2-5-1 licks

[togglehead]

sweet. sorry for the hijack...but holy crap this was helpful.

 

[Hookus]

The utility of undestanding the relationship between chords and modes for diatonic harmony becomes clear once one begins to study approaches to altering the chords (e.g., the V7). If you can get though a ii7-V7-Imaj7 thinking of the chord tones and "chord scale" for each chord (dorian - mixolydian - ionian), it becomes much easier to get through, e.g., a iim7b5 - V7#9b13 - Imaj7#11, since there is no longer a parent scale for the chord scales.

Here is what gets me. I always think of modes as sort of an "after the fact".

If you know that a 7 chord is a major with the 7th flattened 1/2 step, fine. If you know that a minor chord has a flat 3rd and 7th, fine. Same for any chord structure. I never really cared so much what scale or mode I was playing in, because once you know how to construct chords, modes don't really matter too much for improvisation. Just look at the chord, and modify your basic major scale accordingly, and you will be fine.

Now perhaps in the world of inversions....

 

[Jazzerbone]

That's how I do it Hookus. It seems that the whole modes thing is something that bassist and guitarists like to latch onto. I learned theory and jazz on a different instrument in college (trombone) so I tend to think of bass differently than most who started on bass.

 

[Red Planet]

I searched the site and couldn't find anything related to this, so I thought I might ask, my teacher says I should be learning some 2-5-1 licks for turn arounds and the like, so what kind of licks do you guys use?

Find something with the Chord Progression you seek as your back drop and sing the notes out loud that you hear from your soul.

It is fine IMO YMMV to learn a little theory but do not get so rapped up in it you become a rigid structured player.

To play music is to channel your emotions from your heart to the listener. It is not a mathematical formula. Once it has been totally dissected (like a frog) the magic will dry up.