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Hey fellas, after watching this video of Marcus King and Isaiah Sharkey impro over this tune in Am Im wondering me which ideas for you be cool to play in this type of vamp, I guess coming from A dorian to A minor melodic, Bm penta, Em penta and then...going outside? ideas? Ebm penta for instance or anyone know which type of approach guys like Sharkey uses? cheers.
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11-29-2025 05:17 PM
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Why do you talk like that??? No musicians talk like that or ask those kinds of questions.
Originally Posted by Basshead
Do you have nothing else to do except try to sound smart??!!
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I’d go for minor bluesy stuff. I honestly think yeah, everything I might play could find into one of the buckets you talked about. But I don’t think of music like that, I’m bad with names. To me, A Dorian is the same notes as A Minor pentatonic, and sometimes I’ll think “maybe the flat six here” and sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. If it’s not good I’ll try it again and see if it’s good over the next chord. Two mistakes in a row makes it an artistic choice.
I also try out melodic minor a lot, since I’m shedding those fingerings they’re easier for me to play with.
At my gigs, I treat the music like a puzzle. I’m not going to fire myself, the one perk of being band leader, I can absolutely train wreck a song and I don’t get in trouble.
I try to play it safer in the big band.
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What do mean pawlowski6132??
Im justing asking you guys which outside ideas you like for a minor vamp, in this case kinda dorian sound, I remember years ago in this forum some people talked about diferent triads and stuff like that I cant remember now.
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Since you're vamping on Am7 using A Dorian as a starting point, you've got all the triads or 7th chords that naturally occur in the G major scale to use as material in your improvisation. Originally Posted by Basshead
Be careful with the F# Diminished, since in this context it'll often sound like it wants to resolve to G major.
There are other triads / 7th chords you can draw from if you want to get spicy.
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Thanks, I meant outside ideas, like if you say B major over Am7 vamp, Eb penta...etc.
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Don't forget it's not just playing over an Am7, sometimes you have to play/lead into it by playing something that pulls there such as E7 and subs. You're outside ideas won't all necessarily pull to the Am7. So, yes, you can definitely play E7 stuff over the Am7 if you resolve it. Doesn't matter if you're thinking "Dorian" or whatever, the chord is still Am and the E7 still goes there.
The primary Am notes, I just think "minor" and use natural or raised 6th and 7th degrees freely (I do tend toward the old ascending descending rule)
To be honest, to fit the music the majority should probably just be a min pentatonic/blues I think Allan said that. Then the other stuff sprinkled in sounds much nastier. And even basic melodic minor scale will sound special if most of it is pentatonic/blues
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I think this is your answer. Originally Posted by joe2758
Mostly you're inside.
When you're outside, you're mostly playing stuff that resolves -- V7 of Am, bII7 of Am, side-slipping.
Mayyybee at the heaviest spots, you're doing the m3 away pentatonic ultra-out stuff or whatever, but that's a lever you wait to pull when stuff is really cooking.
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You can also venture into the darker minor sounds if the comping permits. You can get bring out the b6 and/or b9 and in stay in the Aeolean, and Phrygian moods for a while.
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That's fun too. The phrygian is nice ... sometimes Aeolian isn't enough of a move out so it sounds kind of wrong? I'm sure it works, but not my fave. Originally Posted by Tal_175
Throwing a big old Bbmaj7 arpeggio or something in there is great though
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I got a dopamine hit when Peter said I'm right
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I did a video a while back based on this idea
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Christian would you also say I was right?
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Please, Christian -- would you mind? Originally Posted by joe2758
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Christian doesn't affirm other members. Joe I like how you're the only other member besides me who clowns around in all circumstances without being transactional.
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Yes, receive ten jazz points. Originally Posted by joe2758
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Nah I just steal their ideas for videos. Originally Posted by Strat-itis
Christian doesn't affirm other members. Joe I like how you're the only other member besides me who clowns around in all circumstances without being transactional.
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Thanks guys, nice video CM, you got a new follower on IG
I dont really like the minor harmonic sound or the side stepping but the altered thing at the end sounds cool to me, in this case F melo minor over Am7 vamp.
You mentioned Mccoy voicings on My fav things, could you explain where that comes from? I always get confused if he is using like poly modal, going from Em7 (add 9 and 11) to same chord one step above, a bit impressionist sound perhaps?
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END OF THREAD!! Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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Yeah there’s a lot of use of the mixolydian triad pair in McCoys music (think passion dance for example), and he also loves chromatic half step side slipping with pentatonics - Originally Posted by Basshead
Thanks guys, nice video CM, you got a new follower on IG
I dont really like the minor harmonic sound or the side stepping but the altered thing at the end sounds cool to me, in this case F melo minor over Am7 vamp.
You mentioned Mccoy voicings on My fav things, could you explain where that comes from? I always get confused if he is using like poly modal, going from Em7 (add 9 and 11) to same chord one step above, a bit impressionist sound perhaps?
Tbh I haven’t gone deep in McCoy. I was listening to the Real McCoy today and thinking ‘I should really get into that.’ Ive always loved his playing.
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