Howard Roberts Super Chops: study group for a tune based practice routine

[D'Aquisto Fan]

When I was in school, I found the constant pressure to learn a paradox. While I knew I was there to learn, I didn't feel there was the space to grow.
The lessons I learned turned out not to be the ones in the syllabus. The things I ultimately took away were not anything even dreamed of or even known to the instructors. That was the most powerful revelation: Learning is not linear, nor within our control, nor can it be the product of our expectations. Every class I took ended with promises of "I've REALLY got to check this... or that... or that... out!" The real value of any learning experience is the shortcomings and obstacles that are revealed to ourselves.
Now Super Chops is one very specialized focus: speed and right/left hand coordination. The first time I went through, it was frustrating. But after I had some facility in that regard, I came to see that the search for speed reveals inherent weaknesses in design and execution. The car can get a larger engine, but with that comes the need for better suspension, better roads and the ability to navigate and re-envision the driving experience.

Being able to play faster allowed me to hear faster. That led to me listening and appreciating a more varied spectrum of music. That led me to hearing horn players as the model for complex and fast playing and that led to developing what I think of as a "micro vocabulary" or a lexicon of phrases and not just notes. That all came from having faster fingers and realizing that's only one part of the picture.

20 weeks is NOT enough time to re-create the way you play. But it IS an effective way to realize all the things you COULD'VE done while the speed was really slow. For instance, a target speed of 160 forces me into a situation where I'm playing that scale and arpeggio combination AGAIN. Sheesh!
If only I can hear a 5 or 6 note flurry as an intentional statement leading to a specific lead in to the next chord. If only I was learning to think in Unit Structures way back when the speed was managable (or I thought, too slow), then right now every two bar change could be a challenging melodic variation of a set of personal "licks" with infinitely reordered possibilities.
[ Phrase beginning=from chord tone or from passing or approach note]
+
[Body of the phrase=linear or angular? Small or large leaps? Reacting to or requoting a melodic phrase from the head or previous idea? Going up, down or being twisty? Using unusual chromatic sequences to build to a very specific point?]
+
[phrase ending=the arrival of the resolution. Arrive at a chord tone for a feeling of affirmation? Go to the root for solidity? Approach by embellishment? Contrast angularity in the body with a smooth sigh of relief of diatonic arrival? Create a shape a half step above and restate it on target with a sense of design? Repeat a note for emphasis?]

This is all phrase design. And when I had the luxury of not needing to learn intricate phrases, when the speed was slow, it was easy not to see the urgency of hearing fast. But now we're at a speed where that knowledge and confidence is essential. Lesson learned: New things to master at slow speeds inform facility at higher speeds.

Super Chops can be a real litmus test for how to design a better suspension, make better lights, create a better windshield, craft an aerodynamic shape that keeps you on the ground...all things you had no idea you needed when you first started fitting that bigger engine in there.
Learning is circular, or more like a spiral. Every step is a lesson on what you can put into the next spiral. But just by going through this you'll get a long list of things that need to be addressed, and if you've got the focus, you can even address them now. In week 17.
Create a phrase that has a pleasing musicality to it. It can be directly from a tune or even a different tune completely. Danny Boy, or Chestnuts roasting on an Open Fire... You pick it, and run that snippet through ALL the changes, altering the scales and notes to make it fit. There's a challenge that will keep you engaged.
Or vary that snippet in some way, change one note, or recognize the notes converging on a specific point and use a different route. Mindfully create variations but don't ever lose track of what you started with.
Or watch for habitual phrasing traps and see how quickly you can turn to a fresh direction on a dime (improving your suspension) and then execute a phrase resolution from that spot. In other words become adept at pulling off the unexpected and making it sound good.
Listen to the quality of your playing: Is your attack clean? Is your timing fluid? Can you swing even when you hit a bad note? Can you create rhythmic interest within a steady stream of eighths and triplets? ALL of these things, when overlooked, will plunge you into the sameness wasteland.

If you come out of Super Chops with just a fraction of these content elements, you'll be a better player, and chops will be yours.

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a thoughtful and insightful response, JBN. Everything you said makes sense. At the beginning of the course when the tempos were super slow it was more fulfilling and inspiring to have time to really craft ideas and lines. That really drew me into the program from the get-go. It provided for more musicality, whereas now it often feels like a workout at the gym. As I've said countless times throughout this course and this thread, I'm always trying to balance the brute force of Super Chops and the desire to play something that hopefully is musical. I'll try again this evening. Thank you again for all of your help. It is much appreciated!!

[Jimmy blue note]

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a thoughtful and insightful response, JBN. Everything you said makes sense. At the beginning of the course when the tempos were super slow it was more fulfilling and inspiring to have time to really craft ideas and lines. That really drew me into the program from the get-go. It provided for more musicality, whereas now it often feels like a workout at the gym. As I've said countless times throughout this course and this thread, I'm always trying to balance the brute force of Super Chops and the desire to play something that hopefully is musical. I'll try again this evening. Thank you again for all of your help. It is much appreciated!!

You know the speed police are only there to watch the maximum. It's your program and these pieces are there for you to reap the fruit from. If you know you can get more out of taking the tempo down 10 or 20 bpm's, then THAT is your real ceiling. You'll get much more from learning to play more from your max. Remember, playing more at a given tempo is not really about playing more notes, it's about playing music with a larger range of tempo.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 17. Day 4
I ran this project twice today; I had a cool rainy day and I stayed out of the shop today. So I had a stumbling session in the morning, but pretty good for the fingers. Absolutely no new ideas, treading water.
Then I worked on a new piece during the day, I'm Old Fashioned which I spent a good part of the day getting to know. Then an evening run of Diatonic in C. Having my hands and EARS warmed up makes a real difference. A really strong run through all three times, really working on projecting myself into a change before I get there. I mean I know what's coming up, I can see where I want to be on the fingerboard and I get there ready to play something very specific and hearing ahead to the next change and doing the same thing. I tried to head off any predictability in the content and it felt pretty good. Even started with substituting different kinds of dominant chord lines. I'm really looking forward to having hammer-ons to work with. I play fingerstyle so working out up down picking proficiency is not so much an issue to me.
Hope I don't forget half of what I found today

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 17 Day 5. Friday's project
Project 3-A Angel Eyes in D minor.
Minor tonalities and turnarounds.
Tempo set for maximum productivity

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 17. Day 5. Lesson 3-A. Thanks to JBN's very helpful posts, I returned to Super Chops this evening with a purpose. To enjoy the process the way I was earlier in the course. I dialed the tempo back a little bit. Not too much or anything drastic. This did allow me to feel more comfortable and get more out of my evening session. I must admit I've never been a big fan of this "Angel Eyes" chart. I'm looking forward to tackling Modal Madness tomorrow night! Thanks again, JBN!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 17. Day 6. Exercise 6-A. Back to Modal Madness. It's fascinating how much more I enjoy this now that we're not just playing steady eighth note triplets. I think I did an admirable job of working on my right hand chops while keeping it musical and enjoyable. Not sure how quickly I'll jump into week 18. I realize the big addition is the use of hammer-ons and pull-offs. I've already been cheating a bit and using them occasionally. Mainly when I need to execute triplets.

Wow. Only a few more weeks left! Not that I'm in a rush to the finish line. Because as we all know, there is no finish line when it comes to growing, learning and improving at anything in life.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 17 As it all comes together.
Day 6. Balancing speed with content, finding the upper limit of your ear.
Saturday: Project 6-A Modal Madness in F dorian and F blues

This would have been a good exercise to introduce the symmetrical diminished scale as an alternative choice when playing in a dominant chord situation.
I'll try to prepare a special focus on that topic.
As we use 7th chords in these projects, it's an area where we easily fall into a rut, especially when it comes to dominant chords. We all have our favourite ways to deal with dominant chords and it's not always easy to find a lyric line when we're thinking about a "chord".
Symmetrical scales are one way to break out of pattern thinking. Maybe we'll run a weeklong take-it-or-leave-it series on symmetrical scales. The nice thing is we have pieces that are just filled with 7th chord situations you can experiment with.
Coming in the next weeks!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 17 As it all comes together.
Day 6. Balancing speed with content, finding the upper limit of your ear.
Saturday: Project 6-A Modal Madness in F dorian and F blues

This would have been a good exercise to introduce the symmetrical diminished scale as an alternative choice when playing in a dominant chord situation.
I'll try to prepare a special focus on that topic.
As we use 7th chords in these projects, it's an area where we easily fall into a rut, especially when it comes to dominant chords. We all have our favourite ways to deal with dominant chords and it's not always easy to find a lyric line when we're thinking about a "chord".
Symmetrical scales are one way to break out of pattern thinking. Maybe we'll run a weeklong take-it-or-leave-it series on symmetrical scales. The nice thing is we have pieces that are just filled with 7th chord situations you can experiment with.
Coming in the next weeks!

That would be great, JBN! Anything to keep this course alive and breathing! Thanks!

[Jimmy blue note]

Developing areas of tonality: The dominant chord and scales that create movement.
Symmetrical scales
The diminished symmetrical scale

The interaction of diatonic chords and dominant chords is the interplay between a feeling of going and a feeling of being somewhere familiar. When we start to understand how to use these two elements, we not only open up ways to play, and ways to pace our music, but we also give the listener something that carries impact on a gut level.

The Super Chops examples are different in very essential ways, but one thing that ties them together is this relationship between dominant chords and the diatonic chords.
HR's projects are ways in which he introduces lots of ways to create tension through dominant chords: 7th chords with tension, secondary dominant chords, tritone subs, to name but a few. He leaves it at that because it's a lifetime of learning that fills the bag of dominant sounds and how to use them.
I'll just say that if you look at a [X]7 chord and immediately think 1 3 5 b7, you're missing an entire universe of really interesting and challenging ways to make your solo (and life) a lot more satisfying.

Today I'm going to introduce the idea of the symmetrical scale. There are many types of symmetrical scales and they all have some things in common:
They are not based on the harmonic series
They are not necessarily built in thirds (as the harmony we're used to)
They have some internal intervallic pattern that repeats at a certain point
They will reveal sonic secrets if you don't restrict yourself to thinking in terms of 1 3 5... ,or I should say if you can free yourself from thinking conventional harmony and learn them as sounds you can superimpose in a conventional situation.

So let's look at the symmetrical diminished scale, what it's made up of, how you'd map it out on the fingerboard, and then in subsequent posts this week, how to use it.

The scale we're using is made up of alternating half steps and whole steps. If you try to play it on the guitar, you can start with a half step, then a whole step, OR you can start with a whole step and a half step and you'll get the two possible variants of this scale.
On the guitar, you'll notice that there's no way to play it without shifting each time you change a string.
If you play three notes and shift, you'll find yourself moving UP the neck.

But if you play two notes and shift, you'll find yourself moving DOWN the neck, you'll wind up moving towards the nut.

For now, get to know the sound, the map, the feel and the sonic possibilities. Don't limit yourself to just playing it on adjacent strings, but find out what happens when you skip a string, how and when you shift and where that brings you. In other words, really immerse yourself in the sound of this unique arrangements of notes and how those sounds feel to your fingers.

In following posts, I'll talk about how to apply this scale to the structure of a dominant chord so you can use these in your own tool bag to make sounds you didn't imagine at speeds you didn't think were possible.
By using this one scale, and moving the things you learn to play, you can "plug in" this scale, a scale your hands will know, and it will sound totally different depending on how it's superimposed on the 1 3 5 b7 things you know.

Here's a map of the mixolydian (7th) scale with two possible symmetrical diminished scales superimposed on it. The root of the mixo scale, by the way, has an arrow pointing to the note of resolution.
You can take the SD scale in green, or in orange and alternate it with the mixo for some cool sounds.

But FIRST, just get to know the SD scale on its own. Learn to move/shift/play wider intervals/make fluid sound... THEN we'll start to use it on a dominant structure.

Note: This is obviously beyond the HR program, but it creates an ear expanding way of looking at the vocabulary you can use. It's strictly optional and by all means, ignore it unless you're specifically bored or restless with what you do over dominant chords.
Second note: That second chart is MOVABLE. That means it is not fret specific. The "1" is anywhere the root is. If you're playing a G7, the "1" is all the Gs, if you're playing a G#7, the whole chart moves up a fret.
Have fun!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 18. Day 1. First of all, I'd like to thank JBN for the great post about the symmetrical diminished scale. I've dabbled with that a bit in the past. I realize I need to familiarize myself with it more to create greater options when playing over dominant chords. The half-whole always makes more sense to my ears, especially when treating it as a way to play over a 7b9 chord. The whole-half I've used less frequently.

Okay. As I've been doing of late, I got a jump on the next week's lessons. I tackled 1-A per Howard's suggestion. Nothing groundbreaking. My tempos are modest, but that allows me to try and say something musically. I tried to incorporate the symmetrical diminished scale at times. Typically just jumping off from the root of the dominant chord. I need to internalize the symmetrical diminished scale so I can see it more clearly as it relates to other notes from a dominant chord. I have come to realize that one of my favorite dominant sounds is the b9. Although I'm really enjoying the b9 and #9, too.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Day 1 Monday
Cherokee as a suggestion, subject to your own preference.
Hammer On, Pull Off, Slides added to eighth notes and triplets

We're in the final run here. This week we add the articulations that come from the left hand. That means we have two hands forming the note choices.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Day 2
Tuesday. Project 1B Cherokee part 2 suggested
Speed to your abilities
Using left hand articulation techniques

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Monday Project 1-A Cherokee Bb
Hammer-On Pull-Off Slides
160 bpm
I'm loving this. I have been working on hammer-ons and pull-offs with private students over the past few weeks, using open chords. In that situation I can use them off of open notes and they can be played as either in time eighth notes or as sixteenth note ornamental effects and passing notes.

Now using them in time at higher speeds as eighth notes or triplet time, it's being mindful of good time, dynamics and smooth flow that keeps me busy.
Since using any left hand articulations on the attacks is limited to narrow leaps or scale steps, I'm finding it changes my melodic possibilities. I can hammer on, skip a string or two, pick a note and either hammer on or pull off, or slide and get really nice combinations of wide and narrow leaps. New sounds and new things to practice to get smooth. Really fun! Just keeping the time smooth so there's no break in the flow.

These techniques are great for getting a legato feel. Very welcome after weeks of single note attacks.

[Jimmy blue note]

The symmetrical diminished scale used in dominant situations.
The half whole SD scale can be used in many ways, and the sound so commonly overused is just the stacked minor thirds. I'm going to avoid that one for now.

Each SD scale, whether it's the HW or WH can be looked as a melodic scale too.
HW can be used as is, and one way you can use it is to take advantage of the fact that it contains the 1 3 5 b7 plus the 13 the sharp 4, the sharp 9 AND the flat 9. So it's a dominant scale right there with alterations. BUT since we know that it's going to cover those sounds, you can do lots of other things. Like play that #9 as a minor and play a minor, or minor 7b5 arpeggio followed by straight mixolydian notes, and putting the two of them together makes some pretty interesting mash ups. Or don't think of it as a scale at all, by finding a pleasing combination of notes, you can play ANYTHING in the scale, move it up a minor third and then slide into a mixolydian thought or mixture to bring you back. Use the HW as a super charger for the mixolydian scale, then resolve up a 4th to your tonic. Try it!

The WH is one I like to use beginning on the second degree of the dominant chord, (you can look at it as the HW starting a half step up from the 1 of the 7th chord). This means you don't have a root note to work with but you get a 3 5 b7 and for tensions, you get b9 9 11 #5 for an augmented feel, and even a natural 7.

The best way I've found is to really explore the sounds of these scales BY THEMSELVES, to create unusual quirky melodies that have a life unto their own. Then you can move them up a minor 3rd for dramatic effect, then bring it back to a more conventional dominant chord to tie it up together. This juxtaposition of the strange and the familiar is really cool...AND because it contains the notes I've outlined above, it's going to work.

This will take some time to get into your ear and really run with, but done well, it'll put some jaw dropping sounds into your dominant chord usage. THEN you'll look forward to those passages in the Super Chops exercises.

We're picking up some pretty neat tools here in the final run. Have fun!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 18. Day 2. Cherokee in Db. Pretty good session this evening. I was really trying to target my chord tones not only when switching chords, but especially when switching keys. I want to work on the symmetrical diminished scale ideas that JBN was kind enough to discuss. But I often find I need to woodshed that on my own before implementing it in an actual song form. I found a few spots to play the symmetrical diminished scale on Cherokee and it was pretty cool.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Day 3 Wednesday's Project
Suggested study piece 2-A Baubling into different keys
Speed target where appropriate

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 18. Day 3. BBB in D. I enjoyed it this evening. The second and third ten minute sessions I allowed myself to go off book more and internalize the piece. It was certainly more freeing, creative and enjoyable. Probably sounded better, too!

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Day 4. Thursday's project
Juggling keys and Baubling the changes
Speed to your edge of comfort, Left hand note attacks with right hand picking

[Jimmy blue note]

Knocked off the train today, that second dose packs a kick! Got some nice SD dominant practice in earlier, and have all sorts of observations but before I could get a thought together, I went fever.
Hope all will be cool. tomorrow!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Knocked off the train today, that second dose packs a kick! Got some nice SD dominant practice in earlier, and have all sorts of observations but before I could get a thought together, I went fever.
Hope all will be cool. tomorrow!

Hope you feel better soon, David!

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 18. Day 4. BBB in Bb. I had a long day of work and evening obligations. But I got my daily dose of Super Chops in tonight. After the first ten minutes it was easier for me to internalize the changes. I'm trying to let go more and more while following my ear, especially over Howard's wonderfully eccentric harmonic twists and turns. Often my playing is better and more musical when I trust my ear and my instincts instead of slavishly chasing after every chord. That said, I continue to really try and focus on chord tones, especially when changing keys.

[Jimmy blue note]

I'm alive. Feeling inspired. It's great not having a fever, ha ha.
Tonight the ticker was at a pretty brisk 160, metronome on 2 and 4, comping and playing in real time, no backing track. It was a really good session. I'm loving using the hammer-ons and pull-offs. I can get really fluid lines and the challenge is hearing everything I want to play before hand. It's so easy to just get note mileage from left hand articulation, harder to make intelligent and constructive music from it. I was using bass note counterpoint with melodic phrases a la with HO's. The wider leaps are nice and it's a great workout.

I'm also doing 3 note SD scale groupings alternating with 3 or 4 note 7th chord notes, back and forth, steadily blending the two. It's pretty cool how I can pick out major phrases, augmented phrases, -7b5 phrases, minor phrases all within the SC scale. Use them and when I alternate with the dominant 7 notes it sounds fantastic.

Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge.

[Jimmy blue note]

Week 18 Day 5. Friday's Project
Suggestion 3-A Angel Eyes form in D minor
Speed set to your own limits
Hammer On, Pull Off, Slides in steady eighths and triplets.

[Donplaysguitar]

At the risk of being an interloper, I bought this book years ago and am not sure if i own it anymore but..

How is this book working for you guys? Is it what you expected/hoped for? Would you recommend it to others? Anything you would add, change, or delete?

Finally, will there be any recordings that we can enjoy?

[D'Aquisto Fan]

Week 18. Day 5. "Angel Eyes" in D minor. This should be called Angle Eyes because it's very angular to my ears. This is my least favorite, least inspiring of the Super Chops exercises. I plugged away anyway. As I've been doing lately, I tried to hit chord tones, especially on the most significant and jarring changes, while playing loose and not slavishly adhering to the form. It's an interesting kind of ying/yang musical experience.