The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Help with the following would be appreciated.

    I've been asked to record a "funky" meaning "non jazzy" solo on some simple changes.

    4/4, q=92,

    G7 / C7 / D7 / Eb7 Dsus / -- played 6 times. 24 bars total at 92 bpm.

    So, it's kind of long. My usual blues ideas worked, but started sounding repetitive.

    I started thinking about Tom Morello and other players who go further outside.

    So, I wrote in some changes on top of the original changes. I started simple with the iim's over the 7th chords. Then, some lydian dominant ideas .... Then I adapted George Harrison's solo from She's A Woman, and some licks from the Grateful Dead's Truckin' (which has some similar changes in the bridge). But I didn't get to the more adventurous sounds I could faintly hear in my mind.

    Ideally, there would be some cool changes to play on over the original harmony (I have no control over the harmony/comping). I mean, a set of changes I could pencil into the chart above the original changes -- and solo on the penciled changes.

    I'd appreciate any ideas for a way to conceptualize this solo.

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  3. #2

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    You could try transposing and varying motives through the various scales you play...

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    Help with the following would be appreciated.

    I've been asked to record a "funky" meaning "non jazzy" solo on some simple changes.

    4/4, q=92,

    G7 / C7 / D7 / Eb7 Dsus / -- played 6 times. 24 bars total at 92 bpm.

    So, it's kind of long. My usual blues ideas worked, but started sounding repetitive.

    I started thinking about Tom Morello and other players who go further outside.

    So, I wrote in some changes on top of the original changes. I started simple with the iim's over the 7th chords. Then, some lydian dominant ideas .... Then I adapted George Harrison's solo from She's A Woman, and some licks from the Grateful Dead's Truckin' (which has some similar changes in the bridge). But I didn't get to the more adventurous sounds I could faintly hear in my mind.

    Ideally, there would be some cool changes to play on over the original harmony (I have no control over the harmony/comping). I mean, a set of changes I could pencil into the chart above the original changes -- and solo on the penciled changes.

    I'd appreciate any ideas for a way to conceptualize this solo.
    chord tones m8

  5. #4

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    Tbh if someone asked me to play a funky solo on changes like that (basically a I IV V blues thing in G) I would lean HEAVILY into the blues. Major and minor

    As a side note - I think a lot of people don’t quite grasp the link between the blues and chord tones? Like the blues isn’t just minor pent on everything - it’s also about using blues vocab to express the chords.

  6. #5
    It's blues, but I'm looking for some ideas to extend the harmony, more the way some modern rock players do. I can sort of hear it, or imagine it, but I can't quite find it.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    It's blues, but I'm looking for some ideas to extend the harmony, more the way some modern rock players do. I can sort of hear it, or imagine it, but I can't quite find it.
    I would probably consider the possibility of ignoring the chords completely and playing something outside over the top. As i don’t know what you are hearing it’s hard to advise, but it’s easy to assume people play based out of the chords all the time, which they don’t, especially if they are rock players.

  8. #7

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    Yeah you could play sequences that fit the changes then continue the sequence with either altered harmony on the chords or chromatic/out. Easy way to get that sound.

  9. #8
    I appreciate all the suggestions.

    I wrote in some of what I call "phantom changes" (I know there's an accepted term, but I can't recall it). That is, a set of changes to solo over while the comping is on the original, simple, changes. I did one chorus focusing on iim then another with lydian. I tried Coltrane changes for a third chorus but they sounded terrible. I tried playing the maj7 a step below against the 7 chords. Played Dbmaj against the Eb7sus. And so forth. I also tried ignoring the changes entirely, with mixed results. Tried some side slipping, but didn't make it work.

    In the end though, the thing that got me through it was the guitar solo from She's A Woman. Those pairs of notes on the G and E strings outlining the 7th chords. I also spent more time listening to the horn backgrounds, which were pretty busy, so I tried to stay more in the horn-silences. I failed to find the more outside harmony that I've been kind of hearing, but I did vary the rhythm.

    I'll post it when the track is done -- the leader is waiting for some other parts at the moment.

    Thanks again.

  10. #9

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    I think you're complicating it. Funk is pretty simple, it's the rhythm/groove that's more important. A lot of is chordal/octaves/double stops and you might need a funky wah-wah (?) pedal too. Otherwise just give the pentatonics a workout with a little variation, it's not high jazz.

    Doesn't really sound like your thing, to be honest!