4 4
& 4 ö bö ö ö ö
============== = 2
&4 ö ö
=============== = 3

ö
1 3
4 2 1
1 1
4
1
5 7 12 13 7 12 13
5 6 T
10
T 4 9 10
A A 7 9
B
2 3 7 B
2 8
1 5

Ex. 2 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 A7

b b (C # maj7 b 5) b
(Fmaj7 5)
ö ö # ö ö b ö ö #ö ö #ö
(Bmaj7 5) 4 (Cmaj7 5) 4 4

4 # ö
1 1

b ö ö # ö
1

ö ö # ö
3 3 3 3

ö # ö
3

& 4 { ö bö ö ö ö ö bö #ö #ö ö
3

ö #ö ö
================================ 1
2
{
ö
4 3 3 3
1 1 3 1 3 1 3
1 2 2
4 1 2
1

T .. 4
5
3 4
4
1 6
4 5
5
2 7
5 6
6
3 8
..
A 2 3 7 1 3 2 4 3 5
B 2 2 3 4
1 5

1 3 0 GUITAR PLAYER MARCH 2000 www.guitarplayer.com PH OTO : C E C I L I A M O L I N A R I

substitution is to work it out on your fret- For example, against Dm7, Cb is now spelled pressive. Often these fingerings will be very
board. Ex. 2 follows the principles described B—it’s the same note, but easier to read.) different from those in typical guitar methods.
in the chart. For clarity, we’ll begin with chord The two ringing phrases in Ex. 4 offers To further explore these and other related
types described in the chart and run straight more substitutions: concepts, search out Joe Diorio’s landmark
arpeggios. Here are the details: • In bar 1, start on Dm7b5’s b5 to generate 21st Century Intervallic Designs. This book
• In bar 1, start on Dm7 ’s b3 to generate a two-octave Abmaj7b5 arpeggio. contains enough thought-provoking ideas
a two-octave Fmaj7b5 arpeggio. • In bar 2, start on G7alt’s 3 and arpeggiate to last several lifetimes. g
• In bar 2, start on G7 ’s 3 (the launching Bmaj7b5.
point for altered dominant sounds) and • In bars 3 and 4, approach Cm6 the same A Ted Greene alumnus, Pino Marrone has
arpeggiate Bmaj7b5. way you’d approach Cm7: Start on the b3 to also studied and performed extensively with
• In bar 3, start on Cmaj7 ’s root and generate an Ebmaj7b5 arpeggio. Joe Diorio. A former instructor at G.I.T. and
arpeggiate Cmaj7b5. A word about phrasing. As you develop Grove School of Music, Marrone has played
• In bar 4, start on A7 ’s 3 and arpeggiate your own maj7b5 phrases, look for fingerings and recorded with Joe Farrell, Alphonso John-
C#maj7b5. (Again, this creates an altered that allow each line to sound musical and ex- son, Kenny Kirkland, Dianne Reeves, Abra-
dominant sound.)
Okay so far? Substitutions can be tricky,
so take this material one step at a time and TARGET CHORD TYPE :START ARPEGGIO ON :EXAMPLE : EXTENSIONS :
review often.
minor 7 b3 Dm7 = Fmaj7b5 6, 9
Turning concepts into music. In Exam-
ples 3a and 3b, we put Ex. 2’s maj7b5 arpeg- dominant 7 b7 G7 = Fmaj7b5 9, 13
gios to work. Both four-bar lines are built altered dom7 3 G7alt = Bmaj7b5 #5, #9
from the two-octave patterns we just played. major 7 root Cmaj7 = Cmaj7b5 b5 (or #11)
(To keep the lines flowing smoothly on the minor7b5 b5 Em7b5 = Bbmaj7b5 11
page, a few notes are spelled enharmonically.

Ex. 3a
Dm7 G7alt Cmaj7 A7 Dm7
³ ³ ² ³ ² ³ ² ² ³ ³ ² ³ ³ ²²² ² ² ³
Swing feel
= 95

ö Jö ö ö 4 4

ö Jö b ö ö b ö n ö ö ö # ö ö ú
1 1
ä ä #ö nö ö
1 3 1 3

C ö Î
4 3 3 3

& öj ö ö 3

================================
1
ö #ö ú
2 3 1 1
3 2
etc.

1 1 2 2 7 2 8 3
T
5 4 4 6
A
2 4 2 4 3 4 6 5
B
3 5 3 2
4

Ex. 3b
Swing feel Dm7 G7alt Cmaj7 A7 Dm7
³ ²²²
= 95 ³³² ² ² ²³²³³ ²²² ³ ³ ³³³² ³ ² ² ²
Jö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö b ö b ö ö b ö ö ö ö ö n ö # ö ö nö ö ö ö ö
4 4
4

ö
1 1

ö ö ö Î ä # Jö ö ö ú
1 3 3 1 1
3 1 2 1

ä
1 1 2
C
2 2 3 2 3

================================
& 3
3
3 3 3
3
etc.

12 7 7 12 11 6 6 6 7 8 13 13 8
T
10 10 6 6 7 8 8
A
10 9 10 8 8 9 10 10 9
B
10 9 9 11

Ex. 4
Dm7 5 b G7alt Cm6
ö b b (Bmaj7 b 5) (E b maj7 b5)
³ ²²²³²²² ²
(A maj7 5)
³²²²³²²² ³²²²³²² ² ²
= 125

ö b ö ö n ö ö ö
1

bb 4 Î ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ön ö ö ö ö b ú öö ööööö
1 1 2
1 1 2 3 3 2

b n Î
1 2 3 3 2 3 2 2

nö ö nö ö ö
3

4 ö
================================
& ú. 1
2

3 3 6 6 10 10
T
3 3 6 6 10 10
A
5 5 8 8 12 12
B
6 6 5 9 9 8 13 13121312
12 10 1210
1110

“To be creative and spontaneous, you have to live with imperfection.” —John Abercrombie, Nov. ’86 GP MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 1 3 1
Spiky Lydian
BACK TRACK
B Y A N D Y E L L I S
OUR MODAL ODYSSEY—WILL IT NEVER ered tones), Lydian has a raised note. Here’s the mode with the same root: See Amaj7, play A
end? Actually, we’re almost there. With this in- formula: To convert a major scale to Lydian, sim- Lydian, and so on.
stallment, we complete the first phase of our ply raise the scale’s 4th tone by a half-step. For Thanks to its #4, Lydian has a spiky sound.
journey into the realm of modes. We began our example, apply the #4 formula to a C major scale At first it may seem strange, especially in com-
trek last fall with an overview of the seven ma- (C, D, E, F, G, A, B), and voilà—C Lydian: C, D, parison to a major scale. Soon, however, Lydian
jor-scale modes and their formulas (Oct. ’99). E, F#, G, A, B. Using this process, you can trans- can start sounding perky, and the major scale
We then befriended Dorian (Nov. ’99), Mixoly- form all 12 major scales to Lydian. can sound like it sags in the middle. Judge for
dian (Dec. ’99), Phrygian (Jan. ’00), and Aeolian Within Lydian lies a major-7th arpeggio built yourself: Try the two Lydian fingerings in Ex. 2.
(Feb. ’00). We’ll wrap up our “get acquainted” from the mode’s root. Ex. 1 illustrates this: Its The first has its root on the sixth string, the sec-
sessions by peering into Lydian. one-octave C Lydian pattern contains a Cmaj7 ond has its root on the fifth string. Both move-
But that’s only a start: Mastering modes arpeggio. First play the Cmaj7 voicing to get its able patterns take their names from the circled
means making music with them. So starting with sound in your ears, then follow with C Lydian. roots. At the second position, for example, the
next issue, we’ll begin improvising over tricky As you traverse the mode, listen for Cmaj7’s first pattern yields G Lydian, while the second
progressions using different modes. In the mean- chord tones—C, E, G, and B. Every Lydian mode pattern produces C Lydian.
time, review the past five Back Track shelters a major-7th arpeggio: G Lydian has Getting perky. In Ex. 3, we ascend using a
lessons—they’ll help you make sense of this one. Gmaj7, Eb Lydian has Ebmaj7, etc. two-octave C Lydian pattern over C6/9 and
Lydian construction. Unlike the other modes This relationship means that when you see Cmaj7, and descend with a two-octave Bb Lydian
(which, compared to a major scale from the a major-7th chord in a progression, you can pattern over Bb6/9 and Bbmaj7. The key is that
same root, have anywhere from one to five low- improvise melodically over it using a Lydian the Lydian patterns in Gtr. 1 contain the respec-
tive chord tones for the voicings in Gtr. 2.
Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Record Gtr. 2’s changes, and then practice
the ascending and descending Lydian patterns
öö
Cmaj7 C Lydian
4
Lydian Lydian against the chordal accompaniment. Once you
ö ö
& ö ö ö ö #ö ö ö ö =
1
can navigate Gtr. 1 as written, cut loose with
===========
1
1
some improvised Lydian lines. A few pointers:
• Be stingy with your notes. Chord tones are
Cmaj7 consonant and non-chord tones are dissonant,
7 so experiment by carefully varying the mix.
T
5
A
5 2 4 5 • Skip strings—this will generate wide inter-
B
5 2 4 5
3 5 vals, so your melodies will sound less like scales.
• Between C Lydian and Bb Lydian listen for
Ex. 3
common tones, and try sustaining them across
the bar line.
ö
B b Lydian
= 69-80
Slowly C Lydian • Now focus on the notes that are different
ö
ö # ö ö ö ö ö b ö ö ö(n)ö ö ö ö b ö
2 2 between C Lydian and Bb Lydian (B and Bb, F#
Gtr. 1 1 1
4

44 ö
2 4

ö
1 2
and F ). Try organizing your melodies to empha-
ö
1 3 1 3

& { ö ö ö# ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ={
1 4

======================= 3 4
1 3
4
ö bö ö 3 1 4
size these half-step differences as you cross the
bar line.
4 1 3 1
2 4 2 1 • Finally, generate your own Lydian patterns

T .. 7 9
7 8 10 12
8 7 6 5
8 6 5
7 5
.. by applying the #4 formula to your own favorite
major-scale fingerings.
A 7 9 10 8 7 5
B 7 9 10 8 7 5 Next time, we tackle multi-mode pro-
8 10 8 6 5
b B b maj7
C6/9 Cmaj7 B 6/9
gressions. g

öö
Gtr. 2
úú .. b öö úú ..
44 öö
2
All of us—no matter how long we’ve played
úú .. öö
4

b ú ..
ú
2
1

=======================
& { ={ or how skilled we are—have gaps in our knowl-
1 1
1 1
edge. Back Track is an ongoing Sessions series
designed to fill these holes and inspire musical

.. ..
8 7 6 5 breakthroughs. Got a topic you’d like to see us
8 5 6 3
T 7 5 5 3 address? Send your question to Back Track, c/o
A 7 5 5 3
B Guitar Player, 411 Borel Ave. #100, San Mateo,
CA 94402, or e-mail it to guitplyr@mfi.com.

1 3 2 GUITAR PLAYER MARCH 2000 www.guitarplayer.com “There are hundreds—perhaps thousands or millions—of valid guitar tones.” —Howard Dumble, Sept. ’85 GP
 S O N I C S N A P S H O T

Grant Green’s Smoky Blues

“Listening to Charlie
Parker was like
“YOU HAVE TO BE A BUSINESS-
hearing a different
man first, and an artist along with it,” the man play every night.”
late Grant Green told GP readers in the Jan. —Grant Green
’75 issue. “You can’t play something people
dislike and stay in business.” Green played
a funky blend of jazz, gospel, and
blues—often in an organ trio format. His al-
bums with Brother Jack McDuff, Big John
Patton, and Larry Young defined the groov-
ing sound of ’60s soul-jazz.
This lick—which fits over D9, the I7
chord in a funky D blues—typifies Green’s
slinky sound. Most players grab the tenth
position when playing blues in D, but here,
Green works out of the seventh position. The
advantage of working three frets below the
blues box is that you can hammer and pull
the b5 (Ab) with your 2nd finger. You can Funky blues
ö D9

## 4 n>ö ö ö ö Jö. ä ö n ö ö b ö ö n ö ö n ö Uö
be accurate and fast—try it. = 100-126
1 1 2
3 3
3
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t take 1 1 3

& 4 öj
==================
1
lessons,” Green stated, “but if you want to
play like certain artists, you’ve got to get 3

their records and take it off there.” Those

wishing to add some Green to their blues 8
T
10 8 9 8
7 7 7 10 7 7
should power on Iron City [32 Jazz] and A 7 10 10 10
B
Grant’s First Stand [Blue Note]. For a review
of the latter, see p. 99. —ANDY ELLIS

www.guitarplayer.com MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 1 3 3