Improvisation over odd turnaround

[mjlee25]

I have a song whose main progession is D7 to G, and the melody and improv over the D7 is played Dm. The turnaround is Bb13 - G13 - Ab13 - F13 over 2 bars, where each 13 chord is b7, 3, and 13. How would I solo over this turnaround?

[Rob MacKillop]

Chromatic scale and a sensitive ear

[pauln]

The Lydian Dominant expresses the 13th chord and sounds great even when all you're doing is repeating scale tone patterns through a series of chords, or overlapping scale tone patterns through single chords. Here are some examples of both to play with to get used to the sound. You still have to make a melodic line, but this scale is very prolific - pieces of the Lydian Dominant can be isolated to reference various harmonies (so when you connect them you get movement inside a static chord). This is because part of the Lydian Dominant is like ordinary Lydian, part is like the whole-tone scale, another part is like one of the diminished scales, another part is like augmented... much to explore.

Bb13 to G13 using a repeated scale tone pattern for both

x 13 x x x x
x x 12 x x x
x x x 13 x x
x x x x 13 x
x x x x x 12
x x x x x 15

15 x x x x x
x 14 x x x x
x x 15 x x x
x x x 14 x x
x x x x 14 x
x x x x x 17

Ab13 to F13 using two overlapping patterns in each chord

x x x x x 13
x x x x x 10
x x x x 11 x
x x x 11 x x
x x x x 9 x
x x x 10 x x
x x 10 x x x
x 9 x x x x

x x x x x 10
x x x x x 7
x x x x 8 x
x x x 8 x x
x x x x 6 x
x x x 7 x x
x x 7 x x x
x 6 x x x x

[ragman1]

I have a song whose main progession is D7 to G, and the melody and improv over the D7 is played Dm. The turnaround is Bb13 - G13 - Ab13 - F13 over 2 bars, where each 13 chord is b7, 3, and 13. How would I solo over this turnaround?

It depends what those chords are a sub for, if they are a sub.

What's the song? Got a lead sheet of some kind (melody and chords)? Seeing everything in context usually does it.

[Robespier]

The simple observation is this:


With this voicing 1 b7 3 13 - (I assume the root is there somewhere) the first two chords (1st bar) are derived from one HW scale (eg G).
The next two (2nd bar) from HW a whole tone lower (eg F) or a semitone higher of course (eg Ab)


I checked. it's simple and sounds good to me.

[Tal_175]

Note that Bb13 and G13 are functioning like an E7 (VI7), pulling towards A (II or II-V of G).
Ab13 and F13 are functioning like a D7 (V) pulling towards G.
So you can treat it like VI7 (two beats) and ii-V (or just V). ie. E7 (Amin-) D7.

[ragman1]

I want to see it in context. F13 to what?