Mastering the Dominant Chord
Modal Mojo
Jazz Guitar Masterclass(Contains "Turnarounds," "Target Tones" and "Octaves")
Introduction to Mastering the Dominant ChordWelcome to this lesson on dominant 7th chords. A whole lesson on a single chord may sound a bit boring but stay tuned. With the aid of the pages here in the book and the audio recording, I hope to expand your knowledge of not only the familiar “V” dominant 7th, but all of the other secondary dominant 7ths that can be found in major and minor keys.
We’ll learn the best voicings and uses for dominant 7ths and the theory behind how they function. We’ll also explore the subject of extensions and alterations that can be added to dominants and the two basic ways dominants operate which are “static” and “functioning.” We’ll play them in progressions and tunes and learn some sample solos that demonstrate the correct scales, arpeggios and melodies for the various dominants. And you’ll learn that the study of dominant 7ths offer you the “keys to the kingdom” for understanding the workings of music. This one magical little chord gives music it’s movement, energy and tension. Knowing how dominants work will also greatly improve your dealings with other chord types including major and minors. We will begin with understanding the diatonic system, it’s “cycle of 5ths” and secondary dominants. Most players don’t have a clear understanding of how and why there can be several “secondary” dominants in a single key. I was one of those players. I learned to play Rock, Blues and Jazz primarily by ear, and although I could play convincing chords and melodic lines over secondary dominants, I really didn’t fully understand what they were or where they came from. This led to a lot of frustrating playing situations on gigs where I had to basically “fake it” by ear through certain chord changes. Even during my early years teaching theory at GIT, I did not clearly understand the big picture of the diatonic system’s secondary dominants. I figured they were based in some form of “classical” theory and didn’t relate to the modern music I was playing. Was I ever wrong. When I finally pieced together the complete story of secondaries, I found it much easier to negotiate even the most difficult chord changes. And my chord choices and melodic lines began to make much more musical sense.
This lesson may appear to be very intense with lots of lists, details and the “do’s and don’ts” of dominant 7ths. And to an extent, it is, but after we learn the specifics of each dominant type, there is a very important section later on where we will simplify and streamline all the information covered into an easy and practical “player’s approach” to dealing with dominant 7ths. But for now, let’s start at the beginning and learn as much as you can about each dominant chord. Learn the master scales and chord voicings and check out the sample solos which are full of melodic phrases you can use in lots of situations. And play all the chord progressions to help train your ear. You’ll find that each dominant has it’s own unique personality and sound. And once you start to “hear” those, you’ll have much more success dealing with them.
-Don Mock
Introduction to Modal MojoModal Mojo is an in-depth lesson on modes for contemporary guitarists. Each of the 13 modes on the play-along CD is explored from both a single-note improvisational and rhythm guitar point of view. You’ll notice that this book contains very little text; it’s intended to be used for reference to show the modes, patterns, scale harmonies, examples, and etudes in music notation and tablature. Join me on the audio CD, where you will find the demonstrations and my discussions about each example. And we’ll do a lot of playing, too: we’ll learn the correct mode, its fingerings, and some optional scales for each of the 28 tracks on the play-along CD.
The modes are divided into three sections: minor, major, and dominant. I’ll demonstrate each mode and talk about concepts you can use to make your modal playing melodic and interesting. I’ve also included an etude for each mode. The etudes, which are sample solos from 8 to 32 bars in length, include intervals, arpeggios, chromatics, and rhythms: all the ingredients for an interesting improvised solo. I’ll take you through each etude slowly, then we’ll play it up to tempo with the corresponding modal groove.
Next, we’ll get into the details about how to play interesting modal rhythm parts. We’ll look at the scale harmony and theory for each mode, and discover ways to use extended and substitute chords to create convincing rhythm parts.
In the Resource Section, you’ll find fingering patterns for all the primary “parent” scales that the modes are derived from. These include the major scale, harmonic and melodic minor scales, and pentatonic scales. I’ve also included a hybrid scale called a minor sixth pentatonic. The Resource Section also includes the most useful patterns for the symmetrical diminished and whole tone scales, as well as a special chapter on the three principles of chord substitution.
Modal Mojo addresses the most common modes a modern guitar player might encounter. All seven modes derived from the major scale are included. From the melodic minor scale we’ll look at the Lydian #5, Lydian/Dominant, and Super-Locrian modes. We’ll study the Ionian #5 and the Phrygian/Dominant modes from the harmonic minor scale, as well as one other modal groove, which is not really considered a mode: the Dominant 7#9. You’ll find this popular groove discussed in both the dominant modes section and the minor modes section.
The study and understanding of modes and the scale harmonies derived from them is truly a study of the workings of music. Although our emphasis is on playing rhythm and soloing on single-chord extended modal grooves, the knowledge you’ll gain will go a long way toward understanding key centers, theory, and how chords work together in progressions. Be sure to understand the mode, what its parent scale or key center is, and the chords that are built off of its scale tones. Make it a point to notice the sound and color modes create. And don’t forget to take advantage of the guitar fingerboard as a guide to find solutions: think of it as a slide rule, remembering that chord shapes and scale patterns can be moved up or down to new locations.
Modal Mojo is organized in a way that allows you to start with any mode you choose. If modes are new to you, I would recommend tackling the modes of the major scale first. From the minor category, these include Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian, and Locrian. The major mode category includes Ionian and Lydian, and the dominant group includes Mixolydian.
I truly hope you enjoy this workshop!
-Don Mock
Introduction to Jazz Guitar MasterclassThree Critical Jazz Guitar Concepts and Techniques“Don, I know mastering jazz guitar can take a lifetime, but are there a few concepts and techniques I can work on now to improve my playing?” This is a pretty common question and one I hear from students all the time. To many, the world of jazz guitar seems like it’s made up of hundreds of difficult concepts and techniques along with a dizzying amount of complex theory. But a lot of players just want to learn a few manageable ideas to get under their fingers without being drowned in heavy concepts. I usually answer the question first by reminding them that learning to play jazz can be a life-long endeavor but it’s also an ongoing “work in progress.” You can’t wait around practicing until you think you are good enough to play a gig. As Howard Roberts always said, “You are a guitar player from the first day you pick it up.” Learn a few things and get out and play. Then continue to add a new things as you develop your skills.
The three ideas outlined in this book; Turnarounds, Octaves and Target Tones are important cornerstones of jazz guitar. Serious players at any level can jump into these subjects and have great results. I love to talk about these topics and it’s evident on the audio disk. So it’s important to remember that this is really an audio lesson with a companion book, not the other way around. Most of the in-depth discussion, demonstrations and performances are on the audio disk. The book is really more for reference showing the examples and short descriptions. And I also just love to play so don’t be surprised that when I’ve finished performing some of the examples, I keep on playing, sometimes to demonstrate similar or additional ideas, or just cause I’m having too much fun to stop!
Arguably, the most powerful chord progression in jazz has to be the turnaround. Like a lot of players, I struggled with turnarounds especially at faster tempos. My frustration urged me to eventually break down and analyze each of the four chords and learn some classic melodic lines for turnarounds. I then could at least manage improvising and comping over faster turnarounds. But when I came up with the simple idea that is outlined in this book, turnarounds quickly became my favorite progression. This lesson teaches you a simple approach to mastering turnarounds that centers around a basic “master melody” that captures the sound of each of the four chords. Then it’s a matter of simply moving the notes to different octaves to create variations of the line. Literally all of my students who have applied this concept have made huge leaps in their playing dealing with turnarounds. And the dozens of emails from players around the world, who have studied the original Masterclass Turnarounds book, say they also have had the same positive results.
Turnarounds are a lot more than a short group of chords found at the end of tunes. On closer examination, turnarounds are made up from smaller chord-moves that are the essence of jazz and pop music. Both major and minor II-V-I’s can be found in turnarounds. And numerous examples of substitution ideas such as flat-five and secondary dominants can be applied to turnarounds. This is why the study of turnarounds is always one of my highest recommended topics for students of jazz guitar. And hopefully the lesson here will get you well on your way to successfully dealing with turnarounds. The intro music on Track 1 can also be found on the MP3 audio disk without my voice commentary. It’s Track 34 “Turnaround Tune” in the Turnarounds folder. The tune is also transcribed in its entirety and the PDF can also be found in the folder on the disk. Special thanks to Mike Wilson who is an exceptional transcriber and player. Mike also transcribed the intro tunes to “Octaves” and “Target Tones.” PDF’s of these can also be found on the disk.
Without a doubt, one of the single most emulated and beloved techniques in jazz guitar are octaves played in the style of the great Wes Montgomery. Virtually every jazz guitarist playing today uses octaves to some degree. They are the tool of choice for playing warm fat melodies and solos. I highly recommend that my students become proficient with octaves and be able to at least play melodies to tunes. It’s one technique that can bring soulfulness and fullness to melodies and is a sound listener’s love from a guitar. The lesson in this book focuses in on both the right-hand pick or Wes/thumb techniques and octave fingerboard shapes. You’ll learn lots of Wes inspired phrases and useful scale and arpeggio patterns. On the audio disk, where you’ll find the real “meat” of this lesson, we’ll do a lot of playing and I’ll demonstrate all of the examples and more.
Another topic that sits at the top of my list of “must learn” concepts for jazz guitar is Target Tones. Target Tones is really a cliché name for the art of using chromatics in improvising. I discovered early in my career that the chromatic scale alone was not the solution for creating melodic lines with chromatics. My search to understand it all led to several books and recordings of everything from classical music to modern jazz. It became clear that good melodies often had mini-melodies contained within them that used the “wrong” non-scale tones to support, strengthen and set-up strong tones. I began using very basic four-note target-tone melodies within my scales and arpeggios. Immediately I was creating lines that contained some, or even all the “in-between” tones. But more importantly, the lines still retained the sound of the chord I was soloing over. In the Target Tones” lesson we’ll learn a few easy target melodies and take aim at chord tones. It’s a surprisingly simple but powerful concept that should have you playing chromatic traditional, modern and bebop jazz melodies in a fairly short time.
So with that said, I hope you enjoy working on the three topics in this book. Feel free to begin with any one of them. Be sure to listen to the audio disk and take advantage of the play-along tracks.
-Don Mock
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