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Am7
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1
I HEARD STEVE MORSE PLAY A LICK
once that was so cool, I stole the idea and turned
it into this exercise. I call it the X pattern because
the intervals trace an X on the fretboard and on
paper (Ex. 1). As you play this, notice how the
intervals create two lines that converge into one
note before moving apart again.
At some point it dawned on me to look for
an O pattern. Ex. 2 shows what happens when
one note expands into ever widening intervals
before contracting in on itself again.
Ex. 3 illustrates how to turn the concept of
expanding and contracting lines into a musical
phrase. This passage is demanding because it
incorporates both slurs and wide interval jumps.
The hammers and pulls will help refine your
fretting technique, while the string skipping will
put your picking to the test. Strive for a legato
sound and keep a constant tempo. g
Jon Finn teaches at Berklees renowned gui-
tar department in Boston. For more info on his
group, gigs, and new CD, Wicked, visit www.
jonfinn.com.
B Y J O N F I N N

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Ex. 2

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Ex. 1
Ex. 3
XO Patterns
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 theyre
going on the fretboard and what theyre going
to do there. Howard Roberts, Aug. 67 GP
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S

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A
R
FI NN PHOTO: TERESA I ZZO
Send us your candidate for Lick of the Month
(preferably notated and on cassette), along with
a brief explanation of why its cool and how to play
it. If we select your offering, youll get a funky cus-
tom T-shirt thats available only to Lick of the
Month club members. Mail your entry to Lick of
the Month, Guitar Player, 411 Borel Ave. #100, San
Mateo, CA 94402. Include your name, address, and
phone number. Materials wont be returned, and
please dont call the office to check the status of
your submission. Youll get your shirt if your lick
is chosen.
I CALL THIS TRANES ANSWER
to Michael Flatley, writes Harald Schneller,
of Munich, Germany. Dont analyze it too
muchinstead, get lost in the musical con-
tent. Break the phrase into pieces, or drop
it an octave and use it as a drone. Try the
pattern on a 7-strings bottom two strings.
Go for the brightest possible tone and
have fun. g

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( )

( )

L O R D O F T H E P R A N C E
L i c k o f t h e M o n t h
www.guitarplayer.com MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 129 His playing was like a beautiful danceit was so free. Eric Johnson on Jimi Hendrix, May 96 GP
PHOTO: CECI LI A MOLI NARI
130 GUITAR PLAYER MARCH 2000 www.guitarplayer.com
ITS A CHALLENGE TO CREATE IMPRO-
vised melodies that outline a tunes chord struc-
ture. One way to sketch harmony is to spell out
chords using arpeggios. If you started playing
guitar by jamming over rock and blues vamps
as I did, you may find that it takes time to in-
ternalize these vertical sounds and shapes. Fur-
thermore, its often difficult to create interesting
sounds beyond basic four-note, seventh-chord
formulas.
Superimpositions. A potent technique for
enhancing lines is to superimpose arpeggios
onto the fundamental harmony. The idea is to
extend a four-note chord using tones outside
of its 1, 3, 5, and 7 formula. You can get very col-
orful results by enhancing different chord types
with superimposed maj7b5 arpeggios (1, 3, b5,
7). Lets examine the process.
Ex. 1a shows the four notes of an Fmaj7b5
arpeggioF, A, Cb, E. Ex. 1b shows a three-
octave, Fmaj7b5 arpeggio pattern that has its
root on the sixth string. This layout yields a
smooth, legato sound. Ex. 1c shows another
Fmaj7b5 arpeggio pattern. In this two-octave
fingering, the root is on the fifth string.
Charting your course. Take a look at the
chart on p. 131. It shows what kind of chord
types you can enhance with a maj7b5 arpeggio,
which chord tone to launch the arpeggio from,
and which extensions get emphasized in the
process. For example, to superimpose a maj7b5
arpeggio on a minor-7th chord (1, b3, 5, b7), start
the arpeggio from the b3.
Take Dm7 (D, F, A, C): The b3 is F, which
means the maj7b5 arpeggio is Fmaj7b5. Or how
about Am7? Its b3 is C, so youd arpeggiate a
Cmaj7b5. Whatever chord you start with, arpeg-
giating a maj7b5 from the b3 will emphasize two
extensionsthe 6 and 9.
Play on. The best way to understand any
Superimposed
Maj7b5 Arpeggios

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Ex. 1a
B Y P I N O M A R R O N E
MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 131
To be creative and spontaneous, you have to live with imperfection. John Abercrombie, Nov. 86 GP

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substitution is to work it out on your fret-
board. Ex. 2 follows the principles described
in the chart. For clarity, well begin with chord
types described in the chart and run straight
arpeggios. Here are the details:
In bar 1, start on Dm7s b3 to generate
a two-octave Fmaj7b5 arpeggio.
In bar 2, start on G7s 3 (the launching
point for altered dominant sounds) and
arpeggiate Bmaj7b5.
In bar 3, start on Cmaj7s root and
arpeggiate Cmaj7b5.
In bar 4, start on A7s 3 and arpeggiate
C#maj7b5. (Again, this creates an altered
dominant sound.)
Okay so far? Substitutions can be tricky,
so take this material one step at a time and
review often.
Turning concepts into music. In Exam-
ples 3a and 3b, we put Ex. 2s maj7b5 arpeg-
gios to work. Both four-bar lines are built
from the two-octave patterns we just played.
(To keep the lines flowing smoothly on the
page, a few notes are spelled enharmonically.
For example, against Dm7, Cb is now spelled
Bits the same note, but easier to read.)
The two ringing phrases in Ex. 4 offers
more substitutions:
In bar 1, start on Dm7b5s b5 to generate
a two-octave Abmaj7b5 arpeggio.
In bar 2, start on G7alts 3 and arpeggiate
Bmaj7b5.
In bars 3 and 4, approach Cm6 the same
way youd approach Cm7: Start on the b3 to
generate an Ebmaj7b5 arpeggio.
A word about phrasing. As you develop
your own maj7b5 phrases, look for fingerings
that allow each line to sound musical and ex-
pressive. Often these fingerings will be very
different from those in typical guitar methods.
To further explore these and other related
concepts, search out Joe Diorios landmark
21st Century Intervallic Designs. This book
contains enough thought-provoking ideas
to last several lifetimes. g
A Ted Greene alumnus, Pino Marrone has
also studied and performed extensively with
Joe Diorio. A former instructor at G.I.T. and
Grove School of Music, Marrone has played
and recorded with Joe Farrell, Alphonso John-
son, Kenny Kirkland, Dianne Reeves, Abra-
Ex. 4

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Dm7 G7alt Cmaj7 A7
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Dm7

Swing feel
Ex. 3b

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Swing feel
Ex. 3a
TARGET CHORD TYPE:START ARPEGGIO ON:EXAMPLE: EXTENSIONS:
minor 7 b3 Dm7 = Fmaj7b5 6, 9
dominant 7 b7 G7 = Fmaj7b5 9, 13
altered dom7 3 G7alt = Bmaj7b5 #5, #9
major 7 root Cmaj7 = Cmaj7b5 b5 (or #11)
minor7b5 b5 Em7b5 = Bbmaj7b5 11
OUR MODAL ODYSSEYWILL IT NEVER
end? Actually, were almost there. With this in-
stallment, we complete the first phase of our
journey into the realm of modes. We began our
trek last fall with an overview of the seven ma-
jor-scale modes and their formulas (Oct. 99).
We then befriended Dorian (Nov. 99), Mixoly-
dian (Dec. 99), Phrygian (Jan. 00), and Aeolian
(Feb. 00). Well wrap up our get acquainted
sessions by peering into Lydian.
But thats only a start: Mastering modes
means making music with them. So starting with
next issue, well begin improvising over tricky
progressions using different modes. In the mean-
time, review the past five Back Track
lessonstheyll help you make sense of this one.
Lydian construction. Unlike the other modes
(which, compared to a major scale from the
same root, have anywhere from one to five low-
ered tones), Lydian has a raised note. Heres the
formula: To convert a major scale to Lydian, sim-
ply raise the scales 4th tone by a half-step. For
example, apply the #4 formula to a Cmajor scale
(C, D, E, F, G, A, B), and voilC Lydian: C, D,
E, F#, G, A, B. Using this process, you can trans-
form all 12 major scales to Lydian.
Within Lydian lies a major-7th arpeggio built
from the modes root. Ex. 1 illustrates this: Its
one-octave CLydian pattern contains a Cmaj7
arpeggio. First play the Cmaj7 voicing to get its
sound in your ears, then follow with C Lydian.
As you traverse the mode, listen for Cmaj7s
chord tonesC, E, G, and B. Every Lydian mode
shelters a major-7th arpeggio: G Lydian has
Gmaj7, Eb Lydian has Ebmaj7, etc.
This relationship means that when you see
a major-7th chord in a progression, you can
improvise melodically over it using a Lydian
mode with the same root: See Amaj7, play A
Lydian, and so on.
Thanks to its #4, Lydian has a spiky sound.
At first it may seem strange, especially in com-
parison to a major scale. Soon, however, Lydian
can start sounding perky, and the major scale
can sound like it sags in the middle. Judge for
yourself: Try the two Lydian fingerings in Ex. 2.
The first has its root on the sixth string, the sec-
ond has its root on the fifth string. Both move-
able patterns take their names from the circled
roots. At the second position, for example, the
first pattern yields GLydian, while the second
pattern produces C Lydian.
Getting perky. In Ex. 3, we ascend using a
two-octave C Lydian pattern over C6/9 and
Cmaj7, and descend with a two-octave Bb Lydian
pattern over Bb6/9 and Bbmaj7. The key is that
the Lydian patterns in Gtr. 1 contain the respec-
tive chord tones for the voicings in Gtr. 2.
Record Gtr. 2s changes, and then practice
the ascending and descending Lydian patterns
against the chordal accompaniment. Once you
can navigate Gtr. 1 as written, cut loose with
some improvised Lydian lines. A few pointers:
Be stingy with your notes. Chord tones are
consonant and non-chord tones are dissonant,
so experiment by carefully varying the mix.
Skip stringsthis will generate wide inter-
vals, so your melodies will sound less like scales.
Between CLydian and Bb Lydian listen for
common tones, and try sustaining them across
the bar line.
Now focus on the notes that are different
between CLydian and Bb Lydian (B and Bb, F#
and F). Try organizing your melodies to empha-
size these half-step differences as you cross the
bar line.
Finally, generate your own Lydian patterns
by applying the #4 formula to your own favorite
major-scale fingerings.
Next time, we tackle multi-mode pro-
gressions. g
All of usno matter how long weve played
or how skilled we arehave gaps in our knowl-
edge. Back Track is an ongoing Sessions series
designed to fill these holes and inspire musical
breakthroughs. Got a topic youd like to see us
address? Send your question to Back Track, c/o
Guitar Player, 411 Borel Ave. #100, San Mateo,
CA 94402, or e-mail it to guitplyr@mfi.com.

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Gtr. 2
Gtr. 1

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C Lydian B Lydian Slowly

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( )
Ex. 3
Lydian Lydian
Ex. 2
Spiky Lydian
B Y A N D Y E L L I S
B A C K T R A C K
There are hundredsperhaps thousands or millionsof valid guitar tones. Howard Dumble, Sept. 85 GP
132 GUITAR PLAYER MARCH 2000 www.guitarplayer.com
YOU HAVE TO BE A BUSINESS-
man first, and an artist along with it, the
late Grant Green told GP readers in the Jan.
75 issue. You cant play something people
dislike and stay in business. Green played
a funky blend of jazz, gospel, and
bluesoften 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 lickwhich fits over D9, the I7
chord in a funky D bluestypifies Greens
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
be accurate and fasttry it.
Im not saying you shouldnt take
lessons, Green stated, but if you want to
play like certain artists, youve got to get
their records and take it off there. Those
wishing to add some Green to their blues
should power on Iron City [32 Jazz] and
Grants First Stand [Blue Note]. For a review
of the latter, see p. 99. ANDY ELLIS
Grant Greens Smoky Blues
S O N I C S N A P S H O T
www.guitarplayer.com MARCH 2000 GUITAR PLAYER 133

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D9
Funky blues
= 100-126 ,
7
7 7
10 10
7
10
8
8 8 9
10 7 7
10
,
_
Listening to Charlie
Parker was like
hearing a different
man play every night.
Grant Green