Producer Notes: Don Mock - "Guitar Secrets Harmonic Minor"

I haven’t met many guitar players who have spent as much time on the harmonic minor scale as myself. Some say it sounds too “middle eastern” or “exotic” to be useful as a rock and jazz scale. The truth is, the harmonic minor is a traditional classic scale that is right at home in western forms of music especially jazz. I have spent many years using the harmonic minor and have developed a large vocabulary of concepts and melodic lines.
Writing this book was an opportunity for me to lay out my whole approach to using this scale. You’ll learn that the harmonic minor is a must for playing in minor keys including minor II-V-Is. The key to getting the most out of the harmonic minor (and other scales) is mastering the art of “superimposition.” Rather than thinking in terms of modes, this technique has you learn only the one scale and simply superimpose it over chords in various ways. A natural approach for the guitar, an instrument that resembles a “slide rule.” The accompanying audio CD was the most important part for me. I wanted you to hear all the examples played in musical situations. I also used it as a forum to say lots more about the harmonic minor scale.
I want to thank Aaron Stang at Warner for all his valuable help on this book. I hope you check it out.
- Don Mock 3/01