Four on six improvisation approach advice?

[AmundLauritzen]

Hi fellow guitarists! This is the first time I post here. I am currently working on "Four on six" and I am running out of ideas, so maybe you guys can help me with some fresh approaches to use.
Here is what I am working on currently:
When I play it, I mainly use basic minor bebop vocabulary for the Gm7 and D7, so a lot of melodic minor/superlocrian. I also like to play Eb minor pentatonic for the D7 - sometimes superimpose Eb minor pentatonic to G minor pentatonic on Gm7. I sometimes do wholetone lines on D7 that I can stretch out on the Gm7.
For the descening II-V's I try to keep it simple and outline them clearly, but sometimes I use minor pentatonic off each II and use that for the V also. Weaving in and out of these in intervallic patterns of 2nd's, 4th's and 5th's.
For the Cm7 F7 Bbmaj7 I sometimes use symmetrical diminished since it is a major II-V-I. I also do some triad superimposition for altered sounds.

My ideal as a player is to be able to keep the solo interesting with old and new ideas - the classic old bebop, as well as the modern more angular sounds. I work with motifs and chordal ideas as well. What I really need is just something to trigger new inspiration for lines and ideas to make the tune fresh again.

Any suggestions welcome, be it licks, scales, whatever.

[hed_b94]

you can try playing Bb aug triad over the Gm (Bm-D-F#),
or just Dorian (E is probably the most interesting note you can play over Gm...)

[Jzzr]

Hey Amund,

Welcome to the forum. On the chords category thete is a great thread ongoing about this topic. Also there is a free lesson for this tune on this forum's website. Maybe a longer- term member can identify the exact location, because I'm not sure. BTW, I have seen your stuff on Youtube, and it's really nice. The Practical Standards group is doing one of your tunes, Bluesette. You might want to check out that group.

[rill]

Originally Posted by hed_b94

you can try playing Bb aug triad over the Gm (Bm-D-F#),
or just Dorian (E is probably the most interesting note you can play over Gm...)

Wes used a lot of G dorian in his solo from 'Live at the Five Spot,' as well as other versions I've heard. On 'Live at the Five Spot,' he alternates between G-9 and G-13 arpeggios which include the F natural for the second eight bars of a whole chorus. That's my evidence for the dorian sound as being perhaps the most inside sound for the G- chords in this tune.

That said, I tend to find G harmonic minor creeping in after the Bbmaj7 chord in my own playing.

[AmundLauritzen]

Thanks for the suggestions. I use the E natural in my playing. I find it particularly nice to end my phrases on over the last Gm7 chord before the chord sequence repeats. I use the F# also, which blends nice with the augmented and whole tone concepts.
Currently I also work on using the major triad from the root of the V7 with the major triad built on the b5 of the V7 in different inversions to build tension on the V7. The D7 is probably the chord I have the most material for. My playing always seems to flatten out on the Gm7. Of course, it is a natural point to resolve, but I am looking for ways to make a bit more tension on this chord so that it doesn't always resolve so clearly. The E natural and F# works good, as well as the different minor scales and the WT/augmented sound.
Except from that, are there any linear concepts that work good on this chord?

By the way I am also incorporating block chord soloing, using the A minor chord and the diminished as passing chords when soloing on the Gm7 to get a Wes-like sound.

[AmundLauritzen]

Just did a take on the tune: Amund Lauritzen plays: Four on Six - YouTube

I will be happy to know if anyone have suggestions to what I can add to my playing.