Harmonized Scales Studies

Pete Conklin · From: Austin, TX

Play as a whole or play as segments up and back.

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

Excellent stuff! Am I correct this would work over the I-IV-V in the key of G? And all I have to do is move it up/down the neck to change keys?
_________________
Mullen G2; Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb; Goodrich L-120

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

This is not tab, this is the "G" major scale tones
being played in the above tab.

As in: 1//2//3/4//5//6//7/1 Notice the one space between the 3&4 and 7&1

The formula for a G chord is? Tones 1,3,5

1______________________________2____________
2______________________________7____________
3_________________________________3___4_____
4________________________7__1_____1___2_____
5__________________5__6__5__6_______________
6____________3__4__3__4_____________________
7_________2_____2___________________________
8___7__1__7__1______________________________
9___________________________________________
10__5__6____________________________________

Here is the "C" scale notes: C=1,3,5
1______________________________6____________
2______________________________4____________
3_________________________________7___1_____
4________________________4__5_____5___6_____
5__________________2__3__2__3_______________
6____________7__1__7__1_____________________
7_________6_____6___________________________
8___4__5__4__5______________________________
9___________________________________________
10__2__3____________________________________

And the "D" scale notes: D=1,3,5
1______________________________5____________
2______________________________3____________
3_________________________________6___7_____
4________________________3__4_____4___5_____
5__________________1__2__1__2_______________
6____________6__7__6__7_____________________
7_________5_____5___________________________
8___3__4__3__4______________________________
9___________________________________________
10__1__2____________________________________

Notice, we haven't played differen't notes, we've just looked
at them through different scale eyes.

I'f I've made a mistake in this, please set me straight.

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

Well I'm still trying to figure this stuff out so I'm in no position to say you are wrong--it makes sense to me. So the notes that you've colored, the 1-3-5, those I presume are the notes of the chord (I didn't look at my fretboard chart yet so I have not plotted them out)? So I have two questions about this:

First, am I correct that these are the harmonized notes of the scales that you could make small fills and even licks from? And second, by moving them up/down the fretboard and playing them over the open chord position I can make sure I'm in the right key?
_________________
Mullen G2; Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb; Goodrich L-120

Pete Conklin · From: Austin, TX

Rick, you are correct on both. You might try to find any I-IV-V song, run these scales, see how it sounds and find the licks, as they say. If it sounds good, then it's right.

If the song is in G, then play them as written here. If it is in A, move up to the 5th fret, C move to the 8th fret.

Hope this helps.

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

Rick,
I'm learning this also. For me figuring out how to use this stuff is what I like.

If you look at the original post going left to right, in block one, you see a 5 tone(harmonized) segment of the "G" scale. The next block goes back three tone segments and then preceeds on to two new ones on up the scale. This repeats to the end of the posted scale. But... It did not have to be 5 tone segments. It could be three, two, six, four, in the tone of the "God father". All usable as fills in a song, as needed. Maybe a 2 tone, then a 4 tone, the decending, a slide, pedal into it. The posibilities are endless. Especially if you, just like you said, move them up the fret board to the next open chord position. Ie. fret 3 for G, 8 for C, 10 for D.

This is just the major scale, a good place to start. But I think you can see quickly, why studying scales, in there many forms, is so important and why it is stressed by the great instructors of steel and of music.

I hope that got close to answering what you asked.

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

Eureka! Thanks Pete and Dick! I have so many pages of scale, but at some point all I see is a bunch of numbers on a grid and I have always felt like there must be a simpler way to look at them, while keeping the "mathematical" approach in tact.

So when I look at this, if you factor in something as simple as a slide up/down from the fret below/above the target fret, in this case the 3rd fret, wow, a lot of options exist. And, if you're playing a simple G-C-D song and you slide among the 3, 8 and 10 frets, holy smokes, there's a ton more options! It seems to me you could spend a lot of time on this simple chart and really expand your playing.

I have been extremely fortunate to find 4 guys in their 20's who want to play traditional country (I once thought this was an impossible scenario), but it's been hard for me to add those little fills during the verse and chorus that really adds to the sound. This is especially true if, for example, I find the tab to the intro or lead which is just like the recording and makes me sound as if I know what I'm doing, but then I find I fall away during the vocals because I have trouble working around the singer. I think working with this chart will open a million doors and hopefully help me figure out how to build my "improvisation" skill set.

Thanks again, your help is very much appreciated.
_________________
Mullen G2; Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb; Goodrich L-120

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

This of course, is very simplistic, but it shows how the above harmonized scale
can be used for fill ideas. And... by using slides, pedals and "Timing", can be made
to sound about as good as anything you can play. I had to think, to write this out,
because the more you do it the less you have to think about it and the more
"automatic" it becomes. Also, the more complicated you make it.
But, sometimes less is for sure, more.

In "G"...
Make the world go away~
1_______________________________________________
2_______________________________________________
3_______________________________________________
4____________________________________3___3E_____
5________________________3A______3A__3A__3______
6________________________3B__3B__3B_____________
7____________________________3__________________
8_______________________________________________
9_______________________________________________
10______________________________________________

Get it off
of my shoulder~
1_______________________________________________
2_______________________________________________
3_______________________________________________
4________________3E__3___3E_____________________
5________________3___3A__3___3A__3A__3__3_______
6____________________________3B__3B__3__3_______
7_______________________________________________
8_______________________________________________
9_______________________________________________
10______________________________________________

Say the things
you used to say~
1_______________________________________________
2_______________________________________________
3_______________________________________________
4_________________3______3___3E_________________
5_________________3A__3__3A__3__________________
6_____________________3B________________________
7_______________________________________________
8_______________________________________________
9_______________________________________________
10______________________________________________

Woops, threw one in on you, strings 5&6, B pedal only. But if you think about it,
we are playing the D/D7 next, so that acts as a leading tone to that chord.

Pete Conklin · From: Austin, TX

Great examples there Dick.

Rick, another thing to consider which I've just recently figured out, is that if you are playing a fill from the scales above in a part of the song that is going from the I(let's say G) to the V(D), you probably want the last note of the lick or run, to end on the V or some variation of the V(D).

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but to keep things simple for now, I think that's a good rule of thumb. You'll hear it if it's wrong.

But again practice with a three chord song. I use Vince Gill's "Tryin To Get Over You" - it's slow and it's I,IV,V, it's in the key of D.

Ray Anderson · From: Jenkins, Kentucky USA

Jeff Newman says to start the fill while the singer is still active on the last beat before he rests. Idea

Pete Conklin · From: Austin, TX

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

"Jeff Newman says to start the fill while the singer is still active on the last beat before he rests."

It's funny you say this, because this is what I hear being done but I oftentimes feel awkward doing it, like I'm stepping on the vocals or, if at the end, I'm not ending soon enough. I guess that's something I need to get past; using my volume pedal to back off might make me more comfortable.

I've been thinking about something. I recall when I first started playing as a kid in the 1980's, before I gave it up to go to college and pursue my career, there was no Internet but occasional seminars being done in various cities. I don't know what existed back then for steel shows, but I had never heard of them. Do you suppose there is any interest in doing some sort of regional seminar hosted by us mere mortals?

Here is my concept: Find a venue where 10 or maybe 15 guys can set up, maybe even a music store thats willing to host for free, and have guys show up on a weekend and sit and learn from each other. I wouldn't want this to be a "jam" so to speak, where guys just sit and showcase their talents, but a venue where some of the solid players could pass around wisdom to each other. It would be an instructional atmosphere but by those of us who are still learning. Some of you guys have a lot of knowledge and while you may not think you can host your own instructional seminar, if we did it on an informal basis, we could sit around and share thoughts and ideas. Take southern Illinois for example. There are probably 20 guys that play steel, or more, within 200-250 miles of that area. All it would cost would be your hotel and means, and if we picked a smaller town hotel costs would be pretty cheap. Do you suppose there is an appetite for this?
_________________
Mullen G2; Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb; Goodrich L-120

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

Rick, I copied and pasted your post in the Steel Players Section. If you would like to follow me over there. I have an answer for you, but we don't want this thread closed for topic drift. Thanks man, meet you there. DS...

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