Q: I’m lucky enough to attend a college with a robust and demanding music department, and like

a lot music in academia, this means I’m playing a fair amount of jazz. I’ve been a fan of the
genre for a long time, but I am new to playing it and seem to have run into a problem with
improvising and soloing. I can’t seem to memorize in a lasting way the notes contained within
scales and arpeggios. Any suggestions on how to get a grasp of the notes of the chords, scales
and arpeggios to allow me to improvise more freely?

A: I felt much of the same way through college and I’m afraid that there is no quick and easy
way to memorize this stuff. It really just has to be hammered into your head, hands and ears.

But, there are some better ways than others to help internalize harmonic relationships like those
you mentioned.

It took me my entire college career to just internalize the Major scale modes and chordal
relationships (I didn’t help myself by starting out as a drummer and switching to bass later).
What I did learn was also the entirety of my available harmonic devices for many years until I
began to better understand how to use Symmetrical diminished, Harmonic and Melodic minor
modes.

For me, my process has to involve focusing on patterns first and functional harmonic
relationships second, in order for it to sink in. Here’s my approach – hopefully it’ll help!

Start with the scale

 Memorize the pattern of the one octave scale
 Expand that to one entire position on the fretboard
 Expand that to multiple positions on the fretboard
 Play the scale in broken intervals (i.e. 1,3,2,4,3,5,4,6,5,7…) and use all intervals possible
(3rds, 4ths, 5ths…)
 Play the scale with double stops using each intervallic type (i.e.; play two notes at once.
First ends, then 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths. You can even continue and play 9ths,
10ths…) This really helps to force you to better understand the scale and how it lays on
the fretboard).

Next, focus on arpeggios

 Play arpeggios starting from each note of the scale (i.e.; C∆7, D-7, E-7, F∆7, G7, A-7,
Bø7 for the Major scale)
 Practice playing those up and down the fretboard
 Now practice going up one and down the next (i.e. 1357, 8642, 3579…)

Now start exploring those scales over changes

 Use a Real Book and pick a few tunes to study.
 Write out some appropriate modes to use for each chord type in the tune.
  Practice playing the tune slowly, over and over again, exploring those scales for each
chord type.

Invent new ways to practice

Start inventing new ways to practice the scaler relationships (i.e. play each mode on one string,
on each string…) This helps to internalize the intervallic relationships in a more linear way
(horizontal vs vertical on the fretboard).

Work a lot with arpeggios and chord changes in every way you can conceive (i.e. inversions, full
arpeggiated chord scales, 4 note arpeggios from every possible chord tone of the chord scale…)
Be sure to take your time with each step and only work in bite-sized chunks. Maybe only focus
on Major Harmony before expanding to Melodic Minor, for example.

It can take quite a while to really get the tonality fluid under your fingers and sounding right in
your ears. Personally, I find it easiest to think about available tensions and chord tones (chord
scales) and play to each chord type. But, it’s also important to play through the changes so I also
pay close attention to commonalities and the differences moving from one chord to the next. I’ll
often highlight those notes that are changing from one chord to the next. Also, pay special
attention to noted extensions (#9, #11, etc..). Those notes are a major part of what is making that
chord do what it does. Making use of those notes can really help to make a line sing.

One more thing to consider is the range of the bass guitar. This is my own theory – and you can
take it or leave it – but I really do believe that some things just don’t sound as good on a bass as
they do higher pitched instruments. This has been my struggle with Melodic minor. I think it just
needs to be in the upper register to work melodically against the harmony much of the time.
When it’s played on a bass, it’s too close to the foundational harmony and usually sounds wrong
to my ears, even when other people play it.

As an example, we’ll take an extreme example of this. Follow this:

Play your open, low E string and let it ring. Let’s pretend that this is the root of your chord.

Now play and F# on the D string (4th fret).

Sounds pretty muddy and not very useful, right?

Well, now play that F# as high on the fretboard as you can against the open E string. Now, it
starts to sound interesting, right?

It’s just a natural 9 and is a very pretty sound when used well, but in order for it to really do what
it is meant to do, you have to jack it way up your fretboard before it can begin to do it’s job.

Because of this, I say not to get too hung up on protocol or what someone tells you are the modes
you should use when playing jazz. I say explore them all and decide for yourself what works best
for you.
Now, you can still get a lot out of studying what Charlie Parker did, and by learning a few Joe
Pass licks, and so on. But that whole ‘it ain’t jazz if it ain’t melodic minor’ thing can take a hike.

Just explore your instrument, explore all tonalities – even try and make a few up yourself. Just
explore intervallic relationships over changes and see what you come up with. Be sure to get
your technique to a point where it doesn’t get in your way, at the very least.

There are no correct answers. There are a lot of rules when learning harmony, but most
professionals learn them and forget them because they don’t matter. Music matters… if it sounds
good to you, it works!

That said, you need to learn to walk before you can run, and memorizing all of this stuff and
exploring ways to actually use it serve to make you more familiar with your instrument as well
as harmony.

It’s crucial work (if a bit tedious).