Best notes\scales for these chords

**guysagi** · 06-21-2010, 04:02 PM

Hi people,

I can't find the best noted for these chords down here:

|| Am7 || Cm7 || Gm7 || Bbm7 || Abmaj7 || Gm7 || Gbmaj7 || Fm7 ||

I'll be glad if someone can help me with the best scales which should be

playing on these chords!

thank you very much!

Guy.

**FatJeff** · 06-21-2010, 04:12 PM

That's a weird chord progression. Where does it come from?

**mr. beaumont** · 06-21-2010, 04:18 PM

interesting chord progression, made me play very "modern."

okay, everyone take notice, I'm going to...gosh, it's hard to even say it...advocate using modes!

My ears enoy the Dorian mode over all the m7's. Good old major scale over the maj7's. Nothing too crazy...Part of me wanted to play Aeolian over the Gm7 the second time it came up.

This doesn't resolve, right? where does it go from here?

**guysagi** · 06-21-2010, 04:27 PM

Hi,

I did not understand' what did you mean,

what scales should i play?

Guy.

**mr. beaumont** · 06-21-2010, 04:37 PM

A dorian, C Dorian, G Dorian, BbDorian, Ab major scale (Ionian), G Dorian, Gb major scale (Ionian), F Dorian.

They all seem kind of unrelated, that's why I'm taking that approach.

**guysagi** · 06-21-2010, 04:48 PM

can i start with Adoriand and on Cm7 and Gm7 play G aeolian and in Bbm7 play Bb dorian or maybe even Bb minor melodic?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-21-2010, 04:49 PM

No dominant chords and no strong progression imply go modal, to me.

So what's the tune? Got a YouTube link, perhaps?

If you wanted to conjure some dominant chords in there, you could think of

|| Bbm7 || Abmaj7 ||

as

|| Bbm7 Eb7 || Abmaj7 ||

and

|| Gm7 || Gbmaj7 ||

as

|| Dbalt || Gbmaj7 ||

**mr. beaumont** · 06-21-2010, 05:01 PM

melodic minor would not be my first choice over a static m7 chord.

**saponsky** · 06-21-2010, 05:03 PM

I think you are avoiding the big and important question here... where does this changes comes from? It would help a lot. Or did you just make that out by yourself? Anyways what Mr B. says is to use Dorian modes over the minor 7ths and Ionian over the Major 7ths. You can also substitute the Minor 7ths with Dominant 7ths and use Mixolydian modes over them.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-21-2010, 05:10 PM

Trying to Google and find the tune from the progression led me to the FM7 hotel!

**guysagi** · 06-21-2010, 05:35 PM

lol dude

listen dude I wrote those chords for fun

I tried to conflence some chords and inprovision on them

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-21-2010, 05:55 PM

That's cool, we're just curious.

Here's a descending idea for the progression

|| Am7 || -- C major (~ A aolian)
|| Cm7 || Gm7 || -- Bb major (~ C dorian || G aolian)
|| Bbm7 || Abmaj7 || -- Ab major (Bbm7 Eb7 Abmaj7 = ii-V-I in Ab)
|| Gm7 || Gbmaj7 || -- Dbalt to Gb major
|| Fm7 || -- F dorian. Durn, broke the pattern! But Fm7b5 is a Db9 (rootless), so with Fm7b5 you could be playing the V7 of Gb here.

**Reg** · 06-21-2010, 06:12 PM

A-9 Dor./ C-13, Dor. / G-7 , Aeo. / Dbmaj9#11 / Abmaj7#11 / Bbmaj7#11 /Gbmaj7#11 / Abmaj7#11 /

**guysagi** · 06-21-2010, 07:07 PM

Are you sure that the Dbalt is right on the Gm7 chord?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-22-2010, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by guysagi

Are you sure that the Dbalt is right on the Gm7 chord?

I guess I don't like that Gm7. I wish it were a G7#11 and then you could do a G lydian dominant or G altered scale against it.

**richb2** · 06-24-2010, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

melodic minor would not be my first choice over a static m7 chord.

I've seen you mention in other posts about using arps over the changes. Where would you use a MM then? Over a dominant 7 (if there was one)?

**mr. beaumont** · 06-24-2010, 10:47 AM

without starting a whole new thread, the melodic minor is most easily applied in two very simple situations...

it fits a m/maj7 chord like a glove

it's great to try up a half step from an altered dominant chord (so play Ab melodic minor over a G7alt.) This is essentially the same idea of playing the seventh mode of the MM scale, the "altered scale," or "superlocrian," but all that terminology gets a little silly)

there's about 100 other good applications for the MM too, but that's a whole nuther thread.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-24-2010, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

there's about 100 other good applications for the MM too, but that's a whole nuther thread.

Mebbe you should start that thread! I've been wondering, like any guy who has only got a hammer and is starting to think everything is begging to look like nails, how can you use the MM over major chords?

**randalljazz** · 06-24-2010, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Mebbe you should start that thread! I've been wondering, like any guy who has only got a hammer and is starting to think everything is begging to look like nails, how can you use the MM over major chords?

lydian augmented--third mode...

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-24-2010, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by randalljazz

lydian augmented--third mode...

Ouch! That #5! Are you sure Pat Martino gets away with this?

**richb2** · 06-24-2010, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

it fits a m/maj7 chord like a glove

it's great to try up a half step from an altered dominant chord (so play Ab melodic minor over a G7alt.) This is essentially the same idea of playing the seventh mode of the MM scale, the "altered scale," or "superlocrian," but all that terminology gets a little silly)

there's about 100 other good applications for the MM too, but that's a whole nuther thread.

I don't see a m/Maj7 too often. That leaves the G7alt's to play a mm over, half a step higher.

Basically if I see a minor7 or a minor or a minorb5 or minor whatever, I play a dorian of the root. If I see a 7th, or a 7th altered, I play a mm half a step highr than the root. If I see anything else, I play the arp of that chord.

What am I missing?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-24-2010, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by richb2

I don't see a m/Maj7 too often. That leaves the G7alt's to play a mm over, half a step higher.

Basically if I see a minor7 or a minor or a minorb5 or minor whatever, I play a dorian of the root. If I see a 7th, or a 7th altered, I play a mm half a step highr than the root. If I see anything else, I play the arp of that chord.

What am I missing?

On a vanilla 7th, instead of mixolydian I prefer the lydian dominant (4th mode of MM):

G7: G A B C# D E F G (G lydian dominant)

This sounds more modern than mixolydian to me -- G7#11!
But then I like lydian instead of ionian

EDIT: For minor sounds, eg: G7 --> Cmin, you can obviously play C MM or C HM over G7 (G7#5, er, G7b13)

Also, if you want to play a little more outside, play F MM or B MM over G7 -- Pat Martino-style.

**mr. beaumont** · 06-24-2010, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by richb2

I don't see a m/Maj7 too often. That leaves the G7alt's to play a mm over, half a step higher.

Basically if I see a minor7 or a minor or a minorb5 or minor whatever, I play a dorian of the root. If I see a 7th, or a 7th altered, I play a mm half a step highr than the root. If I see anything else, I play the arp of that chord.

What am I missing?

nothing. keep it simple.

but on a half diminished, hit that b5!

**merseybeat** · 06-26-2010, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

how can you use the MM over major chords?

Minor over Major? Surely thats the "Blues", I personally love throwing a minor 3rd in over a Maj 7 chord, sounds very breezy, almost gospel!! So Minor 3rd in a Major scale = MM.

Long time ago I seem to recall a Louis Armstrong quote that said "Minor over Major is good, but Major over Minor is bad". or something like that!

Eddie

**IbanezAS100** · 06-26-2010, 06:19 AM

..What kind of sound are you going for? If it's the 'modern' thing you're going for, how about some pentatonic pairs, off the root and fifth of each chord (same quality pent as the chord)? It will give you some hip sounds a la Rosenwinkel, Hekselman, Kreisberg etc...

e.g. Am Pent and Em Pent for Amin
Cm Pent and Gm Pent for Gmin
Gb and Db (maj) Pent for Gb maj etc....

Some great voice leading ideas to be found here (and a good workout too..)

BTW, if you stretch the final chord (as has been mentioned) to an Fm maj7 then it resolves very nicely and you can make this into a cyclic progression...

but the possibilities are endless...arpeggios, intervals, subs, etc..