Category: Jazz fusion guitar music theory lessons, guitar technique and improvisation.

How to improvise over altered dominant chords. How to employ chromatic jazz and fusion harmony. Apply twentieth century classical composition techniques to modern jazz music and improv. How to exploit modes of the major. minor and diminished scales. Lesson in alternate picking guitar techniques as used by John Mclaughlin and Al di Meola. How to do metal rock and all styles of alternate picking on the guitar. Plectrum pick technique for electric and acoustic guitarists. alternate guitar style of picking lessons.

UP-STROKE Alternate Picking Concepts

Posted on August 10, 2023August 23, 2023 by Modern Music Theory

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UP-STROKE Alternate Picking Guitar Concepts

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at starting alternate picking runs on an upstroke.

upstroke, alternate, picking, guitar, technique, example

Starting on an upstroke can be useful when playing stepwise scalic patterns/runs. This can be modal, pentatonic or major/minor.

Here, is the first little exercise/idea: [Note that this starts on an upstroke and finishes on a downstroke]

We, will now extend this and complete the bar.

As you can see when starting on an upstroke it is easy to connect together fragments of scale and create extended fluid lines.

Here is another example of extending and varying by employing simple scalic movement starting on the up stroke.

Connecting scale fragments is a bit like taking the first half of the bar and imitating it into 2 phrases.

Employing Rests:

In this next example we have rests. These are useful as they give you a split second to get your fretting hand into position.

Open String Even to Odd:

This time we will employ the open string to create an even pattern to an odd pattern to set up the upstroke for the next phrase.

This time we will use the same concept to ascend with a simple piece of pentatonic/scale:

Now we will descend starting on the up-stroke [no open string]:

Repeated Note:

Finally, we will employ a repeated note with some scale and open string distance.

Notice that the repeated note and the open string are on the off beat:

Counting Time=Essentail

One last thing: When doing these and any exercises it is essential to count time. Below is an example:

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Alternate Picking Groups of 6 notes for Jazz/fusion guitar

Posted on July 30, 2023August 10, 2023 by Modern Music Theory

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Alternate Picking Groups of 6 notes for Jazz/Fusion Guitar

IMPORTANT: Please watch the video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at using groups of 6 notes for double timing in Jazz/Fusion.

Although these are sextuplets I am using them as a double timing musical tool and hence thinking of them slightly differently. This is because I am using a tempo marking of 100Bpm.

Why would I do this?

The reason being – Around this tempo demisemiquavers or 32nd notes might be too quick to play and offset the rhythm too much:

Alternate-Picking-Groups-6 notes-fusion-guitar

and 16th notes [tetrachords] may be too draggy and not pushy enough.

So, grouping 6 notes together over [1 crotchet] or 1 quarter note works really well rhythmically for clear cut phrasing. This is the sort of thing Al Di Meola or John McLaughlin would do.

You can count this how you want. Below are some common examples.

Alternate-Picking-Groups-6 notes-fusion-guitar-counting-time

In order to get forward momentum and shift the grouping along it is a really good idea to “Accent” the third note in each six note grouping: This also gives you a reference point and avoids muddying the groupings of notes.

Alternate-Picking-Groups-6 notes-accents-accenting

EXERCISE 1:

Here is the first exercise starting on a down stroke with strict alternate picking:

Alternate-Picking-Groups-6 notes-fusion-guitar-exercise

EXERCISE 2:

In the next exercise the second part goes the other way on the guitar fingerboard.

EXERCISE 3: EXTENDED LONG LINE:

This is an extended exercise with strict alternate picking : Remember to count the groupings as you play to begin with so that you internalise them.

PDF DOWNLOAD:

groups-6 GUITAR Download

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The Practice Notebooks Of Michael Brecker: Book Review

Posted on July 17, 2023July 30, 2023 by Modern Music Theory

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The Practice Notebooks Of Michael Brecker: Book Review

IMPORTANT: Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today I am reviewing the amazing collection of entries from Michael Brecker’s practice notebooks. With over 700 entries there is a lot to choose from.

Okay, let’s get started.

This book goes through the different decades of Michael Brecker’s musical life, starting from 1967 through the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and up to 2002.

There are six books within this:

In order to do justice to this collection of entries I will analyse a few.

From this it is revealing and in many cases surprising because Michael Brecker starts with such a simple seed, an almost childlike simplicity which is then expanded on with many of his trademark improvisational techniques.

This in turn opens the door to Michael Brecker’s improvisational mindset, self study and developmental nature:

EXAMPLE/ENTRY 1:

michael-brecker-practice-notebooks-book-review-examples

Here, we can see a ii V7 I which becomes a turnaround: [Notice the employment of Dominants]. The Am7 chord slides up a semitone to the Bb7 chord which then moves in the cycle of 4ths to Eb7 to Ab7 which then slides down a semitone again to the tonic key G.

But, what makes this line unique is the connecting of the solo line: Because the harmonic rhythm is moving at such a fast rate [1 chord per beat] the solo line needs to connect seamlessly.

And so it does. Above we see the G to Ab to G back and forth employing the same smooth semitone connection which finally resolves an octave lower.

Joe Henderson Line

The next example is from an entry that Michael Brecker took from Joe Henderson:

This example is interesting because we see one of Brecker’s trademarks, “Sidestepping”.

This little line starts off with a simple piece of scale that then incorporates side stepping,

This then connects to a scalic bebop style lick which then cadences beautifully with a minor 6th interval.

MODULES

The next example demonstrates Michael Brecker’s use of 4 note modules.

This module is exploited in a short line.

Below we can see the module that then connects to a simple minor 7th arpeggio.

This then slides down a semitone to connect the module again. Finally, finishing with a lick

COUNTDOWN

The last example is a phrase from the classic jazz repertoire “Countdown”.

This again is unique due to its structuring with simple triads and motifs/modules:

Below we see the modules/motifs repeated, but, moving down in Major 3rds.

Next, we see the filling out with the simplistic employment of basic triads:

Below, we see the minor 7th arpeggio, triads and final rudimentary cadential lick.

CONCLUSION

This was just a quick look at a few entries that Michael Brecker would expand on, play in all 12 keys and use a as basis for extemporisation, composition and improvisation.

This book is for the serious student of improvisation, wether a beginner or pro and anyone seeking to get into Michael Brecker’s mind and understand his ways of working/practicing as an improviser.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the people at Sher.co music for putting me on to this amazing book!

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