Chromaticism. Need some help here.

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

Hello,

My playing has been sounding very "in the box" lately thus I have been trying to use more chromatic ideas in my playing, specifically using more passing tones, playing notes other than the scale tones, etc. Can anyone direct me to a thread on this, or offer some advice on using chromatic ideas in leads, backup, fills, etc.? I have been experimenting with some things, which sometimes work and othertimes sound really hideous, those of you who use a lot of chromatic ideas, do you have an approach that I might want to try as a starting point? Thanks for taking time to read my post and for any help you may offer.

Gerald

Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

KOS! (keep-on-slidin')you'll run into a good sounding note eventually!
JE:-)>

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes Gerald,

I can give you that secret. It was given to us long ago. But it won't be anything you are probably imagining.

"There are two ways to play a steel guitar:

1. From your brain to your hands.

2. From your brain to your hands by way of your heart."

No player who has ever graced our beloved instrument has ever epitomized that quote more than the player who has lived 2. And just maybe the reason that player is the one who quoted it.

Jerry Byrd said that long ago. And if you think about that awesome revelation, you will "see" the enormous validity in his words.

For when the heart is not in the playing it is pure mechanical and those things we hear and say "how did they come up with that?" came as a result of number 2.

I know of NO reording ever made, using our instrument, that more proves that more than Tom Brumley's "Together Again". Because that one lick touched the heart of most who have ever heard it, because it came from item 2 above.

Tom was able to put his "heart" in that break and as he did, that break made that recording. Buck, if he was totaly honest, would probably say "affirmative". Buck's voice was good' very good on that recording, but it was the Heart of Tom while playing that incredible break that caused many a person (musicians and non musicians) to take note of what came out of Tom's amp.

So in summary, if you feel your playing is becoming stale or is not up to what you wish, read that poignant quote, because in that, is the secret to what makes or breaks any musician or any person in ANY field of endeavor.

May Jesus richly bless you all,

carl

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

One thing to keep in mind is that the notes 4-4#-5 are considered to be in the scale in blues. Our ears don't hear the 4# as outside if it's placed between the 4 and the 5.

Also, the 3b often works very well, especially against a IV chord. If a progression has even a hint of blues to it, changing the 3 in your scale to a 3b when the chord progression goes to IV is very effective.

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Susan Alcorn (deceased) · From: Baltimore, MD, USA

You know, any note can be played against any chord at any time and sound beautiful . . . if you play it right.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Absolutely no argument about that from me, Susan (I came of age as a pianist in the shadow of Ornette, Cecil & Braxton).
For more applicable ideas in more traditional settings, one very simple idea, Gerald, is to remember that the cycle of 4ths can be expressed as downward chromatics. The VI-II-V in a I-VI-II-V can be descending harmonized 3-7 or 5-7 splits. Or 3 or 4 string arpeggiations as you descend one fret at a time. The whole tritone substitution concept can really subvert and enliven a tired whitebread tune. Or tired whitebread picking (take it from me, Jon Whitebread Light)
On a less traditional note, although I grew very weary of the fusion sound some time in the mid 70's, the break-out Miles and Weather Report stuff---specifically the Rhodes picking of Zawinul, Hancock and Corea is real cool--I wish I had some in my collection. It's an immersion in chromaticism.

Ken Williams · From: Arkansas

I'm not sure if you mean on C6, E9, or just in general. Here's a couple of places on E9 where you get chromatic notes with very little effort. The most obvious place might be the 2nd and 4th string, which are only 1/2 step apart. If you lower your 6th string 1/2 tone, that would make the 6th and 7th string only 1/2 step apart. Another way is to press the A pedal and the lever that lowers the 8th string 1/2 tone. This would make the 8,9,10 strings all 1/2 step apart from each other. You can play the same notes an octave higher by playing strings 5,2,4 lowering the 4th string 1/2 tone and the 2nd string 1/2 tone.

I'm sure there are many other places. These are just some of the more common ones for me.

Ken
http://home.ipa.net/~kenwill

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

Thank you all the great responses, to be more specific, I want use more chomaticism in single note lines and when using diads, triads moving around, on either neck. Bobby, your response is EXACTLY the sort of thing I am looking for. Thanks.

To the others who offered some really great more, what, intuitive approaches thank you as well, I think I need a more nuts and bolts kind of approach first, start by thinking about it and move to not thinking about it playing more from the heart as Carl offered.

anybody else?

Greg Vincent · From: Folsom, CA USA

Gerald,

If you're on the V chord resolving to the I chord, you can flatten both the 1 and 3 notes of the V chord a whole step to get a V9 chord. If you make this whole step move in half-step increments, you can get some nice chromaticism. It makes a nice resolution to the I chord.

Also works as a move from I to IV!

Also in a V to I move: sharpen the 5th note of the V chord to make a Vaug. This pulls you right to the I chord. Nice chromaticism there too.

Again, this also works as a move from I to IV!

In a IV to V move you can sharpen the root of the IV chord to make a #IVdim which leads nicely into the V chord --although you might want to warn your bass player about this one!

-GV

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

One other thing, Gerald--this tab from Ernie Renn's Buddy E. site has some stuff that is the answer to all sorts of stuff that I've always heard but couldn't find on MY guitar. I've distilled it down to 4 phrases that I want to absorb and they are the beez neez.
http://www.buddyemmons.com/adalida.htm

Leon Grizzard · From: Austin, Texas, USA

I play Spanish rather than pedal, but for single line playing, a common way to move chromatically is to approach your target note chomatically from above, skip the target, and play the note a half step below, then the target. For example, in the key of C, target the flat 7, Bb, by playing C, B, A, Bb. Or target the note C by playing D, Db, B, C. Or decorate any note with the note a half step below, like decorate C by playing C, B, C.

Mike Delaney · From: Fort Madison, IA

Gerald-Something that may be of help is to think of the notes that are not in the scale that you are currently using. For example, if you are playing a C Major scale, the other notes are an F# Pentatonic scale. You can use this scale in brief snippets to sound a bit outside by resolving it by half step.

Another trick that goes well with this is to use other Pentatonic scales than the root variety. For example, C Pentatonic against a C chord sound like C6. You can also use G Pentatonic, which sounds like CMaj9. Then try D Pentatonic, which sounds like CMaj7#11. Now you have several points of resolution for your F# Pentatoic, as well as a couple of new scales which will stand on their own, sounding only slightly outside.

A good book for explaining this type of approach is "Creative Scale Dimensions" by Tim May.

If you really want to explore the entire universe of tonality, get "The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" by George Russell. This is, IMHO, the most liberating and informative work of all time.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Susan is quite right, any note can work,
but it is how you use it that is the issue :
when ;
from where to where,
and how long it is played
that allows it to work, or not.

That's why many notes in a scale for a chord are called passing notes, because you can use them, to pass from one place to another,
but you can't stay there long.

Just a d# passin' through

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 06 November 2003 at 08:41 AM.]

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Chances are that if you try to learn the melody of every song you play, not just the chords and lick patterns over the chords, you will be automatically thinking chromatically.
I know this has been been overstated here on the forum many times, but it's so true! Even the simplest melodies on the most basic songs will lead you out of "the box" now & then. It's great to use the blues scale, modes, and passing phrases...we all do at one time or another, but the coolest solo's and back-ups are those that are played as melodically as possible. Try to listen to singers more closely. The steel's voice-like quality is great at emulating all the ornamental grace notes of a good singer. Also learn some jazz and be-bop standards. They're all about chromaticism. Ask all your heros.

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

You all are so great, this is just the kind of help I am looking for. Thanks to everybody for the great responses. Anyone else got some ideas?

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