Need help with guide tones

mcneely11

Bb is the b9 of the A7 which is a common extension.

Jazzaferri

Guide tone lines are usually step-wise lines (whole steps or half steps) that travel through a chord progression and often consist of the 3rds and 7ths, but can also be 5ths, 6ths, and 9ths. The idea is to create a line that melds with the harmonic sense of the melody. Often these lines tend t be descending to a resolution point in the piece, typically at the end of a section, although can be at other points as well.

Many songs have a number of possible guide tone lines. If one is into notation, I find that putting a single note guide tone line in a staff below the melody with the chord names in between a very helpful focus for basing ones improv on.

An excellent method for improving on improvisation will be to focus around these moving lines, using them as the tonal centre of your improvised lines. I usually try to land on the guide tone at the beginning of a bar at first.

jlander9

mcneely11: thanks for clearing that up. Pretty obvious now that I think about it (A7b9!)

Jazzaferri: So in using the guide tones (3rds, 7ths, 5ths ,6ths, and 9ths,) as anchors I can add notes from arpeggios/ scales/ chromatic notes etc.. to color my lines up. I tried a I-vi-ii-V with 6 chords using their corresponding guide tones (starting at the beginning of each bar)and i finally started to get that Gypsy jazz sound. My improvisation did not sound chaotic (or should i say as chaotic) or like a scale exercise.There is more of a flow.

Thanks all who offered their input. this lesson has been extremely helpful. I was finally able to make a break in my playing!.. if you have any other tips or advise, feel free. 8)

Jazzaferri

Way to go. Glad it is working for you. Guide tone lines as a focal point for your improv is a killer idea IMO.

My arranging teacher and last years combo leader Joey Smith taught me about guide tone lines. He was with the Glen Miller orchestra as bassist and arranger for years before he came to Victoria. He plays bass with Mark Atkinson among others.

jlander9

So technically I got tips from a person that learned from someone that worked with the Glen Miller orchestra.. If i do my math right, that means I kinda played with the Glen Miller Orchestra!!! :P okay so it's logic that only makes sense to me! A guy can dream,can't he? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Well it's been almost two weeks since i've been working with guide tones and its been fantastic! I've been sticking to one position playing over rythm changes in C major. I've started my lines on the root, the 3rd, 5th and 6th and 7th of each chord. Yesterday, I made another break through. A pretty obvious one of course, but for me it was like a light went off! :idea: . when i moved to my ii chord (Dm7) i started on the 3rd which is F, i realized that i could play an FM6 arpeggio over the Dm7 and it worked! gave me a bluesy kinda swinging sound. I handn't realized that the Dm7 and the FM6 have the same notes (like i said pretty obvious right?). I was jumping for joy. I started doin this with all of the chords in the Rythm changes, It blew my mind. all it took was to Start on the new guide tone.>>>>>>>>it's a small step but for me it was like heaven. All it took was taking a step back and focusing on one thing for a long time till i finaly got it!!!