Alternate Picking Guitar Tetrachords Part 2

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Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

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alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

This is a response video to the previous video/blog. This is to explain and demonstrate the application of “Tetrachords” a bit further.

Here, I will add the video examples in Tab/Notation:

RECAP= What are Tetrachords:

“Tetrachords” are 4 note groupings to connect harmony/lines together for improvisation [and composition]

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

When mastered they can be broken up into musical phrasing/punctuation:

Broken up/Shifted: Thus creating an upbeat

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

Notes chopped off in the bar: Creating space and rhythmic interest.

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

Breaking up the tetrachords like this helps to create smooth syncopations, anticipations or go the other way and play on the beat:

Now, let’s follow this through to a short extension of the phrase

tetrachords-guitar-improvising-lesson

Counting Time

As always it’s essential to count the time when doing this so that you know where you are in the phrase.

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

Alternate Picking Guitar Technique:

In this video and for these examples I am employing strict alternate picking starting on a “Down Stroke”. Down Up Down Up etc.

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

TETRACHORD EXERCISES EXAMPLES

Practicing ii V7 I’s and iii Vi ii V7 I’s in various guises will really help you connect and nail the changes with your alternate picking: Below is an example with II V7 I:

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-example

Connecting the “HARMONY”

Now, let’s connect the harmony/chords together via tetrachords: This first example is in the style of John McLaughlin.

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-improvisation-example

Notice, how smoothly the pentatonic 4 note groupings connect together

This time we will take a more basic approach with very simple fretting/fingering:

alternate-picking-jazz-guitar-tetrachords-improvisation-example

In Conclusion:

So, even through these basic examples it’s easy to see how to exploit these 4 note groupings to nail the changes and then break them up into musical phrasing/punctuation: As a further resource I would recommend John McLaughlin excellent DVD called “This is the way I do it”

PDF DOWNLOAD:

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Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

Alternate Picking Guitar Exercises/Runs 140 bpm ii v7 i

Posted on by Modern Music Theory and Application
Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

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alternate-picking-mechanics-guitar-exercise-fusion-fluidity-lines

Video above demonstrates the exercises below:

Hi Guys,

Today, a couple of alternate picking guitar exercises.

The difference with these is that they are LONG “Fusion” fluidity exercises/lines. The Goal is in “Connecting” the 4 note tetrachords together to produce long liquid lines for jazz/fusion improvisation.

mclaughlin-liquid-lines-fluidity-alternate-picking-exercise

These lines are through a ii V7 I chord sequence/cadence at 140 bpm, so they are not super fast but are at the tipping point of the fusion tempo.

I am starting on a down stroke with the pick and following through with strict alternate picking in double time with 16th notes.

EXERCISE 1:

This first exercise employs some chromaticism ascending with pentatonic movement. The last 2 notes have a big stretch so there’s also a quick moment of detailed finger precision in the fretting hand.

alternate-picking-mechanics-guitar-exercise
alternate-picking-guitar-mechanics

As always with these types of exercises it’s important to count time and feel the pulse.

jazz-fusion-double-time-counting

This will create the “Fluidity” in movement and help connect it all together.

EXERCISE 2 VARIATION:

Next, we have a variation of the exercise above. This time starting with an upbeat and an extension all the way to the top D note.

alternate-picking-mechanics-guitar-exercise-fluidity-lines
alternate-picking-mechanics-guitar-exercise-fluidity-lines

EXERCISE 3:

Lastly, we have another tetrachord exercise and variation going the other way,

alternate-picking-mechanics-guitar-exercise-liquid-lines

CONCLUSION:

As you can see from these short exercises, the only way to get the alternate picking effective with jazz/fusion is through the “Connections”, because the harmony/chord changes have to be dealt with whilst picking.

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Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

12 tone jazz/fusion 20c classical quartal/quintal lines

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12 Tone Jazz/Fusion Quartal/Quintal improvising and composing concepts

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today, a look at employing 12 tone rows for Quartal and Quintal improvising and composing.

Here is the first row: Notice the movement of 5ths and 4ths.

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

Now, we will play it backwards with retrograde motion or reversal: Also, notice the use of changing register.

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

Full 2 bars:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

In this next example we will employ Triadic movement and semitone connections.

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows-triads

In the following part we connect triads directly:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows-triads

Finally, we will add some non 12 tone notes to complete the phrase:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

From here we will exploit the tone row and make 4 bars of music from it: Here is the 12 tone row:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

We will now copy it and change register: Notice that the last four notes descend:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

Now, that we have this we will reverse both bars and create another 2 bars of music:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

Lastly we will join together 2 different rows: We will break these up a bit with the first part acting more like a vamp:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

The second part employs quintal and quuartal movement once again:

12-tone-jazz-fusion-rows

PDF DOWNLOAD:

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