Playing Over Dominant Chords

Q: Like your style.  I need some review of scales to play with regards to how the Dominant Seventh Chord is resolving...functioning as a V chord or just a secondary Dominant (which I would play Mixo or Lydian b7).  If it is resolving to minor I'd play harmonic minor of the letter name of the chord it's going too.

A: here is the basic overview of the dominant scales. Let's take it by how the dominant chord is functioning. When I say functioning, I mean resolving to a I or i chord as in V-I or V-i or G7 - C or G7 - C-7. Non-Functioning means resolving somewhere else or possibly not resolving, as in G7 - F#maj7 or just a static G7 jam. Keep in mind, secondary dominants are for the most part functioning.

Getting the Blues Together

Q: Been trying to learn a lot more of the Stevie Ray Vaughan blues style. Kind of plateaued. What would you recommend I do to be able to improvise like SRV and all of the Blues greats??

A: First of all, let me start with what we all do at first and how eventually we have to outgrow it. We generally start off by playing the minor pentatonic scale over the whole thing. I think this is OK when we start but you realize that this method won't work too well the first time you have to play the Blues for anything longer than ten minutes. I have to usually play two or three sets of the Blues on my Blues gig and let me tell you, your audience starts to get this glazed over look after a couple songs if you just keep regurgitating the same tired pentatonic scale licks.

Quick Question About The Blues...

Q: Hey Chris, I’ve been working through some of the exercises in your book (specifically harmonizing the Major scale) and wondered about the standard Blues progression. People will often say ‘Play a blues in G Major’  Now this isn’t a diatonic progression – G7 is the V chord from C Maj, C7 is the V chord from E Major and D7 is the V chord from G Major. So why would this be referred to as a Blues in G Major. Is it just that the Blues progression is a kind of special case, that sits outside the normal diatonic rules? A basic question I know, but the harmonizing exercises in your book have got me thinking about this sort of thing. 

A: Generally, at least in my circle of partners in crime, we say "Play a Blues in G" or "Play a minor Blues in G." Or even "Play a Jazz Blues in G."  But not so often a "Blues in G major" it isn't wrong of course but sort of unnecessary. I guess you might say "major" just to make sure the person you are talking to doesn't play a minor Blues, but I think most players wouldn't confuse a Blues with a minor Blues.

When you try to make theoretic sense of a Blues it doesn't usually work out to well. If you had a time machine and went back to Bach's time and explained (in German) in pure theoretical terms about this style called the Blues, he would probably think you a nut case. Of course we know from playing it and listening to it, it works out pretty well though, at least to our modern ears.

It is sort of diatonic and I say that because it is based on the I, IV and V chords of one key. The "sort of" is because we change the I and IV chords to dominant chords. If St. Peter wouldn't let me through the pearly gates unless I could explain why the I chord is dominant in the Blues, I suppose I could tell him that it sort of functions as a V/IV chord. Right? a C7 in the key of C is the V chord of the IV chord. C7 goes nicely to F, a secondary dominant chord.

The dominant IV chord can't really be explained but if I had to come up with some sort of explanation at gunpoint, and I'm not really sure this is right, but I would say that as we like to play a minor pentatonic scale over the progression, the minor 3rd in the scale, is the b7 in the dominant IV chord. Right? the Eb note in the C minor pentatonic scale is the b7th of an F7 chord. Maybe that has something to do with it, but I'm not sure. The dominant V chord doesn't need much explaining.

All in all, the truth is that slaves liked the way that the minor pentatonic scale sounded of the white man's I-IV-V progression. And the major triads eventually turned into dominant chords. Maybe because of the b3rd in the scale but that is just a guess on my part. 

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Some Points on the Mixolydian Mode

Q: Hi Chris, I just checked out your revision of the mixolydian lesson on your site and the new video. I really liked the sounds you get with mixolydian especially in the Blues you played. I just have a few questions.

Q1. Why is it that you can play a G minor pentatonic (or major pentatonic) over the whole 12 bar progression, but have to switch mixolydian modes for each of the three chords?

A: Well, both the minor and major pentatonic scales will (for the most part) work over the whole progression because of their simplicity. I suppose that is why using one or both of them is a popular approach rather than using a separate mixolydian scale over each chord. Even though you can technically use both a minor and major pentatonic scale over a Blues, not all the notes work well over each of the chords. For example, take a look at the G minor pentatonic scale: G-Bb-C-D-F. And remembering that chord tones sound the best over each of the chords you play over, look at the scale compared to each chord in a G Blues:

Here is the G minor pentatonic scale again: G-Bb-C-D-F

G7 (G-B-D-F): The scale has three chord tones, the root (G), 5th (D) and b7th (F). C is sort of lame as it is a 4th and the chord isn't a 7sus4 chord and the Bb needs to be bent up the the major 3rd to sound right against the G7 chord. But overall, your chances of hitting a good note is pretty high.

C7 (C-E-G-Bb): The scale has three chord tones, the root (C), the 5th (G) and the b7th (Bb). Again pretty good hit/miss ratio against the IV chord.

D7 (D-F#-A-C): Two chord tones here. We have the root (D) and b7th (C). So we have to be a little more cautious using the scale over this chord.

But all in all, you have will have pretty good luck using the minor pentatonic scale over the Blues progression. You just need some sense and decent ears.

Now let's take a look at the G major pentatonic scale used over a G Blues progression. Here is the G major pentatonic scale: G-A-B-D-E

G7 (G-B-D-F): Three chord tones available, the root (G), 3rd (B) and 5th (D).

C7 (C-E-G-Bb): The scale has two chord tones, the 5th (G) and the 3rd (E). The biggest problem with this scale over the IV chord is that is has some downright lousy notes. The worst being the B note which is a major 7 to the C7 chord. If you play this note and hold it, you could probably make someone in the audience throw up. If you dare to play it, try bending it up to the root for good results.

D7 (D-F#-A-C): Two chord tones here as well. We get the root (D) and the 5th (A). The remaining three notes in the scale are not chord tones, but they aren't blatantly ugly (like the B note over the C7 chord) either.

Now on to the mixolydian scale. You can get pretty good results from using the G mixolydian scale over the whole thing. I mean, Blues harp players pretty much do exactly that to some extent. For example, a Blues harp player would use a C major harmonica over a G Blues and as you know from the lesson, the C major scale over a G7 chord is the G mixolydian mode.

Let's look at the G mixolydian scale over all three chords. Here is the G mixolydian scale: G-A-B-C-D-E-F.

G7 (G-B-D-F): We get every chord tone!! Bingo! If I have any advice for you here, beware of the 4th. It doesn't sound that hot over a G7 chord unless it is a 7sus4 chord, in that case it would sound pretty good but the 3rd would then have some problems.

C7 (C-E-G-Bb): Three chord tones, the root (C), the 3rd (E) and the 5th (G). Be very careful because once again, there is a B note in the scale which is the major 7th and will gross you out over a C7 chord if you hold it for any length of time.

D7 (D-F#-A-C): Three chord tones here, the root (D), the 5th (A) and the b7th (C). When the G mixolydian scale gets played over this chord, there is a minor 3rd (F) that you might want to bend up to the 3rd of the chord (F#).

All in all, the G mixolydian scale over the entire Blues progression isn't that bad of a choice but it leaves a lot to be desired, simple because of the difficulty in making the changes using it. But remember, using the corresponding mixolydian scale over each chord offers you the opportunity to get all the chord tones on all three dominant chords. 

I personally prefer to use the mixolydian mode over the IV chord, for example, C mixolydian over the C7 chord in a G Blues, while sticking to a combination of the minor and major pentatonic over the I and V chords (although I'm somewhat inclined to use the mixolydian scale over the I chord from time to time). There is a good reason for using mixolydian over the IV chord, you can see that the C mixolydian scale and G minor pentatonic scale are pretty close to the same, or at least we could say that there is a G minor pentatonic scale inside of the C mixolydian scale. See:

G minor pentatonic: G-Bb-C-D-F

C mixolydian: C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb

Therefore playing the G minor pentatonic scale over the G7 chord and simply expanding it to the C mixolydian scale for the C7 chord is a fairly simple thing to do (just add a E and A note). Some players like to play the C mixolydian mode over both the I and IV chords but I don't think that is a great choice (if you want to know why, there is another post here).

Q2: I can follow what you are playing somewhat on the video. But in certain places I'm not quite sure (especially over the C7 chord at around 14 minutes). Can you tell me where you start using the mixolydian scale or if there is something else going on?

A: Sure. I'll take a look and notate the times (keep in mind, when I say G minor pentatonic, I might be playing a major 3rd here and there):

10:48 - 11:10 - G minor pentatonic scale

11:11 - 11:19 - C mixolydian

11:20 - 11:22 - G minor pentatonic

11:23 - 11:28 - G mixolydian

11:29 - 11:46 - G minor pentatonic (with emphasis on an added A note for the D7 chord)

11:47 - 11:50 - G mixolydian

11:51 - 11:55 - C mixolydian

11:56 - 12:03 - G mixolydian

12:04 - 12:11 - C mixolydian

12:12 - 12:37 - G minor pentatonic

12:38 - 12:42 - G mixolydian

12:43 - 12:47 - G minor pentatonic 

12:48 - 12:55 - G mixolydian

12:56 - 13:06 - C mixolydian - 

13:07 - 13:16 - G minor pentatonic

13:17 - 13:21 - C Mixolydian

13:22 - 13:30 - G minor pentatonic

13:31 - 13:35 - G mixolydian

13:36 - 13:38 - C mixoldydian

13:39 - 13:47 - G mixolydian (the arpeggio thing you hear is basically the diatonic arpeggios ascending from Cmaj7 up to Amin7)

13:48 - 13:55 - C mixolydian 

13:56 - 14:05 - G minor pentatonic 

14:06 - 14:09 D mixolydian (something I usually don't do)

14:10 - 14:12 - C lydian dominant (Woops.. sorry, I cheated) 

14:13 - end - G minor pentatonic

Playing Over Dominant Chords

Q: Hi Chris! I really dig your lydian dominant video on youtube and want to get that type of sound. I sort of understand how you mix different scales to get that kind of fusion vibe, what choices do you have for a dominant chord?

A: Thanks! Musicians really like soloing over dominant chords simply because you have so many choices. Actually, you can use all 12 notes, even the major 7th if you place it on an up-beat. As far as scales there are a bunch you can use and each has its own mood. Let's say you have to play over a static dominant 7 chord (the bigger the chord, the less choices you have so we'll go with a simple dominant 7 chord). Let's look at our possibilities, from inside to outside (click on the links for more on these scales):

1. Major pentatonic (1-2-3-5-6): this is a really inside sound and popular for all styles of music. 

2. Mixolydian (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7): no bad notes here really, you might want to be a little weary of the 4th as it sort of has issues with the 3rd in the chord (if you were playing over a 7sus4 chord, it would be perfect). 

3. Lydian Dominant (1-2-3-#4-5-6-b7): some people could actually argue that this scale is more inside that even the mixolydian scale. The reason is obviously because the issue regarding the 4th clashing with the 3rd in the chord has been dealt with. Regardless, the melodic minor scale, simply because of its intervalic structure, has a quirky sound, so I'll list it after the mixolydian scale on our list.

4. minor pentatonic or blues scale (1-b3-4-(b5)-5-b7): It might seem strange to put this scale at 4 on our list because out of all the scales, this one is probably the most accepted by our ears for a dominant chord. I think that is simply because we have heard and used it so much. But in all reality, it is a pretty abrasive sound if you think about it. Its got a b3 that you really have to be careful of because of the major 3 in the chord. Experienced players know that this note should be bend up. We still have the 4th to be weary of as well. 

5. H/W diminished (1-b2-#2-3-#4-5-6-b7): Against a 13b9 or 13#9 chord, this wouldn't be such an outside choice but against a plain old dominant chord, it has more tension, simply because of the flat and sharp 9ths (2nds). The scale is symmetrical so it has a very angular sound. You can create dramatic effects with this scale mixed with, let's say, the major and minor pentatonic scales. In a lot of ways, it looks like the blues scale right?

6. Altered (1-b2-#2-3-b5-#5-b7): Again, against an altered dominant chord, this scale is not so outside, but against an unaltered dominant chord, it will really rub. But by strategically placing it between two inside choices, you can create some great tension.

Blues Power

Q: I was reading your blues lesson on your site and am wondering: what do you think makes the Blues greats, great? I mean, what do they have that all the others don't?

A: Man, what a question! It is really hard to talk about Blues from a theoretic point of view but I'll give it a shot. First let's just talk about the few things you have to have:

1. A complete understanding of the chord changes when you solo - This means you really have to be able to hit the right chord tones as the chords come by, to the level that you can stop thinking about it and your fingers know the way. That is why simply playing the minor and/or major pentatonic scale over the progression doesn't guarantee you anything but a very mediocre solo although it is a start.

2. Knowledge of at least some of the traditional licks - You see, even playing the right scales and chord tones doesn't guarantee you a great solo either. There is a definite vocabulary and the only real way to be able play an effective solo is to learn the vocabulary from the best. You have to know where the licks work too: the I, IV, V and turnaround licks for example. If you copy from a wide variety of players, you'll be sure to not sound like any one player and eventually a little time with them under your fingers will lead to a natural evolution of the phrases and your own personality will start to emerge.

3. Good Blues Tone - I'm not saying your tone has to be just like everyone else's but there is a generally excepted tone that involves a certain amount of warmth and/or twang. Of course there is a wide variety of this tone, from Strats and Teles to Les Pauls, but you know it when you hear that Blues tone. You certainly are going to have a rough time milking it from a Roland Jazz Chorus amp.

4. Power - I'm not sure how to describe this, but let's just say the greats all have this power that just knocks you out. It isn't really a technical thing but just this overwhelming sense of strength. Take a look at the great Freddie King and see if you don't feel it:

Dorian in a Blues

Q: Any tips on using the dorian mode over a 12 bar blues?

A: The dorian mode looks a lot like the major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scale superimposed over one another. In this respect, it seems like a logical choice to use over the blues progression but there are problems with this approach. I think it is a little too bulky for this application myself and leaves out the most important note, the major 3rd over the "I" chord. I think better use for the dorian mode would be over the "IV" chord. Let me explain: let's say we are playing an A Blues, I might use:

1) A minor pentatonic scale over the A7 chord (this might just as well be the major pentatonic or combintation of the two as well).

2) The A dorian mode over the D7 chord. The A minor pentatonic scale sits inside the A dorian scale nicely and allows a lot of interplay.

The A dorian mode over the D7 chord is really just a D mixolydian mode, but relating it to the Blues key center of A makes it seem a lot simpler to me. Especially as I am way more familiar with the dorian mode than the mixolydian mode. Matter of fact you can think dorian up a 5th for any dominant chord: A7=E dorian, D7=A dorian and E7=B dorian. It is really a matter of perspective though. I am not really a big fan of using modes too much over blues, it seems to complicate something that was meant to be simple. I do however use the dorian (based on the "I" chord key) over the "IV" chord quite a lot, it creates a few moments of interest and creates a jazzy sound. Now, a jazz blues is a different thing all together, using modes is fine. I would also be using the lydian dominant and altered modes in this situation.