{"id":3344,"date":"2016-04-20T14:34:04","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T12:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/?p=3344"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:33:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T14:33:49","slug":"wes-montgomery-chord-solo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/wes-montgomery-chord-solo\/","title":{"rendered":"Wes Montgomery Chord Solo \u2013 Jazz Blues & Yesterdays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Listening to Wes Montgomery play jazz can be both a liberating and intimidating experience. For a guitarist still learning the ropes of chord soloing, trying to play like Wes is daunting from the get-go. As far as chord soloing goes, Wes is known for his incredible speed, rhythm, and musical sensibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using familiar shapes, most commonly drop 2 chords<\/a>, Wes Montgomery played some of the greatest chord soloing lines in jazz history.<\/p>\n

Ted Greene, the chord chemist himself, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWes Montgomery\u00a0said more with the chords he played than anyone else I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d – Ted Greene<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/span><\/span>\n

Knowing how to use a few chords really well will always sound like music to your ears when compared to a long and complex chord progression played poorly.<\/p>\n

So, what chords should you play then?<\/p>\n

Wes himself stuck with chords played mainly on adjacent strings and drop 2 chord shapes.\u00a0In this lesson, you will learn Wes Montgomery inspired chord solo licks that you\u2019ll apply over a blues in F<\/a> and over the jazz standard Yesterdays.<\/p>\n

Wes Montgomery Chord Solo Over a Blues in F<\/h2>\n

Before playing the entire solo, let’s have a look at the chord licks and their concepts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lick 1 \u2013 Diminished 7 Chords<\/h3>\n

A variation of the diminished 7 lick below is found in many of Wes\u2019 recorded chord solos.\u00a0Using a single diminished 7 chord shape,<\/a> you\u2019re able to create movement, tension, lines,\u00a0and interest in your chord solo.<\/p>\n

The lick itself is based on the 4 inversions of the drop 2 diminished chord.\u00a0The reason you\u2019re using a diminished 7 chord is that it works as a substitute for the dominant 7 chord<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Playing a diminished 7 chord from the b9 of an\u00a0 F7 chord gives you the following chord tones:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Gbdim7 Arpeggio<\/th>\nGb<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nEb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Played over F7<\/th>\nb9<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nb7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because the diminished 7 chord works over any dominant 7 chord, it means that you can also play each inversion of the diminished 7 chord.\u00a0It\u2019s in the inversions of the diminished 7 chord where this lick gets really interesting.<\/p>\n

For each inversion you play, you\u2019ll also play a neighboring diminished 7 chord. The neighboring diminished 7 chords are always one fret away from the original inversions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Listen & Play Along<\/i><\/p>\n

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\"wes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lick 2 \u2013 7 Chords and min7 Chords<\/h3>\n

Playing a chord solo over a dominant 7 chord doesn’t always mean you need to play a dominant 7 chord. Certain chords work great as substitutions or passing chords.\u00a0A minor 7 chord<\/a> is one of these chords.<\/p>\n

Wes Montgomery often played m7 chords in the place of dominant 7 chords, or in combination with other dominant 7 chords.<\/p>\n

He would often build a m7 chord a 5th<\/sup> or a major 6th<\/sup> above the root of the dominant 7 chord.<\/p>\n

Using an F7 as an example, the two m7 chords you could substitute a 5th<\/sup> or 6th<\/sup> above the root are Cm7 and Dm7. In this example lick, you will play an F7 chord in combination with a Dm7.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Listen & Play Along<\/i><\/p>\n

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\"wes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lick 3 \u2013 9 Chords and more Diminished 7 Chords<\/h3>\n

This next lick starts out with another substitution for the dominant 7 chord.<\/p>\n

Building a min7b5 chord on the 3rd<\/sup> of a dominant 7 chord gives you a dominant 9 chord.<\/p>\n

See how the chord tones in the Am7b5 fit in relation to the F7 chord tones below.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Am7b5 Arpeggio<\/th>\nA<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nEb<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Played over F7<\/th>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nb7<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full lick:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Listen & Play Along<\/i><\/p>\n

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\"wes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After outlining the F9 chord with the first 2 chords in the lick, the lick creates tension by playing two diminished 7 chords:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The first diminished 7 chord in the lick is a V7 of V7 (or secondary dominant), being a substitute for G7b9.<\/li>\n
  2. The second diminished chord is the V7 of F\u00a0and is a C7b9 chord.\u00a0Instead of heading right back to F7, the lick features a diminished triad built off the #9 of F (G#).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Playing a diminished triad, voiced in this particular way, gives the lick a very bluesy feel and is a key feature to understanding and emulating Wes\u2019 chord playing.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Lick 4 \u2013 The Turnaround<\/h3>\n

    The next lick is relatively large and contains all four bars of the turnaround<\/a> as you\u2019ll find them in the blues solo below.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Listen & Play Along<\/i><\/p>\n

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    \"wes<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The first bar in this lick features an anticipated chord on the \u2018and\u2019 of 4 from the previous bar.\u00a0Instead of playing a Gm7 as indicated by the blues form, you\u2019ll play a Bbmaj7 as a substitution for Gm7.<\/p>\n

    This chord substitution is another important piece of information to remember and add to your playing.<\/p>\n

    A maj7 chord built from the b3 of the minor 7 chord gives you the following chord tones:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
    Bbmaj7 Arpeggio<\/th>\nBb<\/td>\nD<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Played over Gm7<\/th>\nb3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nb7<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

     <\/p>\n

    After playing the Bbmaj7 over the Gm7, you\u2019ll play a Gm7 drop 2 chord in 3rd<\/sup> inversion.<\/p>\n

    From here you\u2019ll play 2 diminished chords:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The first diminished 7 chord in the first bar leads chromatically into the second diminished 7 chord.<\/li>\n
    2. The second diminished 7 chord is actually a 7b9 substitution for the C7 chord played in anticipation of the second bar, where the C7 falls naturally in the blues form.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Once arriving at the second bar, another C7 drop 2 chord is played. This time the chord is a completely unaltered C7 Drop 2 chord in 3rd<\/sup> inversion.<\/p>\n

      Starting in bar 4, a I\u2013VI\u2013II\u2013V progression is played using the following chords:<\/p>\n