Piano Improvisation with Rosa

There are 2 different approaches to improving on scales and modes.

You can choose scale/mode that fits within the entire song (based on the key of the song) or you can play different scales and modes for each chord inthe song.

Fitting scales to a song’s key:

First approach is te easiest as you only have to worry about a single scale (unless the song changes key somewhere in the middle).

It’s quite simple: identify the key of the song and play the major or minor scale to the key

For eg. if you are playing a song in F major, you base your solo on the F major scale.

this scale works with all diatonic chords.

I  IV  V7 progression

You can play the notes of the F major scale agaist the F, Bb and C7 chords.

Even if the song has a more complex chord progression:

I  vi ii V7  — the F major scale still works.

The same technique applies if a song is in a mionr key.

You will know its’ minor by the chord changes.

For eg. if key signature is F — but the chords: Dm Gm Am — the song is actually in the key of Dm.

Play a solo based ont he Dm scale and you are ready to roll.

Fitting scales to a songs chord

The 2nd approach is more difficult.

It also results in mor sophisticated improvisation — base your solo on the scales that fit the individual chords of a song.

This means playing different scales for each chord in the progression.

It also means playing scles that often include different notes than the scale that goes with the underlying key whichis sometimes a little difficult to get used to.

But even though it takes more work to learn all the diffeent scales, you end up with a lot more notes you can choose from for your solos.

Which scales go with which chords?

On the most basic level — major scales go with major scale chords

minor scales go with minor chords.

Dominant 7th — V7, play the notes of the mixolydian mode.

Let’s say you are playing a song in the key of C:

C major scale:  C D E F G A B

You now come across an F major chord:

Instead of playing C major scale, you play  F major scale:  F G A Bb7  C D E

— while most of the notes are the same, that Bb definitiely isn’t in the C major scale

— but when you employ the scale – to -chord approach, you play the Bb.

If a scale is a combination of 8 successive nots (with that 8th note an octave above the first), do any 8th notes make a scale?

Not necessarily.

Some 8-note combinations are called modes.

Modes date back to the medieval church and Gregorian chant and were first called church modes.

The name of each mode is based on the final note of the mode, in Latin.

There are 7l different modes:

• each of which can be thought of as a starting on a different degree of the major scale
• you stay within the relative major scale
• you just start on different notes
• for eg. the Dorian mode: like starting on the 2nd degree of a major scale
• the Phrygian mode — start on the 3rd degree of a major scale
• the Lydian — the 4th
• the Mixolydian: the 5th
• Aeloian — 6th, same as the natural minor scale
• Locrian — 7th

Not all modes are common in popular and jazz music.

The most used modes are:

Dorian, Mixolydian, and Locrian

The Ionian and Aeolian are also popular, but that’s because they are identical to the major, and natural minor scales respectively, so there is nothing new to learn.

Dorian Mode

Dorian mode can be thought of as starting on the 2nd degree of a major scale.

It sounds like a natural mionr scale but with a raised 6th.

eg Scarborough Fair — composed entirely in Dorian mode.

The intervals between the ntes in the Dorian mode:

W H WWWHW

1  2  b 4   5   6   b7

The dorian mode is apprpriate to play with mnor 7th chords.

Mixolydian Mode

the mixolydian mode can be thought of as starting on the 5th degree of the related major scale.

It’s essentially a major scale with a lowered 7th, b7.

Cuz it fits so well with dominant 7th chords, the mixolydian mode is sometimes called the dominant scale.

Intervals are:

W W H W W W H W

In relation to the major scale: the scale degrees go:

1  2  3   4   5   6  b7

C D E F G A Bb C

Cuz of the b7, the mixolydian mode is very approprite to play againt a dominant 7th chords.

Locrian Mode

Starts on the 7th degree of the related major scale.

It’s probably the weirdest sounding of all the modes cuz all the leading notes are in all the wrong places.

It is often used in jazz improvisation.

Intervals between th notes in the Locrian mode go like this:

H  W  W  H  W  W  W

In realtionship to a major scale, the scale degrees go:

1  b2  b3  4   b5   b6  b7

The locrian mode is appropriate to play with half-diminished 7th chords (a minor 7th chords with b5)