Tonal changes? easy rule?

Stringswinger

Using a "pattern" or a bunch of " theory" to play a solo can work...but your solo will sound like a pattern or be very mechanical.

Joe Pass once said "When the chord changes, you should change". Every great Gypsy jazz player that I have heard "makes the changes". You don't need to know theory...Bireli was once asked in an interview "What do you play over a dominant chord?"...Bireli answered "What is a dominant chord?". Having listened to a lot of Bireli...he knows what to do over a dominant chord even if he doesn't know what it is.

Barry and Vic have both offered great advice. learn some basic theory and transcribe some solo ideas from players you like. Let me add that you should first and foremost play a melody in your solos. Hearing a scale or pattern played at high speed may be impressive at first, but eventually will sound like an exercise, not music.

Cheers,

Marc

www.hotclubpacific.com

PS. Personally, I think that if you cannot play the head to a tune, you cannot play a great solo over its changes because the head should be stated (in part) in the solo to tie it together.

djangology

here is my pattern, my only "theory", just wondering if it makes sense to anyone.

Yes, your pattern looks very similar to Romanes Gmaj6/9 "stacked" patterns that he talkes about in his l'Espirit Manouche book.

By "stacked" , i mean that you can play any triad, and then move one octave, over 2 frets and down 2 frets, and play the exact same pattern.