Arpeggio/Guide Tones

[jayx123]

A small question:
If I have a ii-7 V7 in one bar do I need to outline both chords or will outlining the V7 be enough?

[FatJeff]

A small question:
If I have a ii-7 V7 in one bar do I need to outline both chords or will outlining the V7 be enough?

Yes.

It depends. You can get away with simply outlining the V7, or simply outlining the ii7. Or you could do both. Kind of up to you.

[docbop]

A small question:
If I have a ii-7 V7 in one bar do I need to outline both chords or will outlining the V7 be enough?

It is very common to mix scales and arpeggios. As an exercise good to go up the arp and down the scale. Another thing to try is using melodic embellishment to target the arp/chord tones. Also try doing arp's of chord sub's against the original chords. Like everything in music there are no rules this is stuff to practice to gain fretboard knowledge and train your ear.

[Jaffey]

With few exceptions, I found I wasted a lot of time trying to duplicate lines in all 5 positions. John Scofield once said that if figure out 10 ways to play the same thing, you're wasting a lot of time. Now, I would definitely have 2-5-1 arps down solid in all 5 positions. But the beauty of improvising using one position versus another is that that position will yield certain lines that another position won't so easily. I always go for the easist way. If I can't get to it, why bother ? Years ago I memorized 2-5-1 chords/scales/arps in all 5 positions. How I did this was by trial and error. For ex. I took the lowest fingering of Dm7, G7, Cma7 (3rd fret area), and memorized the chords/scales/arps. I just began weaving arps in and around the chords. It's now second nature. Then you do it in the next position and so on. I am not a big fan of running the cycle of 4ths/5ths right away. Too much information. I would learn the 2-5-1 system of chords/scales/arps in C, F, Bb, and that's it - for now. Then expand. I wouldn,'t spend an inordinate amount of time in the key of B ro Gb. Those are oddball keys. Eventually you get to them, but at first it's best to pick a few keys. I always go back to what a bass player told me years ago: Let the chords do the work. A 2-5-1 comes by and that doesn't mean one has to play all these crazy notes or lines. I may bail on the 2 and play on the 5, and NOT resolve the 1 chord. Why ? Because the 1 chord resolves itself. My two cents.