lesson – Page 10 – Modern Music Theory Improvisation and Application

Harmonizing Minor Scales for Guitarists:

Posted on February 14, 2025September 7, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at creating colourful and interesting harmonisations of the minor scale.

We will employ the A minor scale for simplicities sake and see where this leads….

EXAMPLE 1:

In this first example, we will stack fourths on top of each other and harmonise A Dorian:

Here, is the outlining chord of Am7add6. Here, we see the Dorian implication by the F# note.

harmonising_minor_scales_guitar_lesson_example

A Dorian as scale:

Now, let’s harmonise the scale with Quartal Dorian Voicings:

Sheet music notation for the dorian mode "Quartal Dorian" voicing's for harmonising chords on the guitar with tablature — Quartal Dorian Voicing’s.

EXERCISE 2:

We will now exploit the melodic minor scale:

Once again, we will stack 4th’s together. This creates a cool minor/major harmonic approach.

Am/Maj7 melodic minor implication. Notice the C natural [imply minor]and the F# and G# [imply Major]

quartal_harmonising_minor_scales_guitar_lesson_example

A melodic minor scale:

Here, is the chordal harmonisation:

Sheet music depicting the A melodic minor scale chordal harmonisation, with standard notation for the melody and tablature for guitar. — Chordal harmonisation example for the A melodic minor scale, showcasing its unique minor/major harmonic approach.

EXAMPLE 3:

In this example we will add a three note voicing to A Dorian. This will be a root with a 2nd and then a 3rd up.

BEWARE: This employs quite wide stretches.

cluster_harmonising_minor_scales_guitar_lesson_example

EXERCISE 4:

In this last example, we will harmonise the A natural minor scale.

harmonising_minor_scales_guitar_lesson_example_chord

A natural minor scale:

Once again: BEWARE: There is some stretching.

Conclusion:

This was just a quick look at how to harmonise a scale and what can be done with it.

This, is a great idea for use when stuck in one minor key or on one minor chord, as, this creates colour and movement.

The quartal harmonisation work especially well for syncopated and quick chord movement over a static chord.

FREE PDF DOWNLOAD:

harmonise minor scale Download

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Exploring Messiaen’s 7th Mode of Limited Transposition:

Posted on January 25, 2025January 25, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guy’s,

Today, a quick look at the amazing 7th mode of limited transposition employed by the great French composer Olivier Messiaen.

This is a ten note scale [and is almost a chromatic scale apart from two notes: In this blog Bb to E as a tritone]. It has 6 Transpositions:

MODE 7 ANALYSIS:

This mode consists mainly of half steps [semitones], but, there are two whole steps that divide this and give this mode its unique sound.

Messiaen Mode 7

Let’s now create an interesting guitar line from this mode 7.

This works well as a Robert Fripp style phrase/line as the intervals lend themselves well to tritone developing material.

Phrase 1:

messiaen_mode_7_limited_transposition_lesson_diagram_example

Phrase 2:

Now, let’s repeat these two phrases up an octave:

messiaen_mode_7_limited_transposition_lesson_example

LINE in Full:

LINE 2:

This line is devised from various intervals like 6ths and 7ths and 3rds that are nice to alternate pick on the guitar for that angular sound once again. This also shows how easy it is to exploit various intervals with this mode/scale form.

Bar 1:

messiaen_mode_7_limited_transposition_lesson_example_guitar

Bar 2:

Bar 3:

LINE in Full:

Dyads/Double Stops:

These modes works well with 2 note chord voicing’s as Dyads or Double Stops: These are great for comping or creating composition from on the guitar. Also, they are useful for plucking and then playing a lead mode 7 line on.

Messiaen mode 7 Dyads: Example 1

messiaen_mode_7_limited_transposition_lesson_example_dyads

Messiaen mode 7 Dyads: Example 2

FREE PDF DOWNLOAD:

mode_7_messiaen_ebook Download

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12 Tone Pattern: Scott Collins Guitar Line:

Posted on January 3, 2025January 3, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at a Scott Collins 12 tone guitar pattern and applying it to alternate picking guitar technique as an exercise in descending intervallic movement.

First of all, let’s look at the pattern.

I am thinking of these motifs as 3 note “Tri-chords” [as in John ‘O” Gallagher’s book 12 tone improvisation].

Here, are the first 3 pitches as a tri-chord.

TRI-CHORD:

What makes this line interesting is that the “Tri- Chords” move in “Tri-Tones”.

You could view this from a diminished perspective but from a picking perspective it is more like tritones and semitones. This gives it that unique angular sound.

If we look at the example below we can see a classic example of a tri-chord pattern/sequence with the same guitar fingering.

PATTERN: Same fingering

scott-collins-12-tone-symmetrical-guitar-patterns

In the next example, we can see the tri-chords, the tritones and the semitone movement.

TRICHORDS-TRITONES-SEMITONES:

ALTERNATE PICKING:

I am using strict alternate picking guitar technique for this exercise starting this on a “Downstroke”.

I am counting in groups of three note triplets, although, you could count in sextuplets.

There is a lot of one note per string and two notes per string picking. So, remember when you pluck down to pluck back up equally. This very much Robert Fripp style picking and hence you need to be aligned with the string you wish to pluck.

Here is the first part: