improvsing on The Chicken

[le-gasp]

Hi,

so the band at my music school wants to play the chicken, i have the form down good, but i dont know what scales to use when improvising

i would assume a Bb blues, and while the IV chord on the 5th measure makes it sound like a blues there are some different chords thrown in there

i could post the chord changes for any one who doesnt know it already


Thanks,

Jake

[ac1710]

The chord roots for the chicken are....


Bb (4 bars)
Eb (2 bars)
D (1)
G (1)
c (3)
lick
Bb (4 bars)
repeat

So yes it is a Bb blues but with D and G chords used instead of a return to Bb in the middle.

I couldn't tell you what scales to you because I just play what I know works. SO here is a few tips for this groove.

Use the notes of the chicken riff with some passing notes especially the flat5.
Because the genres is funk you should generally be playing the root of the chord on the 1, when your more confident you can expand on this.

There is a lot of opportunity for rhythmic improvising here. A trick I like to do is play the riff in half time while doubling the notes. Jaco does this on his home recording version on the Anthology box-set.

Finally try shifting the root note up an octave so when you drop down to the major 3rd you fall a 6th instead which creates a different colour.


Hope that helps.

[Mark Wilson]

Learn the melody.

The melody is the best solo you can play, because you know it works perfectly.

Take the melody, start adding approach tones, and neighbour tones, that kinda crap.

You'll find you have a solo is no time!

[Pacman]

The Chicken is most definitely NOT a blues. Try playing over each chord rather than trying to find one 'sliver bullet' scale to use. Transcribe your favorite solos over the tune, find out what the greats are doing.

[Jabinski]

Originally Posted by Pacman

The Chicken is most definitely NOT a blues. Try playing over each chord rather than trying to find one 'sliver bullet' scale to use. Transcribe your favorite solos over the tune, find out what the greats are doing.

Pacman, I notice that you're very authoritative.

Do you attend or run authoritativeness seminars?

[thecapm]

Just be sure not the choke The Chicken!

/crude, tasteless, unfunny masturbation joke.

[Pacman]

Originally Posted by Jabinski

Pacman, I notice that you're very authoritative.

Do you attend or run authoritativeness seminars?

No, just confident in my answers.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by Pacman

No, just confident in my answers.

Brings me to another point!

"Wrong, but Strong"
Learn to live by those words for soloing. if you're playing confidentially, then people will start to feel the confidence and the wrong notes will sound right.

[fretlessman71]

Here's some direct help:

Notice that all of the chords are either Major or Dominant 7th chords. This means that you have the Major Pentatonic (1,2,3,5,6,oct) at your disposal, plus the b7 wherever you have a 7th chord. So it's essentially Mixolydian for each chord. But it's not quite that simple. You still get to do whatever you choose, so use Mark Wilson's suggestion of choosing approach notes based on that scale (he's a smart man; remember, Emma Watson is going to marry him!). You'll find that using a note 1/2 step away from a scale tone to GET to said scale tone has a great feel of tension/release to it. It's a start.

Here's another interesting tip: If you buy into the idea that each chord has its very own Mixolydian chord, you can learn to keep your solo tight AND melodic by relearning each scale relative to Bb. Here's what I mean:

Bb7 = Bb Mixolydian
Eb7 = Eb Mixolydian = Bb Dorian (both modes relative to Ab Major)
D7 = B Phrygian (there's no Bb in D7, so I chose B for the basis of my scale, and D Mixolydian and B Phrygian agree with G Major)
G7 = B Locrian (relative to C Major)
C7 = Bb Lydian

Just for fun, learn to play these scales over the chord changes, and you'll be surprised at how well it works. When you're comfortable playing them, you can finally sit back and LISTEN to what they sound like, and I bet you'll find lots of the melody in there. At this point the world is your oyster and you can do what you like, knowing what notes will work well against the chord.

Of course, if you choose to throw this out the window and do your own thing, that works too - just don't play notes out of ignorance and try to pass them off as being close enough. Work the progression and own it!

(PS: The above tactic applies to coming up with a cool bass line as well.)

[rollcall]

improvise using sixes

[fretlessman71]

Originally Posted by rollcall

improvise using sixes

Yup. This works too; mainly because the 6 is a prevalent note in the Major Pentatonic scale. Nice green-sounding note.

[mikeypbass]

Find what key, think of a scale, shutup, and wail

do your best to outline important changes though

[le-gasp]

thanks guys, this has been quite helpful

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by Pacman

The Chicken is most definitely NOT a blues. Try playing over each chord rather than trying to find one 'sliver bullet' scale to use. Transcribe your favorite solos over the tune, find out what the greats are doing.

+10 The Silver Bullet" approach is something guitar players are alway trying to do via sorts the weird analysis. They end up playing solos that you have no idea where they are in the tune. A good solo you can still hear the chord changes implied in the lines.

For me I would approach a song like The Chicken that has lots of dominants especially the III7 and VI7 Gospel/R&B changes I would use my default of Lydian b7 for each chord and mixing some Blues scale here and there. The Lydian b7 fits the chords and avoid the 11 with a #4/b5 Blue note. Throw in some Blues scale for the b3 your other Blue note. The only place I might try some altered sounds if solo is long enough would be the D7 since is only dominant resolving.

Keep it simple and as you get confident with the tune/solo then try adding some color. Better to keep it simple and soulful than play a lot of crap and have people wanting the next soloist to come in.

[le-gasp]

lydian b7 the same as mixolydian

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by le-gasp

lydian b7 the same as mixolydian

I may be missing something... but no it's not.

Mixolydian is 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8

Lydian Dominant is 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7 8.

[rokkitt]

Wrong but Strong.


I like that!

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Learn the melody.

The melody is the best solo you can play, because you know it works perfectly.

Take the melody, start adding approach tones, and neighbour tones, that kinda crap.

You'll find you have a solo is no time!

Well that works on a lot of vocal tunes - but I think this particular tune is actually not a good basis for a solo.

The Chicken is basically just some horn stabs over a funky, bluesy riff with a little one-bar hook - there is no "melody" really and what there is, isn't enough of a basis for a solo.

So several bars just have one note and a lot of space - while the last 3 bars of the sequence have no melody line at all!

This is a case where you have to play the chord sequence and 'feel' of the piece...

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by mikeypbass

Find what key, think of a scale, shutup, and wail..

Well this is exactly the approach that I constantly find myself arguing against here on TB !

I think you have to say to people who are starting out that you cannot just pick random notes from a notional key!

Especially as a bass player - you must outline all the chords/ changes!

[ampegfatty]

"Just be sure not the choke The Chicken!

/crude, tasteless, unfunny masturbation joke."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

btw, pacman isn't overly authoritative, he's just right.