If it helps anybody: In Berklee's Chord-Scale Theory (probably the most used jazz theory methodology) we refer to this as Lydian Dominant. The term lydian, in a practical sense, just refers to a raised 4th scale degree or a #11 when used as a tertian extension. So in this case it's just C Mixolydian (Dominant) with a raised 4; F becomes F#. C D E F# G A Bb C The cool thing about this is that it gives you interesting tension that leads to cool resolution points. For example, the most functional use of this is in a secondary dominant. V/V or in the key of C, a D7 chord. This happens in a variety of contexts but in classical music this would resolve to G (or G7), in jazz usually to a Dm7 (as part of a ii - V/ Dm7 - G7). The F# provides a chromatic resolution to either G or F natural giving you an interesting tension that wasn't previously there. It's just a way to reinforce a chord change. Remember, we call them "changes" because it's the things that change that are important. Another common scenario; this note is the first note that hints at a tritone substitution. In a ii-V, If you sub the V for a tritone away, your roots will move in half steps. This is overly-simplified but the F# gives you a great resolution if C7(#11) (Lydian Dominant) is the V7 in your home key of F. For melodic usage in solos, try considering this very Herbie Hancock like approach: Building a Major7(#5) chord off of the b7 in whatever chord you are in. So over C7(#11); play Bbmaj7(#5) or Bb D F# A. Try arpeggiating that and getting used to that color. Also as a note, the association with C Lydian Dominant and G Melodic Minor is basically an altered variation of a ii-V relationship. Gm7 - C7 is G Dorian to C Mixolydian but if you spell the scales out, they are the exact same starting in different spots. The same applies for Lydian Dominant and Melodic Minor. For that matter, any alteration of a minor scale OR a dominant scale with have a relationship to its respective ii or V. I know this is a lot of information, but Scott gives these really fantastic introductions to great concepts and I share them with all of my students and friends. He is an understated resource to music education and an incredible asset to any musician regardless of instrument. This is a concept I played with myself for quite a while and its so valuable so by elaborating I hope I can provide stepping stones for the rest of you to jump off from after the brilliant introduction set forth by Scott! Best, David
Ummmm... music is made up of scales. No scales, no music--simply chaotic, random pitches. If that is what you are after, that's cool. But if you are going to play recognizable music in the western tradition, you are using scales whether you acknowledge them or not. Your statement is something similar to this: You suck, so does English grammar. If I learned to talk without emotion, nobody would listen to me because I'd be talking in fuckin' sentences and words. Hey, you're using words and sentences whether you're talking with emotion or not. And you're using scales whether you're playing an instrument with feeling and passion or not. The difference is in how you use them, not that you use them. You do, regardless.
Scott, I just want to let you know ,how much I appreciate your teaching method.I am a teacher as well and I tell most of my Fellow Bass Players to check your lessons out.
Thanks for these free lessons Scott. This one in particular has helped me understand the structure of a lot of jazz funk/ jazz bass soloing I've heard over the years. Big help cheers.
This partially sandwiched my head because when you said, "melodic minor" I was only aware of the classical melodic minor where you raise the 6th and 7th on the way up and drop them back on the way down. I didn't know about the "major scale with a flat 3rd" melodic minor. You learn something new every day.
Cool, isn't it? It's the same thing! As you said, you can think of 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 as either a natural minor with raised 6th and 7th notes, or you can think of it as a major scale with a lowered third. One way 'jazz theory' differs from 'classical theory' is with the treatment of the melodic minor. In jazz you don't have to swap to the natural minor on the way back down because you're usually playing over a chord, so your melody has a homophonic harmonic context that you don't always have with polyphony - eg. you don't have to fear the 'happy' sound of going 8 7 6 5 4 if you've got a I minor chord underneath.
The tip at 11:12 is really cool. It reveals all the potential of what is a substitution. By the way, on a C dominant chord, you could play a C lydian dominant... Which is the 4th mode on the G minor melodic scale. It's like lydian with a minor seventh or mixolydian with an augmented fourth (or sharpen 11th if you prefer). Actually, what I say is like saying that on a C major chord you could even play a E phrygian. But that we have to memorize on your video is that playing G melodic minor on this C7 chord, emphasizes an 11th interval. Playing C lydian dominant would emphasizes a 11# interval if you insist on the F#: the intension changes the color. You changed my vision of "I have to play a scale which has the same root as the chord". So for this: thank You Scott's Bass Lessons Moreover, about the C super locrian which is the 7th mode of the Db melodic scale, it is the same reasoning as above. But if you add flavour to your C7 chord the things changes: - With a C79, you could still play the G minor melodic on it but the Db minor melodic would be tensed on the second degree (Eb). - If you play C79b or C79# (altered chords), the G minor melodic would be tensed but not the Db minor melodic because it has the notes of the C altered (super locrian) mode. - Same reasoning could apply for the 11th and 13th intervals => Beware of the chords! Final thoughts (at this point it's clear that I speak too much ahah). If you combine all the notes from the C mixo, G minor melodic and Db minor melodic: C Db D Eb E F F# G G# A Bb The only note which is outside is B. So you can play almost any chromatism as a transition between modes (you could even slip on the B I'm sure it would just sound like a blue note). And if you really really really want to play outside of the box: insist on the B! Which is actually the major 7th of your C. It is a 2nd minor interval with the C minor 7th, which seems to be the strong link between all these modes. Anyway, just remember what said Miles Davis: "There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places." Keep the groove!
The easiest way to understand any chord/scale relationship is to Harmonise the scale. Melodic minor has Dom 7 chords on the 4th 5th and 7th notes. So C7 D7 and F#7-5 in G melodic minor. So the C7 chord being used as the example in this video could be a 4 chord in G melodic a 5 chord in F melodic and a 7 chord in Db melodic minor (strictly speaking should be a 7-5.) This also applies to the Mixolydian scale mentioned which is in fact just a Major scale. C7 is the 5 chord of F Maj so simply play F Maj over the C7. Use the Arpeggio to hit the sweet notes. Hope this helps :-)
I'm a full-time jazz bassist, and I've worn out the Lydian dominant and the Mixolydian. I've been rolling my eyes at the "melodic dominant down a fourth" thing because I wrongly assumed it was a (convoluted, long) shortcut mentally, but the arpeggios really sing on the bass. I was aware of other harmonic instruments doing this, but it didn't hit me practically until now. Thanks!
Very cool that you mentioned Emily Remler. She was an outstanding musician and a good friend of mine. I think of her often and miss her very much. Also this is an excellent lesson. Thanks for posting it!
what we all should be paying attention to is how Scott expresses himself here. The notes are one thing but his use of rhythm and great phrasing are the hippest thing about this lesson.
Love the sound of this. You can also use the melodic minor up a half-step over a static dominant 7 chord or over a dom7 that isn't returning 'home' to the I chord- a good example would be the jazz standard Take the A Train
This is great. Going to practice this now, with a drone from my synthesizer. Do more of this using scales and mixing them up. Thanks for the vids. I appreciate your time.
A wise man once told me " the more you know, the less you know" and i find this adage has never been more appropriate than after watching these videos.
If you want to simplify this approach whilst still maintaining those outside notes, try playing Eb pentatonic minor over the C7, you'll find that you get all the tasty tones that are found within the Db melodic minor, but you won't have to learn a new scale. You get Eb (#9), Gb (b5), Ab (b13), Bb (m7) and Db (b9). It's great to swap C minor pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic and it's all shapes we already know
Hey Scott, I love your vids. I went through the list twice looking for #18! lol. Might want to recheck the numbering ;) Thanks for all the great work you do, there's a lot there that I haven't heard so I'm going to put the kettle on and have a good listen now :)
In one lesson Scott says to swing by the website to see videos ranging from beginner to "turn your brain into soup". I think this might have been the soup point.
Hey scott. I love your videos and you are one of the only reasons i am passionate about bass. Could you please tell me how to learn scales quickly and easily as i prioritize harmonics over riffs. Thanks! Great work!
I practice these over a progression like: Cmin.- Dmin - Gb7 - F7altered so I play 5 scales first C Dorian - then Cmin then Gb lydian dominant then F7 Altered plus Penta tone min over all
Hello Scott! thanks for your amazing videos and tutorials. the instrumental loop on which you're playing here is great, where can I find the mp3? thanks in advance and best regards from Italy! Antonio
I usually hear this being called the "Lydian b7", which is easier for some than naming the scale by a different root. I.e.- it's more normal to say C Lydian b7 than it is G melodic minor, although they are the same thing
This is my all-time favourite SBL lesson. When I first watched it I didn't quite get into the sound, but now it sounds totally awesome. It's funny how your ears develop over time and you learn to appreciate new harmonies. I do wonder if Scott (and jazz musicians in general) always use the substitutions for the melodic minor scale, or if he is equally competent at playing the Lydian dominant and altered scale from root position (i.e. F and B respectively, in the key of C). My follow up question to this would be, should I really work on the melodic minor scale and fluency over the whole fingerboard, or should I place equal emphasis on learning each mode of the melodic minor over the whole fingerboard?
Yeah, i did already know this. On watching this again now i realise he's playing an E and not an Eb, feeling a bit silly now! Thanks for the comment though :)
i have this thing with my fingers where when i move from fore finger to pinky, or vice versa, my fingers stick out like a tea drinking princess. i gotta work on that, you guys fingers look very relaxed in these complex positions.
+SJ The COMEUP you don't have "this thing." "This thing" is how your fingers and hand want to naturally form. Every beginner has that. In order to get your hand to relax in these complex positions you have practice. Take your scales and a metronome and start playing them at a slow tempo. keep your hands in the right position not how they want to go and just practice. Yes it will be tedious at first but the pace will pick up. Don't go too fast. Patience is key. Happy playing :)
Ok I think I get it. By melodic minor he means major scale with a flat 3rd. So a G melodic minor is just a g major scale with a Bb instead of a B. And C Lydian Dominant is a C major scale with a sharp 4th and a flat 7th. Is that right? So no fanciness with playing it different ways up and down like what we used to learn what a melodic minor scale is?
technically melodic minor has a major 6th when ascending, and a minor 6th when descending. but the 7th is always major. so the melodic minor is the same as harmonic minor when descending. but I don't know what he's thinking about that 6th because his arpeggios aren't playing the 6th. so yeah he may just mean a major scale with a minor 3rd. but again, technically the melodic minor isn't that simple.
That is the classical way of thinking. Jazz generally doesn't make the distinction between ascending vs descending, but sees it as a standalone scale in it's own right.
that's interesting. so you're saying that in jazz, the melodic minor is the same whether you're ascending or descending? and which version of the classical harmonic minor does it match? the ascending version, or the descending version? or something else?
The melodic minor ascends like an Ionian with a minor 3rd, and descends like an Aeolian. Some say that the major sixth (which is awesome over a minor groove IMO) and the major seventh build more tension leading to the octave, but the minor third is a chord tone and gives the chord the minor sound. That's why the melodic minor exists. Descending in Aeolian sounds nice too (it was somewhere in Pink Floyd's "Money", probably at the end of the middle instrumental, with a passing note between the second and root.)
+TechnaDesign He has some nerve disorder and it keeps his hand from having muscular spasms. Something like that. He explains it somewhere on his website.
I find it a bit strange so... Completely interesting. :p The Eb sounds like in the C super locrian, the major third like the C lydian dominant. It combines both worlds. Anyway, you could obviously use a C phrygian dominant on this C dominant chord, or any mode in the range of the F harmonic minor scale I guess. You could even use C major minor so any mode in the range of the F minor melodic scale, and so on... ;-] Unless you enrich the C7 with a 9th, an 11th, a 13th, an altered version of these ones, or a combination of them, you're pretty free to play whatever you want, until you keep the right notes in time in order to express a colour.
It´s a complicated point, as everyone has his own vision. about harmonies, scales, modal scales, and Jazz theory......and it´s clear....someday when I get my own way of viewing this stuff. .. then I probably will be able to say "I got it"...=(
BTW , it´s a nice approach Scott, at least I could understand the issue by forcing my ear and then I caught the idea..but for me , there´s a lot more to go...!
One question..you are not really "substituing" but adding the "new" scale , which, in the end, is kinda "mixed " with the first one...and finally they have those common notes but the added minor flavor from the new one..I am right?
he has a condition called focal dystonia. deals with involuntary muscular contraction in his hand. so I think the glove helps stabilize it or something. it's easily researchable!
Is this substitution based solely on the fact that they share roughly the same shape/notes rather than an actual theory based solution, like a pentatonic substitution?
Ingesson's channel the fact that they share the same notes is the theory based solution. It has nothing to do with shapes though. Shapes are a myth made real by the notes in them.
The 2nd one especially (Db minor melodic over Cdom7) is quite theory-based: it spells out Altered scale which contains the significant extensions of a dom7 chord - b9, #9, b5, #5. Note-sharing: Alt scale and dom7 (MixoLydian scale) share root, 3rd, b7 of a dom7 chord, which makes them baseline-compatible
I need some help understanding this: When he says G melodic minor has the same notes that C "MIXOLYDIAN SCALE" is he talking about the Mixolydian mode of C? (That would be G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G) Please take into account that I'm quite very inexperienced with music theory. I just recently learnt about modes and it was explained very lightly to me as: "You create a new scale containing the same notes of the mayor scale of your root note, i.e: If C is your root the 3rd mode would be a scale starting in E containing all the notes of C mayor scale ( E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E) ....By the way, is this correct? Thanks in advance and excuse my English, it's not my native language
Scott talks about C Mixolydian, the 5th mode of F major scale. Simply speaking, 7 basic modes are just different configurations of 5 full-steps and 2 half-steps. So, yes, 3rd mode in the key of C major would be E Phrygian. G melodic minor contains G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F#, so it differs from C Mixolydian by one note (F# vs. F), but this major 7th is a tritone to C (which gives you lotsa tension).
You could think of it as well as a mixolydian scale with a raised 4th e.g. if you were playing over a D dominant chord you would play D E F# G# A B C D.
Stanislaw Rybinski richard bradbury thanks for the answers, so in terms of the naming if I say "X Mixolydian scale" I'm refering to a scale containgo all the notes of the mayor scale that contains the X note as its fith, did I get it right? Thanks in advance, and thanks again for the answers :)
Lucas, C Mixolydian is the fifth mode of F major (F,G,A,Bb,C,D,E,F). MIXOLYDIAN is always the fifth mode of the major scale no matter what key you are in.
The thing I don't get is why this (the lydian dominant) scale isn't the first thing taught to jazz music students to use over vanilla dominant chords. Why teach the normal Mixolydian scale when the natural 11 sounds so bad? Same thing with teaching students to use Locrian over minor 7 flat 5 chords when it similarly contains an "avoid tone". Why not just suggest the 6th mode of melodic minor (Aeolian flat 5) right from the start which has no avoid tones or "handle with care" notes?
+Northern Brother He has a condition that causes his hands to have sharp random twitch-like movements. The glove helps him keep it in control while he is playing.
You could get even more out of this idea if you used melodic minor in the way it was designed to be used (M6 + M7 when going to the root and m6 + m7 for everything else). This is definitely a cool idea but I would like to know Scott's Bass Lessons why not just use G Dorian over the C7 chord? All of the notes are exactly the same and it wouldn't tonicize G quite as much....
In my opinion, if you "just" use G Dorian, well, you do not add any flavour unless you insist on the C nineth, eleventh or third (the perfect fith do not add anything but power, it already resonates inside the C harmonics). By playing G melodic minor/C lydian dominant, you add a F# which could sounds like an anomaly because it produces a tritone... And this is actually what you're looking for when you want to modulate! :-] Hope my reasoning helped you a bit.
Remy Luciani That's cool info, but i have one question that i want to be clarified, and it also might be useful hint for less advanced players: if i don't want add any flavour can i approach C7 as Fmaj7 (ionian) and all of the modes i can build on it (for example E locrian/half dimnished)?
TWKamil If you think that the "natural" major scale is "flavourless" of course you can play F ionian on a C7. And if you follow the reasoning, you could play all modes of the F major scale. But actually, I think that each mode has its own flavour. In fact, we are just used to hear just a small bunch of mode, and we easily find really colourful the ones we never heard before. In my opinion, if you want to play something really "flat" on a dominant chord, just play mixolydian (e.g. C mixolydian on a C7). Have I answered your question?
Remy Luciani By "not adding flavour" i meant not playing any passing notes etc, just way of hanging around with same notes, but in recognizable, different manners:) your answer was very helpfull, thank you very much for your time and knowledge share!
It's one of the most common substitutes. Gm Maj7 = G Bb D F#, which is also the 5 b7 9 and #11. It has the Dom 7 #11 sound. And you need to get used to hearing some outside tones.
ronnieanand from a functional harmony angle, this one is used a lot when the dominant is a 1/2 step above the next chord. this is usually written in chord symbols as dominant 7th #11 ie: | Db7#11 | C- | The first few notes of Wynton Kelly's solo on Freddie Freeloader on Kind of Blue use this scale in a blues context / modal context
There are various uses of using Melodic Minor. You could either get a Altered Sound by going like what you said, which is the most popular. You could also play it targeting a Lydian Dominant sound which is slightly outside but not as outside like Altered Scale.
He has focal dystonia. It's a medical condition where the hands wiggle (kinda like Parkinson's) wben tensed and without any external contact. The gloves keep the contact with his hands, so no wiggle. He has a video titled "Why I Wear 'The Gloves'"
There's another way to think of this approach, that is to play F Major scale and then simply sharpened the root note (F), which gives you F#, all other notes stay the same. Technically the scale is called the Altered Scale (it's the same notes as G Melodic Minor).
If it helps anybody: In Berklee's Chord-Scale Theory (probably the most used jazz theory methodology) we refer to this as Lydian Dominant. The term lydian, in a practical sense, just refers to a raised 4th scale degree or a #11 when used as a tertian extension. So in this case it's just C Mixolydian (Dominant) with a raised 4; F becomes F#.
C D E F# G A Bb C
The cool thing about this is that it gives you interesting tension that leads to cool resolution points. For example, the most functional use of this is in a secondary dominant. V/V or in the key of C, a D7 chord. This happens in a variety of contexts but in classical music this would resolve to G (or G7), in jazz usually to a Dm7 (as part of a ii - V/ Dm7 - G7). The F# provides a chromatic resolution to either G or F natural giving you an interesting tension that wasn't previously there. It's just a way to reinforce a chord change. Remember, we call them "changes" because it's the things that change that are important.
Another common scenario; this note is the first note that hints at a tritone substitution. In a ii-V, If you sub the V for a tritone away, your roots will move in half steps. This is overly-simplified but the F# gives you a great resolution if C7(#11) (Lydian Dominant) is the V7 in your home key of F.
For melodic usage in solos, try considering this very Herbie Hancock like approach: Building a Major7(#5) chord off of the b7 in whatever chord you are in. So over C7(#11); play Bbmaj7(#5) or Bb D F# A. Try arpeggiating that and getting used to that color.
Also as a note, the association with C Lydian Dominant and G Melodic Minor is basically an altered variation of a ii-V relationship. Gm7 - C7 is G Dorian to C Mixolydian but if you spell the scales out, they are the exact same starting in different spots. The same applies for Lydian Dominant and Melodic Minor. For that matter, any alteration of a minor scale OR a dominant scale with have a relationship to its respective ii or V.
I know this is a lot of information, but Scott gives these really fantastic introductions to great concepts and I share them with all of my students and friends. He is an understated resource to music education and an incredible asset to any musician regardless of instrument. This is a concept I played with myself for quite a while and its so valuable so by elaborating I hope I can provide stepping stones for the rest of you to jump off from after the brilliant introduction set forth by Scott!
Best,
David
+David Baker I want to study music now
Show off.
:-P
Hahahaha. David is on-it though, but your comment was funny.
You suck, so does Berklee. I learned how to play without feeling and passion, nobody would hire me, because I played fuckin' scales, not music.
Ummmm... music is made up of scales. No scales, no music--simply chaotic, random pitches. If that is what you are after, that's cool. But if you are going to play recognizable music in the western tradition, you are using scales whether you acknowledge them or not. Your statement is something similar to this: You suck, so does English grammar. If I learned to talk without emotion, nobody would listen to me because I'd be talking in fuckin' sentences and words. Hey, you're using words and sentences whether you're talking with emotion or not. And you're using scales whether you're playing an instrument with feeling and passion or not. The difference is in how you use them, not that you use them. You do, regardless.
Scott, I just want to let you know ,how much I appreciate your teaching method.I am a teacher as well and I tell most of my Fellow Bass Players to check your lessons out.
Thanks for these free lessons Scott. This one in particular has helped me understand the structure of a lot of jazz funk/ jazz bass soloing I've heard over the years. Big help cheers.
This partially sandwiched my head because when you said, "melodic minor" I was only aware of the classical melodic minor where you raise the 6th and 7th on the way up and drop them back on the way down. I didn't know about the "major scale with a flat 3rd" melodic minor. You learn something new every day.
Cool, isn't it? It's the same thing! As you said, you can think of 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 as either a natural minor with raised 6th and 7th notes, or you can think of it as a major scale with a lowered third.
One way 'jazz theory' differs from 'classical theory' is with the treatment of the melodic minor. In jazz you don't have to swap to the natural minor on the way back down because you're usually playing over a chord, so your melody has a homophonic harmonic context that you don't always have with polyphony - eg. you don't have to fear the 'happy' sound of going 8 7 6 5 4 if you've got a I minor chord underneath.
The tip at 11:12 is really cool. It reveals all the potential of what is a substitution.
By the way, on a C dominant chord, you could play a C lydian dominant... Which is the 4th mode on the G minor melodic scale. It's like lydian with a minor seventh or mixolydian with an augmented fourth (or sharpen 11th if you prefer). Actually, what I say is like saying that on a C major chord you could even play a E phrygian. But that we have to memorize on your video is that playing G melodic minor on this C7 chord, emphasizes an 11th interval. Playing C lydian dominant would emphasizes a 11# interval if you insist on the F#: the intension changes the color.
You changed my vision of "I have to play a scale which has the same root as the chord". So for this: thank You Scott's Bass Lessons
Moreover, about the C super locrian which is the 7th mode of the Db melodic scale, it is the same reasoning as above. But if you add flavour to your C7 chord the things changes:
- With a C79, you could still play the G minor melodic on it but the Db minor melodic would be tensed on the second degree (Eb).
- If you play C79b or C79# (altered chords), the G minor melodic would be tensed but not the Db minor melodic because it has the notes of the C altered (super locrian) mode.
- Same reasoning could apply for the 11th and 13th intervals
=> Beware of the chords!
Final thoughts (at this point it's clear that I speak too much ahah). If you combine all the notes from the C mixo, G minor melodic and Db minor melodic:
C Db D Eb E F F# G G# A Bb
The only note which is outside is B. So you can play almost any chromatism as a transition between modes (you could even slip on the B I'm sure it would just sound like a blue note). And if you really really really want to play outside of the box: insist on the B! Which is actually the major 7th of your C. It is a 2nd minor interval with the C minor 7th, which seems to be the strong link between all these modes.
Anyway, just remember what said Miles Davis:
"There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places."
Keep the groove!
The easiest way to understand any chord/scale relationship is to Harmonise the scale. Melodic minor has Dom 7 chords on the 4th 5th and 7th notes. So C7 D7 and F#7-5 in G melodic minor. So the C7 chord being used as the example in this video could be a 4 chord in G melodic a 5 chord in F melodic and a 7 chord in Db melodic minor (strictly speaking should be a 7-5.) This also applies to the Mixolydian scale mentioned which is in fact just a Major scale. C7 is the 5 chord of F Maj so simply play F Maj over the C7. Use the Arpeggio to hit the sweet notes. Hope this helps :-)
Dude, this is my favourite lesson you have ever done. Seriously interesting stuff!
Great lesson; unlocks the "outside" sound via simple principles. Practice time!
Listening with headphones.
Love that bass tone
Mind blown. Thanks, Scott.
I'm a pianist but your tips are great for me too! Thanks man! Gonna keep this in mind when i get bored with dominant 7ths...
I play guitar, bass, and piano and lessons are awesome for learning theory and exercises across all instruments
I'm a full-time jazz bassist, and I've worn out the Lydian dominant and the Mixolydian. I've been rolling my eyes at the "melodic dominant down a fourth" thing because I wrongly assumed it was a (convoluted, long) shortcut mentally, but the arpeggios really sing on the bass. I was aware of other harmonic instruments doing this, but it didn't hit me practically until now. Thanks!
Very cool that you mentioned Emily Remler. She was an outstanding musician and a good friend of mine. I think of her often and miss her very much. Also this is an excellent lesson. Thanks for posting it!
Great lesson! Helped me unlock the next level of theory after the 'regular' modes.
This is a huge vocabulary expander. Thank you for lesson!
Yep, when you have nuance in feelings then you can find the scales that hit the spot!
thx scott , great lesson and you always the best
i love his class he is a good teacher
a tune for sunday by scott divine
Great lesson Scott. Love that Bass!!
what we all should be paying attention to is how Scott expresses himself here. The notes are one thing but his use of rhythm and great phrasing are the hippest thing about this lesson.
Your are the best bass trainer
I like that jazz song in the beginning, what is it? Anyone know of good bands with that style? Reminds me of the music from Grand Tourismo.
Wow this is great and it has a sort sinister classical vibe to it I dig it a lot man
Love the sound of this. You can also use the melodic minor up a half-step over a static dominant 7 chord or over a dom7 that isn't returning 'home' to the I chord- a good example would be the jazz standard Take the A Train
the altered scale is a melodic minor a semitone above the root... omg of course!! *mindblown*
This is great. Going to practice this now, with a drone from my synthesizer. Do more of this using scales and mixing them up. Thanks for the vids. I appreciate your time.
Great stuff as always!
A wise man once told me " the more you know, the less you know" and i find this adage has never been more appropriate than after watching these videos.
I love his bass, so much character
If you want to simplify this approach whilst still maintaining those outside notes, try playing Eb pentatonic minor over the C7, you'll find that you get all the tasty tones that are found within the Db melodic minor, but you won't have to learn a new scale.
You get Eb (#9), Gb (b5), Ab (b13), Bb (m7) and Db (b9). It's great to swap C minor pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic and it's all shapes we already know
Thanks again, Scott!
hey man, thanks for this. challenging as only touched on minor mode harmony and mainly stay in major mode harmony.
Thanks Scott, great 👍
Hey Scott, I love your vids. I went through the list twice looking for #18! lol. Might want to recheck the numbering ;) Thanks for all the great work you do, there's a lot there that I haven't heard so I'm going to put the kettle on and have a good listen now :)
Glad I saw this one!
In one lesson Scott says to swing by the website to see videos ranging from beginner to "turn your brain into soup". I think this might have been the soup point.
Whats the intro song? I've been wanting to know it since I started watching your videos, sounds smooth af!
a tune for sunday by scott divine
Hey scott. I love your videos and you are one of the only reasons i am passionate about bass. Could you please tell me how to learn scales quickly and easily as i prioritize harmonics over riffs. Thanks! Great work!
phrasing is damn gooooood.
I practice these over a progression like: Cmin.- Dmin - Gb7 - F7altered so I play 5 scales first C Dorian - then Cmin then Gb lydian dominant then F7 Altered plus Penta tone min over all
Hello Scott! thanks for your amazing videos and tutorials. the instrumental loop on which you're playing here is great, where can I find the mp3?
thanks in advance and best regards from Italy!
Antonio
Hi Scott. Your intro tune sounds very nice. Can you show us how it's played please.
Scott you gave me chills man. You are too nasty! Even on scale practice exercises hahah. I've got a long way to go...
Scott, I love the intro and outro music. I'd like to hear the whole song, if it is more than just an intro. Do you have a link to it?
just great, thanks a looot
I usually hear this being called the "Lydian b7", which is easier for some than naming the scale by a different root. I.e.- it's more normal to say C Lydian b7 than it is G melodic minor, although they are the same thing
This is my all-time favourite SBL lesson. When I first watched it I didn't quite get into the sound, but now it sounds totally awesome. It's funny how your ears develop over time and you learn to appreciate new harmonies.
I do wonder if Scott (and jazz musicians in general) always use the substitutions for the melodic minor scale, or if he is equally competent at playing the Lydian dominant and altered scale from root position (i.e. F and B respectively, in the key of C).
My follow up question to this would be, should I really work on the melodic minor scale and fluency over the whole fingerboard, or should I place equal emphasis on learning each mode of the melodic minor over the whole fingerboard?
Forgive me if I'm way off here but is not the G harmonic minor scale that's being used rather that G melodic minor?
Yeah, i did already know this. On watching this again now i realise he's playing an E and not an Eb, feeling a bit silly now! Thanks for the comment though :)
What strings are you using?
Your sound is incredible!
Thanks
reminds me of spirit
i have this thing with my fingers where when i move from fore finger to pinky, or vice versa, my fingers stick out like a tea drinking princess. i gotta work on that, you guys fingers look very relaxed in these complex positions.
+SJ The COMEUP you don't have "this thing." "This thing" is how your fingers and hand want to naturally form. Every beginner has that. In order to get your hand to relax in these complex positions you have practice. Take your scales and a metronome and start playing them at a slow tempo. keep your hands in the right position not how they want to go and just practice. Yes it will be tedious at first but the pace will pick up. Don't go too fast. Patience is key. Happy playing :)
man this sound fucking nice
Ok I think I get it. By melodic minor he means major scale with a flat 3rd. So a G melodic minor is just a g major scale with a Bb instead of a B. And C Lydian Dominant is a C major scale with a sharp 4th and a flat 7th. Is that right? So no fanciness with playing it different ways up and down like what we used to learn what a melodic minor scale is?
technically melodic minor has a major 6th when ascending, and a minor 6th when descending. but the 7th is always major. so the melodic minor is the same as harmonic minor when descending. but I don't know what he's thinking about that 6th because his arpeggios aren't playing the 6th.
so yeah he may just mean a major scale with a minor 3rd. but again, technically the melodic minor isn't that simple.
That is the classical way of thinking. Jazz generally doesn't make the distinction between ascending vs descending, but sees it as a standalone scale in it's own right.
that's interesting. so you're saying that in jazz, the melodic minor is the same whether you're ascending or descending? and which version of the classical harmonic minor does it match? the ascending version, or the descending version? or something else?
I don't often find myself using melodic minor, so I may be mistaken, but I believe it is the ascending version that remains the same.
The melodic minor ascends like an Ionian with a minor 3rd, and descends like an Aeolian. Some say that the major sixth (which is awesome over a minor groove IMO) and the major seventh build more tension leading to the octave, but the minor third is a chord tone and gives the chord the minor sound. That's why the melodic minor exists. Descending in Aeolian sounds nice too (it was somewhere in Pink Floyd's "Money", probably at the end of the middle instrumental, with a passing note between the second and root.)
Good lesson. :) What's up with the left hand glove?
+TechnaDesign He has some nerve disorder and it keeps his hand from having muscular spasms. Something like that. He explains it somewhere on his website.
+P A N I C . Thanks!
+P A N I C . Bet it keeps his strings nice and clean.
Adam Howell Keeps his fingers not smelling like pennies too.
+TechnaDesign That's a glove?
Are those flatwounds? loving that tone
I think they are. He uses them a lot
I wonder what it would sound like if we used the D phrygian dominant over it as well!
I find it a bit strange so... Completely interesting. :p The Eb sounds like in the C super locrian, the major third like the C lydian dominant. It combines both worlds.
Anyway, you could obviously use a C phrygian dominant on this C dominant chord, or any mode in the range of the F harmonic minor scale I guess.
You could even use C major minor so any mode in the range of the F minor melodic scale, and so on... ;-]
Unless you enrich the C7 with a 9th, an 11th, a 13th, an altered version of these ones, or a combination of them, you're pretty free to play whatever you want, until you keep the right notes in time in order to express a colour.
Wow, I can actually hear the bass through my laptop for a change.
What kind of strings do you use on that P bass?
It´s a complicated point, as everyone has his own vision. about harmonies, scales, modal scales, and Jazz theory......and it´s clear....someday when I get my own way of viewing this stuff. ..
then I probably will be able to say "I got it"...=(
BTW , it´s a nice approach Scott, at least I could understand the issue by forcing my ear and then I caught the idea..but for me , there´s a lot more to go...!
One question..you are not really "substituing" but adding the "new" scale , which, in the end, is kinda "mixed " with the first one...and finally they have those common notes but the added minor flavor from the new one..I am right?
Surely you would use c# melodic minor over a c7 chord? As the altered scale substitution??
Ingesson's channel yeah it's thing as d flat
hey scott, youve probably addressed this in a previous video but why do you wear that glove on one hand?
he has a condition called focal dystonia. deals with involuntary muscular contraction in his hand. so I think the glove helps stabilize it or something. it's easily researchable!
Some bass players like wearing a glove to avoid finger noises while sliding across the neck with roundwound string. It sounds more muted and mellow.
Ixtravague no thats not the reason Scott specifically wears it, the other guy was right
to hide a cyber hand :)
www.scottsbasslessons.com/odds-and-sods/the-gloves
Is this substitution based solely on the fact that they share roughly the same shape/notes rather than an actual theory based solution, like a pentatonic substitution?
Ingesson's channel the fact that they share the same notes is the theory based solution. It has nothing to do with shapes though. Shapes are a myth made real by the notes in them.
The 2nd one especially (Db minor melodic over Cdom7) is quite theory-based: it spells out Altered scale which contains the significant extensions of a dom7 chord - b9, #9, b5, #5. Note-sharing: Alt scale and dom7 (MixoLydian scale) share root, 3rd, b7 of a dom7 chord, which makes them baseline-compatible
i need this backing track , what to do??
I need some help understanding this: When he says G melodic minor has the same notes that C "MIXOLYDIAN SCALE" is he talking about the Mixolydian mode of C? (That would be G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G)
Please take into account that I'm quite very inexperienced with music theory.
I just recently learnt about modes and it was explained very lightly to me as: "You create a new scale containing the same notes of the mayor scale of your root note, i.e: If C is your root the 3rd mode would be a scale starting in E containing all the notes of C mayor scale ( E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E) ....By the way, is this correct?
Thanks in advance and excuse my English, it's not my native language
Scott talks about C Mixolydian, the 5th mode of F major scale.
Simply speaking, 7 basic modes are just different configurations of 5 full-steps and 2 half-steps. So, yes, 3rd mode in the key of C major would be E Phrygian.
G melodic minor contains G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F#, so it differs from C Mixolydian by one note (F# vs. F), but this major 7th is a tritone to C (which gives you lotsa tension).
You could think of it as well as a mixolydian scale with a raised 4th e.g. if you were playing over a D dominant chord you would play D E F# G# A B C D.
Good point! Thanks, mate! ;-)
Stanislaw Rybinski richard bradbury thanks for the answers, so in terms of the naming if I say "X Mixolydian scale" I'm refering to a scale containgo all the notes of the mayor scale that contains the X note as its fith, did I get it right?
Thanks in advance, and thanks again for the answers :)
Lucas, C Mixolydian is the fifth mode of F major (F,G,A,Bb,C,D,E,F). MIXOLYDIAN is always the fifth mode of the major scale no matter what key you are in.
The thing I don't get is why this (the lydian dominant) scale isn't the first thing taught to jazz music students to use over vanilla dominant chords. Why teach the normal Mixolydian scale when the natural 11 sounds so bad? Same thing with teaching students to use Locrian over minor 7 flat 5 chords when it similarly contains an "avoid tone". Why not just suggest the 6th mode of melodic minor (Aeolian flat 5) right from the start which has no avoid tones or "handle with care" notes?
I'd like to get back to playing my bass again. Scales were hard for me. I know they are important.
So why does he say down a fourth, not down a fifth? It's not like he's going from C-F he's just going to a lower octave of G.
This is must beautiful p bass ... mine blonde with gold pickguard ... 59 custom shop
I know you've been asked this a million times, but why the glove? Thx for the awesome vids!
+Northern Brother I was just wondering the same thing. Haha.
+Northern Brother He has a condition that causes his hands to have sharp random twitch-like movements. The glove helps him keep it in control while he is playing.
+Northern Brother I'm going to invest in a glove myself,, it is cool as hell. when i get great on bass i'll give all credit to my mans. cheers!
I'm still yet to see you play that strat that I've seen pop up heaps :)
5:49 - 5:53 so sick
Scott this sounds a bit like some of the stuff that Phish does, especially the song "Stash".
You could get even more out of this idea if you used melodic minor in the way it was designed to be used (M6 + M7 when going to the root and m6 + m7 for everything else). This is definitely a cool idea but I would like to know Scott's Bass Lessons why not just use G Dorian over the C7 chord? All of the notes are exactly the same and it wouldn't tonicize G quite as much....
In my opinion, if you "just" use G Dorian, well, you do not add any flavour unless you insist on the C nineth, eleventh or third (the perfect fith do not add anything but power, it already resonates inside the C harmonics). By playing G melodic minor/C lydian dominant, you add a F# which could sounds like an anomaly because it produces a tritone... And this is actually what you're looking for when you want to modulate! :-] Hope my reasoning helped you a bit.
Remy Luciani
That's cool info, but i have one question that i want to be clarified, and it also might be useful hint for less advanced players: if i don't want add any flavour can i approach C7 as Fmaj7 (ionian) and all of the modes i can build on it (for example E locrian/half dimnished)?
TWKamil If you think that the "natural" major scale is "flavourless" of course you can play F ionian on a C7. And if you follow the reasoning, you could play all modes of the F major scale. But actually, I think that each mode has its own flavour. In fact, we are just used to hear just a small bunch of mode, and we easily find really colourful the ones we never heard before.
In my opinion, if you want to play something really "flat" on a dominant chord, just play mixolydian (e.g. C mixolydian on a C7). Have I answered your question?
Remy Luciani
By "not adding flavour" i meant not playing any passing notes etc, just way of hanging around with same notes, but in recognizable, different manners:) your answer was very helpfull, thank you very much for your time and knowledge share!
TWKamil You're welcome! Do not hesitate to message me again if you have any other question. ;)
what is the name of the bass and amp he is using?
+Flash2398 The bass looks like a battered old Fender Precision to me. Sounds like one too.
whats with the glove?
What kind of stings does he use?
+11rfpro Wasps
I think two of the coolest scales are Miyako-Bushi and Hirajoshi.
Says the wannabe shakuhachi player...
I need help muting my strings could you go more in depth in the next video please.
It is best to figure it out yourself, it gives a greater value!
Study your fingers!
pleximanic thanks
Terrance Shaw try muting with just your fret hand and then just your picking hand. Eventually you'll use both in tandem when necessary.
MediHusky Thank you
come out and play!
Db is a whole tone away from C not a semi tone
That Fender been through 2 world wars..
Mixolydian = scarlet begonias outro
oh no!! it's the glove man, the hand transplant guy. give thing' his hand back!
Your Overwater sounds WAY WAY WAY better than your Fender.
Scott is one of my favorite players, but I don't really like this substitution. Just not working for me. :P
It's one of the most common substitutes. Gm Maj7 = G Bb D F#, which is also the 5 b7 9 and #11. It has the Dom 7 #11 sound.
And you need to get used to hearing some outside tones.
ronnieanand from a functional harmony angle, this one is used a lot when the dominant is a 1/2 step above the next chord. this is usually written in chord symbols as dominant 7th #11 ie: | Db7#11 | C- |
The first few notes of Wynton Kelly's solo on Freddie Freeloader on Kind of Blue use this scale in a blues context / modal context
There are various uses of using Melodic Minor. You could either get a Altered Sound by going like what you said, which is the most popular. You could also play it targeting a Lydian Dominant sound which is slightly outside but not as outside like Altered Scale.
ronnieanand what i'm talking about is lydian dominant. altered has to have flat 9th and sharp 9th.
Sorry.. I misread your previous comment.
Just learning ? Do the glove help ....
why he always wearing a gloves?
He has focal dystonia. It's a medical condition where the hands wiggle (kinda like Parkinson's) wben tensed and without any external contact. The gloves keep the contact with his hands, so no wiggle. He has a video titled "Why I Wear 'The Gloves'"
worst relic job?
too much talking showing off and fast glad its not in bloody american that would do it
Always too much talking, not enough eating brains... xD
Quit playing the Strangers Things intro jeez
Can you play more and cut the talking down. . . I know you have to it just seems you do more talking
There's another way to think of this approach, that is to play F Major scale and then simply sharpened the root note (F), which gives you F#, all other notes stay the same. Technically the scale is called the Altered Scale (it's the same notes as G Melodic Minor).