Using a tetrachordal approach to learning and using the modes of the major scale is amazing. Thinking in tetrachords has a host of advantages and benefits:

• Solo sound. Reduces the complexity of learning scales and modes


• Speeds up the whole process of learning the fingerboard in every key


• Aids in having musical places to go in any direction from any starting note


• Lets the scales and modes simply fall from your fingertips


• Enables the proverbial "long line" when soloing


• Makes your lines more jazz-like by helping you get away from licks and employing a more scalar

WHAT ARE THE DEGREES OF A SCALE?
Notes of the scale are often called degrees of the scale. The first note in a scale is termed the first degree of the scale; the second note is termed the second degree of the scale, and so on. Major and minor scales have seven degrees.

WHAT IS AN INTERVAL?
In musical theory, the term interval describes the difference in pitch between two notes. The difference between any note and its next adjacent note (two adjacent frets on the mandolin) is the interval of a half step. The difference between any one note and the note two half steps away is called a whole step. For now, that is all we need to know, but you will find a chart of all the intervals on the accompanying PDF file.

HOW IS THE MAJOR SCALE CONSTRUCTED?
The major scale is constructed using a series of whole steps and half steps. Let's examine the A Major Scale.

The above example shows the A Major scale as played all on the G-string. You can see that the melodic intervallic structure of the major scale is a series of whole steps and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.

WHAT IS A MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE?
The major scale has seven modes, one mode starting on each of the seven degrees of the scale. For example, the first mode of the major scale starts on the first degree of the scale. In A Major, the first mode would be to play A Major from A to A (A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A). The second mode of the A Major scale starts on the second degree of the scale, and consists of the notes of A Major from B to B (B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A-B). The third mode of A Major starts on the third degree of the scale and consists of the notes of A Major from C# to C# (C#-D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#). The fourth, fifth sixth and seventh modes are, well, you have already figured it out.

WHY USE MODES?
Thinking in modes is handy for several reasons.
Reason #1: For me, it's a lot faster. Let's take the example of playing the II-V progression Bm7 to E7. You know it's a m7 chord resolving to a 7 chord, but what scale do you play for soloing?
1.Using Modes: Play 2nd mode, then 5th mode.
2.Without Using Modes: Figure out the parent scale these two chords are in, and then play that scale. For instance, Bm7 functions as a "2" chord in A Major, and the E7 functions as the "5" chord in A Major. In this way you have figured out the parent scale of these two chords is A Major. So, you play out of the A Major scale for soloing over this II-V progression.
Reason #2: I get to use the tetrachordal approach, and that makes it EVEN MUCH easier to select notes for solos.

WHAT IS A TETRACHORD?
A "tetrachord" is a four-note scale fragment. Any major or minor scale easily divides into two tetrachords. The first tetrachord consists of the first four notes of the scale, and the second tetrachord consists of the second four notes of the scale. For instance, the first tetrachord of the A Major scale is A-B-C#-D, and the second tetrachord of the A Major scale is E-F#-G#-A.

MODES HAVE TETRACHORDS, TOO.
Modes are scales of a kind, so they have tetrachords, too. Lets use the fourth mode of the A Major scale for an example. The fourth mode of A Major starts on the fourth degree of the scale, which is a D. The mode consists of A Major from D to D (D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D). The first tetrachord of this mode is D-E-F#-G#, and the second tetrachord is A-B-C#-D.

ISN'T THIS MAKING IT MORE COMPLICATED?
Greater simplicity is the beauty of a tetrachordal approach to modes. How? Well, get this: There are 7 modes in any major scale, but there are only four different tetrachords! This is the part I love. The following examples are all going to be in the key of A Major.

IONIAN: FIRST MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
Everybody probably knows this fingering of A Major. It is used when playing over an A-Maj7 chord functioning as a "1" chord. You can play the following mode/shape from the 1st degree of any major scale. (The numbers below denote the fingering, not the scale degree.)

With your 1st finger starting on the 2nd-fret A on the G string:
♦the first tetrachord (A-B-C#-D) is played on the G string, and
♦the second tetrachord (E-F#-G#-A) is played on the D string.

See how this fingering of the first mode of the major scale is divided into two tetrachords? The coolest thing is that the two tetrachords are "shaped" exactly the same! I think of this as the major tetrachord because this tetrachord is used twice in the Ionian mode. (Very few people bother calling it the Ionian mode, they just call it "the major scale." Seems like a good idea to me).

DORIAN: SECOND MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
The second mode of a major scale is called the Dorian mode. Since we are in the key of A, and B is the second degree of the A Major scale, this is the fingerboard fingering for "B Dorian." It is used when playing over a Bm7 chord in the key of A. In fact, you can play this mode/shape from the 2nd degree of any major scale.

With your 1st finger starting on B on the G string:
♦the first tetrachord is played on the G string, and
♦the second tetrachord is played on the D string

See anything similar? They are again exactly the same tetrachord! The intervallic structure of the tetrachord that makes up the Dorian mode is W-H-W. Regardless of the key, or whether you want to play ascending or descending over a m7 chord functioning as a "2" chord in a major key, this is the fingering. I think of this as the minor tetrachord.

PHRYGIAN: THIRD MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
The third mode of a major scale is called the Phrygian mode. Since we are in the key of A Major and C# is the third degree of the scale, this is the fingerboard fingering for "C# Phrygian." Starting on C#, it is used when playing over a C#m7 chord in the key of A Major. You can play this mode/shape from the 3rd degree of any major scale.

With your 1st finger starting on C# on the G string:
♦the first tetrachord is played on the G string, and
♦the second tetrachord is played on the D string.

See anything similar? They are again exactly the same tetrachord! The intervallic structure of the tetrachord that makes up the Phrygian mode is H-W-W. Regardless of the key, or whether you want to play ascending or descending over a "3" in major chord, that is your fingering. I think of this as the Phrygian tetrachord.

HOW MANY TETRACHORDS ARE THERE IN MAJOR?
There are four tetrachords in major. We have already seen three of them and we have been only through three of the seven modes. There is one more tetrachord shape we have not seen yet. The fourth tetrachord is the Lydian tetrachord.

LYDIAN: FOURTH MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
The fourth mode of a major scale is called the Lydian mode. Since we are in the key of A Major and D is the fourth degree of the scale, here is the fingerboard fingering for "D Lydian." It is used when playing over a D-Maj7 chord in the key of A. You can play this mode/shape from the 4th degree of any major scale. The cool thing about the Lydian note is that it naturally (without alteration) contains a #11; it is called the Lydian note.

With your 1st finger starting on D on the G string:
♦the first tetrachord is played on the G string, and
♦the second tetrachord is played on the D string.

It sounds like a whole tone tetrachord, and it is! That is why I like to call it the whole tone tetrachord. The intervallic structure of the Lydian tetrachord is W-W-W.
Look at the other tetrachord. Does it look familiar? It is the major tetrachord. So, the words "Lydian mode" sounds like it should be some weird sound or hard, but it is simply made up of the whole tone tetrachord and the major tetrachord. Regardless of the key, or whether you want to play ascending or descending over a "4" chord in major, that is your fingering.

MIXOLYDIAN: FIFTH MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
The fifth mode of a major scale is called the Mixolydian mode. Since we are in the key of A Major and E is the fifth degree of the scale, here is the fingerboard fingering for "E Mixolydian." It is used when playing over an E7 chord in the key of A. But you can play this mode/shape from the 5th degree of any major scale.

With your 1st finger starting on E on the D string:
♦the first tetrachord is played on the D string, and
♦the second tetrachord is played on the A string.

Again, does anything look familiar? The first tetrachord is the major tetrachord, and the second tetrachord is the Dorian tetrachord. So, Mixolydian mode is simply the major tetrachord and the minor tetrachord. Regardless of the key, or whether you want to play ascending or descending over a "5" chord in major, that is your fingeriomg.

AEOLIAN: SIXTH MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE (THE NATURAL MINOR)
The sixth mode of a major scale is called. Since we are in the key of A Major and F# is the sixth degree of the scale, here is the fingerboard fingering for "F# Aeolian." It is used when playing over an F#m7 chord in the key of A. But you can play this mode/shape from the 6th degree of any major scale. (This is the sound of Bill Monroe's tune Jerusalem Ridge.)

With your 1st finger starting on F# on the D string:
♦the first tetrachord is played on the D string, and
♦the second tetrachord is played on the A string.

See how the first tetrachord is the minor sound, and the second tetrachord is the Phrygian sound? So, Aeolian mode is simply the minor tetrachord and the Phrygian tetrachord. Regardless of the key, or whether you want to play ascending or descending over a "6" chord in major, that is your fingering.

LOCRIAN: SEVENTH MODE OF THE MAJOR SCALE
The seventh mode of a major scale is called Locrian. Since we are in the key of A Major and G# is the seventh degree of the scale, here is the fingerboard fingering for "G# Locrian." It is used when playing over a G#m7b5 chord in the key of A. But you can play this mode/shape from the 7th degree of any major scale (especially as a substitute for a "5" chord).

Download PDF: Modes of Major Scale

Extra Credit PDF: TETRACHORDS: STUDY ON A "G" STRING

Read Mark Wilson's previous article: Grip #1.

Mandolins pack significant percussive potential because of the high string frequency and pick articulation. This bodes well in a traditional drummerless bluegrass band, but a fresh approach is required when playing in a fuller, high decibel Pop/Rock band with drums. Here are some ideas to make your contributions relevant.

Backbeat. Listen to the snare. Though striking on beats 2 and 4 can be some of the most tedious accompanying, locking with this energy is effective, and sometimes a nice departure from the flash of solo playing. Occasionally it's nice to just lay back and support.

Kick it. Listen to the bass drum. Watch the foot pedal, and you may find a clue to some tastey alternate rhythms. The bass drives at a fundamentally low frequency, by adding your higher spectrum to this in sync, you can add a subliminal energy.

Band hits. Watch the crash cymbals. A good drummer will be wired to listen to the dramatic rhythmic "band hits" on key dramatic points. Follow this and you add to the theater.

Subdivision. Listen to the closed hi hat. Often you'll hear a subdivided, low-volume rhythm here, and you can double time with cross-picking patterns to inject energy into the music. Playing 16ths while everyone else is quarter or eighth notes, this high-speed arpeggiation is something band and audience won't be able to put their finger on, but subconsciously they will hear an energy if you are accurate.

This principle is also a metaphor for much we tackle in life, including improvising. So many musicians are intimidated by the notion of playing freely in front of others, following the "proper" theoretical rules. This can be a barrier to an incredible aesthetic experience, so we encourage you to put yourself in non-threatening ensemble environments and experiment boldly.

Just blow!

Solo. Of course you can play alone, and this is generally the first setp to exploring improvisation. However, it pales in comparison to the musical commune experience of sharing ideas, the proverbial iron sharpening iron, and it's always better to actually hear the harmonic construction of the music in real time.

Jam Tracks. Technology is great and in the 70's we dug the "Music Minus One" series in school band and the Aebersold LPs. Following the evolution of technology, we played along with background tapes and CDs, and lately the MP3 format has opened a whole new convenient world of accompaniment resources. Even interactive software like Band in a Box or Groveland's Mando ModeExplorer with their additional alternatives in tempos and key changes at the click of a mouse can offer a whole new level of pedagogical experience.

Jam with a Buddy. Learning with someone of your own ability offers you both the benefit of interactivity without the intimidation of a glaring audience. It's something you share and grow together.

Jam with a Mentor. One musician said he has a rule of selecting to only play with musicians better than himself. It might be a tad unrealistic (especially if they are on the same quest--they won't play with you), but take advantage of those rare moments when you can intimately learn from a pro. It's gold.

The point is you can't learn to ride a bike until you get on the bike. Fracks and clams won't hurt you as badly as gravity, so make yourself vulnerable, and put yourself in one of the above situations to maximize your improvisation skill.

They can get tripped up on difficult words, hard to pronounce syllables, but the desire to communicate a context trumps the fear of making a mistake or physical frustration or not knowing more than they do. Learning chords on a mandolin is similar, except as adults, sometimes the irritation of our inabilities will thwart forward motion. The other bigger issue is context. Trying to learn a second language as an adult can be an exercise in futility when we do learn a laundry list of foreign words, when they aren't drilled in context; we can easily forget more new words than we learn if they aren't used over and over in time in real life.

We're big on learning chords two or three at a time, and in a context. Learning a ii7 AND a V7 in different combination affords the added experience of tactile motion, plus context. Just the feel of moving that one finger (out of three) to its next position gives both brain and hands a sense of purpose, a multidimensional and more profound sensory experience.

When you do encounter a new and unfamiliar chord, try to look at the one that follows in addition to the preceding chord. Think about what individual notes are the same, what are different. If you are trying to minimize motion for better voice leading, this also helps your brain digest the combination for future use in other songs. You'll learn the chord that much more deeply.

Looking for 'ii V7 I' combinations? Check out our Major and Minor stock chord patterns. Also relevant, the latest MandolinSessions article on Fresh Compin'.

A recent topic of discussion has been the notion of the specifics of a 'Jazz' mandolin, the instrument itself. What has been eye-opening is how varied the preconceptions are. We maintain the basic components are linear, melodic strength, rich and full but not something bright and penetrating enough to kill banjos.

We were surprised to find a school of thought that dry percussiveness was something desired in accompaniment, punchy, jangley chords, but that's such a minor role in the mandolin's potential in the jazz arena. In soloing, you absolutely have to have a sustained sound that propels line, bleeds notes into each other. Tremolo is certainly a matter of personal taste, but around here we plays a less predominant role in driving line; it's far more important for string and fingers to be able effectively keep the tone active.

We can't deny this is a complex animal. It's the metaphorical blind men's elephant. You know the story, the three blind men describing their individual tactile experience with a huge pachyderm, one observes a long thin snakelike feature (tail), one describes the endless breadth and width (abodomen), and yet another is infatuated by the floppy fleshiness (ears); all are basing opinions on a small part of a larger whole.

Crispness is great for comping, but accompanying is not the tiny mandolin's greatest strength. Closed fingered sustain is absolutely critical in tackling music that wanders through rapid chromatic tonal center changes, so you need an instrument with wood that vibrates a long time when open strings are not a regular participant in sonic production.

It's hard to describe four-dimensional qualities with three-dimensional words, but describing the attack/sustain/decay chain of sound, many overlook that middle part as time develops the sound. Throw in the elements of timber, brightness vs. darkness, and it gets even more complex. While we don't advocate "darkness" necessarily, you certainly need more fundamental expressed in the string, and that makes penetrating brightness less a priority. If nothing else, a present "twangy" quality is the last thing you'd want to produce.

Some would argue it's all in the players' fingers. Yes, this is true to a certain extent, but you can't have a carpenter building a house with a painter's brush, and you can't do brain surgery with a lumberjack's ax. Certain tools are prerequisite for the job at hand, even though these tools can be used in other arenas.

Extra Credit: Re-read Mandolinsessions articles on tone:
Thinking Good Tone Part 1: What the Pros say about Good Tone.
Thinking Good Tone Part 2: What the Pros say about Good Tone.

Thanks, Mark!

Grips
Chord shapes are what Jethro Burns used to call a grip. In other words, a grip is a chord voicing.

Grip #1
This is probably the most versatile chord voicing available on the mandolin because it can be used--without alteration--in major, minor, half-diminished, dominant 7(-9) and dominant-7(alt) chords.

This grip, Don Stiernberg says, is his primary chord voicing for a major 7th chord. Don uses this very open sounding 3-note voicing on all his major chords, and it delivers a very open sounding voicing when the 3rd is on the bottom, the 9th is in the middle and the 5th is on the top.

Intervallic Structure
The intervals in this voicing have a fixed intervallic separation. The interval between the bottom note and the middle note is a minor 7th and interval between the middle note and the top note is a perfect 4th. The interval between the bottom note and the top note is a minor 10th.

Relocating Grip #1 to the 6th (or 13th)
The same grip shape also delivers the sound of a major chord if it is played from the 6th of a chord. Relocating the grip to the 6th (the same as the 13th) delivers an open sounding voicing using the chord tones of the 6th-5th-root. The 6th is on the bottom, the 5th is in the middle and the root is on the top.

Relocating Grip #1 to the major 7th
The same grip shape also delivers the sound of a major chord if it is played from the 7th of a chord. Relocating the grip to the 7th delivers an open sounding voicing using the chord tones of the 7th-13th-9th. The 7th is on the bottom, the 13th is in the middle and the 9th is on the top.

Relocating Grip #1 to the Sharp-11th
The same grip shape also delivers the sound of a major chord if it is played from the #11th of a chord. Relocating the grip to the #11th delivers an open sounding voicing using the chord tones of the #11th-3rd-13th. The #11th is on the bottom, the 3rd is in the middle and the 13th is on the top.

Relocating To Other Chord Tones
This grip can also be relocated to other chord tones to deliver chords other than major. It can be based on the:

• Root of the chord to deliver either a minor-7th chord or a minor 7th(-5) (since the 5th of the chord is not present in the voicing).
• Flat-7th to deliver a fully-altered sound. That would be a dominant chord with flat or sharp 5th and a flat or sharp 9th.
• Sharp 9th to deliver either a 7(-9) or a fully altered dominant sound.
• Sharp 5th to deliver the progressively s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d sound of a major 7th with a #11 and a sharped 5th. Very cool. This makes even major 7th chords sound 'outside.'

Of course, each one of these positions calls for a different scale usage. In the accompanying PDF file you will find a chart with this Grip/Voicing laid out with its position in the chord, its chord tones, its fingerboard placement, its chord symbol, its quality and its appropriate scale and mode usage.

Download Grip #1 Lesson PDF

Mark Wilson
mark@wilson.org

Enjoy:

I believe the following and I hope any of it is helpful. With a strong ear and quickness at figuring out songs and various fretboards, you'll come to a point soon where knowledge of scales, chords, and progressions will interest you more, and you'll seek out a stronger theoretical foundation, and you'll get it! Nothing to be intimidated by, afraid of, etc---people do this at all stages of life, on every instrument, etc. I've had many students in this category and I tell them "Let's learn the names for what you already know"

So here we go:

12 tones in music, at least the kind we mostly do here in the States. If you start on any tone and play all of them in half steps, that's a chromatic scale.

A major scale has 8 tones, in a specific order. Start on any note. Then play a whole step(two frets), another whole step, half, whole, whole whole, half....major scale.

Harmonizing that major scale is the basis for numbering chord progressions. This was done in classical and jazz music long before the Nashville numbering system. The main difference between the Nashville system and others is Nashville uses Anglican numbers like 1, 2, and 5. The jazz cats use Roman: I, ii, and V. The classical people say tonic, subdominant, and dominant. They're all playing the same progression, one you no doubt play in all keys and feel comfortable with. G-C-D, or Bb-Eb-F, or E-A-B....

There are only four types or families of chords in all of music. Major, minor, diminished, and augmented. Some think of seventh chords (aka 'dominant' chords) as another family, but they are a form of major so they are often considered part of the major family.

American pop or roots music can be seen as certain progressions that occur time and time again:

I, IV, V---The Blues!Also the core of bluegrass, country, folk, and rock repertoire. Example: A, D, E. Nine Pound Hammer, Banks of the Ohio, Sweet Home Chicago

I-ii-V---same as above progression, different'middle chord'. Used in Broadway, Jazz, and pop tunes. Gershwin, Ellington, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder

I-vi---Root and relative minor, two chords with the same tones. Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Blackberry Blossom

I-vi-ii-V....You Send Me, Blue Moon, tons of other doo-wop and standard pop tunes.

I, IV, V, with bVII....Love Come Home, Angel From Montgomery, Live and Let Live, Tangled Up in Blue

Circle of fifths: G7, C7, F7, Bb or E7, A7, D7, G
Salty Dog, Don't Let the Deal Go Down, I Got Rhythm, Alabama Jubilee, Sweet Georgia Brown...

In addition to helping you get inside a song a little further and providing more options for how to create musical statements OF YOUR OWN from a tune's harmonic structure, being conversational in theory allows easier communication with your fellow musicians. It's easier to figure out how to proceed if you're all using similar maps and terms. Definitely easier to pinpoint the trouble spots to work on if all the cats in the band know what key they're in, where the first ending is, where the bridge is, etc..."hearing" chord progressions makes all of that speedier.

Reading TAB is not theory, it's an instrument-specific notation system used to speed along memorization of tunes and fingerings. You might get theory knowledge from it if you allow it to help you remember the form of a tune--its melody, where the repeats are, rhythms, etc. Theory generally refers to scales, chords, and how chords typically move or change from one to the other, as in"What notes sound good with this chord?"

The mandolin, by virtue of its beautiful and symmetrical layout (tuned in fifths like the fiddle) is a great instrument to recognize fundamentals of music theory on. Yeah. The best.

You may not be the first to wonder about whether theory is over-rated. The debate has raged on for years in music trade magazines, etc. Usually there are two camps, one saying "Look at that guy, all notes and school and chops and NO FEEL or Heart!" then the other camp that says "The guys who accuse other players of being too technical or educated are usually the ones who can't play".Well, both of these stances are too extreme, aren't they? Wes Montgomery, Errol Garner, Vassar Clements were all marketed as geniuses who "couldn't read music," which implied they knew little or nothing. In actuality--they knew EVERYTHING! Listening to their music one hears the deepest theoretical situations coupled with huge doses of emotion, heart, and soul...

A librarian/clarinettist friend likes to say, "It's always good to know more." My own brother once asked "What school did George Benson go to?"

Alright cats, your fellow untrained self-taught aspiring musician old Donnie is gonna sign off now and go back to the arched fretboard in search of the good notes. Whatever gets you there is fine, but I can assure you that knowing a few of the numbers and patterns has allowed me to interact with some nice musicians and scratch my way through some interesting gigs. All the best and don't forget to check out similar threads regarding improv, modes, scales etc. Good luck and as Maestro Van Burns used to say...

"No matter where you go, there you are."

Artist Website: Don Stiernberg

There's a small but often vocal contingency of musicians that loathe the intellectual side of music, the cerebrally intense analytical approach to understanding the "guts" of music. Often it's out of a personal insecurity; a bad experience with the jazz cats who banter terms about like "Tritone Subs," "TwoFiveOnes," or "Rhythm Changes" often at the risk of intimidating the newbie, especially when it's delivered like some sort of private security code or fraternity handshake.

There's no reason to experience intimidation in these environments. While we grant many unschooled musicians have created great music without an advance degree in the terminology and jazz verbiage, the greats still comprehend if nothing else, subliminally what makes a chord or tone resolve to the next, what linear choices of "right" notes goes appropriately with the vertical. What we are talking about in learning music theory is not an initiation process, it's simply shortcuts. It's learning both simple nuggets and broad concepts that exponentially increase musical vocabulary around 12 simple Western tones.

The process of grasping music theory can be described as three dimensional upward spiral. For the Folk/Bluegrass musician, it can go something like this:

My song has three chords I play (Aural/Physical), G, C, and D7. I enjoy these immensely but want to learn more songs, and note a similarity even though the chords are different. A, D, E7. I understand chords are based on notes of the scale (Theory). It's explained these are 4, 5 and 1 or written in Roman Numerals, IV, V7, and I.

Spiral up...

I notice in Pop and Jazz music a G, Am7, and D7 have a similar sort of system of "direction" (Aural/Physical). The G is like "home," the D7 pulls home, and the Am7 sets up the D7 quite often. Someone points out the similarity of the Am7 and C chord (same notes almost). Pointing out the (Roman) numbers of the chords these are based on, we get ii7 for Am7, or ii7 because someone says minor chords commonly use small case letters, so instead of IV, V7 I, we get ii7, V7, I. (Theory) Now the obscure TwoFiveOne reference by the Jazz Eggheads nags at my subconscious, and starts to make sense.

Spiral up...

I notice there are 12 keys. When I use numbers in a song with A, D, E7, or A, Bm7, E7, (Aural/Physical), I notice even though the chords are different, they still interact in the same way. My trumpet playing friend has me play in one of those weird flat keys, lots of Eb, Fm7, Bb7, and my brain registers this (Theory) as I, ii7, V7 chords, and for some reason, I'm able to pick these up, without even having to read the chords on the page. My ear tells me where the I (home) chord Eb is, and where the other two Fm7 and Bb7, because I'm listening to their function in context, rather than chords.

Spiral up...

I'm playing a Jazz tune, Satin Doll, and I notice in the 3rd measure the second chord is outside the key of C. I've been working on Dm7 G7 fingerings (Aural/Physical), as well as Em7 A7, and it dawns on me that there is a similar relationship (ii7 V7) in these two chords, but observe these are from the key of D (even though there are no sharps and flats in the key signature). I listen to other songs that leave the main key, but only temporarily. It's like a key within a key, a "tonal center" if you will, and some of these jazz standards that seemed very complex, when broken down in this way, are now opened up for much deeper understanding. (Theory)

Spiral up...

I'm getting a better understanding of what works in these uncovered tonal centers, and I'm able to play with many other great musicians in keys I never dreamed possible. I've learned what groups of notes work best within these centers, but because I've driven modes and scales (Aural/Physical) into my fingers in my regular practicing, it seems the fingers are generating my improvisation rather than my brain.

Aural/Physical or Theory?

I hate music theory...

Think of an ice cream sundae. If you piled 100 cherries on top of the ice cream, butterscotch, chocolate, and couldn't even see the whipped cream top any more, it wouldn't be the same experience as one, two, or three cherries placed strategically on the top. You probably wouldn't enjoy the subtleties of the experience, the crunchy texture of nuts on the teeth, the cool ice cream on the palette of the tongue, the contrasting flavors in the swirl of butterscotch and chocolate at the roof of your mouth. Undoubtedly, you'd get sick of cherries, too.

Extreme soloing can be the same nauseating experience, and as a good ensemble player, you need to be sensitive to this dynamic as well. There's a time to comp intensely, and a time to lay back, and your contributions to the group will by dynamically better (pun intended) and appreciated. Let's ponder the ways to start.

Silence. This is a no-brainer, but many players feel they aren't contributing if they aren't making some kind of noise all the time. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Laying out at the beginning of a song, pulling back on a chorus, letting someone else be featured, offers the listener much more variety of texture. Not every bite of an ice cream sundae has to have nuts in it; after a few spoonfuls without nuts, they taste even better. Electric Mandolin pioneer Michael Lampert rarely if ever, even comps behind a soloist. If you're surrounded by great rhythm players, not only is it unnecessary, you alos risk stepping on others' toes with too much rhythmic or textural complexity.

Single notes. Ever just played a consistent rhythmic pattern on a single note as background? If it's the right note (tonic, dominant), it can be quite effective. Kick it up a notch by playing it in octaves. You don't have to be complex to be interesting!

Short melodic phrases. This doesn't even have to be the "call and response" of antecedent/consequent phrases, but you can weave very slow melodies in the background, as long as you yield to the "right of way" of the soloist. Don't showboat, though. Simply play chord-rich elements melodically and slowly.

Parallel Two-note melodies. Playing intervals in 3rds and 6ths on adjacent strings is one of the coolest capabilities of the mandolin. Try this in slow quarter note and half note runs. You can be laying down the harmonic structure without risking "busy-ness."

Don Stiernberg is one of the best players to listen to for how to use silence (and simplicity). He has a gift for reeling you in with digestible bite-size chunks of savory melody, well-baked and spaced, then wham! Out of nowhere comes a blistering pyrotechnical lick that disappears as quickly as it's stated. It's always a treat to listen to what he does with the mandolin. Consider a purchase of all of his CDs an investment in tuition in the College of Tasty Jazz Mandolin

An unresolved Dominant Seventh chord stirs motion. Roll out a huge arpeggiated G7 on a grand piano and sing "Happy..." and who can resist following up with a tonic C based "Birthday to you!" It's a primordial a 'V7 to I' as you can get.

Music theorists will teach you that in our tonal universe, we have three functions; Home (I) or Tonic, Dominant (V7), and Dominant Preparation (ii, IV, vi and variations on them). When we think C7, in context, more often than not, it will be a V7 or Dominant chord of F. In jazz contexts more often than not, you'll see stylistic interpretations, "spice" if you will that take a basic 7th chord C7 (C E G Bb), include variations like C9 (adding the 9th or D), C13 (adding the 13th or A), and C7 b13 (adding the lowered 13th, the same as a raised 5th or Augmented chord), and use them interchangeably.

If a jazz musician sees or hears C7 in the score, he/she is not thinking C E G Bb, rather thinking a contextual function of "Dominant." That's why depending on what other musicians are doing at the time, chord extensions are not only okay, they are encouraged. All the preceding variations are fair game, as long as the additional chord extensions don't conflict with the melody or another comping instrument. (You don't want to play a C7b9 if someone else is playing a C9.)
It all boils down to function. A good skill to have is to be able to recognize all the 'V7 I' pairs in the Circle of Fifths. Playing through these in all 12 keys until they become automatic is a healthy exercise to add to your practice routine, both physically and intellectually.

Let's explain. As we exploit modern technologies, the band and many of the guitar parts were recording by good buddy and mandolinist/guitarist extraordinaire, John Eubanks and some of his amazing session friends down in New Orleans. Piano, bass, drums, guitar (and some of John's mandolin) were recording in a professional studio, post-Katrina, an interesting experience, no doubt, but long distance from JazzMando Headquarters. Some additional bonus tracks are in the works from arguably the world's greatest jazz mandolinist, Don Stiernberg next week in a recording studio in Chicago. Music is being exchanged through PDF in email, and audio transferred back via FTP.

PDQ. (pretty darned quick...)

The humble author has never professed the greatest mandolin chops, but the recording does call for mandolin demonstration in the exercises. Painstaking efforts were made to produce a quality recording in the JazzMando Lab, and because of the miracle of dice and splice digital technology, we should have a pretty good recording, despite the playing inabilities and natural imperfections of the author.

What's happened though is interesting. Recording jazz, you aren't going to have even straight, eighth notes; you want a recording that isn't metronomic, it needs to swing. This makes computer editing very intriguing when you see the splash of bars and graphs of digital audio on a monitor screen, all the discussion of our most recent entry on swing comes to light, in a very literal way. (See It don't mean a thing if it ain't...) Of course, a downbeat is a downbeat; you want starting notes to be on time, but if it truly swings, you don't line up exactly with the subdivisions of perfectly divided time.

If you ever have chance to use a digital audio editor (we used Steinberg's Cubase and SoundLab), take it. Not only is it amazing in editing out mistakes, you get a visual education and conception of swing--a fresh look under the hood.

Those with a history of guitar playing know the benefit of barre chords, as well. These closed position chords allow you to move stock fingerings up and down with ease mentally and physically; that's yet another reason to approach chord construction with this approach. We even have two less strings (and less reach) to confound us.

Another trick to doublestops is what we call half-fretting. Sometimes if your 1st finger covers a string that's actually fingered higher up the fretboard, you get a hand/wrist position that is more stable.

This Am9 is an example of what we mean, but the half-fingering is in the 2nd finger. A four-fret span reach is difficult enough to hold down, but since anything you close below the 4th finger isn't going to be heard, why not get this extra grip? Note that it also puts your hand closer to the fingerboard, and rests more comfortably.

Using the 1st and 2nd fingers for 5th doublestops is also very useful for rhythmic accompanying. You have easy access to a common interval, the Perfect Fifth; great for power chording as well as a half-muted rhythmic texture.

Note you can keep your 1st finger there, and add the 2nd finger two frets above for some great blues riffing. It's a little tougher for the 3rd and 4th fingers, but if you hold your hand right you can get the 3rd up a fret for the minor 3rd and minor 7th.

Automatic blues!

What we've outlined in this concept is simply taking a motif, a phrase, a "lick," and building off of it using some of the theory concepts you've picked up. It can be something as basic as altering the phrase within the context of a new scale, injecting auxiliary notes, extracting nuggets, or varying the rhythms. What you end up with is something musically consistent, but also fresh in the ear of the listener. It's like remodeling a house, rather than starting an entire building from scratch.

We challenge you to find some licks you like. It can be the first two measures of "Scrapple from the Apple," a recognizable lick from one of your favorite players, even a line from a Bach Violin Partita. Make it simple, though; the idea is to retain consistency, and just see what you can do limited to a simple set of fresh notes. You may astound both yourself AND your audience with what a simple dose of creativity can do to supercharge your solos.

Like the old Timex watch TV commercials from the 60's, but instead of "It takes a licking, but it keeps on ticking," your improvisation can now be, "Take your "lick" ing and keep on ticking....

We want to propose three different approaches to developing better improvisational skills. Each in their own way are great jumping off points, but the best way to solo will be a combination of each approach. Individually, they contain the components of melodic creation, but only in tandem will they start to sound like music coming out of a mature player.

We will assume you've already dived into the FFcP materials, and have at least a cursory feel for what these exercises do for your fingers and ears. Scales are at the very rudimentary end of nurturing melodic material; hopefully you're already using major and minor scales and modes to improvise. We want to go the next step and not sound like the music is coming out of scales. All of these are previous exercises introduced on the website; now it's up to you to figure out how to work them into a regimen of practice time. Our suggestion is to spend a day or three on one, move to the next for the same period, and move to the third, and rotate them. Work them in different areas of the fretboard, and most importantly, inject them into songs you are already attempting to improvise over. Keep it simple to start; you'll get better and more "subconscious" with their application as you get better.

Guide and Gravity Tones: Introduced in our April 2004 Mandolin sessions article, Critical Decisions in Improvising: 'Gravity' Notes, we uncovered the importance of identifying the "gravity" notes of the scale, the 4th and 7th notes, and the 2nd and 6th--how they pull the music along. Understanding, hearing, and communicating this pull through your improvising gives your melody a harmonic context. It drives the phrase.

Exercise: G & G

Arpeggios: We must think chords as we blow through a solo; we need to "be at one" with the harmonic and vertical construction of the changes to be effective, let alone consistent with the accompaniment. Knowing where the leading tone (7th), the third and emphasizing these important tones is essential. Practicing Arpeggios is a great way to do this so that they become familiar and automatic. We have 4 different versions of 7th chords in our upcoming book, Major, Minor, Dominant, and m6 (half diminished), but until then, try a sample from the Major 7th exercise. You can map out your own for the other chords

Exercise: Major Arpeggios

Jazz Pentatonics: We've avoid inserting Pentatonics to the end, because so many beginning players overuse and abuse these. You have to understand why they are useful in jazz before diving in, or you never get to use them to their potential, especially if you don't have them cold in all 12 keys. There is a strong foundation here, with the root, third, fifth all so apparent, a couple of benign passing tones added. Read our thoughts on Jazzed Pentatonics and some of the jazz specific uses available. Then dig in and learn them in all 12 keys and up the fretboard.

Exercise: Jazz Pentatonics

Also, read our latest MandolinSessions, Enhanced Pentatonics.

Three ways to skin this hep cat!

Check out these Tips and other past submissions you may have missed:
Fingers
Ears
Brain

Also, don't miss our ever-increasing archive of past issues of Mel Bay's MandolinSessions.com, a free webzine educational service.
For an entire listing: Jazz Mandology.